Hi,
I am looking for gear to take on multi day canoe trip with my wife.
I really need to start from scratch. Tent, sleeping bags, pads, stoves, portage packs, and anything else one might need.
Not worried about being as light as possible but don’t want to be super heavy either.
we will be doing stuff around Missouri but will eventually be doing trips like the BWCA with portages.
Thanks in advance
review
NRS n REI
Buy a Garmin handheld
polyester clothing…long sleeve crews meant for layering.
see utube. check out Gearlab.
buy a few Walmart painter’s tarps for $3-4 for 3 fit under tent over stuff
MSR has a knockout gravity water filter n unbeatable stainless pots with plates n pots with lids.
If you start on MO rivers
Portage packs are lower in priority. Sure you will need them in the BWCA but you can rent them
So do you have duffle bags ? Line them with contracto trash bags to keep contents dry
Tent comfy sleeping bags and pads should be the top items to shop for
Campmor is an excellent resource. Lots of folks have used Timberline tents by Eureka to start with. Not the lightest but not the heaviest and quite durable
Sleeping pad. If you are younger you might get away with a Thermarest pad but lots of Ozark camping is on gravel bars so spending more on something like an Exped Synmat might be considered
There are a couple of Ozark Rendezvous. each year. There will be one in April probably near West Plains MO
It’s a great way to see what everyone else is using
On your sleeping bag. So many choices. Buy for about ten degrees lower than yoU expect to camp in and try them out.
Canoe campers often use down in waterproof dry bags as they pack smaller but synthetics are a more reasonable cost
And check out the website Steep and Cheap. Discontinued gear
dry bags
dry bags insure a happy trip. Dry bags D-ringed into the hull insure the bag doesn’t float off.
stuff goes in bag reverse order to need when coming out.
So there’s a bag for camp setup n dinner
and a bag for clothing, meds, equipment.
stuff going in is usually ordered by use and placed in a smaller bag
sleeping bags are notorious for mislabeling, bragging, dishonesty and fraud. If the area is cold, a bag rated at -0- is good. -30 is best.
I have a bag…very nice poly bag …where I gave up on ratings n went to -0-.
The zero bag only works with a polyester camping blanket over me under bag.
Walmart nylon cover bags, Chinese issue, are good in warmer weather better wit that poly blanket
try
poly socks…thick poly socks …super bug resistance n warm when wet
http://www.google.com/#tbm=shop&q=polyester+hiking+socks
using Goo Shop for searching is AAA
add a tarp, and very good rain gear
I suspect that your wife would approve of staying dry - getting wet and cold on a canoe trip can ruin the experience, and your wife may never want to go again if she was miserable on the first trip. So get very good rain gear; a tarp can make cooking in the rain, and even just hanging out in the rain a much nicer experience, and you can pitch your tent under one, and pack or unpack your gear under one to keep it dry. I’d guess 99% of people who canoe camp in BWCA will have a tarp along for those reasons.
no matter what sleeping bags or packs I use, I always have at least 3 layers of waterproof for them - trash bags, and or lightweight dry sacks before they get put in a pack, even if it is a dry bag.
Do the same for one set of extra clothes too.
Gear
– Last Updated: Oct-22-16 1:24 PM EST –
Big question. Much depends on your experience level, fitness, how long of a trip, how often etc. Check out the canoe camping books from Cliff Jacobson and Michael Furtman . Piragis is a canoe outfitter in the Boundary Waters with a decent web site - look at what they use. You can also rent just about anything from a good outfitter. Many will even pack food for you. If you are going to remote areas quality equipment is key.
bwca
join bwca.com. There is plenty of information on what gear to buy. I rented all my gear except the canoe on my first 2 trips. Then started buying gear when I found good deals and I found stuff at garage sales too. Outfitters sell their used gear after a few seasons. Outfitters are a great source too if you are wondering about menu planning.
Jet Boil Stoves. NEMO sleeping pad Cosmo insulated swear by it hot or cold. MSR huba huba tent a few i dont leave home without. REI arete tent for chilly season. EMS switch sleeping bag. Mountain house dry food.
A chair.
This is my basic set-up. I came to paddling from whitewater rafting so I had to get some new gear that was more compact & lighter than my rafting set-up (big tent for one person, cot to sleep on, big camp chair plus recliner chair, etc. etc.).
Tent - Big Agnes Blacktail 2. Ample room for one person & some gear, 2 door & 2 vestibules. One for entry, one for gear. Pretty good inside height at 42 inches. About 5-6 pound total packed weight with a footprint & stakes.
Sleeping - Exped Synmat 7 pad - very comfy and packs down pretty small. I prefer a top quilt to a sleeping bag. Personal preference thing. Getting a comfy pad & warm sleeping bag will go a long way towards your wife’s happiness while paddling.
Kitchen - I like my MSR Windpro II stove. It can accommodate a larger cook pan & I like a remote canister. I also have to have a stove that can simmer as well as boil full blast. I splurged on 2 GSI Micro tables and they have made camp cooking a joy.
Camp comfort - I love my Travelchair Joey chair. Packs down nice & is very comfy to sit in. I also bring a hammock for lounging in camp when I know there will be suitable trees. If the weather is right, I’ll sleep in the hammock.
Rain gear - make sure you don’t skimp on quality rain/splash gear.
You’ve got the list of things you need to camp. Start buying those things, item by item. Camp out in your back yard, and do some overnight car camping. Figure out what you need to camp comfortably, and what items you’re missing… Start a camping list - it’ll help you pack fast without forgetting things (“Dang, we forgot to bring any eating utensils”). Then move up to canoe camping. Start with overnight trips, and work up to longer trips. You can carry a lot of crap in a canoe, but don’t. Pack light, as if you were going backpacking. The primary difference between backpacking and canoe camping is that you’ll be packing your gear in dry bags rather than a pack. The important thing is to get out and use the gear, so you can figure out what you need and what you don’t need, and what works and what doesn’t work. Don’t worry about getting the perfect gear; you’ll survive.
One item I would add to your list is a 10’ x 12’ tarp and the ropes to rig it. Cooke Custom Sewing is a great source for tarps. This will allow you to keep dry and comfortable when cooking and hanging out in camp, even if it is raining hard. Rig it low and sit in Crazy Creek style chairs. It’s easy to be comfortable and have fun when the weather is nice. It takes a bit more gear and experience to be comfortable and have fun when the weather sucks.
A suggestion about dry bags: for canoe camping you will each need (a) a large roll-top dry bag about 32 inches high with webbing shoulder straps, for your camping gear and food, and (b) a small dry bag for things which you want to have readily available during the day. For my small dry bag I like to use a duffle-style dry bag, with the roll closure running along the side of the bag, because it’s easier to get at your gear. Dry bags are available from many sources, such as NRS. Don’t mess around with plastic bags inside non-waterproof duffle bags or other improvised solutions, as they will not reliably keep your gear dry. Invest in real dry bags. They aren’t expensive.
“Don’t mess around with plastic bags inside non-waterproof duffle bags or other improvised solutions, as they will not reliably keep your gear dry.” I disagree with that- if you do it right, double layered, your gear won’t get wet - been doing that for 30 years and never had my gear get wet, no matter what. I have seen dry bags leak though - if you use dry bags, you should still add a trash bag liner for insurance. If you get dry bags, and think you will be using them in the Boundary Waters or for any other portaging, you really want to get one with a good padded hip belt - otherwise, you need to keep the weight low or it would be very uncomfortable.
Mattt, could you describe your duffle bag/garbage bag/cloth liner bag system in more detail for those who might be interested in trying it? How heavy of a plastic bag do you use? Standard garbage bags, trash compactor bags, or specially purchased heavy plastic bags? And could you describe the outer and inner non-waterproof cloth bags which you use?
If your gear bags spend a couple hours underwater during a canoe pin or raft flip situation, they are probably going to get water in them, regardless of the kind of gear bags you are using. I prefer roll-top dry bags and ziplock closure (i.e. Watershed) dry bags to plastic bag systems, because In my experience they are more reliable than plastic bag based systems, In my experience, plastic bags are delicate, prone to developing holes, and likely to leak. But I’m interested in learning more about your plastic bag system.
The system I used until I could buy dry bags, one-at-a-time, was to shove my gear into a heavy-duty trash bag, squeeze out all the air and tie the neck.
Then shove this bag into a second bag with the tied opening to the bottom of the second bag. Tie this off.
Then shove that into a third trash bag. This ‘should’ be waterproof BUT the bags will easily tear on anything so to protect these, I shove this triple-layer trash bag into an old pillowcase and tie that off.
Yes, the pillowcase will become soaked but it protects the plastic bags whicjh keep your gear dry.
Of course, when you have a few extra dollars, buy a single real drybag for you food or sleeping bag and use that. Then in a few months time when you have some more $$, buy another real drybag.
You do NOT need to spend a fo0rtune at once, but a fortune spread over years hurts less. And thrift stores and swap meets and craigslist are a good source of gear. Just test it before you buy.
I own wayyyy too many Watershed bags (6 at last count), but they are the only dry bags I trust with my stuff. I have seen them survive a few beatdown flips & one pin on a whitewater raft and stay dry. Only trouble is they are costly. But they are rugged and last for many years. My very first Watershed Colorado bag that’s around 15 years old finally had the patch on the end where the shoulder strap attaches come loose last summer. The bag still works fine with no holes or leaks. I just can’t attach the shoulder strap. I may send it back to Watershed for repair???
For camera gear, e-reader, or my cpap machine, they go in a Pelican box.
I’d strongly advise against dry bags for food on Ozark Rivers. The porcupines will eat right through them. Hard sided blue barrels are a deterrent against even bears ( though not bear proof)… The luxury of hanging your pack in the tree to keep it safe does not happen on some of the Current , and Jacks Fork and Buffalo Willows are lousy supports. Hammocks for that reason make me giggle… someone trying to camp at Woolum with a hammock will have an issue… nary a bush.
I have had porkies try to eat through everything. Also invest in a good water filter. One of the issues on Ozark rIvers is horse poop. Trail rides are very popular.
@Raftergirl said:
I own wayyyy too many Watershed bags (6 at last count), but they are the only dry bags I trust with my stuff. I have seen them survive a few beatdown flips & one pin on a whitewater raft and stay dry. Only trouble is they are costly. But they are rugged and last for many years. My very first Watershed Colorado bag that’s around 15 years old finally had the patch on the end where the shoulder strap attaches come loose last summer. The bag still works fine with no holes or leaks. I just can’t attach the shoulder strap. I may send it back to Watershed for repair???
Watershed dry bags are very nice, but they are a lot more expensive than typical roll-top dry bags. Because Hoots1265 doesn’t have any camping equipment yet, I suggested that he pick up some roll-top bags. In a couple of years, if he’s doing a lot of canoe camping, he can consider upgrading to Watershed bags.
My only advice is to do what pmmpete said, and that’s to experiment, starting in low failure situations such as the back yard. Also what was mentioned was to write things down. Take a small note pad and write down what you used and what you wished you had.
Buying the wrong things and then having to rebuy will be expensive.