batteries
My marine radio has an internal battery that will require bringing the charger along unfortunately. My GPS will be AA. The optio w60 is proprietary battery with charger, waterproof mp3 and phone are both mini usb so I am pretty well screwed. I would love to find the definitive charger for all. I am kinda backing off on solar because I think there will be opportunities to plug something into a wall at one point or another. It would be nice to have a charged unit I could draw from on the boat if I ever really needed to.
Paul
Proprietary batteries . . .
. . . can be pretty cheap for aftermarket sources. Batteries for my camera (Canon G9) and phone (Nokia) are $40 apiece. Off eBay they are closer to $5. The aftermarket camera batteries are actually higher capacity than the original and last longer.
water
Next time I am definately taking a water purifier to lighten the load - but I did find using liter bottles to store water was good as they fit up into the little spots which might otherwise be wasted space.
Linda M.
tips
In regards to expedition paddling which I prefer most i think one big tip is to reduce being tired if you plan to keep up day after day etc. One good way to get the lightest paddle. I use a 7 oz carbon paddle --paddle about 50 strokes per minute – and often paddle on average 10 hours a day during an expedition… well this adds up to 15,000 pounds of weight I LIFT each day paddling. NOW suppose you had a paddle that weighed 23 oz instead?.. well that would equal 30,000 pounds of weight lifted…or 15 tons!!! Tell me whos going to be more tired?–the guy who shouvels 15 tons of dirt or the one shouveling 7 tons? Why be spent at the end of a paddle day???
Other tips.
Sun Screen; Use lots, wear hats, long sleeve shirts and pants even in summer. Wearing long clothing is actually more cooling… you sweat less and thus require less water to drink because you dont get dehdrated as quikly.
Tie a shoestring and tape it to some chap-stick and put it around your neck like a necklace so you ALWAYs have to ready to use plus you never loose it.
Hydration bottles. I use only gallon water jugs. Drill a hole in the top cap and fit a plastic flex tube in it and use to drink from. Sort of like a big version of the camelback systems. I sometime carry 4-one gallon water jugs…with only ONE have a drilled cap which i can switch when one jug is empty.
Tents get abused when used daily. I went through 2 tents during a 6-month paddle trip. You can really reduce the wear and INCREASE water repellancy by placing a cheap plastic tart between the tent and the rainfly. It will act as extra protection since the typical rainfly will evntually leak afer lots of use. There are many ways to adapt this tarp system if you want to email me. Also use a small tarp inside on the floor to avoid leaky floors.
Why on earth do people neatly fold their fricken tents? You dont do that to a sleeping bag do you? Just stuff the damn tent into the stuff sac like a sleeping bag and save you many minutes.
Gt good stakes for your tent. I use these heavy duty ones which look like 10-inch nails or spikes. Also attach rope to all of your tie downs for extra wind protection during bad storms.
One pot meals are the way to go. Use extra water and DONT drain your pasta water but learn to boil the correct amount without needed to dump it out etc. Plus besides extra water is good for.
Use an empty plastic gatorade bottle or laundry bottle and make a bail bucket which can also be used as a pee bucket. No need to every get out of your boat to pee…for a man that is. Sorry ladies.
cook right next to your boat, so you dont have to haul a bunch of dry bags of food and cook stoves up the bank to your tent area. Just pull your cooking things out right next to the boat and cook. Saves a lot of wastefull carrying of gear around.
take the advice of locals with a grain of salt. They usually are not paddlers and dont know what it is a paddler really wants to know etc. The locals are usually always wrong about the weather, route information, and water conditions.
steri pen
got the steri pen as an early christmas present!
Cheap plastic wat?
– Last Updated: Dec-12-08 5:50 PM EST –
From TIPS -
"You can really reduce the wear and INCREASE water repellancy by placing a cheap plastic tart between the tent and the rainfly."
Ah' tried dat once an' Wanda De BB kept tryin' ta crawl out - askin' fer more wampum...
FE
The Less
The less you carry, the less you have to deal with when camping. The less you carry, the less you have to work propelling your boat and gear along.
“Go light; the lighter the better, so that you have the simplest material for health, comfort and enjoyment.”
From Woodcraft and Camping by Nessmuk, a collection first published in 1920
just can’t trust …
You just can’t trust those cheap tarts to stay put, especially in rainy weather when the humidity ruins her hair-do. That’s why I use tarps in this situation - dunno what the OP was thinking.
paddle weight calcs
Good post with lots of good advice, but I have to differ on one thing - the paddle weight calculations. Sorry to pick on you, Norm, but I’ve been seeing this kind of thing a lot lately and I just wanted to voice my difference of opinion.
“I use a 7 oz carbon paddle --paddle about 50 strokes per minute – and often paddle on average 10 hours a day during an expedition… well this adds up to 15,000 pounds of weight I LIFT each day paddling. NOW suppose you had a paddle that weighed 23 oz instead?.. well that would equal 30,000 pounds of weight lifted…or 15 tons!!! Tell me whos going to be more tired?–the guy who shouvels 15 tons of dirt or the one shouveling 7 tons?”
The fallacy in this argument is that, although the numbers seem very large, they are actually quite small in terms of total work performed.
Here’s two ways to look at it. First, everytime you lift that paddle, you also lift your arms. For a normal 200-lb man, your arms might weigh 30 lbs. Thus, for 30,000 paddle strokes, you have to lift a 7/16-lb paddle (total 13,125 lbs) and 30 lbs of bone and muscle (total 900,000 lbs), for a total of 457 tons, versus 472 tons with a 23-oz paddle, or about 3%.
Second, the work you actually perform, at it’s simplest, is to push back 5-10 gallons of water 2-5 feet, which propels the boat forward. To the extent you can carry out the exact same stroke with the same force using a lighter paddle, the net result is that you can push an extra quantity of water which is equal in weight to the weight savings between the two paddles. Thus, saving 16 oz paddle weight increases the force of your strike by 16oz divided by the weight of 5-10 gallons, or 42-83 lbs, or 1.3-2.5%.
Neither of the above calculations is scientifically pure, and I can think of arguments against each. However, until a scientist comes along to settle this argument, I think they are far more accurate than the calcs you often see of weight lifted. In other words, a superlight paddle will increase your paddling efficiency by something like 2-3%.
Still, over the length of a long expedition, that 2-3% is going to add up, so on balance I have to agree with Norm’s conclusion that it’s best to use your light, “good” paddle. However, given the number of carbon paddles that are reported broken every year, I think you need to carry a tougher, heavier second paddle, and have a second and maybe third carbon int he hands of your support crew, with plans to get it to you within a day or two of breakage. If you can’t afford that, then it’s probably better to go with a heavier, sturdier paddle.
Hammock or tent or tarp?
– Last Updated: Dec-14-08 7:38 AM EST –
or just a tarp with one of these guys when you need the netting? Seems like an interesting set up weighing only one pound? wonder how long those poles prefer the hammock but looks like I would have to carry all three.
longroad dot com
Paul
Lighter is better
Tarps and hammock require too much futzin. Good tents require no trees and are quick to set up. They are also insect and rain proof.
I use a Eureka Mountainpass XT I. It weighs 4’14" (actual weight, packed and ready to go) My sleeping bag and pad weigh 3’12" (packed, ready to go).
I added up the weights of everything not boat related I plan to take on a two month trip not including food and water and it came to about 25 pounds. I plan to carry about a weeks food (about 2lbs/day) 14 pounds, all grocery store stuff, water out of the river.
Felt Pad for Boat Protection
My wife and I bought NDK Explorers for our anniversary (I offered a ring and she wanted a kayak - how cool is that). Our first expedition was to Georgian Bay, famous for rocks, difficult landings and not very fiberglass friendly. We bought two pieces of light black felt (3 x 8) from the local fabric store. We carried it under our legs on the boats (quite comfy) and when we came up to a landing we would throw out a felt pad before we landed. Bringing the boat up on the felt pad (instead of grinding it on the rocks) worked great. Plus after we landed the boats, the pads were great under the boats to protect the fiberglass. The black felt dried quickly in the sun, too. These are now mandatory items for us.
Could also do double duty
as a small camp pad under the hennessy hammock for when you first get out.
Paul
Tarps and Tents
A tarp is so much easier to pack up under in the rain. And is easy enough to set-up without using trees. There are plenty of great ways to set-up a tarp for any condition. Check this out: http://www.equipped.org/tarp-shelters.htm
for weight and versatility
don’t you think something like the equinox or campmor poncho tarp would work best? very small pack size.
Paul
A poncho hootch . . .
. . . is light and versatile but offers no insect protection. The ultimate light weight gear is a poncho and poncho liner.
Not for paddling
I don’t see how a poncho tarp would work for paddling. Your arms and sides would have to come out of the poncho and you’d get wet.
fuzzy math
thanks for your input. Yeah IN GENERAL. Im sending you my bank statement to balance next since im no good at math. Ha.
Yeah basically I can tell you that anyone ive ever paddled whith who has a heavy paddle has been too tired, soar, wiped out, and popping advil the next day etc Including me when i use a heavy paddle.
Carbon Paddles breaking??? Ive only seen a couple broke during canoe races. Cant be that common.
thanks
n
Push Back
Isn’t the paddle sticking in one place and you’re pulling the boat past it?
Warming Butane
Y’all are right that disposable butane lighters are problematic in cold weather and when wet. I solve that this time of year by keeping one tucked in the top of my neoprene boots. Keeps it warm, dry and close at hand to light my pipe in midstream.
Still have several other fire starting options in my canoe bag and hypothermia kit, but the boot lighter hasn’t failed me yet.