Help. My old pack basket has finally died. I bought a replacement from L.L. you know who but the quality is the pits. No flex. Poor strap design. Wide wood strips which crack easily. Best designed for kindeling holder next to fireplace. Does anyone know where I can find a good pack basket for serious wilderness canoe camping? Your help would be much appreciated.
pack basket
try duluth pack. they have some very nice ones.-harry
shaw & tenney
I think Shaw and Tenney sells them. I’ve never seen their baskets, but their quality on other items has been good.
If price is any indication
the baskets from Duluth Awning should be superior. The pictures of the ones at LLB actually LOOK thick and stiff! I imagine that you have to pay for the skill of an experienced weaver to skive the ash to a thin dimention.
Jim
Have a real one made for you …
from pounded black ash splints. There are plenty of folks that still know how to soak the logs and pound out the annual growth rings. These will last forever as long as you don’t let them stand in water. Here’s a website from a google search that describes how they should be made:
http://ashbasketsbyfran.com/
I 'bout fell over when I saw the price though. I knew I should have learned this trade when I had the opportunity!
~wetzool
The Moosehead Hooker
The Moosehead Hooker is a lady in Greenville, ME that hooks rugs and baskets. She pounds the ash off the log and makes them into baskets. I know she is sought out to make pack baskets, but I have no idea what she charges or how well the baskets hold up. Her name is Janice and you can call her at 207-695-2768 if you want to pursue it.
BTW, Janice is a decent bow paddler and great outdoorswoman. She’ll run shuttles too, if you are in that part of the country needing such service. But you might not want her driving your vehicle because she always promises to “drive 'er like I stole 'er!”
Chip Walsh, Gambrills, MD
Maybe
I know nothing of pack baskets, but here’s another lead . . .http://www.frostriver.net/cart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=66&products_id=184
Gander Mountain
Carries the Duluth brand in the hunting department (New store in Alabama).
pack baskets
Thanks for the tips. I’ll check them out.
I stand corrected.
Duluth’s baskets might be more expensive than LLB’s, but Frans are outta this world! Even though she says her’s are great for canoeing and camping, I cannot fathom taking a $1000 basket on a canoe trip.
Jim
Frost River or Duluth Pack
…both sell the baskets and the prices are about the same…
Lots of
Trappers use them google trapping supplies should find something reasonable
Trapper marketed baskets
are definitely a good value. You can get a variety of sizes and some options in manufacturing although wider weaves are most common. I have had good luck obtaining used baskets from retiring trappers. There are 2 trains of thought when it comes to treating baskets. Traditional trapper baskets are often shellaced to make them stiff. A good trait if loading steel traps. I prefer to use an oil finish that makes the basket flexible. Less likely to break when throwing things on it in a canoe or played with by a bear.
baskets-inexpensive alternatives
– Last Updated: Jan-26-07 9:10 AM EST –
i use a east german army duffle bag ($12) with drawstring closure and shoulder straps---inside i place a large heavy gauge plastic bag(or two for dry insurance) and inside it i place a plastic "basketweave" open-sided plastic clothes hamper minus its removable top---the hamper is oval shaped, slightly tapered and tall($8.). i use this arrangement for dry foods, paper supplies and misc. i also plug the top with my sleeping bag.
my method is inexpensive and darn durable, i have never broke one and it flexes quite easily. in my souris river canoe i can stow it upright behind the stern sitting up or lay it down 90 degrees to the hull centerline, it fits any where. i paddle BWCA lake one chain.
packbasket
Try making your own, it is not that difficult. Go to www.basketsofjoy.com and check in the patterns section. I made one about 10 years ago and it is holding up very well. It was not that difficult to make, and I have only made 1 or 2 small baskets as practice, prior to making the pack basket. I get a lot of compliments on it wherever I take it. On portages up in Algonquin Park people are always asking questions about it. I added a piece of 1/4" luan plywood to the inside to reenforce the bottom, and I put ash skids on the bottom as feet. They protect the bottom and raise the basket out of the water in the bottom of the canoe. When I made mine I believe I ended up with between $80.00 and $100.00 in materials. It is a fun project and very satisfying.
best pack out there!
– Last Updated: Mar-20-07 9:07 AM EST –
Hi, i was reading your problem and i have a solution to it. i make a rigid pack basket out of a polyester and nylon material, everything is put together by hand. and woven in the traditional styles of my ancestors. if this is something your interested in contact me and i can e-mail you some pictures