Portaging Essentials and Advice

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Robbo said:
MM your pack is well put together. The boy inside me just couldn’t resist reducing it down to just the essentials .
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The biggest mistake people make is bringing way too many clothes and way too much food. You only need 1 change of clothes - wear one and pack one. As for food, depends on your survival skills and days between provisioning stops -- bu most newbies carry way too much.

I traveled 10000 km/15 days on my motorcycle with 2 30l saddlebags. My campsite fit in one bag, my clothes and food in the other. This included a suit, tie and dress pants for a couple of meetings I had along the way.
 
I have one of those pressure pump filters that screws on to a nalgene bottle. Sitting around in the late aft, evening, I'll make up bottles and fill a pot for the AM (coffee, oatmeal) . They are slow and boring to use but the weigh very little.
And having the runs in a canoe is really inconvenient.

I really like a clean shirt and non smelly shorts for the drive home, but I leave them in the car, along with my shower kit. Job 1 coming out of the bush is find a shower, truck stops often have a cheap option. I've used a coin op car wash, the rain gentle rinse programs pleasant and you can do four guys for $5.
 
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It's canoe camping, not backpacking or survival training.

We had a ten and a half pound three man tent, two one pound down filled sleeping backs that zipped together, a couple of pairs of shoes and clothes, a bathing suit, stove that used the disposable propane tanks (which we packed out), lots of food, and other not completely essentials.

Actually, one time we went for a weekend with a gourmet chef, who insisted on bringing one of those big rectangular coolers with the first night's meal. It was really good, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. On that trip we also had my eldest son in a baby carrier. So, packing light we were not.

It was sometimes all in separate ditty bags, within a couple of large orange garbage bags, within a single pack, and spent most of the time strapped to a thwart or the in the canoe.

The garbage bags could double as emergency rain coats if ours failed, or as a signaling device.

If you're doing several ten kilometer portages, then by all means pack light, but that's not always the case.

One other point, is to try and start out, and stop for the day early, that way you have some contingency time if there are any issues.
 
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My wife has a firm rule on any route with a portage over 50ft. Pick another canoe route.

Hilton over Coleman ......
 
crankcall said:
My wife has a firm rule on any route with a portage over 50ft. Pick another canoe route.

Hilton over Coleman ......
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That would certainly make things easier!


I'm loving the input ladies/gents. More information and suggestions are always better and then I will ultimately tailor things to suit my own needs. I'm certainly trying to go as light as possible at first and then I can add in a few luxury items once the pack is sorted.
 
I did one route in Haliburton that had a lot of portaging. Someone made the comment "The next time I go hiking with you I'm leaving the canoe at home."

Eggs: Read up on how they handle eggs in Europe. They don't wash them and therefore don't have to be refrigerated. You would have to get them from a small farmer due to our wash and refrigerate laws.

Do you need eggs?
 
a few things to add

if you need some meat to cook over the fire
and I can't imagine canoing/camping and not doing that
sausages are good for any meal, easy to cook and don't require serious refrigeration
put in zip lock bag, freeze, wrap in foil, good for several days without ice
the salt and spices are good preservatives
can get them with flavoring built in: require no condiments
bring a pack of wraps, light and require no prep

lots of choice for high protein snacks that don't require refrigeration
nuts, cheese, dried salami, peanut butter

if you get caught in some rain, a fire will be essential to warm up and dry clothing
would suggest a small quantity of fire starter in the event there's no dry material handy

bug oil is small and light, bring some, same as a light rain coat

those battery powered headlights are great if you need to setup camp in the dark

footwear: pair of comfortable, fabric sneakers for the day, can dry out at night if they get wet: the fire
some camp footwear like crocs are good once you get parked for the day, and the sneakers are drying
boots are not a great idea, weigh a ton wet wet, take forever to dry out

a decent bedroll is essential, self inflating air mattress is recommended
on a multi-day trip, portages are no fun if you've had no decent rest
it is the one thing that should not be skimped on in favour of low weight
 
If you're renting the canoes, don't cheap out; spend the extra $3/day to upgrade to the kevlar canoes. You'll be happy you did before the midpoint of your first portage. Instant oatmeal is a pretty decent breakfast item; light, easy to pack, easy to cook, the waste can be used to help start a fire and you won't have garbage to carry out. Tuna in the pouches (as opposed to cans) and wraps make a good lunch, again easy to pack, and little garbage. Frozen steak and precut veggies should keep through to the second evening meal. Some dry cured salami's can last a long time without refrigeration. Some cheeses are also very durable (gouda for instance). Protein bars for snacks. Bring a nalgene bottle and a water filter that will screw directly on the neck so you don't waste any water/effort when pumping. Keep your stuff dry. If it gets wet, not only does it suck, but it weights twice as much.
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