Recent content by TrailBlaser

I take my daughter's 50 lb. Portuguese Water Dog (Russet) on a couple of trips a year in the ADKs. I use my Sawyer Autumn Mist that I've paddled since 1987. He does great in it. I haven't tried him in my 12 ft. Hornbeck Classic yet; mostly because I think the gear plus him would overload the...

At 71, my 32 lb. Sawyer Autumn Mist now feels like a 64 lb. canoe. I'm going to have use the cart with it or go with my 18 lb. Hornbeck. I also have to be more disciplined about conditioning (especially the core) because I don't want to go without my "luxury" items: a chair, a book to read, my...

I use an iClimb Mini Solo table: https://a.co/d/2SQmCrz

If there are no long carries, I bring an Agawa Canyon Boreal21 saw and an ADK26 axe/saw.

Right, the shoulder straps are only on one of the sections.

I've been splitting my gear into two packs (one larger and one smaller) until I got this. Although it is designed as a two-pack system, it is easy enough to separate the two sections to go into the canoe and then taken out and re-attached for a carry. If I am just paddling to a campsite, I'll...

Agreed, they are much easier to lift when they're separated. The two packs can be separated and then be (securely) attached with the buckles/straps.

I used to contact the local ranger to find out when the ice was out; it was usually sometime in April. One year he told me it was MOSTLY out; it was around mid-April. I was teaching at the time and had more than a week off, so I decided to go for it. I could tell by the access road, that I was...

My daughter got me one for Christmas (I'm amazed she found it on her own). I haven't used it yet, but packed for my first solo trip (in my Sawyer Autumn Mist). It has great capacity; I easily fit all my shoulder season gear and clothing in it, including hot tent gear/stove. Inside each section...

I've been paddling the river since the late 80s, at times when the it's still icing out. It is the high water and the ice that takes out the dams.

I've been driving with a canoe up top and E-Z pass for years and never had a problem anywhere that the pass is useable.

Being 70 now, I'm unable (and really don't want) to carry the loads that I did years ago. For the most part, my canoe trips are in the Adirondacks. On trips that involve carries of a half mile or more, I try to minimize the gear I take. However, I do take some items that would be considered...

My Warbonnet Ridgerunner hammock (for sleeping), the Marchway High Back Chair and Luxe 3W Wood Stove (for cold weather camping).

Depending on the trip, I use the MSR Miniworks, the Katadyn BeFree or my preferred system, the Platypus GravityWorks 4L Water Filter System (with additional reservoirs). With the Platypus system (and the extra reservoirs), I filter enough water for a few days upon arrival at the campsite.

Currently I'm taking an Agawa Canyon ADK26 and Boreal21 along with a Black River 3.75" Fixed Blade for batoning. I've found that this kit allows me to do pretty much anything I need to process wood.