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advise please

G

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new guy here and have lots of questions. ever since i can remember i thought it would be awesome to do a 3 day trip (or more) in a canoe but never had a chance until now to get this done. ive done it in my jeep more times than i can count, infact, when i was in the marines a buddy of mine and i used to take off with a gallon of water fishing poles a shotgun, kinfe and a pot and not come back for 4 days or so depending on leave of course. what would you guys suggest to bring with me for at least 3 days. i know how to live off the river so food is no problem with the tule roots, tons of fish and duck, quail, and second dove season coming up. i can get away with a wool blanket so the cold isnt a problem until around the end of december. what would you guys add to my regular gear. other than a nice bottle of jameson for night time around the fire...

i have everything for fire, water, shelter, and getting food.
 
There are many questions to answer first:

-Where are you?
-How much canoeing experience do you have?

The list of stuff I HAVE to bring canoeing vs backpacking is pretty short: PFD, paddle, canoe, watershoes.

The longer list includes an extra tarp, rope, a grill for over the fire, food box/wannagan, dutch oven, portage yoke, and maybe a set of wheels... all depends on the trip.

edit: ok. so I just found your intro. You're in Yuma, AZ. I know nothing about Western waters.
 
There are many questions to answer first:

-Where are you?
-How much canoeing experience do you have?

The list of stuff I HAVE to bring canoeing vs backpacking is pretty short: PFD, paddle, canoe, watershoes.

The longer list includes an extra tarp, rope, a grill for over the fire, food box/wannagan, dutch oven, portage yoke, and maybe a set of wheels... all depends on the trip.

edit: ok. so I just found your intro. You're in Yuma, AZ. I know nothing about Western waters.

the lower colorado is slow moving (3-5mph). very calm and relaxing so there wouldnt be much paddling if i didnt want. not difficult at all. most of my time would probably be catching bass and big catfish for dinner.

of course im going to have a pfd/paddle and my jesus cleats. (teva sandles) i have a nylon tarp and dont need to carry the canoe anywhere. the part of the river i was going to go down is about 72 miles from start to finish.
dont need a grill i know how to make them from green coyote willow.
i kave a water filter and containers to boil.
 
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Take a look at these two trip reports and keep in mind they were both written by Easterners who lack leather skin

http://www.canoetripping.net/forums/showthread.php?502-Green-River-Utah

http://www.canoetripping.net/forums/showthread.php?78-Green-River-Utah-Sept27-Oct7-2011

Tell us more about how you got into canoeing in Yuma Arizona! What IS a tule root?

tules are common all over the world. cattails. if you shave them like a potatoe you can boil them or steam them and theyre quite tasty and loaded with starch. lol, only a fool would not bring sunblock.

i got into canoeing about 17 years ago when a buddy of mine purchased a 17' canoe made by a company i cant recall. they no longer exist but this canoe was popular in the california waters. i guess the other canoers nick named it darth or vader because it was big and all black. blue hole comes to mind for some reason. anyway, we took it into the sierra nevadas around yosemite and i was hooked... i mean HOOKED. paddling those crystal clear waters was awesome. until recently (within the last 4 years or so) i didnt have the time to get one of my own. now that my daughter is turning 5 tomorrow she can start coming out and doing things. i know shes going to like canoeing, same as she enjoys shooting my old 22lr bolt gun. the rest is re learning the strokes/dos and donts. its been over 17 years since the last time i did any paddeling... i think the local college still has canoeing courses we can take...
 
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Complacency kills.

By that I mean that any time you say something like, "It'll be OK" you're putting yourself in a risky position. Your best safety net is between your ears. Every time you hear yourself thinking you'll be able to deal with something without a clear and concrete plan, you're engaging complacency. There's a balance between bringing stuff you might need and leaving stuff home that will help in case of likely difficulties. You know your skills, so only you can judge. As for me, I wouldn't go anywhere without, just for example, my repair kit (for fixing various gear including the boat), a first aid kit (for fixing various organic stuff, like me), waterproof matches, an Esbit stove, and rain gear. I may never use some of it, but I won't be caught without it. Others will offer different examples. The point is, what will happen if (insert foreseeable scenario)?
 
You can come up with lists of gear to take canoeing from several sites on the web. I like looking down such a list and asking myself "why is this guy suggesting this item?" And then what do I take that will fill this need, some things probably won't apply all the time but it's a nice challenge to me to see if I've thought of everything. I can have a gentle argument with the list maker and it puts me on my mettle to see if I've got all the bases covered. I do have a small tag on one of my camping boxes with things I've forgotten in the past, for example medications and extra glasses.

One of the least pleasant feelings I get when camping is to realize I've left something important at home and I really, no kidding need it! Usually I can visualize just where the item is on the shelf and I beat myself over the head "how could you have missed that!" But as I've proven time and again it's easy!

Best Wishes,

Rob
 
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