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Blue barrel - what sizes do you use?

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We're reviewing stock in the store in line with our change to a dedicated canoe shop. Part of this is upping our tripping gear selection to better support the canoe tripping, includes blue barrels.

So the question is: what size blue barrels do you carry? This isn't a "which is better" thing, just a simple "what do people actually use" question.

Thanks in advance for your input and help.


Keith
 
I use 60 and 30 litre barrels, generally speaking I always trip with one 60L and sometimes a 30L as well.

Anything bigger than a 60 is too big, won't fit in a boat (easily) and/or too heavy to portage (easily) when filled.
 
I mostly use a 30l barrel for me and a dog. I just did 5 days and couldn’t have gotten much more in it. I’d say 7 days or longer with a dog I would switch to the 60l.
Cheers,
Barry
 
Keith it probably depends on your customers. I use a 30 liter for ten day solos. 60 for ten day tandem trips. I don't know your customers as you do but I guess they mostly would be tandem. The 30 liter would fit for short trips even for two. But if they want to cook like home the 60 would be better. Have you thought about insulated barrel packs for those that want fresh steak? Northwater has some
 
Keith it probably depends on your customers. I use a 30 liter for ten day solos. 60 for ten day tandem trips. I don't know your customers as you do but I guess they mostly would be tandem. The 30 liter would fit for short trips even for two. But if they want to cook like home the 60 would be better. Have you thought about insulated barrel packs for those that want fresh steak? Northwater has some
Yellowcanoe - we're figuring out our customers ourselves - we'll go for a mix. Thanks for the link to the barrel-coolers - we'll look at those as well.

We'll also be looking at both a modern and original (wood) wannigans. I've chatted with a couple of Canadian canoe camp graduates (survivors?) who swear by them.
 
I use 60 and 30 litre barrels, generally speaking I always trip with one 60L and sometimes a 30L as well.

Anything bigger than a 60 is too big, won't fit in a boat (easily) and/or too heavy to portage (easily) when filled.
Do barrel harnesses help with the 60L? We've working with Granite Gear to get some of them in.

Keith
 
I use a harness with all barrels. I have a variety of harnesses in various states of decay, one Ostrom plus a couple of Eureka and some North 44 (very cheap) that I use only on the 30's.

Unlike many people I do not use a 60L for food, it would be too heavy and a pain to access.

I do use a 30 as a camp kitchen and 2 - 3 days of food supplies plus any absolutely don't want crushed things.

Everything else is in roll top dry bags of various sizes.
 
Yellowcanoe - we're figuring out our customers ourselves - we'll go for a mix. Thanks for the link to the barrel-coolers - we'll look at those as well.

We'll also be looking at both a modern and original (wood) wannigans. I've chatted with a couple of Canadian canoe camp graduates (survivors?) who swear by them.
aah.. The modern version of the wannigan.. The York Box. NRS has a couple.. The Boulder and the Canyon https://www.nrs.com/category/2926/camping/dry-boxes
I have not tried to make a harness system for mine. I have a Canyon. It is heavy at 8 lbs ( barrels aren't light either) but we use it a lot on river trips. Makes a nice seat around the fire -better than a barrel! Also makes a fine table.

Wannigans and York boxes seem to be used a fair bit for Maine trips;.

A good harness is a must for a 60 liter barrel to be used in comfort. I have had one for years.. By Ostrom . I actually don't mind carrying my 60 liter with it. But again it depends on where your customer is going; with how many and for how long.
 
We only use barrels for food and cookware. And for a folding barrel tabletop; I’m too old to squat on the ground while I cook or eat.

PA060090 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr

(Off on a tangent) Those folding tabletops are surprisingly weight bearing sturdy and stable when strapped down to the barrel handles.

P7203816 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr

And game playable.

P7213822 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr

Strip poker anyone?

P7203818 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr

The 60L only gets used on 4-person family trips, when one of my sons totes that weight.

Our other two barrels are oddly sized; a 38L and a 45L. The 45L is by far my favorite size, for packability in the canoe and contents volume on longer trips. I can fill a small dry bag with no-odor foods, and replenish the 45L as space becomes available.

This one was too big; 60L is dang heavy fully packed with foodstuffs. This one was too small; why even bother with a 20L?

This one was just right; a mid-sized barrel, 40L to 45L is a sweet spot for me, and I don’t know any vendor who carries such mid-sized barrels.

Don’t know of any vendor of manufactured folding barrel tops either, and I know my DIY handiwork could be improved upon.
 
Our 30L barrel is used every trip, our 60L only sometimes, when we are packing light (volume). Both have their own harnesses.
The smaller is perfect as food storage and can accommodate enough for a week tandem trip. If we employ the larger it is used strictly for soft gear such as clothing, bags and tent etc.
I see the 60 used by outfitters when we cross paddle paths. Might be worth talking to some outfitters Keith for some feedback.
 
Thanks Barry - big dog?

Keith
Cricket is a Chessie dog at 70#. She is almost 20# less than my last Chessie but she eats about 1 1/2 pounds per day and I vacuum seal each meal individually. And than there’s snacks and her first aid kit. I also keep my Jetboil stove in the barrel.

Also, I have only needed a 60L barrel two or three times and they are indeed heavy.

Barry
 
Again - thanks to all for the comments - really, really useful. We've put in an order for both 30L and 60L barrels, somewhat more 30s than 60s.

Keith
 
Again - thanks to all for the comments - really, really useful. We've put in an order for both 30L and 60L barrels, somewhat more 30s than 60s.

Keith

Here in Canada (but not necessarily Canadian trippers) by far what I see on the water are the "standard" 60L barrels, probably outnumber the 30's 10:1
 
Here in Canada (but not necessarily Canadian trippers) by far what I see on the water are the "standard" 60L barrels, probably outnumber the 30's 10:1
Thanks for the perspective - I expect we'll have to figure out what the folks walking in the store want. Fortunately, blue barrels don't seem to be seriously impacted by the supply chain issues yet. We starting with a small number (actually equal # of both sizes) and we'll see how it goes.

Again - thanks
 
re: Outfitters and barrels. I've never actually seen 30L barrels in other people's canoes but I do know they're available. But at a mere 2 bucks/day more you can double your barrel volume. I like the yellow ones.
 
I suspect most paddlers buy a large barrel "just in case" they need the extra volume and hoping for a long trip even though they mostly paddle weekends. We haven't used ours in quite a long time. We can get 9 days of food for 2 in a 30 litre so I'm happy with that. If I filled a 60 litre I would worry about being able to safely lift it and my wife certainly couldn't.
 
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