Luxuries for a broke back

[Black_Fly]

Still recovering and wondering what you ultralight portagers leave behind. Here are some candidates for pack gleaning:
-tackle box
-chair
-axe
-saw
-tarp
-camp shoes
-gas backup stove
-camera

Don’t know if I can enjoy a trip without these items, but I got nothing else to do except ponder such things.

 

[billconner]

Of those items, the only ones I ever carry are camp shoes, a tarp, and a camera (phone). Camp shoes are kind of essential as a wet footer and have phone for other reasons. I do carry the little MSR repair kit for my Dragonfly, avoiding backup stove. Don't fish and don't miss axe, saw, or chair.
(Think about a chair but after seeing a variety this weekend, seeing their owners tip over as well as my testing, less interest than ever. I have an REI sitting pad, similar to a Crazy Creek canoe seat, and love it. Back up sleeping pad as well. Was amused when I went to Philmont all our group except me had camp chairs. The rangers had a pad like me.)

 

[PaddlingPitt]

Very sorry to hear about your back, Black Fly. I haven’t posted here for a long time now, but thought I would offer the following perspective. For most of our tripping lives, Kathleen and I just sat on the ground, buckets, rocks, or logs. But then a few years ago, as a Christmas surprise, Kathleen had bought two Helinox 0 ground chairs. She said that her back had been bothering her on trips because of no back support. I was reluctant at first, but quickly came to appreciate having back support. I’m thinking that with a bad back, a quality chair is what you might most want to take. I use mine, even at home while sitting in front of the fire or tv. The chair is very stable. We have never tipped over, and with it’s rounded feet does not sink into sand. It weighs only 1 pound, one ounce, and packs up into a small package.

It is somewhat expensive, and low to the ground, two factors that some people consider drawbacks (sorrry for the unintended pun). We have been completely satisfied. Below is the chair in action on Great Slave Lake.

 

[Keeled Over]

I do hope your recovery continues! I'm far from any kind of expert, but here are my ramblings.

Tackle box - have not brought in years. Small creel holds what I need - when in doubt what what to bring, just bring white, pink and black lures. Many studies have shown these are the most successful colors across a wide variety of species. I know everyone has favorites but this is a good start. When buying lures buy 2 of the same kind at the same time. Won't go into manufacturing right now but you probably get the drift.

Axe and saw - never bring them. In Scouts I would have a discussion about Knife and Axe. safety. Then told them the only way to make sure you don't get hurt is not to bring them. Keeps them from being Daniel Boone. I know for some trips, and mem's port they are needed, but they weight too much. If you have the skills you will get a fire started. Not saying you don't have the skills BF.

Depending on the weather and season I bring just my No Bug Zone and no tent. Later in the year with no bugs just a tarp - no tents, ground cloths, stakes and all. Love it. Plus with just a tarp the bears can get to me faster so there's that.

Camp shoes? Always - back in '86 or something I stepped on a sharp stick and punctured my foot on day 2 of a 5 day trip. I NEVER take a step without them.

Gas backup stove - only on longer trips with multiple people. For years now I carry my Jetboil and a small pot with lid from the Boy Scout mess kit. If my stove crashed I could boil water the old fashioned way. My Jetboil has never failed me - I don't even test fire it before trips any more.

Waterproof camera.

"Don’t know if I can enjoy a trip without these items, but I got nothing else to do except ponder such things." You sure can, because if you can't you won't go. And we have to go. You'll adapt - guarantee it.

I have mentioned on here I have had all manner of medical problems. They are checking me for ALS right now. (I told Chick the Rockstar gets posted here first when I die.) If I have ALS I'm dead. Now, I don't use this for sympathy, I use it to remind me to get my arse in the woods as much as I can before I die. It's a motivator.

I keep going based on perspective. My attitude changed watching the ad's for St. Jude's Hospital for Children. Five year old kids dying of cancer? I decided if I complain about anything again I'm a jerk. Agan, not aimed at you BF, aimed at me.

I have been in the business world my entire career and have given 10,000 trainings. I hate the crap they put in these seminars but since HR paid $10k for a packaged training I had to conduct it. I HATE all that smarmy crap. But what I did relate to was Henry Ford's "weather you believe you can or belief you can't, either way you're probably right." Paraphrasing, but you get the idea.

Training again - google Bounded Rationality. Options are there - just have to find them. It' a trick I have been teaching for years including my kids. It narrows the focus to more quickly find the answers to your situation.

I am in NO WAY making any judgments of you with what I have written. These are my life experiences. When I got cancer the first time and I was in a "why me" moment my mom said the strangest thing to me. When I said "why me" she said "why not you?" I didn't get it at the time and I was a bit taken aback. But I get it now.

The lane may have narrowed, but it's still there. Finishing my 46 on HaBaSa (three mountains in one loop) I met a guy with one arm climbing the same stuff as I was. He lost his arm in a car accident, but he was climbing faster than me. Impressed.

Stay positive and DIG YOUR WAY OUT. Weather you believe you can......

 

[Erica]

Still recovering and wondering what you ultralight portagers leave behind. Here are some candidates for pack gleaning:
-tackle box
-chair
-axe
-saw
-tarp
-camp shoes
-gas backup stove
-camera

Don’t know if I can enjoy a trip without these items, but I got nothing else to do except ponder such things.

For my trip last year, I asked the forum a version of this question, ie. what would you leave behind. I was trying to lighten the load so that this old lady could still do the portages. That version is still on the forum somewhere. You have framed your question better. I got replies telling me what to bring.

For fishing, I have sometimes left it all behind and then regretted it. For light weight, bring a pole and a few lures.

Chair: I have never taken a chair. The worst thing we do for ourselves as we age is become unable to get up and down from the floor or ground. Being unable to do this is basically heading you for the nursing home. I keep sitting on the ground.

Axe and saw. I have never taken them and never needed them. I just work around with whatever is there.

Tarp. I do take a tarp. You can get a lightweight one for about a pound of sylnylon. I made my own version of the CCS tarp and it works great for about 1/3 the price. CCS is expensive, but better than staying home. There is another provider who sells reasonably priced syl tarps. I'll post it if I remember. It is a weird name.

Camp Shoes - gotta have shoes to protect the feet. If you stay wet, you are likely to get trench foot. A cut or other wound on your foot could terminate the trip.

Gas back-up stove - I have never taken one. I don't know what you usually use, but this year I am taking my trangia and for back up (4 week trip) a titanium twig stove made by Bothwell Voyageur. Tiny, compact, light, and excellent design. Thank you, BV!

Camera - In the years before digital, I decided not to take a camera. I found that I was spending more time setting up photos and fussing with lenses and film, etc, etc and I wasn't enjoying being where I was, being in the now. And if I wasn't doing that, why was I in the canoe? A couple of years ago on the Suwannee, I took a real digital camera and an older iphone (6s.) The iphone photos were better quality than the mid-range digital. Now I just bring the iphone. Put it on airplane mode.

In my early 40s I was diagnosed with a debilitating chronic disease that I still have, although now it is better managed. I couldn't paddle. I could hardly walk to the bathroom. I signed up with some group paddles where I could go as a passenger. That was way better than staying home. Gradually, I regained function and while I have never regained the level of physical fitness I once had, I can paddle and wilderness trip.

Then a couple of years ago I broke my ankle. That kept me home for a while. But I just kept moving, walking a mile a day on a walking cast. Finally went on my first solo trip on the Suwannee. I wrote up half the trip; it is somewhere in this forum. I lost proprioception in that leg and could not get in or out of a canoe. I would be crawling out of the canoe up to my backside in water. It's better now, but I still have trouble getting in and out of the canoe because I don't know where my blasted leg/foot is. Oliver Sacks wrote of a woman who lost ALL proprioception and she could not move at all. She taught herself to move again by having mirrors put all around her house and if she could see herself, she could make herself move. So I that's how I taught myself to move my foot. I have to watch the foot and visualize the movement I want it to make.

So, I tell you these things to let you know it WILL get better. The early days of recovery s*ck, I know. But you can do it.

 

[scoutergriz]

I broke my back a few years back, and unlike what others say find the chair invaluable, It greatly lessens the strain on my back especially in the morning when I'm very stiff or in the evening when I'm both stiff and sore. In fact my doctor, who is a paddler himself, has specifically stated I MUST use a chair, both for comfort and for safety. An actual broken back with spinal injury is a far cry from degeneration due to age or a case of mild strain- unlike these two problems a broken back is a specific injury, with actual, physical damage that can take years to heal, if ever, and needs to be seriously considered in any activity to prevent aggravating that injury or causing more damage. I know in my case even a few minutes sitting on the ground can lay me up for days, and an evening's sitting can cause serious pain (I'm talking morphine and demerol in a hospital setting) and immobility for weeks to months.
talk to your doctor and a sports physiotherapist about it first, they're the experts...

 

[Keeled Over]

If I was unable to bring a chair I would have to stop paddling. For more years than I can count I have had to deal with back pain - started someplace in the 70's.

I have found that the kidney belts I use for off-roading help quite a bit while tripping.

 

[yellowcanoe]

what I take for luxuries
Helinox 1 camp chair
Camp shoes..O gee dry camp shoes are a must!
Axe. No. I took an axe chopping workshop and learned my aim is pathetic. I don't need to cut myself on a trip\
Saw folding.Yes.Handy for cutting shorter lengths of dead wood.

Gas back up stove..Once I did as the old Windpro was misbehaving..The Pocket rocket takes no space and can be handy.

Fishing is not on my horizon
Camera. I do take a bridge camera for wildlife shots. 65 x zoom. The I phone simply cant do 15 x without horrid oversharpening.

Tarp..have had a CCS tarp for years and it sure beats cocooning in a tent on a rainy day.

Blackfly you will adapt to whatever you need to in time. I have had a couple artificial joints and cancer and a heart attack (mild)

 

[Chip]

Still recovering and wondering what you ultralight portagers leave behind. Here are some candidates for pack gleaning:
-tackle box
-chair
-axe
-saw
-tarp
-camp shoes
-gas backup stove
-camera

Don’t know if I can enjoy a trip without these items, but I got nothing else to do except ponder such things.

The axe would be the first thing to go. But I would take one of the light weight, collapsing saws.

I bring water shoes and hiking boots. I have foot problems such that on all but the shortest portages, I change into the hiking boots, so I'm not carrying them on the portage.

I have never taken a back-up stove. We did forget the stove on a 10-day trip and a lot of the food we brought needed to be cooked. It was on the St. John, in Maine, so there was plenty of wood and we cooked over fires the whole trip. We had torrential rain followed by a few inches of wet snow one night. It took us hours to get the breakfast fire going, but other than that, we got along well.

I gave up carrying a dedicated camera. Cell phone cameras are pretty good these days, and I do bring the phone, even if there are no towers (still useful for the gps functions).

A chair makes my short list, albeit, light-weight solutions. I've tripped with the crazy-creek style seat (not really a chair). A buddy who is a minimalist uses Therm-a-rest Neo Air sleeping pads, and Therm-a-rest's Trekker Chair contraption that turns a sleeping pad into a crazy-creek style seat. When I first saw this I thought "no way." I was always expecting my Neo air mattress to spring a leak and leave me on the cold, hard ground, and thought sitting on it was just asking for trouble. But the Neo air has been reliable and resilient, and I'd now be willing to risk it.

I have taken fishing gear in the past, but now mostly leave it behind. The cost of out-of-state licenses and the trouble of canoeing with fishing gear just isn't worth it for me. I might change my mind if I needed fish to augment food supplies, but I'm not good enough at fishing to think I wouldn't get hungry on that plan.

 

[Tsuga8]

Now I'm usually only out 2-3 nights, so different than what I'd take on a long trip. I also had backpacking gear before coming to canoe camping, so I've always packed pretty light. I always take my pocket rocket stove (no back up, but fire starters) and a lightweight pot. Often I eat out of the pot, so no bowl or plate needed. I also have a plastic origami plate and bowl set that's extremely light.

If I'm having a fire I find dead and down thin enough to break over a rock, or burn thick logs from one end with a star fire or similar - never brought an axe or saw.

Phone = camera these days. Trying to get better about tying it to the pfd so I don't lose my phone while taking pics. I bush rigged an attachment point with braided fishing line and double sided tape in between the phone back and case.

I never backpacked with a tarp, but I'd stay home if the forecast was wall to wall rain. Again, less feasible with longer trips but if you have flexibility and stick to short outingsin good weather, you can do it. I do bring one canoeing but I'm more willing to risk rain with it.

I think camp shoes (some sort of 2nd footware) are a must - if one pair gets wet, I want something else to avoid trenchfoot. I agree about risk of injury going barefoot, esp at night.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery and trips in your future!

 

[Black_Fly]

Tsuga8, I broke firewood that way in Wyoming with mules to carry my axe. With dead lodge pole pine, it’s easier and faster than chopping or sawing. Nowadays, I rarely have a fire. I use a twig stove for cooking, unless it’s wet. One thing I always try not to forget is a small tarp to cover my twig stack.

Plenty of feet on the trails I’m taking. I don’t clear trail much anymore, nor build furniture. So the hatchet and saw won’t likely be missed (now I’ve jinxed myself into blowdown conditions). Twig stove and pocket rocket are indispensable with dehydrated meals. Camp shoes gotta go.

 

[Black_Fly]

I love having a lightweight tarp along. So answer me this: what is the optimal number of stakes and parachord lines to take along? I’ve struggled with this question for 20 years. Doesn’t seem to matter how many I take I’m always 1 short. Probably seems like nit picking, but if going ultralight..,,

 

[Erica]

I like this set up:

It uses a CCS tarp, but you can also make your own. This is by Hoop_ if you know him from another forum.

I think this answers your question. Minimum number would be this set up. I’ve found it works well even in storms.

 

[Erica]

I found the name of the company that sells lightweight sylnyl tarps: Etowah Gear

Etowah Gear

Tabs are sewn in. Bag with toggle tie attached. Seems very good quality for much, much less than other places.

There are some very lightweight titanium stakes now so you can take a few extra stakes. I just count on it rarely being perfect.