Pack canoeists, do you use portage thwarts or yokes?

[yknpdlr]

Robbie Frenette from Raquette River Outfitters showed my wife an easy way to get the boat on her shoulders. He just rolled the boat over on the ground pick up the nose of the boat and just walked backwards until the yoke was on his shoulders. No putting the boat to her hip then hoisting it up on to her shoulders. Easy, simple.

That's the way i do it with a heavier canoe, C2 or larger when using my knupac. With a clamp-in yoke, I'd rather not subject the stern deck of my lighteweight canoes to grinding in the dirt or pavement with that method. They are just as easy to do a single lift from ground to shoulders. With a Hornbeck it is easiest to place the canoe with knupac mountaleady attachedto canoe placed on a suface higher than me (if possible), also works for me to sit on flat ground in front of it and I put on the shoulder straps and then roll to my knees to stand up.


A just for fun knupac promo photo at he 90 miler finish in Saranac Lake with a 34' voyageur woodstrip canoe.