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Portaging with a tumpline on yoke

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I was experimenting with a tumpline on my yoke today. I found that as weight was lifted from my shoulders the canoe wanted to swing forward causing the yoke to dig into the back of my neck. Are there any tricks with a tump or was I trying to move too much weight to my head?
 
Getting a tump set up correctly on a canoe takes some time, but is worth it. I trip with tumps exclusively. My main canoe is a 15 foot prospector in wood canvas and is around 70 pounds with paddles, fish poles, dog matt and life jacket tied in. I tump that with a 30-35 pound pack on my shoulders first load, and take my second load at about 60-65 pounds, large canvas bag trumped.

sounds like your tump may be a little short, not deep enough ... should not or barely hit you shoulders, really thwart should be much lower, just below or on your traps, when canoe is slid back a bit with tump on you.

pm me if you have questions, every canoe I have had its own tump. It is a nearly lost art in my opinion,and if not done correctly can be painful and dangerous.

Bob
 
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Well, puter issues again ... UGH! If you look at American trip reports, celebration day, you will see a pic of my canoe with tump attached.
 
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I use a tump on Wanigan, canoe and portage pack, the direction you roll the tump on the yoke is important in my opinion, you want the tump to be forward of the yoke, the distance from tempo to bottom of boat when you push down on the tump should be roughly one fist( five fingers). Like Yellow canoe mention you need to place it properly on your head, between ears and forehead.
 
Thanks for the info folks, I guess I need to do a little tweaking to get it right.

Bob, it was your picture that prompted me to give it a try, (again) I also like that you turned your yoke around to face the stern, for soloing from the bow seat.
 
I use a tump the wrong way. When carrying my canoe with the front bar of the seat on my shoulders, I use a tump on my forehead to keep the canoe from slipping back. Only a small percentage of the weight is on the tump.
 
That sounds uncomfortable. I use a tump on all of my boat and packs. The tump is essential on my WC canoe (82 pounds). I had a leather tumpline made locally for that and for my solo boats I use a frost river tumpline attached to my removable yoke. There will be trial and error finding the proper length. I can carry my boats perfectly balanced with no need for my hands using tumplines.
 
Thanks for the advice everyone, I made some adjustments and I think it will work. It should go a long way in lessening the soreness in my shoulders. I will test it on a carry soon.
 
Hi .I trip with tumplines,but depending on the trip I wear a hard hat.only a couple ounces and you can carry the entire or partial weight of the canoe on your head.Its very old school but works well for me!
 
Hi .I trip with tumplines,but depending on the trip I wear a hard hat.only a couple ounces and you can carry the entire or partial weight of the canoe on your head.Its very old school but works well for me!

I do that as well, but with a pad rather than a hard hat. In solo canoes I find it easier than fiddling with a soap-on-a-rope-yoke, and once the boat is on your head it's perfectly balanced, more stable than a yoke on your shoulders since the boat is lower.
 
I sometimes put an oval piece of thick ensolite inside my hat for padding and carry with the bottom resting on my head.
 
I do the same as Turtle, except I use a folded up life jacket. If you do it right, the weight of the boat can be shifted back a forth from the yolk and shoulders to the top of the head instantly. Makes the 80lb plastic boats bearable longer.
 
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