Preferred tripping style ?

[Danny]

I generally go solo all by myself ...enjoy tandem with my son On the last couple of trips. I use see-through plastic laundry dry bags from Dollar Tree.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

I generally go solo all by myself ...enjoy tandem with my son On the last couple of trips. I use see-through plastic laundry dry bags from Dollar Tree.

Danny, welcome to site membership!

 

[lowangle al]

I must admit that I also have been looking at alternate ways to the blue barrel. They don't take up space efficiently in the canoe and are uncomfy to carry. As I get older, there is less flesh on the bones to buffer that hard plastic when portaging.
G.

Gerald, this is my alternative to the blue barrel. It’s a seal line dry bag with a plastic kitchen size trash can slid inside. It’s rigid, odor proof and packs well in the boat. I usually put it inside a #4 Duluth pack where I add other stuff like ax, tarp, chair etc. or it can be carried by itself. That square plastic container slides in the top and helps protect fragile items like eggs. It also makes a good kitchen sink for cleaning up.

 

[Boreal Birch]

Looks like a good plan, lowangle. Blue barrels don’t get for me at all, uncomfortable looking and ugly like the blue plastic tarps scattered all over the country.
Your picture looks like it’s in Tangle Lake County.

 

[Gerald]

Thanks for the idea, lowangle. Al. I'm going to consider that.

G.

 

[Rubbaboo]

I enjoy two types of tripping.
Solo - hard and fast
With my partner and 3 young boys - definitely not hard and fast but we still get’er done. Watching them play and explore is truly the best.
Lots of love for the old canvas packs here too!

 

[memaquay]

Well, before I write this, I'm gonna say the famous words my son used to use on me when he was a teenager......"Quit judgin me, eh!"
I got no love for canvas packs, other than the old timey nostalgia stuff. Our school club had canvas packs for years, and the amount of time spent repairing them was pretty substantial. Plus the waterproofing of the time, three heavy duty garbage bags, seemed to be a guarantee that kids would not only get everything wet by the second day, but also loose several things between the layers of garbage bags. When I first found the seal line packs, I thought they were the cat's arse, until I discovered that their lifetime was fairly limited too. I had bought about ten of them, from different makers, sealine, eureka, and they all developed holes or broken straps within a few years. The holes on the rubber packs were fixable, but once the straps went, they were useless.

Enter the barrel.....what a hardy piece of gear! Despite every attempt the kids could use to destroy them, they persevered. The biggest problem I had was when they mysteriously disappeared from my shop, stolen by wayward staff members. I have had all kinds of harnesses, from cheap to expensive. The cheap ones sometimes broke, but the webbing was very easy to repair. Kids could now keep sleeping bags and clothes dry for more than a couple of days!

As far as carrying them, I found them to be pretty superior, especially for double banging it....I could sling the second barrel horizontally on top of the first barrel and cruise. I've never found them to be uncomfortable, after all, it's just a portage, not a backpacking trip.

I mean look at these happy kids!

 

[PaddlingPitt]

Dang! I could use some of those kids on my trips. Would even consider a portage-heavy trip.

The interesting thing about these “what do you prefer” questions, is that they reveal personal preferences, or perhaps just reflect personal experience. There is really no best way, which is why I have been reluctant to chime in. But I have no more trip reports, so I don’t have much else to offer. So ”chime me in.”

 

[Johnny 5]

I am an equipment and procedure enthusiast and like to travel efficiently. I single portage and make quick and easy transitions from water to portages. I stow my PFD and paddles then don my backpack and food canister before throwing the canoe on my shoulder and exiting the water. Even in camp I like to be organized having a place for everything and everything in its' place.

 

[billconner]

I started with used outfitter Kondos packs with the heavy clear liners, moved to CCS packs with same liners. Never had anything in pack get wet, including bobbing around on Sunday Lake (Question) for 30-40 minutes one October. Nothing damp in all three packs.

 

[ErktheRed]

I have some of the best times when it’s just my wife and I. We get along great and find balance easily, even in rougher seas. She’s good at enjoying the time out there, we hike, read, swim and never annoy our neighbors. Although there is the occasional full moon howl. So, since we work so well in those situations, I choose her over everybody else. Having been on a few larger group trips, I cap out at 4/5 total, including us. There always seems to be some sort of disagreement along the way, usually petty and minor.

There are a few friends I have asked to join, or my brother/his girlfriend, but people these days seem too busy to wanna relax in nature. Aren’t we sick of the stress & news? I know I am

Solo trips are fun for me too, I very much enjoy my solitude. The canoes I have aren’t the best for solo trips, but I’ll go anyways

 

[Rubbaboo]

On the same boat as you Erk, never could get my head around big groups. Any more than 3 tents and things generally get uncomfortable, there’s only so much flat ground out there in shield country for a good nights sleep.

 

[ppine]

We used to go in groups of 6-8. Now I like a solo boat and get very choosy about companions. I like my brother and few others.
We mostly run big western rivers with no portages, maybe some lining.
We bring real food and furniture.

Duluth packs, wood paddles, cedar and canvas.

 

[lowangle al]

I prefer to trip with my wife in a tandem boat. When she had to take a few year break because of health reasons I pretended to go solo.

As time went on I saw the value in taking younger guys and going tandem. I was able to get a guy trained up and broke in to be the permanent boat carrier in three days. They are also enthusiastic firewood gatherers and fire maintainers. They made my job a lot easier Than going with my wife. Unfortunately they got married and started families and aren’t always available to go.

 

[Odyssey]

I prefer to trip with my wife in a tandem boat. When she had to take a few year break because of health reasons I pretended to go solo.

As time went on I saw the value in taking younger guys and going tandem. I was able to get a guy trained up and broke in to be the permanent boat carrier in three days. They are also enthusiastic firewood gatherers and fire maintainers. They made my job a lot easier Than going with my wife. Unfortunately they got married and started families and aren’t always available to go.

We are blessed with 4 children, all of whom love camp fires. They each have their very own in their city backyards as well as their very own wood piles and assorted axes. Lol. I may have created monsters. Our eldest son is no pyro but he shares my penchant for the perfect fire. When my wife and I became empty nester trippers I really missed the kids' company, especially around dinner hour. He #1 made the fire, she #2 set up the tents, he #3 arranged the sleeping quarters, she #4...well she was still young. She played with sticks and dirt. Mom got dinner on the go and dad assisted with the disorderly way of things. All fun.
They all eventually acquired something called social lives. No idea what that is, no idea whatsoever. So by the by we two had to do all the camp chores just we two as the kids dropped out of our tripping lives. During a few backyard campfires this past summer I was informed that the adult children want to wander back to family canoe tripping. My hopes are up and my inner fire ignited. I can't wait to oversee a disorderly group doing camp chores. Wonder who'll make the perfect fire?
Take heart Al. Some doors never get completely closed. Some fires never go out.