Just took my first trip with the Mountain Hardwear 75 liter waterproof duffel and it went well. It replaced a 115 liter SealLine pack that was way too big for my needs. I sold the pack on eBay and, while taking the pictures to post for the sale, I was surprised to see the Innegra interior of my Swift Keewaydin and already scuffed up the rubber exterior of the SealLine pack. The Mountain Hardwear duffel is cloth outside with the waterproof liner inside. In addition to the duffel, I take a 35 liter waterproof backpack which I really like. The backpack has everything I need for lunch stops, plus all essentials. I'm hoping the small backpack/duffel combination will be conducive to single-carries. The duffel fits the space behind the canoe seat perfectly and carries my 2P tent, sleeping bag, pad, Helinox chair, spare clothes, etc, and still has room left over.
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Happy National Garlic Day! 🧄🚫🧛🏼♂️
Replaced My SealLine 115L with a Mountain Hardwear 75L Waterproof Duffel
- Thread starter jm0278
- Start date
That Duffel looks good, jm0278. I clicked to check it out. The REI site says dimensions not available. Do you have that information?
Very nice! A few years ago, I purchased the NRS expedition dry duffel.(70l) Works great, I like the larger opening of the duffel vs a traditional dry bag. It sure does make packing alot faster and easier. They are heavy though. I carry mine strapped into the NRS paragon pack. Which also Carries my wannigan on long portages.
https://www.nrs.com/product/55038.01/nrs-expedition-driduffel-dry-bag
https://www.nrs.com/product/2933/nrs-paragon-pack
Jason
https://www.nrs.com/product/55038.01/nrs-expedition-driduffel-dry-bag
https://www.nrs.com/product/2933/nrs-paragon-pack
Jason
Thanks for the head's up.
That does looks interesting. I've used duffles before in combination with an Alaskan hunter type packframe similar to this one ( https://www.cabelas.ca/product/856/cabelas-alaskan-outfitter-frame-and-harness-only ). Fits in nice and small blue barrel goes on top. Great for packing all gear on one portage carry.
Gerald
That does looks interesting. I've used duffles before in combination with an Alaskan hunter type packframe similar to this one ( https://www.cabelas.ca/product/856/cabelas-alaskan-outfitter-frame-and-harness-only ). Fits in nice and small blue barrel goes on top. Great for packing all gear on one portage carry.
Gerald
I'm sold on duffle bags. Years ago I tripped with an Army Surplus, duck canvas and brass. Tough as nails. Awhile back I found a new duffle in a thrift shop with interior polyurethane coated. Or was it a yard sale? I don't remember. Anyway, we used it last year for tent and tarp etc. The long generous opening is ideal and the main feature IMO. The handle straps serve as shoulder straps for me.
I had never thought about a water proof duffel before, but I am liking the idea. Last year we bought a Mountain Equipment Wanderer 4 tent, and I have been trying to find an appropriately sized dry bag for it. On Great Slave Lake last year we stowed the tent under the stern seat in double garbage bags. Was not ideal. I will be searching for duffels now. New ones are expensive though. Maybe I can find a used one, like you did, Odyssey.
G
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Guest
PaddlingPitt, if you can use a household iron you can make any custom sized dry bag you can design, from giant canoe stem taper bags to tapered duffels.
The taco shaped duffle in this post cost less than $8 in material. Even the giant canoe stem taper was less than $20, including the webbing, buckles and grommets.
http://www.canoetripping.net/forums...ussions/diy/84454-tapered-canoe-stem-dry-bags
Any sized or shape custom dry bag.
http://www.canoetripping.net/forums/forum/general-paddling-discussions/diy/83031-making-diy-dry-bags
Just got back from a two-night trip to Algonquin: Rain Lake for the first night, up to the Petawawa and over to Misty Lake for the second. Then it was the more direct path back to Rain Lake via Muslim, Jubilee, Sawyer, etc. I did single-carries the first full day and double-carries the second. So...how did the duffel perform?
For holding what I wanted it to hold, I give it a 9/10. I packed my tent, Helinox chair, z-seat sit pad, clothes, dry shoes, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, insulated jacket and rain shell plus some small ancillary stuff like my first aid kit, spares kit, and stuff for starting a fire. I knocked off one point because the extra space where the straps attach was just wasted weight and material.
For fitting in the canoe, 10/10. I found it fit perfectly athwarthship and snugged right up behind the canoe's seat. I don't know how to measure it, but I suspect the overall fore-and-aft balance of the canoe was better. Also, when pulling the canoe up a steeply banked take-out, I found the duffel would slide to the rear when placed in line, fore and aft. But it was much less likely to slide when placed athwartship because of the snugness of the fit.
For using it doing a single carry in Algonquin, I give the duffel a 3/10. I started off with the strap very long and quickly found it bounced around off my thigh as I stepped forward rather the riding at my side as I first hoped. The weight pushing just that bit against my leg when taking a step was enough to cause my knee to give off warning signs. I next shortened the strap so that the duffel was riding closely up under my arm and that solved the leg issue. So, why the low 3/10 rating? It was a bit of a challenge, especially late in the day when I was tired, to lift the canoe the way I usually do -- reach over and just pick it up. (It's important to note that my canoe, with paddles attached, probably only weighs about 30 pounds.) Even doing the two stage lift-to-thigh, then up and over was a bit more awkward with the duffel. The lifting issue subtracts about three points. The other four points were taken because I have not yet found a comfortable carry position where the strap wasn't digging into the side of my neck. Just hanging the duffel off one shoulder didn't work out because it would slide off if my arm wasn't raised so I found I always had to have the strap on the opposite side of my neck from where the duffel was riding.
Using the duffel for double carries earns it a 6/10. I found it was fine when carried with just a paddle, but my PFD (which I now realize I should have just attached to the canoe seat) was constantly getting pushed about by the duffel. I did find myself taking some of the weight off my neck by holding it up from underneath with my hand.
Overall, it was not the panacea I'd hoped for, but it is clear there are things I can change (such as carrying the PFD attached to the canoe) that will improve the situation.
FWIW
Jim
For holding what I wanted it to hold, I give it a 9/10. I packed my tent, Helinox chair, z-seat sit pad, clothes, dry shoes, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, insulated jacket and rain shell plus some small ancillary stuff like my first aid kit, spares kit, and stuff for starting a fire. I knocked off one point because the extra space where the straps attach was just wasted weight and material.
For fitting in the canoe, 10/10. I found it fit perfectly athwarthship and snugged right up behind the canoe's seat. I don't know how to measure it, but I suspect the overall fore-and-aft balance of the canoe was better. Also, when pulling the canoe up a steeply banked take-out, I found the duffel would slide to the rear when placed in line, fore and aft. But it was much less likely to slide when placed athwartship because of the snugness of the fit.
For using it doing a single carry in Algonquin, I give the duffel a 3/10. I started off with the strap very long and quickly found it bounced around off my thigh as I stepped forward rather the riding at my side as I first hoped. The weight pushing just that bit against my leg when taking a step was enough to cause my knee to give off warning signs. I next shortened the strap so that the duffel was riding closely up under my arm and that solved the leg issue. So, why the low 3/10 rating? It was a bit of a challenge, especially late in the day when I was tired, to lift the canoe the way I usually do -- reach over and just pick it up. (It's important to note that my canoe, with paddles attached, probably only weighs about 30 pounds.) Even doing the two stage lift-to-thigh, then up and over was a bit more awkward with the duffel. The lifting issue subtracts about three points. The other four points were taken because I have not yet found a comfortable carry position where the strap wasn't digging into the side of my neck. Just hanging the duffel off one shoulder didn't work out because it would slide off if my arm wasn't raised so I found I always had to have the strap on the opposite side of my neck from where the duffel was riding.
Using the duffel for double carries earns it a 6/10. I found it was fine when carried with just a paddle, but my PFD (which I now realize I should have just attached to the canoe seat) was constantly getting pushed about by the duffel. I did find myself taking some of the weight off my neck by holding it up from underneath with my hand.
Overall, it was not the panacea I'd hoped for, but it is clear there are things I can change (such as carrying the PFD attached to the canoe) that will improve the situation.
FWIW
Jim
For tripping I unfasten the shoulder strap and leave that at home and simply use the duffle as a pack if the handles are long enough to be used as shoulder straps. I employ the same method of "entry" as my canvas packs to carry. Standing with the pack at my feet I position the back of the pack away from me ( or the zippered top of the duffle ). Slipping my hands through the inside of each strap I reach and grab the outsides left and right of the pack firmly. Lifting properly with bent legs and straight back I swing it up and briefly hold the pack above my head and then releasing my grip with my hands held skyward let it slide down my back, the straps have thusly found their place over my shoulders and the pack secure on my back. When you get used to this a fairly heavy pack will go up in a fluid easy motion. I often do this with our 115L pack as well, though I use a rocking motion to get the swing started. I wouldn't try it with the barrels. This works a treat with the big duffle too. This method saves wrestling with straps particularly if the pack is fairly heavy to wrestle with. I am sure there are chiropractors and long distance hikers reading my post in horror. I'm not sure but I think this is an old Boy Scout thing. Now if the pack is especially heavy and cumbersome I do one of four things a) set it on a stump or rock as close to my hip height as possible and balancing it there work my way into it, b) have my paddling partner grasp the pack and help me on with it, c) lift it onto my hip-leg and slide my arms into the open straps catching the pack before it falls, d) place it carefully on a stump or rock and leave it there for someone else to carry. ie If it's too heavy for me it's also too heavy to even be on this trip.
That shoulder strap is nearly useless if the duffle is heavily loaded. But otherwise I have shortened it up enough to treat it as a sling pack. Similar to "entry" as described above but with the bottom of the strap left unfastened. Throw it up over your shoulder and onto your back keeping hold of the strap and while it remains on your back reach down with your free hand and fasten the bottom part of the strap. The pack needs to be snug against your back. Not loose enough to slide down into a satchel or purse position. I hate that.
Note: There is one situation when and where I carry a lightweight duffle in the satchel position, and that is when I'm urban travelling. Handy having that big opening there to slide in purchases of wine, bread and cheese. When it gets a little in the way I rest my hand on it and push it a little more behind my back. To deter pickpockets the closed zippered end is where my hand rests. The occasional tug on the strap across my chest repositions it back to comfortable moving through crowds. In crowded trains etc carry it reversed in front just like you would a day pack. (This is to be considerate of those around you and not keep body checking them with the backpack out of sight and mind on your back, and also helps to keep a eye on it's contents...the pick pocket thing.)
These things work for me but YMMV.
That shoulder strap is nearly useless if the duffle is heavily loaded. But otherwise I have shortened it up enough to treat it as a sling pack. Similar to "entry" as described above but with the bottom of the strap left unfastened. Throw it up over your shoulder and onto your back keeping hold of the strap and while it remains on your back reach down with your free hand and fasten the bottom part of the strap. The pack needs to be snug against your back. Not loose enough to slide down into a satchel or purse position. I hate that.
Note: There is one situation when and where I carry a lightweight duffle in the satchel position, and that is when I'm urban travelling. Handy having that big opening there to slide in purchases of wine, bread and cheese. When it gets a little in the way I rest my hand on it and push it a little more behind my back. To deter pickpockets the closed zippered end is where my hand rests. The occasional tug on the strap across my chest repositions it back to comfortable moving through crowds. In crowded trains etc carry it reversed in front just like you would a day pack. (This is to be considerate of those around you and not keep body checking them with the backpack out of sight and mind on your back, and also helps to keep a eye on it's contents...the pick pocket thing.)
These things work for me but YMMV.
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