setting off on an overnight canoe trip - first time with this troop

[LauraT7]

our boys are pretty experienced car campers, some have done backpacking and bicycle trips - but there was always a car or a stop or someplace or someone to 'fix' what was forgotten or needed.

 

the boys that are going all have badges in swimming, canoeing, lifesaving, etc and have done day river trips - and camped overnight at public campgrounds - but not carried their gear to the campsite via canoe. it's going to be a different experience for them

 

we are about to head down the Wisconsin river for two days. No latrines, no water but what we carry - camping on sandbars. some of the boys want to fish and 'catch their own dinner'. It seems a good 'starter' trip to try out our skills - we figure we can live through almost anything for just two days - right?

 

we're really excited about this trip - but also looking for any hints or suggestions some of you 'salted pros' can share.

 

What kind of equipment have you found indespensable on a trip like this?

 

What can you definately live without?

 

what little hints make the difference between necessity alone and comfort?

 

suggestions for inexpensive waterproof packing? Ziplocks, i know - but what about sleeping bags? Garbage bags would tear up too easy....

 

i was thinking of taking rubbermaid totes instead of our wooden 'pack' patrol boxes - we just don't need all that 'stuff'. if we pack stuff in garbage bags, tied shut INSIDE the totes and tie them into the canoes - so you think they'll stay dry unless we completely dump and flood?

 

lots of watertite equipment isn't in the budget for this - our first trip. Alot is weighing on the sucess of this trip though - if it's good - we will do more like it - if not, we'll probably stick with car camping for awhile.

 

BOR-ing!

 

any good ideas to share?

[dan]

The outfitter we used put a garbage bag inside of the pack, it was a large Duluth pack but should work for a normal pack, and supplied us with heavy duty bags, I do not know where to get these at, but I think if you used two garbage bags and carefully put them in the pack they should be fine, than we put our sleeping bags and tents in, they where very strong and 3 to 4 bags could fit in one, with both bags tied shut, and in the packs, they where not about to get wet.

I would suggest you really do not bring your chuck boxes. All you really need is a frying pan, 2 pots, a coffee pot, can be used for more than just coffee, 2 plastic large spoons, and a spatula, per patrol. Keep meals simple do not try to put a dutch oven in the canoe. You may want to check into some dehydrated food, but it is not cheap, There are many good things that you can get at a grocery store that will work just as well, mashed potatoes, hash browns, and so on. For lunch the Tuna in a bag works great, this will prepare the scouts for High Adventures.

If you have the little one burner lightweight stoves, they are much smaller and lighter.

Tie the packs in the canoe with small nylon cord, leave about 6 feet of slack, this way the packs stay with an overturned canoe. Remember a overturned canoe floats really well!

Tie or use bungee cords to secure the fishing poles in the canoes, they do not float and this keeps them out of the way.

It would be no problem to put 3 people and 3 packs in a canoe, with plenty of room.

(This message has been edited by dan)

[eisely]

There is an entire thread under "Open Discussion" entitled "50 miler primarily afloat" that has lots of suggestions. I am not a sophisticated enough user to paste in a link for you. The last post in that thread was on 4/29/02. Check it out.

[pack899]

We use 5 gallon buckets with screw on lids..You can buy the buckets at Lowes hardware, there around 3 or 4 dollars each, and the lids you can buy at sears in the hardware stuff, There called gamma seal lids. They snap on the bucket and the center screw's out.. There pretty reasonable, We got each boy two, They will hold all of their personal gear, and enough air stays in them so they will float. Just in case. They are lo -profile in the boat and take up less space.

[britag]

The best way to go on a trip like this is use as much dry food as possible.From my experiance the sunscreen is most important to not forget.Bugspray and toilet paper are a close second. For a two day trip it might be better to let each scout bring and cook his own food.On a longer trip troop gear can be rotated between canoes daily{because it adds alot of weight}.Trash bags are good but dont last long there are good ruberized bags available that are reusable.A good investment for the active canoe scout.If you are planning on going to a high adventure canoe base you might want to portage the canoes once or twice. When i went to Tinnerman Canoe Base we had to portage for ten miles,And we were totally unprepared for what was involved.

 

-britag

[mk9750]

My youngest son is in a crew at Tinnerman this week. I have never gone, but after now seen both my sons prepare for this trip, here are a couple things I can say:

 

1) The advice about sunscreen should be mentioned 50 - 100 times. The sun is exponentially more intense on water, and aluminum canoes multiply this further. The most oft - missed body part is the back of the legs. Unfortuately, this is problably the area on the body that will hurt the most if sunburned.

 

2) Map carefully. If there are multiple choices to take on a river, making the wrong turn is not a good idea.

 

3) For a two day trip, most home made water tight solutions, like garbage bags, will work. Take a few extra per boy to cover rips. And I think someone mentioned it, but it wasn't clear to me. But the way to use a garbage bag to protect a sleeping bag is to line the inside of a normal stuff sack with a garbage bag, and THEN put the sleeping back in the combined sack. It isn't very likely you'll get a garbager bag full of sleeping bag into a stuff sack, and if you do, it's likely to have ripped. Goose neck all garbage bags used. The same techique is good for packs - Line the inside with a garbage bag. And of course, contents in the pack should also be packed in ziplock bags. for longer trips, dry bags are a worthwhile investment.

 

4) It is likely that for a two day trip, you can probably cook normal meals with little change in your weekend campout preparations. Any longer than that, though, and dehydrated foods become vital. I would discourage boys from taking the easy, expensive way out by buying store bought dehydrated foodstuffs. Dehydrating at home (easier in a dehydrator, but doable even in a conventional oven), is les expensive, more nutritious, and a valuable skill to have. Have boys team up in pairs for breakfasts (granola bars, oatmeal are possible selections), and lunch (trail baloney, peanut butter on pita bread or kaiser rolls?). Have one crew member (or a pair if the math works out) responsible for cooking a diner for the entire crew each night. He would find the recipe, purchase and dehydrate the food, and cook it. And of course, suplementing this with fish they catch is always good. Our Troop's experience with this and on the Appalachian Trail is that despite what common sense tells you, a little food seems to go a long way on the trip. On the other hand, don't get in their way if you stop at McDonalds on the way home!

 

If you go to Tinnerman, they will provide your food. However, it is not always well received by the Scouts. Also, they pack food packaged for each day, and sometimes they do some odd things. You might find a "treat" in the bag for Friday of corn on the cob, but it will be spoiled because it spent all week in a bag in the heat. Check over the food they give you and re-arrange as needed.

 

I think it's terrific that you guys can provide your Scouts the oppurtunity to do this. Good luck!

 

Mark

[SagerScout]

I read elsewhere that trash compactor bags are more heavy-duty than even good garbage bags, seemed like useful info to pass along for your purposes.

 

I'm jealous.

[le Voyageur]

Some extra tips...

 

For headwinds move more weight to the bow to trim the stern.

 

For tail winds, do the reverse...

 

Remember to have fun andbring em home smelly, tired, a little hungry, and as allways safe...bon chance

[eisely]

You need to be fully aware of the load capacity of the canoes you will be using. This will govern how much stuff you take along. I look at a short downstream trip like this as glorified car camping, unless there are a lot of rapids. A good tripping canoe probably can carry 1000 lb of people and cargo safely. You do need to limit what people take nevertheless.

 

For a two day trip on the Wisconsin River, I would think you could generally dispense with dehydrated food altogether and really challenge your cooking skills. You can probably even take along an ice chest.

 

You still need to plan for early starts in the morning. Most foul weather and wind occurs later in the day, so I would avoid fancy breakfasts, but make up for it with real food for the evening meal.

[LauraT7]

We don't have Lowes near us - but i am wondering if the buckets you used are the same as 5 gal paint buckets? I have quite a few of those the boys can use. The lids are pop-off - some are quite tight and others are not so tight - depends on how much of the peal-off seal of the lid was pealed when they were opened. I wonder if the screw-on lids would fit these?

 

(I've had them for years - not only am i a pack-rat - but I had a leaky basement and we used these buckets for storing all Jon's toys - one bucket for legos, one for lincoln logs, etc - I must have a dozen or so of them.)

[Mike F]

Lots of good input above.

 

Our local canoe training team swears by the big buckets, although I haven't used them (yet). Get ones with big o-ring seal, if you can find them. Whatever you use, recommend testing to be sure water-tight before trusting completely. Take to swimming pool, submerge completely and look for stream of bubbles.

 

Clothing - avoid cotton, especially pants. Discount outdoor stores have nylon pants with zip-off legs for about $20. If guys get the ones with mesh liner, they can wear them like swim suits (i.e., no cotton briefs that stay wet all day). Shirts like Body Armor are great under PFDs (life jackets).

 

Hats with brim all around - sun is brutal.

 

Sunglasses - with strap, if not the wrap-around type.

 

Cameras - waterproof disposable. If taking good camera, invest in a good camera dry box (REI, etc.)

 

Travel very light. Don't need clean change of clothes every day. Recommend a complete gear check before going. Leave extra stuff in cars. Take a careful look at crew gear - can share toothpaste, etc.

 

Duct tape is essential! Seal leaks. Make bandages (dot of antibacterial goo on cut and tape right over it - stays on when wet)

 

Gloves - I use a $4 pair of gardening gloves (cotton with little rubber dots) with the fingers cut off.

 

Extra snacks - for mid-morning and mid-afternoon. Canoeing is hard work!

 

Drinks - consider some powdered Gatorade or lemonade. Not essential, but sometimes helps keep the guys hydrated.

 

Water purification - if filtering, consider a pre-filter to keep some of algae and silt from clogging main filter. Some use coffee filter material held in place around water intake with rubber bands. Take extra filter cartridges or iodine.

 

Dry shoes for camp. Consider foot powder, but probably not required for short trip.

 

Folding saw lighter and easier to use

 

Crew gear put a bunch of the crew gear that will get common use during day or in camp in an old gym bag and keep available in one of the canoes. Items that go in here: Toilet paper (double wrapped), small plastic shovel, water purification (filter or tablets), duct tape, first aid kit, sunscreen, some rope/cord, etc.

 

Fishing - consider fish a bonus - don't count on catching them to make a meal. All hooks off poles before they go into canoes. Tie all poles in a canoe together to reduce clutter. Don't need full tackle box -- put select articles in small plastic box.

 

Imodium As funny as it will be later, diarrhea on a canoe trip is no laughing matter.

 

Have fun and let us know how it goes!!

 

-mike