Portaging Essentials and Advice | GTAMotorcycle.com

Portaging Essentials and Advice

S

SVeezy

Well-known member
A group of friends and I will be going north on a portaging adventure this summer. I'm no stranger to the great outdoors and camping but this will be my first time portaging. I'm curious what advice anyone has as to what items are essential as I'm obviously trying to keep the weight to a minimum. The plan at this point is for a one week adventure with one rest day, the rest will be on the move. I've seen some good information/ideas in the camping threads but wanted to get something directly related to portaging.
Cheers.
 
Time of year and length of portage would help.
 
Not sure whats in those threads but you can really help your weight/space issues if you think outside the box when packing.

For example, when i want to bring eggs i crack them into a ziplock bag.

If you bring life jackets use them on your shoulders/neck for those long portages.

Don't forget the bug spray :) Being eaten alive while trekking with that over your head is no joy.
 
Get a fold up aluminum frame trolley....then carry whatever you want in the canoe. Crappy Tire sells an inexpensive one.
 
Riceburner said:
Go with a big burly guy out to prove his manhood and let him carry the stuff.
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Yes,one that wears cologne.the bugs will stay with him.Seriously tho...a few days before your trip stay away from any scented soaps,shampoos etc.Wear light coloured clothing and don't drink alcohol.
 
The wrecks of those aluminum frame carts are all over the longer/harder portage routes. I like to have my gear in a waterproof duffle with shoulder straps, its not out of the question to two trip it if its a rough trail, dont fall with a boat on your head and 70lbs on your back.
Talk to your buddies and dont carry doubles of stuff that can be 'group' ; hatchet, 3 stoves....
Plan a menu, dont under estimate good food and calories. Don't carry food you wont eat
Beer is heavy, wine comes in a box and scotch can be transfered to plastic bottles.
Have a rain suit , even if its a CTC el cheapo . Getting soaked is miserable, always have your sleep bag in a waterproof sack, if nothing else your bed is dry.
 
Yes,all good advice.I always take ziplock bags with pancake mix in them to dredge fish fillets in.A tub of lard is easy to carry,as is a few cans of cooked,sliced potatoes.You can even mix a bit of baking powder in with the pancake mix,wet with some water into a dough,wrap it around a stick over a fire and make bannok bread.The key is to bring things that need no refrigeration.Eggs?Really?

edit: and don't forget.NO FOOD IN THE TENT!
 
Invest in some drybags if you haven’t already. You don’t want anything getting wet if you capsize. Life straw/water purification device so you can stay hydrated on the go. Choose foods that are light-weight and easy to pack, involve little or no cooking. Plan on burning a lot of calories.
If your route includes hitting some sort of civilization at the midpoint (like on your rest day), maybe see if you can ship half your required food rations and other supplies to an address at that location and that will cut down your carry weight.
Have an emergency plan and a foolproof communication method in case you need a medical evac.
 
if you get eggs from a vendor before they are refridgerated they will keep a month or more at room temps. Frozen steaks will be fine for three days as they thaw, or porkchops, careful with chicken. Tub of butter lasts a week at room temp. Cans are heavy and often contain water/juice to keep the product ok, water=weight.
There are some good eats at the grocer, like instant mashed potatos and soup mixes that dont cost what MEC camp food costs.

Pack some hot chocolate mix , it brightens the mood on a drizzly evening. Small bag of jelly beans and on day 5 hand out dessert, you'll be a hero.
 
Wingboy said:
Time of year and length of portage would help.
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As shown in my original post time of year is summer, more specifically August so thankfully bugs shouldn't be too bad. We will be gone for a week so 3 days out, 1 rest day, 3 days back.

Definitely will be planning as a group so we aren't carrying 2 or more of given items that aren't needed.
Although I'm not expecting rain I recognize it is always a possibility so at the very least a raincoat will be packed. Clothes and at the very least sleeping bag will be in a dry bag.

I'm planning on purchasing a Lifestraw so as to not carry a tonne of water. Will bring some water as well though.

Food is a bit of a challenge due to gluten intolerance on my part but I'm sure I will manage.

I'm definitely investing in a good pair of waterproof hiking boots.

I don't think a frame trolley is going to work as the terrain is probably going to be a bit gnarly at times but will look into it as it would be nice.

Thanks all for the good suggestions :)
 
Wingboy said:
Yes,all good advice.I always take ziplock bags with pancake mix in them to dredge fish fillets in.A tub of lard is easy to carry,as is a few cans of cooked,sliced potatoes.You can even mix a bit of baking powder in with the pancake mix,wet with some water into a dough,wrap it around a stick over a fire and make bannok bread.The key is to bring things that need no refrigeration.Eggs?Really?

edit: and don't forget.NO FOOD IN THE TENT!
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I've done 2 weeks up the St. Lawrence eating eggs and over 3 weeks in the Appalachians (on a mountain bike). No sweat.

Just don't buy them from a grocer.
 
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Be a weight Nazi. Pack what you think you need, leave half of that at home. For most camping I get away with 1 pot, 1 spork, 1 knife, 1 stove (fuel dependent on length of trip and likelihood of finding wood for a fire), water filter, large PE nalgene bottle, camel bak, sleeping bag, foam mat, tent and 2 sets of clothes (wear one, wash one and dry it on the boat while paddling, keep 1 sweater in your dry bag in case things go sideways) and a first aid kit.

Cooked bacon lasts a damned long time.

Buy your boots at least a month before and put some decent miles on them (preferably with a loaded pack).

I'm not sure about the life straw. I've never used one, but knowing how hard it is to pump through a filter, I sure as hell wouldn't want to suck through one. I also prefer to make a batch of clean water while sitting around at night so it is easy to drink the next day. Trying to drink out of a pot with a straw while paddling doesn't sound fun.
 
assuming you're travelling in canoes?

depends how much humping you want to do

a 16ft canoe with 2 guys in it can carry lot of stuff

used to do some fairly long canoe trips with the buddies when we were younger

would bring piles of stuff
lawn chairs, coolers full of beer
a chainsaw, boom box
tons of food and all the usual camping gear

all depends on how many trips you wanna make down the trail
 
Waterproof might not mean much if you're thigh deep in water, hefting the canoe over a beaver dam.
Some of those watersport shoes that dry quick can help.
If you're afraid of leeches, you might want a method of covering your legs and/or a way of removing them.

The blue foam sleeping pads from MEC etc. can be cut into sort of U shaped pieces that can sit on your shoulders if your yoke sucks, and they are easier on the knees, especially if you collect sand/debris/water in the bottom of the canoe.

If you have an odd number of bags among 2 people, and a way to measure distance, both can walk halfway, one drops their pack and goes back for the canoe, the other continues on drops, their pack off at the end, and comes back half way for the second pack and canoe person.

The plastic olive containers, that restaurants on the Danforth would leave out in the garbage, are so waterproof, that MEC eventually started selling almost identical containers.

I prefer a good hiking pack with an internal frame and a good hip belt, to a traditional portage pack with tumpline.

We found that carrying a pack and a canoe was a little bit exhausting, but you might be in better shape.

I have a filter pump that screws right onto nalgene bottles, that can work well.

Make sure that each individual canoe, has some form of shelter, firemaking, food, signalling etc. in case you get temporarily separated.

We had a couple get separated at dusk in a slight fog.
They tried flashing a light, but someone on the shore saw it, and flashed back, so they went there.
Still you're better off to wait for the slower paddlers.
We did find them, but they had no shelter at the time, so would have had a long hard night.

Oh, and bears can swim.
 
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All good information here and appreciated. I'm not in the best shape of my life but certainly not in bad shape and I've got some time to work on it so that's a definite plus. The lifestraw I was looking at is part of a bottle unit but I will be bringing in some water and the purification tabs as well so more relevant advice that is appreciated.

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My pack is simple, weighs about 8kg it fits into a 20l dry bag.
Lifestraw + a 500ml water bottle
Lixada folding wood stove 150g
Kelty 2 man tent (1.3kg)
Heatcore 7 degree sleeping bag (700g)
Custom dryfit pants and long sleeve tee (250G, bug resistant and super comfortable day and night.)
Gerber combo shorty axe and utility knife 570g
First air kit - I add 3 days of each : tylenol 600s, antibiotics, Oxtcodone pain killers. an. 300g
3 BIC lighters 100g
Salt (for food and leeches) 100g
20 fish hooks and 100m of 10lb test line. 50g
20m or survival cord. 100g
500ml of good scotch. 500g

I've managed 21 days alone with the clothes on my back and this kit -- no food. There's lots of room for food and additional clothes in a 20l bag.

The key is to bring only what you need. In the wilderness, 1 change of clothes will do until the clothes wear out. The amount of food you need depends on your survival skills and days between provisioning stops.
 
GreyGhost said:
Be a weight Nazi. Pack what you think you need, leave half of that at home. For most camping I get away with 1 pot, 1 spork, 1 knife, 1 stove (fuel dependent on length of trip and likelihood of finding wood for a fire), water filter, large PE nalgene bottle, camel bak, sleeping bag, foam mat, tent and 2 sets of clothes (wear one, wash one and dry it on the boat while paddling, keep 1 sweater in your dry bag in case things go sideways) and a first aid kit.

Cooked bacon lasts a damned long time.

Buy your boots at least a month before and put some decent miles on them (preferably with a loaded pack).

I'm not sure about the life straw. I've never used one, but knowing how hard it is to pump through a filter, I sure as hell wouldn't want to suck through one. I also prefer to make a batch of clean water while sitting around at night so it is easy to drink the next day. Trying to drink out of a pot with a straw while paddling doesn't sound fun.
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THIS. Minimal packing is easier, more organized and leaves you more time to enjoy the trip.

Personally I don't like dry bags, they are heavy, bulky and stiff. I use a few draw string bags to organize my clothes and food. If I am over water I jut put my whole bag in a heavy duty garbage bag.

Get a saw instead of an axe. This saw can chop a tree unbelievably fast. https://www.mec.ca/en/product/4009-407/Folding-Wood-Saw
 
There some waterproof bags that seem to be made of a ripstop satin like material that are supposed to be waterproof. Those are quite light.
 
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