any back country campers here?

R

rashidme

Well-known member
Forum Sponsor
if you guys have done back country camping, could you please share your ideas/thoughts/suggestions? we are doing one in Algonquin park?

What did you guys take for food? how much? anything to lookout for? etc

Thanks in advance!
 
Plan all meals. Depending on how long you are going for, you may have to dehydrate most/all your food. (ground beef, textured vegetable protien, veg works the best) No cans or glassware is allowed so try not to pack any in.

My friends and I usually do 5-7 days hikes/portages and we'd bring in fresh stuff for the 1st day (steaks and stuff), but the rest of the trip will be rehydrated stuff.

Breakfasts: instant oatmeal, instant coffee/hot chocolate, bannock
Lunches (usually quicker on the trail stuff): kraft dinner with veg and some kind of meat, instant noodles, breads and spreads
Dinners: pasta and sauce, fajitas, rice and stews, steaks and mashed potatoes

Those are the easy meals that I'd recommend for people without much experience back country camping.

Always hang food in a bear bag and search for a good spot before it gets dark. Bring good rope and extra incase things get hung up and you lose some of it.

I back country camp in all seasons and have been all over Ontario, eastern US and a fun little trip up to Nunavut.

I'll check back if you have any other questions.

Allan
 
anark said:
Plan all meals. Depending on how long you are going for, you may have to dehydrate most/all your food. (ground beef, textured vegetable protien, veg works the best) No cans or glassware is allowed so try not to pack any in.

My friends and I usually do 5-7 days hikes/portages and we'd bring in fresh stuff for the 1st day (steaks and stuff), but the rest of the trip will be rehydrated stuff.

Breakfasts: instant oatmeal, instant coffee/hot chocolate, bannock
Lunches (usually quicker on the trail stuff): kraft dinner with veg and some kind of meat, instant noodles, breads and spreads
Dinners: pasta and sauce, fajitas, rice and stews, steaks and mashed potatoes

Those are the easy meals that I'd recommend for people without much experience back country camping.

Always hang food in a bear bag and search for a good spot before it gets dark. Bring good rope and extra incase things get hung up and you lose some of it.

I back country camp in all seasons and have been all over Ontario, eastern US and a fun little trip up to Nunavut.

I'll check back if you have any other questions.

Allan
Click to expand...

wow thanks alot!!! its its our first time and we are going for the labor day long weekend. would you recommend taking in sandwiches in vacuum sealed bags? and what do you do for water?
 
Water can be boiled & cooled but it is time consuming. You can use tablets to treat the water. I bought a purification pump. Simply drop the rubber suction tube into the water & pump the handle. It purifies pretty much any water. Check an Outdoors store for more info...MSR makes a good one. Freeze dried food is expensive. I purchased the freeze dried meals containing meat at about $12.00 each to feed two people & supplemented with 99cent noodles & sauce mix.

Make sure when you set up your camp you always follow these rules:
1. Never cook at the tent site. try to cook all foods 150 feet or more from the tent if possible.
2. Never keep food or snacks in the tent, it will attract nuisance critters like coons & chipmunks as well as heavy hitters like bears.
3. Always store food hung in a tree at night well away from the camp. Throw a rope over a high branch & hoist the packs up to foil bears.
4. Carry bear spray. You will find bears in meadows eating berries & they will find you where you cook. They will leave you alone if you leave them alone, search it and read up.
5. Are you canoeing or hiking? Have an extra map & compass.

Where are you going?
 
Tinsnips33 said:
Water can be boiled & cooled but it is time consuming. You can use tablets to treat the water. I bought a purification pump. Simply drop the rubber suction tube into the water & pump the handle. It purifies pretty much any water. Check an Outdoors store for more info...MSR makes a good one. Freeze dried food is expensive. I purchased the freeze dried meals containing meat at about $12.00 each to feed two people & supplemented with 99cent noodles & sauce mix.

Make sure when you set up your camp you always follow these rules:
1. Never cook at the tent site. try to cook all foods 150 feet or more from the tent if possible.
2. Never keep food or snacks in the tent, it will attract nuisance critters like coons & chipmunks as well as heavy hitters like bears.
3. Always store food hung in a tree at night well away from the camp. Throw a rope over a high branch & hoist the packs up to foil bears.
4. Carry bear spray. You will find bears in meadows eating berries & they will find you where you cook. They will leave you alone if you leave them alone, search it and read up.
5. Are you canoeing or hiking? Have an extra map & compass.

Where are you going?
Click to expand...

thanks for the valuable info. we are going to Algonquin. We will be canoeing + portaging.
 
Never tried vacuum packed sandwiches, depending on what's inside they may not last very long.

We always filter water. Look at MSR and Katadyn brands and bring backup iodine tablets. As a pro (efficiency and laziness) tip, any foods that require boiling, we don't use filtered water, just scoop from the lake.

Pack all clothing, sleeping bags and things you don't want to get wet into drysacks. We had a tipover and rest assured, all the air inside a backpack will keep your bag afloat, (if taking off boots or anything else, lash it to the bags or canoe...I lost a digital camera when we went over once...I was 3rd wheel with a bickering couple who didn't know how to paddle...)

Pack light, and weight all packs beforehand so that weight is distributed evenly. Keep bags under 40lb so nobody dies. (Our packs are under 26lbs in the summer)

Map and compass is key, also, plan your route beforehand as the trail head office will ask what lake/site you will be staying at. Stick to your plan/route so you don't screw over anyone else. If you're going next week and you haven't reserved your sites, CALL NOW because you might be SOL with the number of people that head up there on the long weekends. We also photocopy the official maps and put them in ziplock bags so they stay dry. We also write emergency contact info on them incast anything happens.

Bring camp suds and not commercial soaps and they'll attract bugs. Also, don't do your dishes by the lake, use a "camp sink" and wash/dump the dirty water a fair distance from the water so it has a chance to naturally filter through the soil before going back into the lakes.

We never use commercial "freezedried/dehydrated" foods. ...too expensive when we're talking 4-6 people for 5-7 days.
 
My $0.02 worth..keep in mind that you have to hump everything you pack. So you may ask yourself "do I really need this?" before you decide what goes in your gear. And when it comes to food, water is heavy..so try not to bring too much liquid that you could otherwise get via water. As others have said, perishibles are done after day 1 so plan your meals accordingly. If you like milk, develop a taste for powdered milk. :-)
There was a total fire ban not long ago on the west side of Algonquin so you may need to think about how much gas to bring if you're going to cook everything by stove. Check the Ontario restricted fire zone site to see if that's still in effect. Don't forget your lighter/matches including your backup.

I don't know how much camping/outdoors stuff you've done but it's generally a) colder than you think it will be and b) buggier, don't forget the bug juice.
 
Go early in the spring. We used to go the last Saturday in April for trout season and stay in for a week or 2. You can shoot the rapids and avoid some portages, no bugs, tons of firewood from branches falling off the trees, and we would be lucky if we saw 1 or 2 other parties of campers. We would go in the west side access road and head east, then north and come out at Brent station. Had to pay someone $50 to pick us up at Brent station (friend who lived close by). Balaclavas and heavy socks with good sleeping bags to sleep, I've slept in life jacket to stay warm, not bringing rain gear is not an option, same as good boots, (leave the sandasl for Cuba. Freeze some steaks to eat the first night. Buy tons of bait at the machine at LaBarons and store them on the north side of the trees to keep them fresh, cover them with moss. If you are going to camp on an island, make sure you walk around to look for bear poop, fresh bear poop on an island means you leave right away, unless you are into bears. Bear bells and bear spray, unless you can handle a bear on your own. Pack everything as if you will be dumping it in the lake. Bring some good rope at least 50', to hang food up at night and to guide canoes through rough waters to avoid long portages (be creative). Split up the goods...camping gear, kitchen gear etc. Dump everybodys pack before you go and sort out what you do not need to take.
 
Last edited:
rashidme said:
if you guys have done back country camping, could you please share your ideas/thoughts/suggestions? we are doing one in Algonquin park?

What did you guys take for food? how much? anything to lookout for? etc

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Are we?
 
m.breen said:
rain gear is not an option, same as good boots, (leave the sandasl for Cuba.
Click to expand...

Sorry; pet peeve. When you say "xxx is not an option", you're saying that xxx is not something you can consider. I'm pretty sure you mean that "xxx is not optional".

The English language is on a slippery slope with people using phrases incorrectly and not knowing their/there/they're, its/it's, your/you're, and all that jazz.

Not meant as a jab at m.breen, just to point it out incase he/she doesn't know that it's being used incorrectly.

/rant
 
you can't bring cans to parks? But styrofoam stuff is okay?

I am going this weekend and I was going to pick up some chili and all (heading to Algonquin). I guess I will have to find something else (army rations are expensiveee). Other than a few tools/knives, matches, sleeping stuff, sweater for night, flashlight, some water/food, anything else important to bring?
 
This is my typical pack out:

Backpack
Tent
Sleeping pad
Sleeping bag - dry sack

Boots
Sandals
Clothing (outer wear - I wear one, pack one, undies I have a clean set for each day)
Rain gear
Hat
Dry sack

Stove
Fuel
Water filter
Nalgene
Pots
Plate/bowl
Cup
Utensils
Cleaning stuff (sink, suds, sponge)
Food

Bear bag
Rope
Fire starting
Toilet paper
Headlight
Bug repellent
Map/Compass
Axe/Saw
Toothbrush/toothpaste
Extra bags (for garbage/dirty clothes)

Camera
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom