Gear for a Solo Trip
Gear selection for tripping is as personal as a hairstyle! It is amazing listening to seasoned trippers sitting down over a mugga something and debating the pro's and con's of this piece as opposed to that, the need to carry this and why would you not bring that! My intent is not to tell you what to bring or what not to bring but to merely show you what works for me! I have spent a lot on gear that has only made it on one trip only to be tossed aside when I got home....and I have learned some hard lessons concerning gear that, once I finally got around to using it, I couldn't believe that I had gone so long without it! A great example was my experiment bringing a Coughlins folding stove rack...seemed like an awesome idea when I bought it..and I still use it for car camping... figured it would be a godsend as I would have the campstove at waist height and wouldn't be bending down all the time to prep my meals....the reality of it tho was that it was a heavy, single use piece that quickly became a pain in the behind and has not made it into my canoe since that one fateful trip! On the flipside....I never did believe in the need to carry a waterfilter until a buddy convinced me two years ago, he did so just by letting me try his MSR filter and taste the difference between that water and my tea stained, flat, boiled water....what an eye opener that day was, I bought a Katadyn filter less than two weeks after that!
The following is a selection of gear that I carry on solo canoe trips, which is a little misleading...cause this gear will also suffice for a tandem trip with the addition of one or two items! With that being said....here are my selections....
Circumstances have aligned themselves so that I have an opportunity to scoot out for a 2 or 3 day solo trip . It is April after all so the opportunity is highly dependant on Ice Out conditions. I have a couple of destinations in mind....the Haliburton Highlands,( Margaret Lake/ Little Margaret Lake/Dan Lake/Horse Lake Loop), The Kawartha Highlands, (Wolf Lake/ Crab Lake Loop) or back to the Massassauga if the Northern routes are still iced in. So that is the first step in planning a solo trip, pouring over maps, selecting a season and a destination so you have an idea what to pack for. The first piece of gear to be looked after then is the canoe itself! Checking over the boat to inspect for any damage after a long winter layoff, inspect the paddles and the pfd. Check the Marine Safety Kit to see if there is anything that needs work there. In my case then I have to make sure the"Cow" is ready to head out...The "Holy Cow Canoe" prospector to be exact. Great boat! My hats off to Stu and Gulam over at Holy Cow Canoe for a great product! I have a 15 footer, a prospector in kevlar lay-up...its a tad on the small side for two people if the trip is gonna be more than 3 or 4 days, but it makes a great little solo boat. I can handle it in fair to moderate winds and a slight chop, it tracks like a dream, and at 50lbs is more than easy enough for me to lug over a portage without breaking my back. I did get the extra option of adding Kevlar skid plates as an added precaution. A few folks have commented on the fact that it does have a keel...this is not a detriment for me as my paddling is done on flat water, not rivers.
http://www.holycowcanoe.com/index.html
Next lay out all the gear you want to take...then be brutally honest with yourself, go through each and every piece and ask yourself if it is really gonna be used or needed on the trip, remember, everything that goes into your pack will eventually end up on your back...you have to carry it!
Anything that is a maybe should be left behind! You will be surprised how quickly the weight starts to add up! And on a 1500 meter portage every pound counts! This is my basic gear set, modified slightly to meet the needs of each trip!
It all starts with the pack...a good canoe pack is a must, mine is a North 49 Trekk pack. The pack should be waterproof, large enough to carry all your gear in one load, the straps need to be adjustable to distribute the weight well to avoid undue fatigue when carrying. Look for well padded shoulder straps and waist belt. Try the pack on while in the store and walk around with it for a few minutes. Don't worry about looking stupid and most folks in a decent outfitter store will understand. In the pack goes....
A Eureka Mountainpass 2XT tent...check all components of the tent, poles, fly and guy ropes for wear and tear, its a great idea to set up the tent for a few days to air it out before your trip! This is not the lightest tent you can get, at 6lbs it is actually a little heavy for solo, but I do like the extra room and head space it provides for the days when I am rain or wind bound. The two doors and two vestibules are also a big plus!
First aid kit (more on that later)
Sleeping Bag/pillow, and Thermarest sleeping pad. The sleeping bag shown is a Bass pro Oversized sleeping bag... at 5 lbs it is a very heavy peice of gear. I use this bag for the early spring and late fall trips. It is actually roomy enough for two people. During cold nights when the temps drop down to near 0 Celcious I like being able to snuggle down in that roomy bag and get cozy...there is nothing like a hard day paddlin and a cool spring night to knock you into dreamland in a hurry! As an added bonus it is big enough to slip my Thermarest sleeping pad inside the bag to avoid rolling off the pad at night!
Clothing pack (I'll discuss this in more detail later.)
Food Bag ( Also to be discussed in more detail later.)
Bearshield bear spray....for peace of mind from 4 leggers as well as 2 leggers!
Gerber belt knife.
Fiskars axe and Trailblazer take down buck saw. yes it is a little redundant carrying two peices of woodcutting gear, but both have their advantages and their disadvantages. I like the saw for cutting up firewood, but there is nothing like a good axe for clearing deadfall on a portage in a hurry, or for splitting larger pieces of wood, so I carry both! As I love to paddle early spring, deadfall on the ports is a common occurrence so the axe comes in very handy. And, if you are like I was on my first few solo's and got the heebie-jeebies sleeping alone in the bush at night, the axe was very comforting to bring into the tent and place beside you in the rare event that a maruading pack of rabid, space-alien, man-eating chipmunks or a bear were to come into camp at night.
Toiletry bag (toothbrush/paste, bug dope, camp soap, toilet paper and 2 extra garbage bags), the toilet paper gets a little extra attention..... get a new roll and squeeze it a few times to crush the cardboard roll, then use a pair of pliers, grip the cardboard and pull it from the center of the roll, the TP will now start feeding from the center, place it in a ziplock bag and you can now pull it from the bag rather than having to take it out and unroll it...helps keep the tp clean and dry this way, no wayward sticks sticking you in your , well you know....
Tackle box, telescoping rod/reel combo.
MSR Blacklite cookset.
Coleman Exponent Expert stove with fuel. Great little stove, starts up immediately even in zub-zero temps due to the butane/propane mix, the cannister has a "bladder" that is self pressurized so there is no need for pumping!
Katadyn Hiker Pro water filter.
Ropes and pulley to raise the food bag into the trees away from the critters.
1 Liter Lexan water bottle.
Coffee pot, travel mug, and grill.
LED Headlamp.
A closer look at the kitchen pack....the Coleman 9 cup coffee percolater is a luxury item...I love my coffee, steamin hot, strong and in large quantities! I don't bother with a plate or bowl and just eat straight from the pot on a solo! The MSR cookset bag contains two pots, a frypan, lid, potgripper, dish cloths and cutlery. There is extra room in the nested pots...I often use it to store a spice kit or some fire starter. The grill is a Purcell Trench Voyageur grill, http://www.purcelltrench.com/grills.htm made from stainless steel tubing it weighs nearly nothing but is super strong, another item I will not regret purchasing! Four years, a hundred or more campfires and the grill still looks fairly new and is still going strong, no warping, even after being left over countless hot fires all day keeping the coffee bubbling!
Keeping the gear dry is essential, especially for the sleeping gear, clothing and food. The canoe pack is water proof, but in case of a spill I store essential gear in separate waterproof dry bags. This also has the added advantage of keeping individual packs dry if I have to unload in the rain!
An extra layer of protection is added to the really true essential gear....like the toilet paper!!!!!!!!!!!!! Do not leave home without it. Ziplocks are a campers best friend when it comes to packing!
The canoe pack fully loaded! Depending on the trip and any extras I may pack, this set up weighs in usually between 35 to 50 lbs! The 35 is usually on shorter trips in warmer weather, but during the shoulder seasons, early spring and late fall, temps can range from 20c during the day down to subzero at night so I have to pack warmer (read heavier) gear during those trips.
The First Aid Kit!
The first aid kit, and proper training on how to use it is an essential piece of kit if you are heading out alone or with a group. I seem to have a reason to dig into the kit quite often. I highly recommend some first aid training as well...I have managed to maintain certification in a St. John Ambulance First Responder Certificate for almost twenty years, and it has proven to be worth every penny spent. Anything from removing a nastily embedded treble hook from my calf, to splinters, to minor burns, to dealing with allergic reactions, to minor cuts.....the first aid kit has seen a lot of use. I started with a Life Brand Bike and Hike kit from Shoppers Drug Mart, but the kit as it is now resembles very little of the original as it has evolved over the years......in the kit I have
pair of tweezers
pair of safety scissors
10 safety pins
1 emergency eyeglass repair kit
1 triangle bandage
2 rolls Gauze
1 Gauze bandage (3"x4")
1 10 meter roll Johnsons First Aid Tape
1 foil emergency blanket (space blanket)
2 Johnsons burn pads (2"x3")
2 Dr Scholls Self Adhesive Moleskins (2"x3") ...for foot blisters these are indespensible, cut to desired shape or size
12 alcohol pads (also great as an emergency firestarter)
15 assorted Johnsons Band Aids (The knuckle bad aids seems to get replaced most often)
12 Advil and 4 Tylenol 2's in a small plastic tube for pain relief
4 Clariten Extra Strength Allergy Tabs ( non drowsy for minor incidents)
4 Benadryl Allergy Tabs (maximum strength allowed over the counter for major incidents)
8 Pepto Bismol Chewable tabs (to dry up a case of the "runs" while in the country)
6 Johnsons Iodine swabs
2 Johnsons Blister Relief packs
2 pairs latex gloves
6 waterproof/windproof strike anywhere matches
This seems like a lot, but it still all fits in the original Life Brand kit and it covers the spectrum of minor to moderate emergencies that you will encounter in the field.
Kirk
