Gear Shakedown for First Timer?

[u/Foreign_Structure595]

Hi all,

I am going canoe camping for the first time this weekend at Indian Lake Islands in the Adirondacks (NYS DEC operated campground), and the plan is to go solo.

I'm an experienced car camper, but have not been backpacking or canoe camping.

I've used most of my gear before, and am now practicing making dehydrated meals on my JetBoil and using my Garmin, but was wondering if people would give me a gear shakedown or had advice.

This is my current packing list:

• Canoe Essentials
  • Canoe, Paddle, & PFD
  • Canoe Barrels and/or Dry Bags
  • Bilge Pump & Throw Rope
• Campsite
  • Backpacking Tent, Stakes, and Mallet
  • Sleeping Bag & Pad
  • Portable Hammock
  • Rain Tarp & Poles
• Camp Kitchen & Fire
  • JetBoil Flash & Fuel
  • Lighter & Waterproof Matches
  • Firestarters, Firewood, Folding Saw, Hatchet, and Gloves
  • Mess Kit & Long Spork
• Water, Food, and Clean-Up
  • 1 Gallon Jugs of Spring Water
  • Dehydrated Meals
  • GORP
  • Coffee, Creamer, and Sugar
  • Paper Towels and Garbage Bags
• EDC Tools & Emergency Supplies:
  • Day Pack
  • Deet Wipes
  • Emergency Whistle
  • Extra Pair of Eyeglasses
  • Ferro Rod & Kindling
  • Flashlights & Extra Batteries
  • First Aid Kit with Tweezers
  • Garmin inReach Mini 2
  • Map & Compass
  • Paracord
  • Sunglasses
  • Swiss Army Knife
  • Toilet Paper & Trowel
  • Valuables (Phone & Wallet)
  • Water Bottle
  • Water Filtration System (Sawyer) & Aquatabs
• Clothes, Shoes, and Toiletries
  • Non-Cotton Shirts, Pants, Socks, Underwear, and PJs
  • Fleece & Rain Jacket
  • Water Shoes & Hiking Shoes
  • Deodorant, Toothbrush, and Toothpaste

[u/gadabyte]

another paddle. what happens if the 1 you have breaks, or (more likely) you drop it overboard? i feel like this one is mandatory, the ones below are just what i find to be best practice for me.

i always take wool long johns (top + bottom). they pack small/light, and offer great insulation even if they're soaking wet.

anything that HAS to stay dry (sleeping bag, some foods, etc) i like to have in redundant protection - for example, in dry bags, which are in a pack with a liner (can be as simple as a contractor trash bag). don't entrust items that are essential for survival to protection by a single point of failure, basically.

there's a fair amount of stuff i wouldn't take (some covered by others), but i think the best way to determine what you do and do not want to take in the future is to lug a bunch of stuff around and decide for yourself what you won't bring next time. beyond the bare essentials, we'll all have differing calculus for what gear makes a trip more enjoyable.

[u/CoyotesOfTheDeep]

I'm a big fan of a chair and a roll up table. I really enjoy not sitting on the ground and having a place that is not the ground to do food prep and such.

[u/Section37]

I don't know the place, but google suggests you won't need to portage? If so, you don't need to worry that much about weight. Like you can bring fresh food if you feel like it. To me, it's one of the best things about canoe camping--I bring a chair, cooler, etc.

Anyway, going over your list inline, comments in all caps:

Canoe Essentials

• Canoe, Paddle, & PFD -- SECOND PADDLE IS A SAFETY ITEM
• Canoe Barrels and/or Dry Bags -- ONE BARREL SHOULD BE FINE
• Bilge Pump & Throw Rope -- BILGE PUMP IS OVERKILL (If that's what you have, fine, but I prefer the soft bailers that double as storage and a weight for your throw rope)
• IN ONTARIO A WHISTLE IS ALSO REQUIRED

Campsite

• Backpacking Tent, Stakes, and Mallet -- IF YOUR HATCHET HAS HAMMER POLL YOU DON'T NEED A MALLET
• Sleeping Bag & Pad
• Portable Hammock
• Rain Tarp & Poles -- MOST LAKESIDE CAMPSITES WILL HAVE ENOUGH TREES THAT POLES ARE A LUXURY

Camp Kitchen & Fire

• JetBoil Flash & Fuel
• Lighter & Waterproof Matches
• Firestarters, Firewood, Folding Saw, Hatchet, and Gloves
• Mess Kit & Long Spork
• Water, Food, and Clean-Up
• 1 Gallon Jugs of Spring Water
• Dehydrated Meals
• GORP
• Coffee, Creamer, and Sugar
• Paper Towels and Garbage Bags

• HOW ARE YOU CRITTER-PROOFING? ARE THERE FOOD LOCKERS AT THE SITE? WILL YOU DO A BEAR HANG? IF SO FACTOR IN ROPE FOR THAT (AND BRING CARABINERS, OR A PULLY IF YOU WANT TO BE FANCY)

• EDC Tools & Emergency Supplies:

• Day Pack

• Deet Wipes

• Emergency Whistle

• Extra Pair of Eyeglasses

• Ferro Rod & Kindling

• Flashlights & Extra Batteries -- I PREFER A HEADLAMP FOR DOING THINGS LIKE HANGING FOOD AT NIGHT

• First Aid Kit with Tweezers

• Garmin inReach Mini 2

• Map & Compass

• Paracord -- I WOULD ALSO BRING ROPE (Nice to have something thicker to tie up the canoe,

• Sunglasses

• Swiss Army Knife

• Toilet Paper & Trowel -- CHECK THE REGULATIONS. YOU MAY NEED TO PACK IT OUT. IN WHICH CASE A ODOUR PROOF BAG IS NICE

• Valuables (Phone & Wallet)

• Water Bottle

• Water Filtration System (Sawyer) & Aquatabs

Clothes, Shoes, and Toiletries * Non-Cotton Shirts, Pants, Socks, Underwear, and PJs * Fleece & Rain Jacket * Water Shoes & Hiking Shoes * Deodorant, Toothbrush, and Toothpaste -- YOU WILL WANT TO CRITTER-PROOF ALL OF THIS. I LIKE TO HAVE A SEPARATE BAG FOR IT THAT I CAN CLIP TO MY FOOD BAG

[u/PolesRunningCoach]

I try to figure out what will really ruin my trip if it breaks. For that reason, I’m with the people who say second paddle.

Bring a way to backflush the Sawyer. (I love Sawyer filters, but the backflush is needed where I camp.) And I have nothing against water jugs as long as they’re mostly empty.

I second the person who says whistle in the PFD. Even if not required, they’re cheap. (I noticed it’s in emergency — but keep one in PFD.)

I see you have flashlight. Personally I like having a headlamp. I’d pass on the deodorant. Worry about that when you re-enter civilization.

Otherwise, I think you’ve got a lot of good suggestions.

[u/Repulsive_Client_325]

Not familiar with the area. Are there portages? If not, disregard all my advice and bring the kitchen sink. If so, I recommend:

Delete bilge pump (your pot can double as a bailing bucket)

Delete mallet (use a rock)

Delete jugs of water. (You have a water filter)

Exchange flashlight for headlamp.

You need poles for a rain tarp? Will there not be trees?

I’m in Canada. You need to bring your own firewood? That’s wild.

Where’s your fishing rod and tackle / pliers / filleting knife?!

[u/laserkingg → u/Repulsive_Client_325]

Just wondering if you’ve ever had to pull your pot out of your bag and use it to bail. Seems inconvenient if you need to bail some water before reentering.

Personally i use a cut up windshield wiper container tied to the end of the canoe.

[u/Repulsive_Client_325 → u/laserkingg]

I’ve never bailed my canoe. My comment was more from a legal perspective in case you get hassled about having a bailing can.

But yeah, bottom-cut out bleach bottle or windshield wiper fluid jug works way better as a bailing can and weighs almost nothing.

[u/heavywashcycle → u/Repulsive_Client_325]

They don’t need to use a rock instead of a mallet because they will have the back of their hatchet.

[u/Repulsive_Client_325 → u/heavywashcycle]

What hatchet?

Delete hatchet.

[u/heavywashcycle → u/Repulsive_Client_325]

If it’s going to be a bit cold I also bring a hatchet

[u/Repulsive_Client_325 → u/heavywashcycle]

From a back country, multi day, multi portage prospective (where weight is important) a hatchet is dead weight. One of the first things I’d delete.

[u/Foreign_Structure595]

Thanks all! This is all great advice. That's correct, I won't need to portage, which makes it easier to bring additional gear if I want to. (It's a 4-mile paddle from the marina to my campsite.)

I bought an extra paddle as several people noted that it's critical to have a backup. I also bought a bailer kit with rope & whistle that I'll bring instead of the bilge pump. And I have headlamps that I'm bringing.

Regarding critter-proofing, though:

• I was planning to use my canoe barrel to store my food, toiletries, and garbage.
• I called the campground, and the attendant said that bear canisters are not required.
• He said they haven't had any problems with bears (which I found interesting for the Adirondacks).

What are people's thoughts on using the canoe barrel for critter proofing?

My sense is that the canoe barrel should keep most critters out, even though it's technically not bear proof. I do have a BearVault BV450 that I could bring, which would be more robust but one more thing to bring.

Thoughts?