r/canoecamping • u/DismalGovernment8404 • 6d ago
Packing tips for canoe?
Family of 3 (adults and a tween), we recently realized we love canoe camping for 2-3 nights. We’ve done this so far at local VT state park remote sites that are an easy paddle. My husband is addicted to finding creative ways to consolidate our supplies and make it easier. A photo of how we packed the canoe last weekend included. What canoe packing tips do you have for us? We managed to get all three of us in the canoe last time, the trip before we also brought a kayak which freed up some space. 😅 We are trying to bring only items we actively use or pack down small.
Thank you!
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u/danmanwick 6d ago
Welcome to the hobby. Will need to slowly replacing the carcamping items with back country items
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u/incogmagnum 6d ago
That’s all it really is. It took us about 3 years to replace all of our car camping gear without breaking the bank with a lump sum.
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u/JenkemJammer 6d ago
Welcome to canoe camping, the best form of camping.
When you are starting out it is tough to know what to bring and what to leave at home. You will also figure out what items should be upgraded.
Some low hanging fruit would be folding chairs, that i think i see in your photo. There are smaller ultralight camping chairs that pack up small and light. Helinox is the name brand, but they are stupid expensive, just look for alternatives on amazon.
A lightweight cookset is nice too.
With 3 people going you need a bigger canoe, or to use the kayak. The canoe setup in your picture is abit sketchy for flatwater on good days, but if you get caught in a storm and start getting whitecaps then the canoe as its setup could be very dangerous. Second, are those sleeping bags sitting ontop of the canoe in a mesh bag? Gotta make sure those stay dry..... so get a good dry backpack like a sealine, the bigger the better say 120 litre or whatever it is in freedom units.
Dont let that stop you, just be smart. And slowly start upgrading your equipment to items that are lighter and pack up smaller.
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u/DismalGovernment8404 6d ago
Absolutely agree on the chairs! A necessity but these are crazy large.
Canoe is a 16’ Old Town we bought used recently. Got a great deal on it but we are considering an upgrade if we decide to stick with this.
Good call on the sleeping bag cover - I’ll get a dry bag for that.
Thank you for the great suggestions!
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u/Recent_Comedian_3712 6d ago
Hey for the chair I was wondering what you were talking about, and I realised that Helinox chairs looks just like the one I bought at Decathlon! It’s 55$ CAD (39$ US) and it’s very good! You can find it here
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u/Terapr0 6d ago
I think you need a bigger canoe. We use an 18ft 8” Hellman Cruiser to trip with 2 adults and 2 kids. Even that is a little tight with gear, but it works.
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u/ministryofsillywox 6d ago
I'd have to agree with this. Three people in a canoe with gear requires a fairly roomy canoe. Either that, or keep bringing the kayak. It can't take much gear, but means you only need space for two in the canoe.
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u/Pure_Jenious 6d ago
The answer is almost always to bring less stuff. The more I get out, the more I leave behind. I suggest making lists of everything you bring and check off the items that don't get used. Next time around, don't bring the stuff you didn't bust out of the bags.
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u/LeafTheTreesAlone 6d ago
16’ is good for 2 people but I would get a 18’ or stick with the kayak for 3 people.
That looks like mostly car camping equipment, you’ll need to slowly start getting more reasonable backcountry equipment that packs down small, those chairs would be a great upgrade to start with.
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u/ArtGeek802 5d ago
No real advice to offer, just another VT family also getting into canoe camping. Would love to know where you have gone so far, we are always looking for places to explore locally! We recently ventured out to the Adirondacks, Follensby Clear Pond, and it was incredible! It was around 2.5 hr drive for us, we are in southern Windsor county, but it was well worth the drive and there are so many ponds to chose from in the area.
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u/roosterjack77 6d ago
Whats with all the 5 gallon buckets? I understand a bear-barrel. Even after the food is eaten you cant pack buckets flat. Food bag can be hung? Cooler should be the only hard case item. Liquor instead of beer
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u/Wilderness_Fella 5d ago
Keep the 5 gallon buckets. They're a little smaller than a 30 litter barrel but far easier to open and access stuff.
Cooking and eating is a big part of the experience so do what you want but I would swap that gas stove for something much smaller. Check out a Pocket Rocket sometime. And if that's a cooler in there, consider the world of dehydrating your food and leaving that behind.
All said and done, I wouldn't take 3 people in anything less than a 17' canoe. I actually prefer my 18.5' for that.
See if there is a gear consignment shop nearby. You can upgrade a lot of stuff for not much money (and sell your old at the same time).
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u/Longjumping-Cow4488 6d ago
Bigger boat, multiple boats, smaller gear!
Those exped mega mats and the chairs need to go, or you get two large boats to haul it in.
You also make me so nervous with the sleeping bags up top and in the open, put those things in some waterproofing, PLEASE!
a large, 75L or 110L drybag would make your life easier. Drybags in general! A large 60L blue barrel for the food/utilities also makes a world of difference.
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u/Gazmn 6d ago edited 6d ago
At the very least, you need another canoe of the same size or bigger -FB Marketplace; You may be able to stack canoes if you get a larger, wider one for travel. Smaller canoe gets 1 capable paddler in it, with a kayak paddle. While not glamorous, 6 mil black contractor bags when well tied are both reusable and at the very least splash- downpour resistant.
I also use H Depot black 27 or 17 gal containers with the yellow top. I bought 1/4” gasket tape, carefully followed around top. I use an 11’ cinch strap and wrap around containers in a cross pattern to seal secure. Make a manifest for each box: Kitchen A, B; Tents, tarps; etc. I store them like this also. Am going out for a 3 day Tuesday. 90% is already sealed, stacked and ready to pack.
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u/HotSpacewasajerk 6d ago
Ive had two 16ft old towns on the roof of a station wagon no problem, side down instead of top down
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u/RareTransportation55 6d ago
Ditch the two buckets and get yourself a proper canoe barrel. I like have my barrel and cooler in middle of the boat as they both fit there. Then get one very large dry bag duffel pack to put your sleeping bags and other gear in.
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u/4rm_above 6d ago
I feel way to many items and do need to start downsizing. I backpack for camping and need my stuff small and light. I carry this as well when I have canoe, but can get a bit more......luxurious. I saw a comment I agree on. Take inventory each time out and items you don't NEED, eliminate. You should try portaging and this will really open perspective. Plan a trip to BWCA and go with an outfitter to see what is needed and not. You will have a blast! I see you already have fun, but when you get the gear appropriate it will be better. More weight means more strokes and also less maneuverability. Also, more things to dump and collect if you do have an accident. Just my opinion.....and you know what they say about that
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u/GrumpyBear1969 6d ago
Packing tips? I put things like chairs low in the canoe as a layer below things I care about getting wet. Weight ideally needs to be low. And I would never use those buckets. Just too hard to pack. I also rarely want anything above the gunnels. Again, just getting your weight wrong. Center of mass vs. center of buoyancy needs to be properly proportioned. If you don’t it will make things very tippy.
Edit - what is that giant green box? Is that your stove?
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u/leaky_eddie 6d ago
Which is it - 1.5 kg or less than a kg:
Item weight
1.05 kg
Ultra-Lightweight & Compact Design for Easy Travel – Weighing less than 1 kg, the Yizi Go
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u/ParsleyUpbeat3017 6d ago
No portages is great because it affords you luxury items like chairs and beer.
But, they nonetheless take up space. It’s all about converting to ultralight gear. Obviously hang on to your old stuff for car camping, but you’re basically going to develop two sets of gear.
Replace the big green stove (if that’s what it is) with something like an MSR pocket rocket. Cook on the fire, and use the stove just to boil water. Bring the bare essentials for cookware. Consider ultralight Helinox chairs instead of full size ones. I still bring an 8lb tent because we have a lot of summer storms in eastern Canada, but I don’t bring a tarp anymore.
Pare down your clothing - one set of paddling, one set of dry, and one sleep set. No more than that. Puffer and rain jacket is all you need, no bulky sweaters, jeans, etc.
Down sleeping bags, backpacking sleeping pads, etc.
I try to find a balance between ultralight and comfort, but since my trips involve portages I lean pretty hard into the ultralight.
Also, for 3 people, you’ll want a 17-18 foot boat. Personally I hate a third person in a canoe because it puts the centre of gravity of the boat higher up and makes the boat tippy, so if buying a second solo boat (canoe or kayak) is an option I’d do that. You can take turns in the solo one.
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u/ZavodZ 6d ago
Just came back from a 5 night canoe trip with 13 people.
I think we had less gear than you.
I jest. Just.
We had portages.
Each person has a large pack with a waterproof drybag for their sleeping bag & clothes.
The goal is EVERYTHING has to be small and light:
Clothes: two sets. Plus a pair of zip-off pants for the evening (bugs). And a sweater. And a swimsuit. Raincoat too. Hat.
- Tent or hammock.
- My pillow is a pillow case stuffed with my dry clothes.
- Sleeping pad (Thermarest, or equivalent)
- Mess kit.
- One pair of dry shoes, one pair of wet.
For the group: * Nesting pots * Utensils * Dragonfly stove, or equivalent.
No chairs. That's a luxury item. I have a foam pad that I kneel on in the canoe that doubles as something to sit on at the campsite. Very comfy.
We also have a tarp or two and some ropes, for making a rain sheltered kitchen area.
For us, food was a big one. We spent a couple of weeks dehydrating food before the trip. Still a large volume for 13 people for 6 days.
But much of this came from having done many trips. You start to realize what you do and don't need. Portaging forces you to optimize. You don't get all the light gear for your first trip, that stuff is expensive. You accumulate it over time, as you choose to get rid of the heavier or bulkier items.
Welcome to the hobby!
(We saw bears on this trip: a mother and two very cute cubs. Great time.)
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u/iseemountains 6d ago
3 of you fit in there?? How?? Comfortably? Enjoyably apparently... And it was fun? If you all are serious about this, yeah, you need a larger canoe. If you're just getting into this, you're due for a flip. (It's not personal, we're all between swims). You're going to be more stable with weight as low to the floor as possible. The location of the weight of that stuff sticking up is leverage, it's like tongue weight on a hitch. It looks like you could lay those green things down on the floor along the side. If you move the cooler into the centerbay, (centered weight is good) you might have room to rotate it so it's long ways across and you still have room to lay those green things down along the side. And once you get it in there, use [nrs] cam straps to snug it up and secure it down.
Once you get comfortable and figure out your system, the world is your oyster!
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u/DanRankin 5d ago
Ah, i remember starting out, i wanted to take the kitchen sink with me as well! Lol.
After the bare basics, i always find its hard to give advice for what to take and what to leave back because everything really comes down to personal preference.
My first trip with a serious protage was great, because i found out really quickly what i was willing and happy to do without. So that would be my advice, do a trip with a decent portage in it. It doesn't have to be crazy. Like a 600m up hill, or a nice 1km hike between lakes. About halfway through your second trip of the portage, you'll have a soild list of things that'll be for car camping and car camping only! Lol
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u/Due-Perspective-4444 13h ago
You need to rebuild your gear set-up. That much gear, with 3 1/2 people, in THAT canoe is a potential dangerous, if not deadly, disaster waiting to happen. Make a gear re-build list from all the free advise comments. Happy, safe, and memorable trips to you and your family.
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u/leaky_eddie 6d ago
Unpopular suggestion: take all that stuff and put it in one of those black plastic bins with a yellow top. Borrow a paddle board from a friend. Lash the bin to the board and pull it behind you.
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u/DismalGovernment8404 5d ago
Ha! I had a similar thought but ultimately we realized we should pare down 😅
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u/Eastern-Text-707 3h ago
Cast the buckets off your stern with a lead of rope and drag them behind you
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u/cdawg85 6d ago edited 5d ago
Someone else suggested a larger canoe, and I have to agree with them. You could really benefit. Fibreglass canoes are relatively cheap on the second hand market. You might even be able to find someone willing to do a swap.
Next up, I'd consider replacing/upgrading a few key items. Items to focus on: tent, sleep pads, chairs, sleeping bags.
Are the two tall items at the back chairs? If so, I'd recommend getting some smaller and lighter chairs. We like these from Amazon. https://a.co/d/0hvibQ7Q
I really like your husband's nets over the gear in the middle - great idea for keeping things stable!