General Magazine Description    Sample Articles    Sample Color Photography    BWJ Home

By Stuart Osthoff (published Spring 1996)

When it comes to equipment for the BWCAW/Quetico, I may not know it all, but I've pretty much seen it all. I've spent the last 2 decades either working for a canoe outfitter, guiding canoe trips or publishing this magazine. Throw in over a hundred personal canoe trips and we're talking tons of equipment portaged over hundreds of miles of portages with thousands of fellow canoeist's. I've seen groups portaging lawn chairs, beer kegs and fifty pound tackle boxes. I've also seen half naked "back to the earth" survivalists out to prove they can live off the land for a few weeks. They wanted to live simply. I figured they were simply crazy. Most of you occupy the middle ground between these extremes, at least I hope so. You've witnessed the evolution from aluminum and canvas to Kevlar and Gore-Tex. Searching for better gear and new ways to use it is a never ending challenge. Fine tuning my outfit to match my personal style is a fun way to get ready for the upcoming canoe season.

My personal style runs counter to a lot of conventional wisdom on canoe camping. I'm fully aware my way is not the only way. It's just the best way. Ha! Ha! Seriously, I hope by sharing what I've learned over the years, you'll scrutinize your own outfitting system and squeeze even more enjoyment out of your next wilderness canoe trip.

There are three basic schools of thought on canoe camping outfitting.

Style #1 I call total comfort. Take everything you will conceivably need and want. Nothing is spared that affords camp comfort and convenience. X to the nth trips over each portage is the rule. Hauling big bull moose and all our gear out of Mesaba and Malberg in 1993 & 94 proved I can get anything out of the BWCAW if I want it bad enough. Nonetheless, in this article, the total comfort approach gets conveniently ignored, and I contend it is no loss.

Style #2 is to go ultralight. Take only the bare essentials. You know, the backpacker mentality. The less you pack, the less you have to portage. In theory, this helps you get further into the backcountry with less fatigue. Only one trip over each portage is the rule. This is the method advocated by most commercial outfitters and practiced religiously by many independent paddlers. Until you've taken enough canoe trips to be sure this will be a lifelong hobby, it doesn't pay to invest in all your own quality gear. I highly recommend you pay an outfitter to provide good equipment and advice. You'll never get a more rewarding vacation for just $50 a day. Car camping equipment and backpacking gear are generally not very good for canoe camping. Canoe camping requires specialized gear not found in most sporting goods stores.

Style #3 is the one I have come to prefer. I call it the double portaging method. By planning to double portage from the outset, and packing accordingly, I find I can take everything I want on a canoe trip and still fish and explore the remote corners of canoe country, without being too tired to enjoy it.

In this article, I thought it would be fun to compare the ultralight approach, which has become the accepted norm, with my double portaging style. We'll compare going ultralight (single portaging) with my double portaging method for a trip consisting of 2 people for 1 week on a 50-60 mile loop that includes 2-3 full days of fishing. In other words, the whole purpose of the trip can't be to race through the woods. If all you want to do is paddle, paddle, paddle, you don't need much for camping and fishing gear. I've paddled the Lake One to Moose Lake loop in 2 days with all my stuff in a day pack. But all I really got out of it was exercise and a passing glance at the countryside. Most of us expect and enjoy much more on our canoe trips.

Before I go over why I've chosen each and every piece of equipment, let me give you my best pitch on the merits of my double portaging system. Once you believe in this style of outfitting, selecting the optimal gear becomes pretty easy.

Going ultralight means 1 trip for each person over the portage. That means 3 packs maximum and a canoe light enough so the guy portaging it can also carry a pack. The lightest tandem Kevlar canoes with decent wilderness canoe trip capacity are 45 lbs. Let's suppose you can get the equipment pack down to 40 lbs. With a 2-man tent, tarp, cook kit, 1-burner stove and fuel, fishing tackle (for 2), camera, ropes, and whatever else won't fit in the food pack or personal pack, this won't be easy. Nonetheless, Voyageur # 1 is carrying 85 lbs and is likely to have to tie in the rod cases, paddles and life jackets because he needs at least 1 free hand to steady the canoe. Voyageur #2 has the food pack on his back and the personal pack on his chest. Even sticking to nearly a complete freeze dried menu (and the meager, tasteless portions they notoriously provide), by the time you throw in a few fresh foods, 2 quart bottles of tang, saw, axe, grate, fry pan and all the staples, you're looking at 50 lbs at the least. The personal pack with 2 sleeping bags, 2 Thermarests, no pillows, only 1 change of clothes, 1 pair of shoes for each and personal items (rain gear/jackets), the bare minimum, we're talking at least another 40 lbs. So here go our two Voyageurs slip sliding over some rough muddy portages, determined to make it in one trip and avoid the wimp label. To me it's a recipe for disaster (i.e. serious injury), and at the very least, they'll be too whipped to do anything but collapse if they do reach camp. I've guided very few people that can deftly handle over 65 lbs on a rough portage. By deftly, I mean remain light on their feet without tripping or stopping to rest for a half mile. And that once in 3 years when they do stumble, they are able to catch themselves and recover without getting hurt. In the scenario I just painted, both our Voyageurs are 30% over what I consider the maximum safe load. Sure, not many portages are a half mile, but it only takes a 10 rodder to break an ankle. And I've come across an awful lot of them.

In my college days I ran a canoe base and towboat all summer. I often flipped and carried 75-100 canoes a day. I'm only 5'10", 150 lbs, but I've yet to see anyone out-hustle me on a portage. It was nothing for me to carry a 65 lb canoe across the 2 1/2 mile Angleworm portage without stopping. And I carried one non-stop across the 4 mile portage one night just to see if I could do it. But even back then, when I was in the best shape of my life, if I added a 40 lb pack to that 65 lb canoe load, my legs got heavy. If I stumbled much out beyond a quarter mile, recovering my balance without splattering onto the rocks was no certainty.

The point is, very few people can safely single portage even what is labeled an ultralight outfit. The guy with the canoe and pack is fighting to keep the canoe balanced while the pack and yoke cut off his shoulder circulation with 85 lbs of pressure. The guy saddled in 2 big packs weighing 90+ lbs has to memorize the rock pattern for each and every step because he can't see where his feet are going. He better have a computer like memory and great ankle support in his boots.

Of course, the real folly of the single portage style is that 80-90 lbs is anything but ultralight. On portages over 500-600 yards, 90% of you are going to be looking to rest your screaming shoulders. I've found that on long, tough portages I can make 2 nonstop trips with a 50 lb pack and a paddle and rod case in each hand nearly as quickly as the guy carrying 90 lbs stopping to rest periodically. At the very least, I'm doing so at far less risk of injury. I get to enjoy a packless stroll through the woods on the return for load #2 and I reach camp with a whole lot more energy to fish and explore. Double portaging is not wimpy. I consider it savvy woodsmanship.

I have yet to see anyone win a trophy for having the lightest outfit or for leaving the most gear at home. I measure the success of a canoe trip in personal satisfaction; seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling and touching wilderness wonders. Challenging yourself physically, mentally and emotionally while accumulating special outdoor memories and experiences, growing as a person and sharing what you treasure with others. Wilderness recreation is a tremendous privilege. We are lucky to live in a place and time that offers the person of average means such a precious opportunity. Don't romanticize it to the point where you can't relax and have fun.

If double portaging sounds like your style, below is a list of the gear I like followed by important comments on each item. If you still think ultralight is the way to go, read on anyway, as I think you'll find some equipment advice you can use. By the way, if we ever meet on a portage, it would be my pleasure to help you double portage. I do it all the time. Canoe - 16 foot Old Town Camper. This ABS boat is my favorite all around canoe for fishing the BWCAW/Quetico. At 65 lbs, it's not as easy to carry as my Wenonah MN II Kevlar and it's not as fast, but it's very stable, quiet and never, ever leaks. With its tough flat bottom (with skid plates), it floats over shallow smallmouth cover and up small creeks with only a few inches of water. And it's great for loading and unloading on rocky portage landings. I save a lot of time being able to load with it beached on sharp rocks. Plus I keep my feet dry. It's a lot more forgiving than Kevlar and 1/2 the price.

Yoke - I like a curved ash yoke. They have give when you're bouncing down a portage. Bourquin Boats' yoke pads are the best I've seen. I use them on all my canoes. One quick footnote - whenever I recommend a product that is available from The Voyageur Trading Post of this magazine, I will simply note, See VTP. This is not a thinly veiled attempt to sell you something. It's an open invitation for you to do business with us. If you're serious about buying good gear, the kind that will last a lifetime with reasonable care, this is the place to get it. We don't sell 5 brands of the same thing. We only sell what has PROVEN to be the best. I have personally field tested each of our canoe camping products and believe they are the best on the market. You have our unconditional guarantee. And you won't find a better price anywhere. You're more than a catalog customer to us. You're a valued reader.

Paddles - Both my brother and I swing Bending Branches Vagabond Models. The 60" straight shafts have an 8" wide Kevlar covered blade (See VTP). They are light, comfortable, tough and grab a lot of water. They are so dependable, I don't carry an extra. But I don't do anything stupid either. If one should ever break, I can paddle solo for a day or two until I can borrow a spare. I absolutely refuse to tie anything in my canoe while portaging. So for me, a third paddle is just another loose item I never use. Lashing paddles, rods or lifejackets to the canoe disrupts its balance and just plain bugs me.

Life Jackets - My Extrasport vertical foam ribbed jacket is designed for paddling. Because it is so comfortable, you're a lot more likely to have it on if you ever need it. If the wind is up or you're paddling cold water, wear it. I'm a lousy swimmer so it's an easy decision for me. See BWJ Winter 1995 for feature article on life jackets.

Equipment Pack - The pack itself is a BWJ Ultimate Canoe Pack (See VTP). This is the pack I designed to work equally well as a personal pack, equipment pack or food pack. I use it for all three. Its expandable top gives it the capacity of a #4, and its padded hip belt, shoulder straps, sternum straps and fully-padded back make it super comfortable for heavy loads. Only Granite Gear makes a comparable Canoe Pack, but they want $200 vs. $145 for the BWJ Ultimate Pack.

Into the equipment pack goes:

• Tent - Eureka 4-man Wind River with fiberglass poles, stakes and fly. This self-suspended dome tent actually lets me fully stand to dress. It has 2 big doors with full screens providing outstanding ventilation. The fly stretches taut over the poles and extends beyond a 12" waterproof splash guard. Too many tents don't keep the fly away from the tent walls. This one does - even in good wind. This tent is easy to set up and very roomy for two. (I use the same tent when Michele and I take the two boys - then it gets crowded). Best of all, this tent gives us room to lay out all of our personal gear inside. The tent weighs 12lbs, only 5 more than a 2-man Timberline and well worth it.
• Tarp - I do pack a lightweight 8x10 ripstop nylon tarp. I use it primarily as a tablecloth to set out the food pack contents while preparing meals. It keeps all the packages out of the dirt. We are rarely in camp during daylight hours. Only if raining too hard to fish, in which case we just get in the tent. Which, remember, is plenty big enough to weather a rain day in comfort. I also use the tarp to cover the equipment pack, tackle boxes, camp stove and misc. at night. Those heavy, bulky, blue plastic hardware store tarps are not worth the trouble in my book. (See VTP for both an ultralight dry fly shelter and an ultralight camp tarp.)
• Camp Stove - I prefer the Coleman 2-burner white gas model. I fill the stove tank before the trip then take 1 additional gallon in a plastic gas can. Don't trust the cans they come in - they puncture. Don't forget a small funnel.

  I like the trimmer size of the 2-burner Coleman propane but have had trouble with the electronic igniters and defective burners. The white gas has been more dependable.

  My Coleman 2-burner is without a doubt the single most important piece of FISHING equipment I take into the canoe country. That's right. I said fishing equipment. Searching for, cutting down, hauling to camp, splitting and then cooking and heating dish water with wood consumes a lot of valuable angling time. A stove is much faster, cleaner and easier on you and the wilderness environment. My brother and I fish 'til dark every night. We can come back and cook a fish dinner on the stove with a headlight in half an hour. Messing around with wood means less time to fish.

  Sit down and add it up sometime. Cooking 2 meals/day with wood means 25 hours of fire time per week. I only cook suppers, and with a stove we're talking less than 5 hours for the week. That's 20 hours of fishing time sacrificed - for what? You can still throw some beaver wood in the canoe while out fishing for a night or two of campfire stories. If you're really SERIOUS about making the most of your precious fishing hours, take a two-burner Coleman. It will catch you way more fish than any fancy new rod, reel or lure.

• Cook Kit - I take 3 nesting aluminum pots - 3 qt, 2 qt, and 1 qt. I also have 3 Lexan plates, cups and bowls. The silverware and utensils are stored in a handy canvas roll up (See VTP).

  Most of my cooking (fish & meat) is done in a 12"x12" cast aluminum fry pan. I'll cover why this is the best fry pan for canoe trips later. It should have its own stuff sack.

• Fire Grate & Shovel - In Quetico, you'll need to carry your own fire grate to cook with wood. You'll also need a small garden trowel as there are no latrines.
• Saw - My little black 7" Turbocut Camp Saw is the best I've seen for canoe camping (See VTP). I've quartered 2 bull moose and half a dozen whitetails plus a lot of firewood with mine in the past 4 years, and it's still razor sharp. No parts to lose or frustrating assembly. It's always ready to do serious cutting. And weighs only 6 ounces.
• Axe - After sawing 1 foot lengths of 3" diameter aspen, cedar and pine, you'll need to split it for kindling or to expose dry heartwood during wet periods. Our Gerber Sport Axe is lightweight and built to last a lifetime (See VTP).

  Note: The firegrate, fry pan, shovel, saw and axe may fit better on the sides and front of the food pack than the equipment pack.

• Rope - I like to carry 2 - 50' hunks of 3/16" braided nylon rope. The good stuff costs about $7/50'. Bear packs, canoe anchors and emergencies use it up. 100' of parachute cord is better for extra tent guidelines, clothesline and misc.

My personal pack - A BWJ Ultimate Pack - contains:

• Hat - I wear a baseball style hat. It keeps the sun, bugs and rain off my head (don't use the mesh kind). In a real downpour, the rain will soak through, so I pull my rain coat hood over it. As soon as the rain subsides, it's off with the annoying hood.
• Raingear - My kids have Hi Tech Patagonia rain gear, but I still use coated nylon. I like my $40 Kool Dri Jacket. With a Polartec shirt or jacket under it, I don't notice the condensation build up. On a hot day with only a T-shirt on, it's pretty steamy under this rain coat. My Helly Hansen coated nylon rain pants (also $40) have knee high zippers for getting on over boots, are pretty tough and roll up the size of a banana. Together my rain jacket and pants don't weigh a pound and take up virtually no space. Rich and I have fished Quetico hard the first week of June the last 3 years. That's 21 full days on the water. I've had my raincoat on 3 times and the pants 2 times. Perhaps this is why I haven't gone to an expensive Gore-Tex outfit. I have plenty of Gore-Tex hunting and sled dog racing clothing so I know it works. But until my fair weather luck changes, I'm satisfied with what I have.
• Insulating Layer Jacket - My favorite canoe country insulating garment is my L.L. Bean Polartec Jacket with Windblocker. Polartec is now a proven fabric for canoe camping. It's very lightweight, super warm and comfortable, very fast drying and machine washable. I just shake my head in disbelief when I still see wool recommended for canoe trips. Wool is bulky, heavy, itchy, takes forever to dry and is a pain to clean and maintain. Yeah, yeah, yeah, wool does provide some warmth when wet. So what? So does Polartec, and it beats wool in every other way.

  The knock against Polartec and Polar Fleece has always been the wind whistles right through it. This required either a Supplex shell over the fleece or some separate windbreaker layer. The new Windblocker fleece eliminates the need for this additional layer. I wear mine sled dog racing at +30° F, which is colder than you're likely to canoe. But even at 20 mph on the sled, the wind doesn't penetrate through.

• Shirt - Under my raincoat, the Polartec Windblocker jacket is all the warmth I need from Memorial Day to Labor Day in the canoe country. I should qualify this by saying I always pack a Polartec shirt for when temps drop into the 30s. Patagonia gets $60 for their Expedition Weight Capeline underwear top - a great shirt, but L.L. Bean's seems just as good for $45.
• Other Clothing - Besides this shirt, I take 2 long sleeve T-shirts and 2 short sleeve T-shirts. I like the 50/50 blend. All cotton is much hotter, doesn't breathe, shrinks a lot and stretches out of shape quickly. Five total shirts lets me change every other day and still have a clean reserve if I get drenched. The same for socks and underwear. I wear one and pack 3 more. What I think of washing clothes out in the woods is not fit to print. There are better things to do.
• Shorts - I also take a pair of Patagonia Supplex shorts. A hot week and I practically live in them. They double as a swimsuit if you can't just go without.
• Pants - For pants I'm a die hard blue jean man and will wear nothing else. Nothing comes close to the fit and feel of good old Levis. I'm careful not to get mine wet above the boots but pack a second pair just in case. Usually by day 4 or 5 they accumulate enough mud, soot and fish slime to need a changing.
• Boots - Footwear is probably the toughest call on BWCAW clothing. Many veteran guides wear pull-on tall rubber boots. Servus and La Crosse make good ones. But they only provide fair ankle support and are bloody hot for the bulk of the canoe season. They are hard to dry - leaving them perpetually clammy.

  I prefer my Redwing leather Gore-Tex Thinsulate hunting boots. They give superb traction and ankle support while carrying heavy loads on slick, rocky trails. This is job #1 for a boot in my book. Turning an ankle can end your trip in a hurry. Don't under-rate traction and support in your canoeing boots. My Red Wings kept me absolutely dry the first year, fairly dry the second and not so dry the third. With hard use the waterproofing capacity eventually breaks down.

  I also pack a pair of ankle high La Crosse pull-on leather upper/rubber bottom boots. They keep me dry in the dew, bilge water of the canoe or rain shower while fishing. The open top helps cool your feet and they are easy to get on and off. Plus the black flies can't stab your ankles. A bit heavier than sandals and athletic shoes - but a whole lot more functional. Sleeping Bag - I usually take a Sierra Designs goose down bag on extended summer canoe trips. It's a 2 lb bag rated to +20°F. In a BWJ Compression sack (See VTP), it's the size of a football. For short trips when I know the temps are going to be 50°+ at night, I substitute an L.L. Bean Polartec Zip Sack for the sleeping bag. It's only slightly bulkier and is more comfortable than nylon when it's hot.

• Sleeping Pad - My new full-length Thermarest Pad with the non-slip cover has more loft than the original models but rolls up just as compact. "Sleeping on the ground" was an oxymoron until the Thermarest came along. Now there is no other way to sleep.
• Pillow - Slumberjack Pillow. I like the large one - 16"x16". The small ones (half that size) don't do it for me.

  The sleeping bag, Thermarest and pillow are all in individual stuff sacks and all go with my clothes inside the BWJ Canoe Pack Liner - then into the

• Canoe Pack. The Pack Liner (See VTP) is a waterproof, coated pack cloth that keeps its contents dry in all but the worst rain or capsizing. Water can come through the hole where the drawstring comes together or eventually seep through the seams sewn up the sides. One of the dry bags on the market would provide superior waterproofing, but they are a hassle to get in and out of and are poorly designed for carrying.
• Camera - I carry my Minolta Maxum in a Cordura case with 6 rolls of Kodachrome 64 - 36 exposure slide film. I'm no professional photographer, but by developing a good eye for photo opportunities and keeping the camera ready on top of my pack, I get half a dozen real good shots every trip.
• Tackle Box - My Plano plastic tackle box is one of those double sided models the size of a shoe box. It probably weighs 5 lbs full. I never use live bait. My favorite lures I always stock up on are:
  • 1. Berkley Power Leeches - 3" Tails. Put them on lead head jigs, usually 1/4 oz with a 3/0 split shot 16" up the line. Best jighead color is yellow, then black or white. This is my favorite for trolling 10-35 feet for walleye, smallmouth or northern. Qty: 25 leeches, 50 jigheads.
  • 2. Put 2-3" twister tails on 1/4 oz jigheads - yellow, black or white. Primarily walleye. Qty: 10 each color.
  • 3. Shad Raps - Gold, silver or blue #7 or #9 for walleye or northern. Qty: 5-10.
  • 4. Mepps w/Rubber Minnow - #5 with red/white blade. Walleye and northern. Qty: 5.
  • 5. Mepps Bucktail #3, 4, 5. Gold blade for smallmouth and northern. I once caught 50 walleye in one hour in Pooh Bah in 10 feet of water in mid-July on a #5 Mepps Bucktail. You never can tell. Qty: 5-10.
  • 6. Manns Deep Pig Crankbait - Dives 20 feet. Crawdad color for walleye. Qty: 5.
  • 7. Doctor Spoons - Chrome - #210 Lake Trout. Qty: 5. Also in the tackle box is a Buck fillet knife (it has a rubber handle that prevents dangerous slipping), a stringer to keep supper alive, splitshot, forceps for quick hook removal to release fish with minimal stress, extra 6 and 8 lb line, and pike leader material - I make mine as needed from 17 lb mono and barrel swivels.
• Nylon Day Pack - This is the catch-all for the rest of my loose personal gear. If it's not clothes, sleeping bag, pad, pillow, camera or tackle box - it's in here. I carry 2 spinning reels. One with NEW 6 lb line, one with NEW 8 lb line. I wish I had a nickel for every guy I guided who had reel failure out in the boonies. Line rots just sitting. Always put new line on for a major trip. Or at least pack a spool. I prefer 6 lb line for jigging walleye (especially in clear water lakes) and go to the reel w/8 lb for casting to pike. This day pack is carried inside the personal pack when moving camp, by itself when out on day trips.

I NEVER portage an assembled rod. It's dangerous because you can run a hook into someone real easily. It's exasperating to untangle the mess and annoying to carry in the canoe. And a sure fire way to break the rod or reel, leaving you nothing to fish with the rest of the trip. I carry my 2 - 2 piece spinning rods in a telescoping ABS plastic case. One important note of caution. I once crushed 2 Fenwick Graphite rods by ramming the rod case into the canoe, collapsing it shorter than the length of the rods. I now keep a broom handle inside the case, cut 2" longer than the longest rod section. My brother carries his expensive fly rods in individual non-telescoping aluminum cases. A favorite rod earns a value far in excess of its replacement cost, so don't take any chances. Protect them.

In the day pack with the reels goes a small hand-held flashlight and my head light. The head light is wonderful for after-dark suppers, I can see what I'm doing and keep my hands free for cooking and dishwashing. I got my Micro Petzel model from L.L. Bean. Three AAA batteries run it 3 hours at full brightness.

Then there is a small first aid kit, toiletries, extra batteries, compass, match case, sunglasses and folding hunting knife. Throw in a book for a rainy day, leather work gloves for handling hot pans and splitting wood, and a set of maps in a Cordura/clear vinyl Map Pouch (see VTP) and that takes care of the personal pack. I keep a pen in the map pouch to mark things on the map for future reference.

It was when I decided to start eating real food that my canoe camping style spun irretrievably away from the ultralight mentality. Freeze-dried food meets the can and bottle ban, is lightweight, non-perishable and easy to prepare. Unfortunately, it is expensive, woefully short on calories for strenuous activity and even shorter yet on taste. Since taste is number 1 and calories number 2 to me, I've had to find a better way.

Five years ago I took a cooler with dry ice and 6 days of frozen food into Darky and Argo. This was the first and only trip I ever took my Dad on so I was sweating it over my untested system. Naturally we got a record heat wave - 95° all week, and the meat lasted just 4 days. McAree gave us all the walleye we needed the last 2 days. After this trip I discovered regular block ice actually works better and have used it ever since. Dry ice keeps things truly frozen longer, but regular block ice has a longer refrigeration effect, which is what we really need. Freeze all meat hard before you go then place it inside an air tight plastic cooler with a 10 pound block of ice. Only open it to extract the meal at hand. I keep a bungee cord around it so the lid can't pop open. Keep it in the shade in camp and it will get you through 5-6 days even in the 80° range.

Check out our Voyageur Trading Post section for a hard pack with liner that works as both a food pack and cooler. It fits inside a standard #3 canoe pack(See VTP). With all the rest of the food for 2 for a week, staples, fry pan, grate, saw, axe and shovel, the cooler and ice bring the food pack to about 70 lbs. This is about 20 lbs heavier than a food pack of mostly freeze dried supplemented by a few fresh foods. But that weight drops several pounds a day, and you're eating a WHOLE LOT better while you're out there. That extra 25 lbs is worth every single ounce to me. And I've yet to take anyone out who disagrees with me come suppertime.

Here is the menu my brother and I have taken on our last three early June smallmouth trips. We enter at Beaverhouse and go through Quetico, Jean, Burntside and Sturgeon.

Breakfast - We NEVER cook a breakfast. This would not be possible without the cooler. Powdered milk makes me gag. It is not an option. I take 1 gallon of 2% milk in a heavy plastic bottle. I only use it for my breakfast cereal. I eat Frosted Flakes every morning. One large box and the gallon of milk provides 2 bowls/day for 6-7 days. Cereal and milk may sound bulky and heavy, but stop and think. The contents of 7 breakfasts of bacon & eggs, pancakes & syrup, french toast, oatmeal, etc. add up to even more. More importantly, Rich and I can roll out of our bags and be on the water fishing the prime time in half an hour. No fires, no cooking, no clean up. And I'm eating my favorite breakfast, the same as I do at home. Rich usually eats granola bars and dried fruits. Somewhere along the line he grew up. I refused. When I take the kids, they like oatmeal (with real milk) and bacon and eggs. Re-package the eggs in those yellow plastic containers and for short trips they don't need refrigeration. Our all-around beverage is Tang. We put the powder in a 1 quart widemouth Nalgene Lexan bottle, fill it with water, shake and drink. We ALWAYS have 1-2 quarts made up per person. You can't drink too much out there - especially when it's hot.

Lunch - We NEVER cook a lunch either. We're never in camp for lunch anyway. So we carry it with us out fishing and pull over to shore when we're hungry.

Four of our 7 lunches for the trip are summer sausage and cheese. Hillshire Yard-O-Beef is the best. One stick gives us 2 lunches of 2 big sandwiches each. (So I take 2 sticks for 4 lunches). Keep them in the cooler, though they last several days at air temperature. Kraft American cheese in individually wrapped slices is the handiest - keep in the cooler if room. (A 16 count pack covers the trip).

I pack 5 lbs of homemade gorp (dry-roasted salted peanuts, raisins, M&Ms, cashews, dried pineapple and dried apples). This gives us each 1/2 lb for 6 days. Some days you eat more, some less - but it's a good late night snack too. We never pack any out.

The other three lunches are peanut butter and jelly. You can buy peanut butter in a plastic jar and Welch's strawberry jam in a plastic squeeze bottle.

I always pack 8 big Granny Smith apples to go with some of the lunches. We also have some cookies with our sandwiches and gorp, sometimes a hunk of jerky, some hard candy and the ever-present bottle of Tang.

It's easy to dehydrate out there. I fill 2 quart bottles just for myself every morning. This is purified water - ready to drink. If you have to stop and filter it or mix the stuff, you won't drink as much. When you go out to fish for the day, think rod, tackle box, license and drink bottle. They always go together. If you must drink untreated water, get it out in the middle of the lake over deep water.

Supper - We ALWAYS cook supper. Perhaps that's why we look forward so much to it - our only hot meal of the day. Rich would eat fish all 7 nights if he had his way, but I always put 4 main courses in the cooler. If the walleye cooperate, we might have 4 fish dinners. Rich is so good with his fly rod on smallmouth, I never worry about fish at least 3 nights. However, only once in the last 3 years were we forced to kill a meal of bass. We prefer those 2 lb walleye, and this time of year it's not usually difficult.

To cook our fish, I coat the completely boned walleye fillets in a breading of flour/cornmeal (50/50). I fry in very hot Crisco (not oil - it doesn't get as hot without burning and the flavor of the fish comes through better with Crisco). I pack 2 cups of fish mix per meal in a tupperware box.

Here are 3 tips to my walleye cooking success in the woods:

1. I usually catch the walleye at 4-6 P.M. and keep them alive on a stringer until I fillet them at 9:00 and cook them at 9:30. They never go stale. They are as fresh as can be.
2. Get the Crisco very hot - so it really sizzles when the fillet hits it.
3. My cast aluminum fry pan allows for hotter, more even cooking than any steel or teflon pan. This is especially important on the Coleman, which is where I usually do it after dark. It's easier to distribute the heat with a wood fire, but I've learned to manage the pan and get just as tasty results with gas. This pan has been one of our most popular products in our Voyageur Trading Post. We've sold hundreds and only one was returned. They thought it was too heavy. Once you use it, you'll know why all the others are too light (See VTP).

Other Suppers:

1. Rib Eye Steaks - Put frozen into cooler. Pull out and store under flap of food pack in A.M. of day to be eaten. This is our one meal that requires a fire to do right. Grill on the firegrate over hot cedar coals.

2. Zups Polish Delights - This Ely staple is my traditional first night out supper. Just boil hard for 30 minutes, stick 'em in bread with cheese and ketchup and enjoy. They are fast, delicious, and there's no real clean up. We each eat 4 or 5 since this is our longest paddling day - usually 20 miles.

3. Cheeseburgers - Put frozen hamburger 1 lb blocks in Ziplock bag into cooler. Set under food pack flap during the day. I usually just fry 'em in my cast aluminum fry pan with some sliced onions, but you could grill them on the grate if you have time.

4. Spaghetti w/Ragu Meat Sauce - The spaghetti is boiled in water on one burner while the hamburger is browned and drained on the other. The Ragu (which was re-packed in Tupperware) is added to the meat and simmered. Shake on parmesan cheese and devour. As long as I'm the "defacto guide," spaghetti goes on every canoe trip. It's my favorite gut stuffer, and there's no better place to enjoy it than evening on a placid canoe country lake.

Supper Side Dishes:

Uncle Ben's Original Wild Rice is the best tasting rice from a box. You bring the rice and seasoning to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes. It's easy and delicious - goes best with steak and fish. I usually have it twice a trip.

Betty Crocker sells microwave potato mixes that are very good in the canoe country. Supposedly for four, two hearty souls can polish 'em off. There are half a dozen flavors. All are simply dumped into a pot with seasoning packet, water and butter and boiled/simmered 20-25 minutes. If I end up with an extra pound of hamburger, I brown it with onions and add to the cooked potatoes for a tasty hotdish. I have potato dishes with 3 of my meals. For the other 2 meals, I heat up a frozen vegetable - corn or green beans.

Raw fresh carrots (the baby size) satisfy our craving for a salad. We keep 3 - 1 lb bags in the cooler and crunch on them each night while making dinner. They keep well and are a contrast to the majority of "soft-textured foods" on the menu.

Staple Items:

• Ketchup - 16 oz plastic squeeze bottle - eliminate foil packs around camp
• Salt, pepper & garlic salt in a single, plastic closeable container
• 1 lemon juice squeeze bottle for fish
• 10 cups Crisco in Tupperware (4 meals of fish)
• 3 loaves of white bread (kind w/max. preservatives - yum)
• 2 sticks butter
• 1 large onion
• Tang mix for 1/2 gallon/person/day
• Kool Aid mix for 1 quart/person/day (mix goes further than Tang)
• 12 packets of hot apple cider (we don't drink coffee)

  As a guide, my first rule to my clients was - if you want coffee, you make it. It's the single biggest time waster on a canoe trip, though the new tea bag style isn't too bad. Still, I don't cook for breakfast or lunch and neither of us ever drinks it anyway.

Also in the food pack goes:

• Squeeze bottle of dish soap
• 3 scrub pads
• 1 roll paper towels
• 1 box strike-anywhere wood matches in a double ziplock bag. (Everyone should have matches/lighters in personal pack, tackle boxes, etc.). Well that about does it. Isn't a canoe an amazing craft? It can haul all this gear plus two people, you can propel it with a stick and carry it through the woods to the next lake and then just keep on going.

I hope this article has opened your eyes to a whole new style of comfortable, safe and fun canoe camping. Take a roomier tent, more clothes, more tackle, cook on a stove, eat real food every night. By taking 2 reasonable loads over each portage rather than one heavy one, you'll enjoy yourself more - every step of the way.

Editor's Note: In a future issue of BWJ I will be giving the ultralight fans equal time. They can take their best shot at my style and you can all make up your own minds how to travel. However you go, be careful and have a great time out there.