I'm planning a trip the beginning of September with 3 other friends. We want to get our gear and canoe from an outfitter(we will bring our own food). We are using ep 16 up to tiger bay. This is our first time going so any advice is appreciated.

There are great outfitters listed here. My personal favorites are Voyageur North or Spirit of the Wilderness. I am sure others will have suggestions. Check the "Outfitters" tab at the top of the page.

quote DontPanic: "I'm planning a trip the beginning of September with 3 other friends. We want to get our gear and canoe from an outfitter(we will bring our own food). We are using ep 16 up to tiger bay. This is our first time going so any advice is appreciated. "

When you using an outfitter for gear, just remember they all use different quality of gear, so do your research, read reviews and ask questions.

In Elk I have used Voyager North and Canadian Waters. Both were great. Both right in town too. We drive a thousand miles to get there and often take a day in Ely to decompress and grocery shop and edit/pack. Ely is cool.

I've only used Canoe Country, and they always take care of us. They were the outfitter I used on my first trip to the BWCA, and their cabins in Ely have been a staple of my trips since.

Voyager North outfitters. Used them for our first trip in BW when we needed to rent everything. They were great and take care of any and everything you need. Will be staying in one of their rooms on our night before entry in a few weeks. We will also be using their canoes.

We like:
-VNO
-Spirit of the Wilderness
-Canadian Waters

All right on Sheridan Street in DT Ely.

I have used Piragis and Voyageur North, but not in recent years. I was happy with both and others have great experience with several other outfitters there. I think Piragis turned over their canoes and maybe other gear annually in the past.

I'm a VNO guy for bait and misc supplies and the occasional rental if our group is larger and we need another boat or a pack for the newbies. Super nice people.

We like the VNO bunk house options. We are usually a bigger gourp and they have great accomodations for what we need.

quote scat: "I'm a VNO guy for bait and misc supplies and the occasional rental if our group is larger and we need another boat or a pack for the newbies. Super nice people."

Hey Scat, good to see/hear you are up and posting.

I have used LaTourell's with no complaints. Stayed at the CCO bunkhouse the night before and was pleased with the accommodations. Seemed to have quality gear based on what I could see on their property and in the shop.

I used Piragis for my first trip, a solo. Top notch equipment. Northstar Magic for canoe, and they asked if I wanted a carbon fiber paddle. I didn't want to break it, so I took a wood bentshaft, and a double blade. Granite Gear Superior one pack, and CCS solo food pack, with CCS stuff sacks for sorting the food by meals. CCS 1.1 rain fly with cordage, MSR Windpro II stove, Dustrude buck saw, etc...

They helped with the route, got my permit, etc. and the store is loaded with anything you need if you forgot something.

I won't mention who outfitted my second trip, but the paddles were HEAVY plastic things, and the rain fly probably weighed 3 times the CCS tarp, and had no cordage to hang it. (I went to Piragis and bought some line before we went in the next day) I am sure if I had been outfitted by the un named outfitter the first time, I would have gone back again. The equipment worked fine, and I wouldn't have known any better.

I guess I am saying, do some research on exactly what equipment you will be renting, then compare prices. I ended up buying the same stove, tarp, paddle, and canoe that I rented from Piragis. I didn't have full outfitting on the second trip, but I think Piragis prices were very similar, if not the same.

Been going with VNO since my first trip about 13 years ago. Things have always worked out great for us. We used to rent some gear and canoes but now that we have our own stuff it's usually just a permit and bait, sometimes an extra pack if we have extra people.

quote StreetDreams56: "I've only used Canoe Country, and they always take care of us. They were the outfitter I used on my first trip to the BWCA, and their cabins in Ely have been a staple of my trips since."

+1. Great family business. Easy walk to all the stores from their Ely base, good lodging, and a Moose Lake base with store, campground, cabins.

Bob LaTourelle has provided us with a boat and tows for several years in the past, and even a nights stay in a cabin once - always nice and very reasonably priced.
Ive always brought my own food / gear though.

Ive only bought my bait from The Great Outdoors - theyve got everything you could ever need to catch quality fish in the BW

I can honestly say I havent had a bad experience in the last 6 years on either side (GM / Ely)

I have had good luck with Voyageur North the half dozen or so times I've used them, but I've generally just rented extra canoes for the group, very limited gear, or gotten shuttles/showers etc. Regardless, they've always been good/friendly/professional.

Piragis, VNO and LaTourell's. All good and there are many more in Ely that others have mentioned.

The staff at Piragis will not let you down.

Canoe country outfitters has the best prices and very helpful staff. Latourells is also good if you plan on heading out of the moose lake entry point.

There is a fairly wide price range if that matters to you, so you might want to consider that.