I am taking my first Quetico trip in about 30 days, and I thought I would see what others do with their car keys while tripping. My first trip was solo, with the outfitter taking me to my entry point, after dropping my car off at my exit point.
I took the keys and put them in a ziplock bag that stayed in the bottom of my gear pack for the duration of the trip, but I worried about what I would do if they were lost. Of course everything went fine. Second trip, we used an outfitter that we could paddle back to their resort as our exit. They kept my car keys for me, so no worries!
Any chance the rangers at French Lake have a similar option? Does anyone have an obvious answer that I am not bright enough to come up with myself?

I have typically left my keys with our outfitter, but I have put a key on a dog snap attached under the truck on the frame when I have been backpacking. Just make sure it is not obvious.

You might consider attaching the key to the inside of the pack etc. with a small biner. It might be easy to overlook the ziplock bag if you dumped the contents of the pack at camp for some reason. Or place the key in something else like a ditty bag etc.

What about those magnetic boxes for under the car?

I always seem to lose track of SOMETHING while canoeing--keys, money, wallet. One year I had no money at all when we came out and I had to bum everything from my brother in law. Out of the bottom of my very last item fell my wallet when I was unpacking.

I'm the wrong guy to ask.

I keep my keys, wallet, etc. in a waterproof bag at the bottom of my pack. I also keep a spare key in a zippered pocket of my pants. Some people have hidden a key in a baggie in the woods. And I've left them with an outfitter.

FYI......the canoe launch is a little drive away from the ranger station at French lake. Not sure if they'd do it.....and logistically tough.

If I don't keep my keys with an outfitter than I bring a spare key and have my trip partner carry one set in a pack, I zip my set in my pants pocket that way I can check it whenever I feel the need.

When I solo one set goes in my pants pocket the other set in the bottom of my food barrel. Have yet to lose a set.

I keep mine in my wallet with my permit and fishing license. I bought a cheap travel wallet that has both a small zipper compartment and a large split ring attached. This goes into a zip lock and in a zippered pocket in my pants. I keep a second set with my passport which is in a zip lock at the bottom of my clothes bag.

Tucked up under the front seat of the truck, I have keyless entry just push in the combination and the doors unlock. I also have a wallet key (a skinny flat key that only unlocks the doors) that is the zipper handle on my main pack.

My keys go in a hard sided waterproof Otter box along with my phone and wallet. I use the waterproof box as UI have a Subaru that uses the key fob instead of a key. So it needs to stay dry so it works.

Stash the wireless - outfitter or locked in car - and carry the valet key. The wireless doesn't always work if wet. ID, passport if needed, cc, cash, and key in a baggie in bottom of food pack. Comes into tent at night.

PS with your vin no. a good locksmith can make a key pretty fast. Not real cheap - was like $50 a few decades ago with key delivered 30 minutes after calling (on a land line no less!) - so a way out even in Ely.

quote Bogwalker: "
When I solo one set goes in my pants pocket the other set in the bottom of my food barrel. Have yet to lose a set."

Knock on wood, right?

When not using an outfitter I just keep them in my hip pack.

I may have to try stashing the key somewhere on the vehicle. I have a Toyota with keyless entry, which means when i touch the door handle, if my keys are in the vicinity, the doors unlock. My fear is that it would still be close enough to allow anyone to unlock and drive off without even finding the key. The system is pretty accurate though, as it wont' let me lock the keys in the car. It knows they are inside, so I am curious if it could tell they are under the car, and not in it...

I put my keys with my wallet and phone in a dry bag and keep it in the top pocket of my CCS canoe pack. Makes everything easier to keep up with since it's all in one place and not in the main compartment of my pack. It is always a little unnerving at the end of the trip to look for the keys you haven't seen since the beginning of the trip though!

I attached the key with a carabiner inside the pocket of my life vest, and the remote in an otter box with other things than shouldn't get wet. If travelling with a partner, I will also give them a set of keys.

quote mutz: "Tucked up under the front seat of the truck, I have keyless entry just push in the combination and the doors unlock. I also have a wallet key (a skinny flat key that only unlocks the doors) that is the zipper handle on my main pack."

That DOES make it easy, doesn't it? For decades I would always get an extra key made, then with later models an extra key that for entry only. I would usually keep the key in a pants pocket that would never be used. Remote always stayed safe and sound in the vehicle. Now even easier since I don't have to be careful not to lose that "Gettin' in" key!

quote mutz: "Tucked up under the front seat of the truck, I have keyless entry just push in the combination and the doors unlock. I also have a wallet key (a skinny flat key that only unlocks the doors) that is the zipper handle on my main pack."

Ours has the same and I never carry a back-up, so each time I return to the vehicle after an extended trip, I hold my breath a bit when hitting that last digit... :-)

Mine stays in a zippered pocket on my pants.

Interestingly, I never carry it with me while inside the park. My thought is: why? It isn't doing me any good while I'm paddling, and is just another step closer to getting lost. Mine goes in a spot under the car, sometimes in the metallic car key storage thing. I've also buried them in the woods under a rock in a Ziploc bag, though that was a long time ago.

Like the keys, I don't see any reason to bring in my wallet. Before we leave, I take everything out of my wallet I won't need. Then I stash the wallet in a spot in my car I have carved out, so-to-speak, that nobody will find.

Mike

Once I remembered two portages away I'd forgot my key in the ignition and door unlocked. I kept going and nothing was touched when I came out. I figure driving a ford people will realize if they did get in they would not find anything of value... true. And taking it would only cause more headaches and likely break down in parts unknown.
I'd tell ya my way, but listing where to look on a public forum gives someone ideas where to go look and what to look for. I'll just say two keys involved. One with me and one hard to get if I loose the other.

We've used the magnetic box before with no problems, and we've also carried a spare in a wallet secured permanently to our pants, but I felt much more comfortable just leaving the key with my outfitter. One of the reasons I continue to give them my business.

I have never brought my wallet in. I just leave it in the car.

My F150 has the keypad entry, but it would cost me $80-$100 more in gas to drive the 1850 miles round trip in it versus the Rav4. I can also sleep with my gear in the back of the Toyota, no cap on the truck bed.

I always attach mine to a carabiner attached inside my main pack.
You might also stash an extra pair in your car and activate OnStar, or your car's equivalent, for a free trial period.

Helping with ideas is a good thing. But this topic would be of interest to any area petty thief.
Just sayin"!

butthead

PS: A reflection on a mispent youth????? bh

I leave the FOB in the truck compartment. The key ring + small carabiner is hooked to a loop sewn inside one of the portage packs. It never comes out as a loose item that way. One more thing, that portage pack is always tethered to a D-ring glued to the inside of my Prism in case I flip.
I would never trust those magnetic cases. Thieves are keen to them and have all the time they need to search for it at landings/parking lots.

I feel the key and wallet is a lot less use to a thief if I have it with me and they'd have to break in, which would be more likely to arouse suspicion than using a key. I'd rather deal with lost keys than the alternative, especially stolen credit cards, which could be used for days, weeks, before I exit and discover it . . .

And there's a fairly good probability they'll look for keys around the cars and a possibility they'll find one. I'd rather deal with the consequences of a lost key.

I leave them in the glove compartment - my vehicle has a "lock pad" so I just enter the code and away we g o - - Unless i am having a senior moment and can't remember the code.

In a dry box with permit fishing license and credit cards.

quote nctry: "Once I remembered two portages away I'd forgot my key in the ignition and door unlocked. I kept going and nothing was touched when I came out. I figure driving a ford people will realize if they did get in they would not find anything of value... true. And taking it would only cause more headaches and likely break down in parts unknown.
I'd tell ya my way, but listing where to look on a public forum gives someone ideas where to go look and what to look for. I'll just say two keys involved. One with me and one hard to get if I loose the other."

One time I left a window open......
whoops

dr bob

This is not that hard. If you have an electronic keyfob then you need to keep it dry. You can't store them in your vehicle because you said you have keyless entry. So you leave it with an outfitter, or store it in a waterproof container.

quote gymcoachdon: "I am taking my first Quetico trip in about 30 days, and I thought I would see what others do with their car keys while tripping. My first trip was solo, with the outfitter taking me to my entry point, after dropping my car off at my exit point.
I took the keys and put them in a ziplock bag that stayed in the bottom of my gear pack for the duration of the trip, but I worried about what I would do if they were lost. Of course everything went fine. Second trip, we used an outfitter that we could paddle back to their resort as our exit. They kept my car keys for me, so no worries!
Any chance the rangers at French Lake have a similar option? Does anyone have an obvious answer that I am not bright enough to come up with myself?"

I do the same as you. Ziploc in the bottom of my gear pack. If I lose my gearpack on a trip, I will be toast, so it would not really matter to me. Gearpacks will float for a long, long time (many hours from what I have read - maybe even days) if you use a plastic liner. At Sawbill Outfitters, I usually have the keys and wallet put into their huge safe. Just ask them.

Tomster

In a ziploc in the bottom of a pack like a lot of others here. Spare goes into a zippered pocket on my PFD.

Zippered pants pocket