Doing some solo trip planning.

I'm a tall guy (6'4"), going to have a dog, and a week's worth of gear, all together the load will be around 375lbs.

Thinking about some loops that will bring me to big water, at least temporary.

I'll need to rent a canoe, and while there's bigger solo canoes available in Ely, everyone off the Gunflint seems to be stocking Wenonah Prisms or similar.

How will these work with such a heavy load? Especially if I hit the larger lakes like Sag?

dasunt: "Doing some solo trip planning.

I'm a tall guy (6'4"), going to have a dog, and a week's worth of gear, all together the load will be around 375lbs.

Thinking about some loops that will bring me to big water, at least temporary.

I'll need to rent a canoe, and while there's bigger solo canoes available in Ely, everyone off the Gunflint seems to be stocking Wenonah Prisms or similar.

How will these work with such a heavy load? Especially if I hit the larger lakes like Sag?"

A Prism will work. But from your description and IMO- Wenonah Voyager is better suited for that type of a purpose.

WhiteWolf: "

dasunt: "Doing some solo trip planning.

I'm a tall guy (6'4"), going to have a dog, and a week's worth of gear, all together the load will be around 375lbs. Thinking about some loops that will bring me to big water, at least temporary.

I'll need to rent a canoe, and while there's bigger solo canoes available in Ely, everyone off the Gunflint seems to be stocking Wenonah Prisms or similar.

How will these work with such a heavy load? Especially if I hit the larger lakes like Sag?"

A Prism will work. But from your description and IMO- Wenonah Voyager is better suited for that type of a purpose."

The Wenonah Voyager has been by "Canoe Country" solo tripper since 2004. As much as I love my Voyager, you might also consider the Wenonah Encounter. I'm also 6' 4", approximately 200lbs. and I travel with a heavy load, even for a week's trip. I also take my 90lb. Golden Retriever on occasion.

Nevertheless, an Encounter would give you more volume and more initial stability for your dog. A Prism and the Voyager would also work, but you'd be comfortable in an Encounter IMHO.

A few years ago I bought an Encounter for my 21-year old son Anthony, who is about 6' 2". He loves the additional stability for the dog and for fishing. In 2015 I used his Encounter for a BWCAW solo trip.

I thought the Encounter was a great tripping solo and I felt I didn't sacrifice a significant amount of performance versus the Voyager. I'd say the performance/speed is closer to that of the Prism than the Voyager.

Although the Encounter is deeper than the Prism; if trimmed properly with a good load, I've found the Encounter is very manageable in wind and waves. In fact, the Encounter is really built for a big guy with a big load, just as the catalog proclaims. If you get a chance, give all three a test paddle.

Hans Solo

(My Voyager on the left. The other pics of my son's Encounter)

Maybe consider a Northstar Northwind Solo. A couple of places up the Gunflint Trail rent them. Rockwood for sure... Seagull didn't have them listed on their website but kiporby said he knows for sure they carry it.

I'm not a big guy but I solo w/a 90lb lab and that was the canoe that was recommended by many people on here for tripping w/ a big dog. I've use one 3 times now and love it. Rock solid stable even with a lab up front.

Perfect timing dasunt. I spent a lot of time over the weekend researching the Prism as well. I'm looking to possibly purchase a solo canoe this year. I'm right at 300 lbs. and I would have between 60 and 100 lbs. of equipment normally. The two questions I am trying to answer is 1) can a Prism handle this load, and 2) would an Encounter sit too high out of the water and catch wind? Not trying to steal your thread but I would appreciate any comments to my questions. By the way, I can't find anyone on the Gunflint side that rents an Encounter. There are some over on the Ely side however.

Edit: A voyager is out of the question for me; the stability rating is too low. In the past when tandem I have rented a Wenonah 17, MNII, and a Boundary Waters. The Boundary Waters felt good under me. I have a very long torso and short legs so my weight rides high which puts the center of gravity high.

WhiteWolf: "


A Prism will work. But from your description and IMO- Wenonah Voyager is better suited for that type of a purpose."

I agree with you. I looked for the Voyager, and unless I missed something, I can't find anyone on the Gunflint renting them.

Feel free to say "well, you idiot, you missed XYZ outfitters, who rent them". :)

Both Rockwood and Seagull outfitters rent Northstar Northwind solo canoes which are well suited for larger loads.

do not know where you are. I am in ohio. I have a prism and a calm lake nearby you could paddle when the ice goes away,,,,

Northwoodsman: " 2) would an Encounter sit too high out of the water and catch wind? "

As an owner and user of the Wenonah Encounter, I can honestly say the depth/high sides of the Encounter are not a big issue provided the Encounter is loaded. Empty, improperly trimmed, and/or with a light paddler, the Encounter can be a lot to handle in the wind. It's not a good choice if you primarily day trip. The Encounter was designed to be loaded!

Unfortunately the Encounter doesn't get a lot of love, so to speak. Wenonah's catalog promotes it as the "big guy" solo canoe, designed for taking expeditions, and/or extended tripping with a large load, and it's certainly accurate, but I also think that dissuades many potential users as well.

You don't need to be the size and weight of an Offensive Lineman, load it up with cast iron cookware, and a large canvas tent, but it does love to be loaded. The hull is very buoyant and rides more on the water than in the water when lightly loaded. That being said, my 6' 2" son, who is approximately 170lbs. soaking wet, uses the Encounter for fishing locally with nothing more than a tackle box, a small cooler, and a day pack. He also feels quite comfortable taking our 90-pound Golden Retriever in the Encounter as well, even when it's just him and our Golden.

He also paddles the Encounter with a sizable load when we do extended weekend trips on the lower Wisconsin River. The lower Wisconsin River is wide and paddlers are often faced with a stiff southwest headwind. My son has never complained about the Encounter be unruly in such conditions.

Shortly after I purchased the Encounter for my son I wanted to give it a good test paddle; more so than just the local rivers we frequently paddle. I did an 8-day BWCAW solo trip with his Encounter. I crossed several large lakes that were wind swept and had some major whitecaps, Lac la Croix, Little Loon Lake, and Loon Lake, just to name a few. The Encounter handled beautifully! It was also dry, stable and had less "wiggle" than my Voyager.

Although the Encounter isn't quite the rocket the Voyager is, I still felt the glide and performance was very enjoyable. As I mentioned in a previous post in this thread, the Encounter is probably closer to the Prism in performance than the Voyager.

I sincerely hope you get a chance to try out a Prism, Voyager and an Encounter sometime. I live approximately 15-miles west of Milwaukee. If by chance you don't live too far away, or you're in the area after ice out and the air is warmer, I'd be happy to let you test paddle my Voyager and my son's Encounter. I don't have a Prism in my livery to try, but Rutabaga is 58-miles west of my home and they do have a Prism that can be test paddled after things warm up.

Hans Solo

I have used a Voyageur in the past. I now own a Prism. The Prism seems much more stable to me. I only weigh 165# and travel with no dog and a very light load but I am always surprised at how well it handles rougher water and wind. On the other hand, as I have aged, I avoid rough water and wind so my perspective may be skewed.

I'm 230 on a good week, my lab is about 65 in summer (as opposed to 75-80 in winter...is that bad?), and I bet I bring about 50 pounds of gear in my prism. We've got to be close to your weight. The dog lays in front with a couple of small things between us, and my larger pack goes in the back. The biggest trick I've found with lots of gear is the narrowness of the canoe - the shape of my duluth pack doesn't fit well in the back. I've been using a taller, more slender waterproof back in the back of the canoe.

I've done knife lake - didn't see any big waves though. Paddled against some decent rollers on Nina Moose and on Agnes without issue. I think you'll be just fine with respect to weight. If anything, I always feel like the wind throws me around too much in the prism. More weight might help you on big water so long as you are able to pack the weight low to the floor in the canoe - the prism can feel a bit tippy if weight is left up high. I don't think you'll have an issue with water creeping up to the edges of the boat or anything like that. I've never felt like I'm running out of freeboard. For big water there is no solo I wanted more than the prism, that is why I traded naming rights of my 2nd daughter to my wife so I could buy that canoe. #takewhatyoucanget #shewouldhavewonanyway #brandnewprism #hashtag

The Prism is an excellent canoe for what you describe with one possible exception ... the dog. If it is a small dog you might be OK. But if is medium or larger it might be an issue. Consider a dog not static weight but rather a passenger. It would be more akin to a child rather than an additional pack.
If I took a dog over 40#s, I would use a smaller tandem paddle backwards.

I have used my prism for 25 years and often starting a trip with 175# of gear plus me at 190#. It worked well enough but I have also used a friends Encounter. Your dog tips this decision to the Encounter. I crossed a rough Aikens Lake in Manitoba (( four miles) with some water coming over the sides of the Encounter and was so happy to have the extra provided. I found the Encounter only a little slower but more stable than the Prism when loaded heavy.

My first trip out was with a similar setup.

The guys at Sawbill talked with me for a bit and then sent me out with an Adirondack loaded to paddle backwards. Worked great.

I've since tried a Prism, but with the dog and doing some fishing, I just could never get comfortable in it.

Duckman: "I've since tried a Prism, but with the dog and doing some fishing, I just could never get comfortable in it."

Comfort level can be an issue for sure. From 1982 until 1988 the 16' 8" Sawyer DY Special was my primary tripping solo canoe. DY Specials are rare these days, but it compares closely with Wenonah's 16' 6" Advantage in performance, initial stability, and seaworthiness.

Despite being a shallow hull, the DY Special is dryer and more seaworthy than you'd think; similar to what butthead mentioned about his Advantage vs. the Bell Magics he has tripped with.

During the time I used the DY Special in the BWCAW, Quetico, and other paddling destinations, my 59lb. English Setter was almost always with me. English Setters aren't nearly as hyper as the Irish Setters, but she still moved about plenty while traveling in my DY. I also traversed many of the biggest lakes with my Setter in the DY too.

There are several solo canoes capable of carrying a week or two worth of gear, a dog, and a large adult. But as Duckman mentioned, sometimes it just depends on what you're comfortable with.

Hans Solo