Our group of four are starting to plan a first time trip , and I was wondering how many and what size packs we will need. Obviously it depends alot on how much we bring, but just looking for some insight. We will most likely be renting from an outfitter, but I may pick one up from REI, since I noticed they have granite gear packs on sale right now. For food I was thinking of a barrel and harness, if that would be big enough for 4.

Thanks
ckelley

We go one Cooke Custom Sewing (CCS) Pioneer Pack per person. (There are other brands of packs about this size, but we like CCS the best for their features.) We don't carry any fresh food.


Two CCS Pioneer packs on an 8-day Quetico trip.

I've got a CCS Guide pack (93L) that I love, which fits all basic survival gear for the group, shelter/sleeping gear, clothes, and some misc items. I've paired this with an old what I believe to be Granite Gear Quetico pack (82L) which gets a lot of misc stuff like camp chairs (Flexlite/Helinox/etc), tarps, binoculars (yes I take the weight penalty, they're amazing), tripods (for cameras and binos), etc. My groups this year did not have a lot of excess or redundant or unnecessary gear. With those two packs, which were fairly close to maxed out with regard to volume AND weight, everything we needed to bring and then some was covered, with just enough room for shoes at the top of the pack outside the liner.

I should note, everyone in my groups including myself have space- and weight-conscious gear, no really bulky sleeping pads or bags, no huge tents or anything. Clothes took up a lot of space honestly; I recommend cinch sacks or something to really get the clothes compressed, and then either put in a dry bag or not.

I could recommend the Granite Gear Superior One for the current sale price... it's a heck of a discount. I like to support local manufacturers though and the CCS packs have had a great reputation for strength and durability and I had no problem going with them. I probably still would even with the current discount on the GG stuff.

Make sure to pick up a plastic pack liner from REI; I forgot what size I chose, but you can open up the giant plastic bag and test it with the pack right at the store. They're cheap (like $5) and you'll want one for every pack. I still recommend dry bags for some things like clothes, but the liners are essential for keeping things from getting wet from water in the canoe, which happens all day long!

Regarding the food barrels... a 10 gallon barrel held about 2/3 of the food that 3 guys needed for 9 days, with dehydrated dinners in repacked Ziplocs, minimalist lunches, and a variety of snacks. The rest went in a larger pack which we put the barrel inside of on travel days. On a second trip, the same barrel held just enough food for 2 guys for 8 days with the same repacked dehydrated dinners, minimalist lunches, and honestly too many snacks lol. We had some luxuries like smores which were amazing while stargazing by the fire on a clear night, and dehydrated hash browns which come in a somewhat bulky cardboard container.

So, can a barrel hold enough food for 4 people? Maybe for like 3 or 4 days? I would recommend a second barrel if you wanted to go longer, and if you want to bring better food, you'll need even more room. I think 2 barrels for 4 people for 8 days would be just fine even if you bring fruit and veggies and stuff, as long as you rationed it properly and compensated with high density foods like dehydrated meals for lunch/dinner. I recommend a harness for the barrel(s); it wasn't bad inside a larger portage pack, but the harness is lower profile than a full pack and it balanced better that way.

Equipment is dependent on time of year and length of trip but I use the same 70L pack for backpacking and canoeing. I load all equipment inside the pack except for food, paddle, and PFD. The photo is of my pack fully loaded for 6 day solo. The largest items were the 2-person tent, 9x9 Nemo Bugout shelter, chair, sleeping bag, and sleeping pad.

My rule of thumb is double portage. That comes out to the canoe with a day pack and 3 full size packs (per tandem canoe). The large blue barrel (60 liters) should be more than enough for food. That's one pack. The other two can be packs equivalent to #3 packs - 5300 - 5400 cubic inches each.

Weve used three full sized packs for two people. Up to two weeks its been fine. Heavier at start for two weeks versus one, but not over 50 pounds each. A little fresh food - lots of eggs, cheese, and summer sausage - but mostly freeze dried or dehydrated.

All of our clothes, sleping gear, tent in one no. 4 (now a CCS hybrid); food in a CCS deluxe food pack, which we hang; and a Kondos no. 3 for general camp gear, including cooking gear, tarp, hatchet and/or saw, tarp, misc.

Just doubled this for two 4 person trips.

ckelley,

If you are using an outfitter you will most likely double portage and that is fine but with preparation, planning , equipment, and careful packing it is not difficult to bring luxury items and single portage.

On my solo trip last July my pack fully loaded including 2 liters of water and fuel for 6 days weighed about 37lbs. , my separate food bag about 14lbs, and the boat with paddle and PFD about 50lbs. So about 100lbs. across the portage. If you have a partner you may share items that I take like the tent, stove, bugout shelter, water filter, first aid kit, saw, and trade off portaging the boat.

I went group solo ( traveled and camp together but each had own boat and did not share equipment ) with a friend last September. This is a photo of his pack fully loaded with food for 6 days.

I am not saying it is right or wrong, just saying it is doable and an option you may consider.




P.S.
By the way I took this photo while my friend was headed back to get his boat and PFD. I was able to single portage but he has a back injury and chose not to.

It's not clear how much or how little you are getting from outfitter, nor how many days your trip is, which will make a difference in the amount of food. Group is unknown - backpackers or car campers? young strong athletes or middle-age couch potatoes? travel trip or basecamp/fish?

Assuming double portage, you'll have 4 people X 2 loads each = 8 loads, which will include the 2 canoes. You'll need enough packs large enough to hold everything else without any of them being too heavy to carry comfortably and safely. How big? That'll depend, as you said, on how much you bring and also how bulky and heavy it is.

Food is a big variable, but don't bring a 20-lb bag of potatoes! ;) Most people have made reductions in how much food and gear since the first trip (less true of backpackers). Many of us have gradually replaced old gear with lighter gear. It helps to compress bulky items with compression sacks.

Like others I take lightweight dehydrated and calorie dense food. I get 8 days + in an 11.5L BearVault. For a week-long (7-day) solo, food is about 8-8.5 lbs. Total pack weight is 40 +/- lbs. not including the canoe, paddles, PFD, and clothes I'm wearing. Some of the items would not need duplicated on a tandem trip and the canoe would not weigh twice as much.

The CCS Pioneer pack and Granite Gear Quetico are both about the same size and are a nice size pack that will hold a lot. I could get everything in a smaller pack though.

I have some more detailed information in a file I can send - if you'd like, just email me.

On most of my trips, the group size has varied between 2 to 3 people, and the trip time has been 7 days. For 2 people, I've use a Granite Gear Superior One pack (~5500 cu. in. or ~7400 cu. in. extended volume) for the personal gear and a Kondos 4700 food pack (4692 cu. in.) for the food, cooking gear, and miscellaneous stuff. For 3 people, I've used the same packs as above and added a smaller pack like a Kondos #3 or a Granite Gear Quetico (~3600 cu. in. or ~5700 cu. in. extended volume). Some of our gear has been a little bulky (sleeping bags and sleeping pads; the occasional 3-4 man tent). Pack weights are 45-50 pounds.

We also take small day packs for individual fishing gear, rain gear, and any small stuff that might be needed quickly while paddling.

I used a 60 liter barrel for only one 7-day trip for 2 people, so I don't have much experience with barrels. It carried the food (not fresh food), the cooking gear, and some miscellaneous stuff. The Superior One carried all of the rest of the gear.

Forgot to mention that one useful thing to develop is a comprehensive packing list, which most of us have and use.

We typically take a 5 day basecamp trip and I use a Granite Gear Quetico which is about 85 liters. I line it with a contractor's trash bag. I also carry a daypack and the last two years it was an LL Bean Continental Rucksack again lined with a smaller trash bag. These served me very well.

boonie: "It's not clear how much or how little you are getting from outfitter, nor how many days your trip is, which will make a difference in the amount of food. Group is unknown - backpackers or car campers? young strong athletes or middle-age couch potatoes? travel trip or basecamp/fish?

"

I suppose this would be useful information. 4 adult males, 3 of which are "middle aged couch potatoes" the other is 60 and probably most fit of the bunch of us. Planning on 5 nights maybe 2-3 different sites, probably do some fishing along the way but its not the sole purpose of the trip.

We've got our own tents, sleeping bags, stove, and cookset. Basically what I was thinking we would need to get from an outfitter would be the canoes, packs, and probably a tarp.

Food will probably be a mix of self dehydrated food and just add water type grocery store foods.

Thanks everyone for the input so far.

Gear for two, seven days, travel everyday. Duluth #2 and #4. Everything in packs but fishing poles

ckelley-

Ok, you are all younger than I am and probably in just as good shape. You also have at least 6 months to do at least some conditioning. It doesn't have to be anything too complicated or time-consuming, just lift a 40-50 lb. pack (or sandbag) and do some walking. Increase the walking distance and add a pack if possible or just walk up steep hills - my solution.

Second, find out how much your stuff weighs. Food is the hard thing to figure, but you have time to experiment and get the quantities figured out at least a little. Since it's your stove, a little cooking on it and you should be able to determine your fuel usage pretty closely.

You want to keep your pack weights down. This makes getting them in and out of canoes easier, especially at awkward portage landings, and makes them easier to carry. Personally I don't like to carry a load heavier than 50 lbs. and 35-40 is better. If you rent the lightweight canoes (recommended), they'll weigh 42 lbs. +/- a couple of lbs.

Double portaging is the way for you to go, but remember when planning your travel to add double the portage miles since you'll walk each one two additional times.

I'd suggest doing searches on the site for information. You might start with "packing list", "check list", etc. Don't forget the TP, first aid kit, repair kit, sunscreen, painters, maps, etc.

I'll find those files I gave others and email to you. They'll at least give you a starting point and some comparison.

Just ask questions as you go along.

My buddy and I over pack and double portage. We bring a gear pack each so we are each responsible for carrying our own crap, that way how light we pack affects ourselves directly and not the group. Then we have the canoe and food bags. We started with packing day packs as well for fishing gear and items we might need in the canoe, like bug spray, sunscreen, and cigars/lighters. My day pack is a light little backpack that goes on my front while I carry my main pack (CCS Pioneer). I don't mind the second pack on my front because it is light and does slightly balance me by bringing that weight forward rather than making my pack stick out further in back.

The canoes we have been carrying are heavy so they always suck. I make my own portage pads to help with it, but over 70lbs for a canoe is a lot. We carry nothing else while carrying the canoe. I bought a new canoe that is at least 5-10lbs lighter so we'll see if that changes. The food pack is the easy option. Anything loose, like water bottles gets clipped on to that pack or carried in hand, like fishing poles when they aren't attached to the canoe.

The important thing for packs, though, is to make sure they fit you. Adjusting the straps to fit the person is important. It can make the difference between a moderately difficult hike and one where you struggle to put one foot in front of the other. Put the weight on your hips as much as possible and keep the weight close to your center of gravity. If it becomes difficult to do that then you might want to consider a different pack, adding a small pack to be carried with the canoe or some way to redistribute the load so that you are able to carry it without straining yourself. You shouldn't be hunched over while carrying a pack.

billconner: "Weve used three full sized packs for two people. Up to two weeks its been fine. Heavier at start for two weeks versus one, but not over 50 pounds each. A little fresh food - lots of eggs, cheese, and summer sausage - but mostly freeze dried or dehydrated.


All of our clothes, sleping gear, tent in one no. 4 (now a CCS hybrid); food in a CCS deluxe food pack, which we hang; and a Kondos no. 3 for general camp gear, including cooking gear, tarp, hatchet and/or saw, tarp, misc.


Just doubled this for two 4 person trips."

That looks about right for our trips (usually 7-9 days)...

Jackfish: "We go one Cooke Custom Sewing (CCS) Pioneer Pack per person. (There are other brands of packs about this size, but we like CCS the best for their features.) We don't carry any fresh food.


Two CCS Pioneer packs on an 8-day Quetico trip."

Exactly the same with us as well.

ParkerMag: "

Jackfish: "We go one Cooke Custom Sewing (CCS) Pioneer Pack per person. (There are other brands of packs about this size, but we like CCS the best for their features.) We don't carry any fresh food.


Two CCS Pioneer packs on an 8-day Quetico trip."

Exactly the same with us as well."

CKelly, I'll email you the packing list I use for the guys I go with. Easy double portage, but we fish hard. If you're thinking about renting a tarp, might I suggest considering purchasing one instead? I found this one on Amazon a few years ago and purchased the 10x10 and the 12x12. Seem solidly build and pack decently small. FOR THE PRICE i think its a great tarp.

Chill Gorilla Tarp

I think we have a huge opportunity to streamline our gear, but the dudes I go with like their creature comforts. So, we typically have 4 guys and 5 packs. I'm I I <--- this close to getting us down to 4 packs. We use 2 of the Granite Gear packs, a CCS food pack, a mid-size Duluth pack and smaller bushcraft pack.

Thanks for the offer of your gear lists. I figure the more information I have available, I am less likely to forget something or bringing something that isn't needed. Just ordered the Superior One pack from REI, so I can figure out what fits and see the weight so we can adjust before we get up there.

As far as food goes I've seen some post about using 5 gallon buckets with gamma seal lids in a military style duffle bag. Seeing as I have those items we may go that route instead of renting a barrel and harness.

Thank everyone for the input so far!

Kelley
We usually travel with either four or six people so either two or three canoes. Half of the team are canoe haulers with smaller packs and just carry their personal gear and canoe (rented Kevlar around 45 pounds). The other half are the workhorses, one food barrel (rented 60L with harness carried by my wife).

I like the harness that the barrel slips into, the pockets are nice for the fuel. It holds all the food and cooking stuff six people will need for 6-8 days and gets lighter each day. I carry a Cabela's XL BWCA pack loaded with our tent, sleeping bags, clothes, etc., plus the tarp, ropes, saw, hatchet, stoves, water filters and other needed items. Plus my fishing tackle and the pots and pans bag.

The 3rd carries a lighter pack with left overs from the canoe haulers and the paddles. That person may also help out the canoe haulers on longer portages. The only time we double portage is on short ones. Our sons, who are young and strong, usually do the canoes, which on flat ground are a dream to carry. It's the twisty rocky muddy up and down that make them a pain to carry.

Not sure if that helps you any, but its nice to lay out who portages what before you show up. We also have the larger map holders that stay in the canoes. They will hold your map, sunscreen, bug stuff, head net, extra knife, flashlight, park pass, etc. Well worth the money for a good one.

And as someone above said, getting into a little bit of shape before the trip never hurts.

Our family of 3 travels with a #4 Duluth pack, a slightly smaller dry bag pack, and a Maine wicker pack basket. We normally go out for 3 days, and have quite a bit of extra room. This outfit makes it easy for us to do a single trip over a portage (my husband carries the pack basket along with the canoe). We use the dry bag pack to hang our food each night.

My son and I have very compact personal gear while my husband has rather bulky personal gear. We carry 2 personal hammock systems and a 2-person tent (not a hammock person myself, but the others are). This summer we plan to use the same packs for a 7 day trip and will swap out some of my husband's bulky stuff for less bulky and get him compression sacks for everything. This should allow us plenty of space for the extra food.