It's been 20 years since my first trip as a spry 29 year old!

Lots of things on that first trip I never did again:

1) Aluminum Canoes
2) 4 man tent
3) Mountain House Eggs
4) Not bring ear plugs
5) That stupid portage from Vera to Ensign!
6) Propane stove (single burner)
7) went in at 198lbs

I think there is only one piece of gear that has made it all these years, my MSR Dromedary bag. Everything else got replaced and upgraded through the years. So much of it was due to learnings form this forum that I joined in 2007. Thank you to all who helped along the way. The only thing I really need to get this year is new boots as my OTB Odhins finally disintegrated last year after about 15 years.

So much has changed, my son who wasn't born yet on that first trip is about to head off to college in August about 25 hours drive to Arizona, fortunately he wanted to do a trip with me this July before he goes.

So what things did you do on your 1st trip you never did again?

Let someone else outfit the trip. Their idea of lunch was GORP and granola bars. And 1 box of mac n cheese to split between 5 abults and 1 teen. I can easily put down a box myself. While I'm happy to have lunch on the run, I would at least like to take 5 minutes at least one or two days for a hot tea or some quick soup, especially the days with long portages or tougher paddles.
Also I'm kind of lightweight and the 75lb pack of cookware was a little overkill to me. I'll stick to a lightweight personal stove and a hammock over a 15lb tent. But would never trade my first trip for the world. Learned a lot and it sparked the passion I have for the BWs.

We were fully outfitted.

Had a large ax, one of my friends was inches from chopping his foot off…ax went back in the pack never to be used again.

Way too much food. We were 4 healthy eaters…by healthy we could eat a lot…Way, way too much food.

Cooked every meal over the fire. It was at least 2 hours for every meal…between getting the fire going, soaping the dishes, cooking/preparing, eating, cleaning up, putting out the fire so you could leave/explore/fish…what a colossal waste of time :) half the daylight hours were literally spent on food prep in some way or another.

Aluminum canoes…saw everyone else with Kevlar…Way lighter.

Probably others but that’s what I remember.

T

It was 42 years between my first wilderness canoe trip and my last. 1971-2013.

I have been sitting here trying to think of what we did on our first trip that we NEVER did again. The list is small.

1. Slept in a canvas tent
2. Cooked on borrowed cookware. (Bought our cook kit at the end of the trip and used it for every trip after that.)
3. Paddled a long day in the sun in shorts and no hat
4. Only took one roll of film for the camera
5. Conceived our second child

I honestly can't think of anything else. We did update our gear as the years went by, and we did change our routine. But to come up with a long list of things from that first trip that we never did again. . .just can't do it. I started to say "forgot the sunscreen", but then I realized that sunscreen really wasn't around in the mid-70's for the next few trips either. I just learned to wear a hat and long pants.

I am ten years now since my last wilderness canoe trip. Still miss it. 52 years since my first trip. Still remember it fondly.

How It All Began

It's been nearly twenty years since I took my first wilderness trip as well (without parents) and a lot has changed since then from gear to knowledge. Gear wise we didn't have much money for gear at the end of high school but luckily my tripping partner's father was a scout master and borrowed us everything he thought we needed. However,...

1. Denim jeans are not ideal wilderness pants and I'm not sure they managed to dry by the end of the trip.
2. Water resistant exercise clothing is not equal to waterproof jacket/pants.
3. No amount of "toughness" beats hypothermia
4. Metal framed hiking packs are less than ideal (did I mention they were free).
5. Our sleeping pads rolled up to about 3 feet wide and 10 inches thick deflated.
6. Only time I have portaged an aluminum canoe.

There's been many other lessons learned and new gear acquired over the years. Looking forward to continuing that trend for many more tripping years to come.

48 years since my first trip
only missed one year as my wife was very ill.

Canvas Duluth packs..... still use them
Canvas tents.... still use them
Aluminum canoe..... still use
Axe..... still bring
Freeze dry food.... not much.... mostly fresh
No sleep pad.... finally started bringing 20 years ago
no stove..... still no stove, unless fire ban
Wooden straight shafts.....still use
full cook kit and griddle....still use
No filter..... still no filter
One trip portages.... Always
Prairie Portage to Cutty Lake on first day (33 miles & 16 portages), many times in my 40s.....I'm due back.

In the year 1986, my first trip was through an Outfitter as part of a church youth group. I was 14 years old, and so I didn't have a whole lot of say about what we did and what we didn't do. But one thing is for sure, I made sure that Wasa Bread was never a part of my BWCAW tripping experience ever again. Anybody remember this stuff?? Yuck.

HangLoose: "In the year 1986, my first trip was through an Outfitter as part of a church youth group. I was 14 years old, and so I didn't have a whole lot of say about what we did and what we didn't do. But one thing is for sure, I made sure that Wasa Bread was never a part of my BWCAW tripping experience ever again. Anybody remember this stuff?? Yuck.





"

Never heard of that before.

Aluminum canoes were the norm when I started paddling... I had four brand new ones. As a twenty whatever year old they were not a problem cause we didn’t have the Kevlar readily available. Nothing like what we have now. I bought my Old Town Pathfinder in 77 to shave off some pounds.
Later in life I had to go Kevlar... also at first you could bring ten people... as if nine makes any difference.
Bought a lot of Siedel dehydrated food... learned the hard way keeping it a second year... well, let’s just say the fried onions helped produce some nasty gas. Haha... glad to find out as a storm rolled in with four people in a tent!
Mirro cook kit...
years of canvas packs
Aluminum paddles
Suitcase stove... although it was good mosquito control. We never could tell. But when getting home it was full of dead ones.
The old Stearns life jackets... more like straight jackets.
How about the old 110 film cameras...

lots of good times...

Corsair: "

HangLoose: "In the year 1986, my first trip was through an Outfitter as part of a church youth group. I was 14 years old, and so I didn't have a whole lot of say about what we did and what we didn't do. But one thing is for sure, I made sure that Wasa Bread was never a part of my BWCAW tripping experience ever again. Anybody remember this stuff?? Yuck.






"

Never heard of that before.
"

Good old rye crisp was a staple...

First trip was a bit of a disaster in '07 or '08, but I fell in love with the Boundary Waters and try to go every year. That doesn't always happen but when I go I learn something new each time.

First trip: we triple portaged, two man carried a hard sided cooler, hanging large cooler from a tree (nearly impossible, but we managed), carried 5 gallon buckets, no portage packs, just dry bags hung on paddles over our shoulders, no organization at portage landings, 2 kayaks and a canoe with no portage yoke, 2 man carried canoe over portage (never again), canoe was not a tripping style canoe and with the kayaks almost everything was in canoe (not much freeboard, if any at times), 1 map and the map holder didn't know how to use it, we now laugh when we have passed the first campsite that we ever stayed at because it took all day to get there and now we pass it about 4 hours, ice packs in the cooler (they still weigh the same when they are warm), my paddle partner in the canoe that I had never met before let us know half way through the trip that he had rotator cuff surgery 6 months prior and that's why he couldn't paddle hard, sandals on portages, hand pump water filter, and I'm sure many other things that I've forgotten over the years.

Would I ever do a trip like that again, no. But the scenery, quiet and being unplugged blew me away. It resets the mind and soul each time I'm there.

We have upgraded gear, canoe and knowledge. We now mostly single portage, gravity water filter, have proper portage packs, light canoe, CCS tarp, camp chairs, etc. All these things make the trips more enjoyable. This forum helped me out a lot in figuring out the best way for me and my partners to trip. And it's still useful to this day.

HangLoose: "In the year 1986, my first trip was through an Outfitter as part of a church youth group. I was 14 years old, and so I didn't have a whole lot of say about what we did and what we didn't do. But one thing is for sure, I made sure that Wasa Bread was never a part of my BWCAW tripping experience ever again. Anybody remember this stuff?? Yuck.



"

My first trip was in 1981 with a church group through a camp near Lake Vermillion. I remember this stuff. I think you were supposed to throw away the cracker and eat the wrapper. It was so dry you could put a cracker in your tent to lower the humidity.

HangLoose: "In the year 1986, my first trip was through an Outfitter as part of a church youth group. I was 14 years old, and so I didn't have a whole lot of say about what we did and what we didn't do. But one thing is for sure, I made sure that Wasa Bread was never a part of my BWCAW tripping experience ever again. Anybody remember this stuff?? Yuck.





"

We tried this once because we thought it would travel well. We learned two things when we tried it--Wasa would make good replacement shingles for a backwoods cabin, and TRY EVERYTHING AT HOME!

TZ

TrailZen: "

HangLoose: "In the year 1986, my first trip was through an Outfitter as part of a church youth group. I was 14 years old, and so I didn't have a whole lot of say about what we did and what we didn't do. But one thing is for sure, I made sure that Wasa Bread was never a part of my BWCAW tripping experience ever again. Anybody remember this stuff?? Yuck.






"

We tried this once because we thought it would travel well. We learned two things when we tried it--Wasa would make good replacement shingles for a backwoods cabin, and TRY EVERYTHING AT HOME!


TZ"

I went to a boys camp beginning 1971 when I was almost eight. We did a three-day canoe trip and the "method" for packing bread was to squish a loaf of Wonder Bread down to 1/3 of its size.

My first trip was in June of 1980 the day after a bunch of high school graduation parties. At one of the parties, three of us decided to head to the BW as one of the guy's mom's had been raging about how great the Gunflint Trail was. Bad way to plan an initial trip...

Well, we managed to find the Gunflint Trail, and that was pretty much the highlight of our trip. We had no maps and had difficulty finding any lakes. Finally found one, and I was barefoot as we lugged the canoe into the water and proceeded to cut my foot rather badly on something. Fished for a spell and decided to set up camp near our truck-and realized we had forgot the tent. Spent the night in the truck and drove home the next day.

I have become a bit more organized in the ensuing 43 years, and I have certainly upgraded all my gear.

It's only been 9 years for me, this year is my 10th annual trip. Things I remember from my first trip that I said never again to are:

Actual pillow wrapped in a garbage bag
Jeans
Highschool backpack
My buddy's square back canoe
Not fully talking about the food plan
Duffle bag of group gear
Crafting string instead of paracord
Ponchos

That first trip was a disaster. It was two groups of two guys that had been friends for years and the two guys connecting the groups worked together, only one had been in the boundary waters before and none had ever planned a trip. There simply wasn't a whole lot of communication between the two halves of the group. We loved it though, even though it was a disaster.

My first trip was August 1973 with my brother in a Sears aluminum canoe (long gone), Optimus 99 stove (still have it but don’t use it anymore) and several Duluth #3 Packs (still in use.) Hard to believe its been 50 years.

"Never Again" from my first trip in 1990:
10 campers in one group (no longer allowed)
Mountain House meals from the outfitter (we pack our own food now)
5 dudes sharing a 6-man tent (packed in like sardines)
Heavy canvas work pants (because jeans were discouraged)
Forgot sunscreen (my ears peeled until they bled)
Lousy pictures (brought one waterproof disposable Kodak)
Smoked a pack a day (thank goodness I kicked that habit)

I was much better prepared when I returned in 2017 and 2021, but my fondest memories were from that 1990 trip...despite the list above.

It has been around 25 years since my first BWCA trip. I was very fortunate to join a group that was guided by a local school district employee, possibly the superintendent. He had all necessary gear, and the middle-school aged group of kids packed clothing, snacks and fishing gear in personal packs. Portages took some time, with the bigger boys toughing it out with the grummans and the girls and smaller boys carrying the packs. We entered at Mudro and camped on Fourtown. What stands out to me as I recall this trip was the trip leader's laid-back attitude. We had a discussion about safety, and then he cut us loose. We were free to enjoy almost everything, from the usual fishing and swimming to other rites of passage that included late nights around the fire, flirtatious dalliances, smoking stuff, etc. As a parent, I shudder thinking about some of the things that happened, but we were fine. In fact, experiencing that type of freedom and enjoyment influenced my career path and interest in wilderness fishing and camping adventures near and far.

First trip in '98 and haven't missed a year since. Fortunately our group leader had experience, so I learned to pack light, use a small Coleman stove, travel in Kevlar, etc. There was an emphasis on good footwear, though, especially for portaging. Not having anything better (to protect turned ankles, etc.), I wore a pair of leather works boots - with shorts. They were 15lbs dry and twice that when they got wet (which, of course, was the whole trip).
My first purchase after that trip was a pair of Teva water shoes.

I was 6, in 1971, the first time I went to the boundary waters. I can't remember something I did then, that I never did again. But there are many things I don't do anymore. I think the best thing was ditching the cotton. Especially the blue jeans. Not only does the nylon, and poly dry faster, I smell better too.

Wool socks in my wet shoes was a big improvement.

Separate pair of dry camp shoes, is a must for us.

I won't go without a camp chair anymore.

I actually like bringing a full pillow.

I don't mind double portaging. I like the unencumbered return trip, so I can just look around and enjoy the trail. I consider the portaging part of the adventure, and it gives me a chance to stretch. Some portages are really beautiful. Even some of the tough ones.

For now I still use a tent.

We didn't really start looping until 2018. I wish I had started long ago. I love it, but my knees don't. I'm not sure how many years I have left to trip, but love every one of them.

Argo: "

TrailZen: "

HangLoose: "In the year 1986, my first trip was through an Outfitter as part of a church youth group. I was 14 years old, and so I didn't have a whole lot of say about what we did and what we didn't do. But one thing is for sure, I made sure that Wasa Bread was never a part of my BWCAW tripping experience ever again. Anybody remember this stuff?? Yuck.








"

We tried this once because we thought it would travel well. We learned two things when we tried it--Wasa would make good replacement shingles for a backwoods cabin, and TRY EVERYTHING AT HOME!



TZ"

I went to a boys camp beginning 1971 when I was almost eight. We did a three-day canoe trip and the "method" for packing bread was to squish a loaf of Wonder Bread down to 1/3 of its size. "

Spartan1 was a counselor at Camp Easton in 1965 and 1967. When we did our first trip in 1971 he said that was what we were supposed to do for bread. I thought it was nauseating eating the doughy white bread all squished up, and I think we only did that for about two trips until I rebelled. We then tried the Wasa, which I agree isn't very tasty (a bit of understatement there), and Rye-Crisp, which was some better. Finally agreed on some other crackers that were easy to pack and didn't crush easily but had some taste. Bretons were some that I remember. Tried tortillas later on, too, but I think for lunches we always just preferred summer sausage, and crackers with PB and J or cheese with our dried fruit. Squishing bread may be OK for a short trip, but our "short trips" were always at least six days, so crackers really worked better.

My first trip was in 1969. I still paddle the same canoe.

I never again...
Took a canvas tent or any tent other than a Timberline 4.
Took heavy rubberized canvas air mattress that took about 20 minutes to inflate and another 20 minutes to deflate. Bought the first Thermarest I ever saw after that.

That's about it. Lot's of small changes but for the most part my habits haven't changed much.

This year will mark 11 years of canoe trips and have only missed one year because I got married.
The first trip wasn't to BWCA but to Lake Kabetogama. There were a lot of lessons learn on that first trip and a lot of things I never brought/did again.
1. Brought a full cooler with ice - we had a gallon of milk, juice and a 3lb roll of hamburger, plus other food
2. Cast Iron cookset - 2 pans and a Dutch oven
3. Large fold up chairs
4. A full roll of paper towels
5. Canned foods (we hauled out a lot of garbage)
6. No cook stove (took us a rainy trip to fix that mistake)
7. Regular school use back packs
8. Lots of denim and cotton clothing
9. 5lb bag of russet potatoes

I think the only things that I still use from that trip are my Alaskan Guide 4 person tent and our Alumacraft canoe. Everything else we bring and where we go has drastically changed since that first trip.