Family with three kids going in at Lake One. Weights, husband: 275lbs, me: 135, boy1: 120, boy2: 95, girl: 45. I want to paddle with boy2 and girl, put my husband with boy1 and front load the canoe with the heaviest stuff. Four bags at 30lbs/each is what we plan to travel with.

I am thinking that hubby would love the 50lb cot. We won't be doing any horrendous portages thru Lake One to Alice so slipping the cot at the front of his canoe under boy1's legs and putting 60lbs in compartment behind boy1 might even out the weight enough. Thoughts?

I would not consider either hubby nor boy1 strong paddlers, but at least they are good swimmers! :) Should I get the longest canoe I can? Is 600lbs in the canoe too much (renting thru outfitter so option of getting Wenonah III, etc.) Any suggestions? We are not getting another paddler. We explored and have turned down that option. We really just want this to be a family trip.

You’ll just have to try it and see how it goes. I would err on the side of having the bow heavy if you are paddling into the wind and the opposite in a rail wind.

The other thing would be to add some weight. You can use a dry bag filled with water, which is safer than using rocks.

I would talk to the outfitter. They have the answers you are seeking.

My wife and I have made that trip before and have just returned from a trip to Insula. The portage between Hudson and Insula, while not super long, starts and ends with a steep climb, steep enough that my wife cannot carry a pack going up or down without help. The rock steps are quite high which makes that climb difficult. I would not want to carry any more weight on that than necessary. Unless you have experience with such a portage I would suggest your hubby forego the cot and/or choose a different destination.

Nah, I'll just tell the boys whoever carries the cot that leg gets an extra dessert that evening. As long as they don't have to cook or do the dishes, they will carry anything.

Wow - 50 lb cot! I can't imagine what design that would look like. If you are using a Kevlar canoe, the cot would weigh more than the boat. I could see it if it was cast iron though. Any links or photos of the cot?

Tomster

A lot of focus on the cot... I could search for a link, but you are right, you win, it is 50lbs for both cots, and we will probably just take one and let lucky hubby use it. I will call and ask the outfitter about my weight balancing.