I would like to hear what people have to say about other forms of multi-day canoe trips in territories unlike the BWCA/ Quetico and similar country. Say downriver trips, or the Everglades, or something else.

Who does these other sorts of trips and what are some of the gear and canoe implications? Where have people tripped and how was it? I know some folks here have done big northern rivers, which I would love to do someday, but right now I’m thinking about the lower 48. Thanks,

Jack

Besides the expedition canoe trips in northern Canada, I have done a multi-day kayak trip on the Buffalo River in Arkansas (beginner whiterwater), and a raft supported kayak trip on the Selway River (serious whitewater).

I grew up doing weekend canoe trips on various MN and WI rivers like the Namekagon, Rum, Crow, etc. Nothing special needed equipment wise for these.
My son did a multi-day trip on the Upper Mississippi River and another on the St. Croix (both trips pretty standard camping affairs). There is definitely interaction with civilization on these types of trips, but a fun way to see the countryside.

What kind of info are you looking for? What kind of travel?

For the Upper Midwest check out:
MN water trails

Also the book "Whitewater, Quietwater" can be hard to find these days but is a great resource for WI rivers (and a few MN and MI)

And here is a recent trip report on an
Okefenokee trip I have never ventured out into a canoe in an area like this, but it sounds interesting.

Boat selection can vary depending on the trip. I enjoy the lighter canoes for the BWCA, but want more hull for any whitewater trips and prefer a kayak for big lakes. I am also likely to load a cooler and other gear in a downriver float (unless there is portaging) than on any BWCA trip. Mostly the obvious sort of things come to mind. In the end it is weight and space management assuring the basics are covered and adding comfort where the trip allows.

I've done the Okefenokee and the Altahama in GA. I'm doing the Green river in KY in October and trying to line up a Suwanee FL trip for the winter. I dream about an Everglades Wilderness Waterway trip. Downriver trips for me mean mostly no portaging, so more luxury. When I'm portaging, I go single portage and light. When I go downriver, I bring a cooler with steaks and beer.

One thing about river trips, generally speaking, is that there's less portaging than in a place like the BWCA. Portages tend to be around un-runnable sets of rapids, which are usually (though of course not always) shorter than many bwca portages.

For a place like the BWCA, I prefer the old school Duluth Packs and such. On river trips, I tend toward favoring blue barrels, or plastic York Boxes, or other harder-shelled waterproof gear options.

I grew up paddling rivers, and I tend to enjoy them more than lakes. Current makes things interesting, shorelines are often closer than where you'd find yourself on a lake, offering wildlife viewing opportunities, the next bend is always beckoning.

My favorite river boat is my old town canadienne, fiberglass, it weighs a ton but is super tough and handles whitewater, big lakes and lots of gear with no problem, it beats the heck out of royalex canoes. Also on river trips I bring pulleys and good rope and know how to use them. My brother wrapped an aluminum canoe on a rock on the kopka river and spent days there stuck with no canoe. Other that that a river trip is no different than a lake trip. I’ll add however that river trips are much more fun.

bhouse46: "Boat selection can vary depending on the trip. .... In the end it is weight and space management assuring the basics are covered and adding comfort where the trip allows."

Very much these 2 things. In June a group of 6 did the upper St Croix river (started at Gordon dam and went to Hwy 70) we used kayaks so we could run all of the rapids easily. With my dagger katana (10' ww tripper) I had to take some smaller less comfortable gear to get everything I needed packed compared to canoe camping.

Many different Rivers. I have done multi day trips on sections of the Rio Grande, Yellowstone, St Croix, Namakagan, Rum, Kazan, Brule and Mississippi along with many other day trips in MN and Wisc. Looking at the Swanne, SanJuan and others.

No one set of gear would be the best for all, just too many variables. Some rivers you carry water you get from springs and wells along the way- others you boil or filter. Barrels often are used as the portages are low to non-existant. So some take one pack and multiple barrels to shuttle the barrels if a portage is required.
Often the camping is Sand/ Rock bars. Mud and sand seem to Cling onto everything. A doormat to the tent is a welcome addition. What the river front property rights vary from you can not set foot on the bottom of the river to the 100 yr flood line is public. Know what the law is where you go and respect the river front owners rights.
Canoes, Paddles, tents and so on vary all over the map largely dependent on what you have access to and river you are doing.

Duluth Packs and CCS Hybrid portage packs have been our mainstay gear for “Canoe Country” trips. On river trips we don't use portage packs unless there are numerous portages along the rivers; which is very rare.

For our river trips, (most of them taken throughout Wisconsin, the upper Midwest, and the Ozarks), we use NRS “Bill’s Bags”, Voyageur packs and olive jars. The Voyageur packs are difficult, if not impossible to find any more. They’re basically a double walled vinyl and plastic bag that closes securely with a slider tube. They are absolutely watertight and they also provide additional flotation in the event of a swamping.

The olive jars have been a staple of our river tripping gear for years. We’ve been able to obtain them at various Greek festivals or Greek restaurants. Think of them a thinner, smaller version of the Harmony “Blue Barrels”. They close tightly with a gasket screw top. They are great for protecting food from the elements and small animals in camp. They are also great for keeping bread, chips and other delicate food items from getting crushed.

When appropriate, various sizes of coolers are also great for keeping fresh food and beverages cold.

Hans Solo

Nice collection of photos of some great waters to paddle.

Thanks everyone for the thoughtful and expansive responses. I am very interested in doing some river trips, and I also really like the BWCA and Quetico. I haven't taken enough time for camping for the last several years and feel a desire to make amends to myself for the neglect! I am 65 and feel the clock ticking on my ability to do this sort of thing, so I am going to get at it. I have lot's of questions about canoes and I will ask those in a separate thread. Again, thank you for sharing your experiences.

Jack

Make sure you install painter lines on your canoe.