It seems everyone has to have a Blue Barrel and expensive harness system to canoe trip these days.
Here is the system I've used since 1992.
Using an Army Duffel bag with straps, two, 5 gal. Green Pickle buckets from Subway ( took two years for the pickle smell to leave), a 3 gal. Blue Pioneer Latex Field paint pail, and lastly two Screw top lids. These work great. For a total of $20.
I weighed my buckets and Duffel bag empty at 10 lbs 1 oz.
Did I say I love the screw top lids ?
The Military duffel is plenty roomy enough, to slip a Threma rest foam pad, around the buckets, adding I believe 13 oz, and some extra padding, that's not really needed. Here's my System.



In the pic with the fry pan and alcohol burner, notice my wind shield. A simple piece of Aluminum roofing flashing. Just as important is the Stainless plate, the burner sits on ! I melted a snap on lid once, and ever since used the plate, as protection it works too !
This is a Cheap system, for those that don't want to spend the big bucks for a Plastic barrel !

Jim

Notes I left out ! Most of my food fits into the Blue pail. My cook kit, and what ever extra that needs to stay dry, goes into the Green pail with the lid. The second Green pail carries my eggs, EVO oil, and what ever else I can stick in the small space.
The Duffel is comfortable to carry.
I do have a tendency to take too much !
Could one pack enough for two weeks ? I believe so !

Cheers !

Jim

We tried this on a trip but I could never get it comfortable on my back. We had food for 3 people on a 7 day trip.

not a bad idea, but the weight of 3 plastic buckets is not insignificant for those that like to do a lot of miles and move every day.

for those who portage far away from the EP and then basecamp - this looks like a great idea.

I'd pay extra for the pickle smell!

Nice system!

We used two gamma lidded large (6 or 7 gal?) buckets on our last trip - 4 guys, 6 days.

Worked well - we had two giant padded portage packs, so each got a bucket and a fair amount of gear, some of which served as extra padding. Was heavy but doable.

When I want to go light, I am leaving the gammas and barrels at home however.

kingsuper20: "We tried this on a trip but I could never get it comfortable on my back. We had food for 3 people on a 7 day trip. "

I slipped a piece of an old Therma Pad inside the bag and between the buckets. Seems like I wore my life jacket also. I had no problems comfort wise.

Jim

This is my primary system as well, except we dont use the second bucket sans lid. I might try a small one with a snap lid for my mess kit this year.

We can combine any configuration of 2 buckets, or more if all smaller than 5 gal. Last year we fed two 320+ lb men for 6 days, plus two kids and an my wife. We still carried out extra food.

The only real advantage I see in barrel rig is it is less likely to be damaged by human element. A rough fall at a landing could split a bucket. Hasnt happened to us yet. (Knock on wood.) Also, barrels are ok for sitting...buckets not so much.

From experience...the practical weight difference is negligible. It comes down to who is going and whether we hope to double or single portage. There arent a lot of people who can handle 4-5+ miles of portaging a 60L barrel on day one of loop, and still enjoy the trip.

Comfort wise, just be sure to use an inflatible pad, with the valve up. Once the first bucket is in...inflate. You can also make strap pads out of pool noodles, or just tape a piece of yoga pad around the buckles. (We usually have assigned portage loads to avoid adjustments, confusion, and lost items.)

A lot comes down to preference in the end. But trip need usually dictate my preference.

Good looking system. Do you think the buckets are just a "bear resistant" as the blue barrels? or will the pickle smell attract or repel the bears??

So far I've been lucky enough not to know how Bear Resistant they are !
Hope it stays that way !

I've had these Green buckets since about 1992. I can't detect any pickle odor anymore, but I'm sure there are other odors just as attractive ! I do clean with water and Baking Soda, prior to each trip ! The Duffle bag is an easy fit in my solos.




Jim