Here are some random gear thoughts based on my latest 6 day trip.

Nemo Cosmo 25L Insulated Sleeping Pad:
First time taking a pad with a pump and I will never go back to a mouth inflated pad. This pad is excellent. Easy to inflate and not noisy. It can get a little springy if over inflated but that is easy to avoid. Packs down just as small as my other pads I have owned in the past.

Xtratuff 15” boots:
I usually wetfoot with Chacos and wool socks. Decided to try these out for this trip. They are awesome boots. Got a little swampy on the long travel days that were hot and humid, but overall I loved them. Comfortable and great traction on the wet rocks. Will definitely use them during shoulder season trips in the future. The only drawback with the boots or any other dry boots is that you need to know the water depth limit you can step out of the canoe in. I had one instance of stepping over the top of he boot. Took a day in the sun to dry out. Thinking about making a mark on the paddle blade so I can test the depth before stepping out.

Nemo Bugout Shelter:
It was fine. Enough coverage to hideout from the small amount of rain we had. A couple of times we retreated to escape the mid-day black flies but it was annoying going in and out with chair/gear using the corner zip. We opted to pack it in without poles, we used trees and 1 stick which worked well. Didn’t like the design of it overall with 2 of the corners being very low. Considering we usually go in mid-May I probably wouldn’t bring this again.

Fjallraven Abisko Lite Long Trekking Trouser:
I wore these the entire trip start to finish. They are the ideal paddling pant for me. They have breathable sections and are reinforced where they should be, plus a couple of zip vents on the side. It got really warm a couple of days and I was comfortable. One the cold nights I threw on a pair of merino long underwear and was plenty warm. They do come with a metal gaiter attachment on the cuff to attach to shoelaces, I removed that right when I got them. That wouldn’t work stuffed into a dry boot. They may have stopped making them cause I am having a hard time finding another pair, can only find zip-offs in this model, which I refuse to buy.

Cotopaxi Sueno Sleeping Bag:
Favorite sleeping bag I have owned. Super comfortable and the engineering is superb. From the foot vent to zipper backing the prevents a stuck zipper, stuff pocket for pillow. Really excellent bag. Stuffs down super small, I can fit the bag, Nemo pillow and Sea to Summit pillow in a small Sea to Summit compression bag. 15 degree bag and we had some nights in the mid 30's, very warm and comfortable.

Wenonah Sling-style, clamp-on Portage pads:
These are hot garbage. Started falling apart on the long portage to Tuscarora and were in pieces by the end of our first day. None of the metal parts are welded and they basically just fell apart. The rest of the trip the canoe was carried with the pads along duck taped to the portage yoke. Superior or Borquin style pads are the only way to go in my opinion.

Voyageur Maps:
These are the premier maps in my opinion. The most recently manufactured, so they seem to be the most accurate. They have great historical information that is fun to read on an off day in camp. Backside has a large overview map of the entire park. DNR fish sample info for each lake on the map.

Thanks for the reviews!

Interesting perspective on the bug shelter. I've been kicking the idea of a Nemo or some other version around for a few years and just can't get myself to do it. I get bothered by the bugs just like everyone else but the weight/use argument just hasn't pushed me over the edge.

Nice gear report, BigCurrent. Reports like this are very helpful to gear researchers.

I really like my Exped Synmat, but if I ever need to replace it, it's nice to know there is another excellent option. The Nemo Cosmo looks like a good one.

I'm shocked at your experience with your Wenonah sling portage pads. I've used them for many years and have encouraged my buddies to get them, too (which they have). Nary a complaint from the group.

Great reviews. Surprised by some of it.

Love our sling portage pads.
Same pair.
10-15 trips. 30-40 miles of portages.
Never an issue.

Do not like built in pumps. They take to long.
Do not blow up with mouth.
Prefer inflation sacks.

Never used an inflation bag but it looks interesting. The pump was plenty quick for me me compared to inflating by mouth.

I was surprised by the portage pads as well since I had read so many positive reviews about them. They did make it through 2 trips prior, but on this one they literally just started falling apart throughout the day. I was surprised the metal components weren't welded together. This seems like it would have prevented the issue.

BigCurrent: "Wenonah Sling-style, clamp-on Portage pads:
These are hot garbage. Started falling apart on the long portage to Tuscarora and were in pieces by the end of our first day. None of the metal parts are welded and they basically just fell apart. The rest of the trip the canoe was carried with the pads along duck taped to the portage yoke. Superior or Borquin style pads are the only way to go in my opinion. "

I, too, really don't care for the sling style pads. Used them on a few longer, portage-heavy trips on my MNII ultralight and I figured I was just "out of shape" and "gone soft". Took out my old classic style ones that had fallen apart, rehabbed them with foam cut to size and copious duct tape, and it's a night and day difference. Compared to the sling style, it feels like carrying a 28lb solo canoe with pillows on my shoulders.

Not to mention the nylon or whatever webbing on the sling style had started to fray out where it connects to the metal framing after only a year or two of use.