For portaging, I usually have my fishing rod stowed in my canoe. I use a broom handle clip to keep the handle secure and a rubber twist tie to keep the tip from bouncing around. I find this method keeps my fishing pole safer and I don't have to bring any cases along to protect them.

I was wondering, for those that stow your paddles in the canoe for portaging, what are your methods? I usually rubber twist tie my two paddles together and carry them over the portage, but I was wondering if there is a slicker way of portaging paddles.

thanks.

Bungee Dealie Bob to thwart, blade tucked in between gci outdoors seat that is folded with portage lock on.

I stole this idea- which is why this site is so great!!

but I installed bungies under the seat. Just cut a piece of bungie cord and fastned to the seat underneath. They’re hidden when not in use(they’re under the seat). When portaging- just reach down, grab the bungee and pull up. Slip you paddle between the seat and the bungie. The pressure of the bungie hold the paddle against the seat very firmly. I installed a bungie loop under the thwart/ yoke. Same thing, slide the handle through the loop above the thwart and the loop holds it tight to the thwart. Pics below will help.

I have one on each side of the seat and each side of the thwart/yoke. So a spot for two paddles in front. I also did the same on the rear seat / rear thwart. So actually I can hold 4 paddles total.

When done portaging simply slide the paddle out and the bungie pops back down below the seat until next time.

Super simple. Fast. Holds them tight.

When we travel in a group, we just have the pack carriers take a couple each. No binding them together or anything. One trip, we tried having bungees but the ones my husband used were too stiff for me to attach and detach so it just got annoying. And the canoe configuration was not as ideal as my solo.


When I solo, I use Bungee Dealie Bobs (BDB) that are mounted to each of my thwarts. The blade end of the single blade paddle stuff under the bow plate and the shaft is held with a BDB. My double bladed, 2-piece paddle has both blades stuffed under the stern plate and the shafts held by BDBs splayed out to each side. The BDBs are fastened to the underside of the thwarts with these:
Nylon Bungee Deck Loops

That way, the BDBs never get lost and are always right where I need them. The canoe stays balanced because one paddle is toward the bow and the other toward the stern.

In my solo I keep my spare paddle BDB onto the foot brace mount with some pipe insulation as padding. Easy to get to if needed while paddling. On single portages my main paddle is in my hand but here's something unique. I have an 8 foot length of rode tied to the bow grab handle. It's main purpose is for rough landings getting out of the solo, but on portages I hold onto to the rope to balance the canoe. Keeps my hands by my side. I discovered that I can easily wrap the rope around my paddle shaft a couple of times while holding the paddle ( after the canoe is on my shoulders ) and just hold the paddle with the rope on it to keep the canoe balanced. I do have to set my paddle against a bush or tree before I hoist the canoe. Usually on a spot a few yards up the portage. Grab it, wind it and go. At the end of the portage a couple flips of the wrist to unwind the rope, drop the paddle on a bush off the portage, set the canoe down. Works great

Grizzlyman: "I stole this idea- which is why this site is so great!!


but I installed bungies under the seat. Just cut a piece of bungie cord and fastned to the seat underneath. They’re hidden when not in use(they’re under the seat). When portaging- just reach down, grab the bungee and pull up. Slip you paddle between the seat and the bungie. The pressure of the bungie hold the paddle against the seat very firmly. I installed a bungie loop under the thwart/ yoke. Same thing, slide the handle through the loop above the thwart and the loop holds it tight to the thwart. Pics below will help.

I have one on each side of the seat and each side of the thwart/yoke. So a spot for two paddles in front. I also did the same on the rear seat / rear thwart. So actually I can hold 4 paddles total.

When done portaging simply slide the paddle out and the bungie pops back down below the seat until next time.


Super simple. Fast. Holds them tight. "

I use BDB's or twist ties, but I like your idea much better as it would be even quicker. I have found that smooth transitions at portages greatly increases my joy and outlook on portages during the trip, especially on many short portages. Thank you for sharing!

I use those bungee dealie bobs to strap a paddle to either side of the pedestal on my Prism when portaging.

Larry S

Grizzlyman: "I stole this idea- which is why this site is so great!!....

Super simple. Fast. Holds them tight.
"

How 'bout a picture of the bunjee attachment below the seat or thwart?

Another happy BDB user. Like others here I use BDB to hold my spare paddle and the paddle I am using while portaging. Quick, easy, and economical!

Here are the pics. On this particular canoe (different from the other) I ran the bungees not under the seat but rather inside the frame of the seat (then underneath). Same difference more or less.

Easily accomplished with $2 with of eyelet screws and a few bucks worth of bungee cord. You could just as easily tie, loop, or zip tie the bungees in place if you had steel seats.

Also- there is a 3rd eyelet underneath that “splits” the bungee so it can be used on both sides independently. Just one bungee running through 3 eyelets.

Longer paddle: blade goes under a deck (or deck thwart) of the canoe, shaft is tied to a rear thwart with a chota quicklace tie. Shorter paddle goes under the longer one, both shafts chota-tied near the rear thwart.

We've been using the rubber twist ties called Gear Ties by Nite Ize. My only suggestion is to carry a couple of extras because they can fail will lots of twisting and untwisting. We do one twist to keep them on the seats while paddling and then more twists above that one to hold the paddles while portaging. It seems very quick but I do like BDBs for some things and have been thinking of trying the elastic on the seat and thwart approach sometime. It does look very slick.

I have a spare paddle strapped in and leave it there. The other paddle I carry with the other load. The bungee ideas are worth looking into though.

Grizzlyman: "Here are the pics..... "

Thanks a bunch. I have a little project now for my tripping canoe!

Brilliant Grizzlyman, thanks!

I've done it both attached to the canoe and carried. Attached is nice because then you don't have to carry anything in your hands, but carried has it's advantages too. Carrying is a bit faster. You don't have to strap them to the seats and thwarts and you don't have to take them out again before loading the canoe. It also makes the canoe just a little lighter.

Personally I find that you can cut out 3-5 min of messing around on portages. You just grab your stuff and go. I wish there was a quick and easy way to strap the paddles to a pack, but I haven't found one yet. Long portages though, as in more than 80 rods or so, I will spend a few minutes strapping the paddles in place because carrying them does suck.

HappyHuskies: "Another happy BDB user. Like others here I use BDB to hold my spare paddle and the paddle I am using while portaging. Quick, easy, and economical!"

+3 or 4 or more. Although I only stow the paddle this way on solo trips when single portaging.

With two people, one person grabs the paddles and their pack, other person gets the canoe and their pack and off we go. I like to clear portages super fast, no portage garage sales :-)

Bungee Dealie Bob to thwart - paddles and fishing rod.

So many people on this site love BDBs. I always bring some but I hate them. They are always twisting loose and snapping my fingers or falling off. For paddles I got sick of them. I got some 1/8 or so inch bungee cord from REI and just tied a couple of 10 inch or so pieces doubled over around the seat or thwart. The paddle I’m using snaps in and out in a second, never snaps my finger, and never falls off.

Here is a short video I made on how I set up my canoe to portage. Gear ties electrical taped to the thwart and Bungee Dealee Bobs on the yoke. I have a Swift Prospector 14 solo so not sure how it will apply to your setup but you can get a general idea.

canoe portage setup

Thanks everyone for the ideas and suggestions.

Grizzlyman: "but I installed bungies under the seat. "

This idea looks great. I think I could modify it to be used in my solo Vagabond. I already have a bunch of bungee for stashing stuff on the canoe based off Cliff Jacobson's idea. Looks like I'll be adding some more!

straighthairedcurly: "That way, the BDBs never get lost and are always right where I need them. The canoe stays balanced because one paddle is toward the bow and the other toward the stern."

I like this idea too. And thanks for pointing out keeping the canoe in balance. I will have to figure out which paddle goes where, as they are different weights. Having portaged once or twice with paddles in the canoe, I found it frustrating because I couldn't figure out the balancing.

Blatz: "On single portages my main paddle is in my hand but here's something unique. I have an 8 foot length of rode tied to the bow grab handle. It's main purpose is for rough landings getting out of the solo, but on portages I hold onto to the rope to balance the canoe. Keeps my hands by my side."

Thanks for the explanation. I have tried doing the method of using the painter line to help balance the canoe. I have not liked it so far, but will practice some more. I like the idea with the painter line to have my arms down and at least one free to slap at bugs.

A1t2o: "I've done it both attached to the canoe and carried."

I agree with using both methods depending on the portage. I personally like to double portage, so I am used to carrying the paddles. And it does save some strapping in time at the portage landings by just carrying the paddles. And you raise a good "thought experiment" as Einstein would say; how could paddles be strapped to my canoe pack? Hemm...

TipsyPaddler: "Although I only stow the paddle this way on solo trips when single portaging."

Exactly. I double portage, but I want to have a better way of making it easier to single portage, just to have that option in case I want to.

andym: "We've been using the rubber twist ties called Gear Ties by Nite Ize."

Jaywalker: "So many people on this site love BDBs. I always bring some but I hate them."

I also use those Gear Ties by Nite Ize. And while I bring some BDB's along, I find I don't like them for binding the canoe paddles together. I find the Gear Ties have a better grip and therefor keep the paddles from working loose over the course of the portage. I do like the BDBs for zipping things down while in the canoe, and I have also attached them to my canoe bags and backpacks as a lightweight solution for attaching things to my bags in an emergency.

dschult2: "Here is a short video I made on how I set up my canoe to portage."

Thanks! With the sound of the crunching leaves, your video really made me miss autumn canoe trips right now. Can't wait for September/October this year.

I use the gear ties mentioned as first choice or BDB's as a close second. Spare is always fastened to thwarts, the paddles in use get a quick wrap from the gear tie on both ends and away we go.

If the portage is like 10 rods....just carry.

Minnesotian: "

A1t2o: "I've done it both attached to the canoe and carried."

I agree with using both methods depending on the portage. I personally like to double portage, so I am used to carrying the paddles. And it does save some strapping in time at the portage landings by just carrying the paddles. And you raise a good "thought experiment" as Einstein would say; how could paddles be strapped to my canoe pack? Hemm...
"

What I've come up with so far is that you would need a material with enough grip to hold on to the paddle since they are pretty slippery and a second loop at the bottom of the pack to keep it straight up and down. I could probably do all that with a gear tie. The problem I run into would be ducking branches and going downhill. You go under a branch but the paddle snags behind you or you step off a rock and the paddle hits it. The paddle hitting the ground is my big issue because it would most likely be upside down and I don't want a damaged handle.

Maybe if I could get the paddle to sit on the side of my pack with the handle coming past my hip and coming out to about knee height it would work. Maybe if there was a little harness it hung from that would work so I could easily maneuver it around obstacles without supporting the weight with my hand.

We leave the spare BdB'd to the thwarts and we lash the other two together for the carry over.

Anybody stuff paddles into the side pockets of a portage pack? I've seen it but never tried it.

I like those double Velcro loops for holding a paddle shaft to a thwart. On boats with wooden gunwales I add a couple of nylon d-rings and a loop of cord and it holds my spare paddle very securely. If I have to carry the boat some distance I use a paddle sock that holds two paddles and carry them the same way.

I also have a Mountainsmith Day pack that can carry two paddles by just sticking the shafts through the shock cord webbing with the blade ends up.

I always stow my paddles in the canoe with my fishing rods. I came up with my ParaThingyMikes last year after looking at a similar product, and they seemed to work okay for a 7 day solo trip and several weekend trips last year. Since I made them myself, I made them custom length to suit my needs. I have no pending patents, so help yourself:

Gear tie to the front thwart and bungee dealee bob to the seat. It's quick in part that we left the ties in place when paddling, and didn't to have to located them at every portage. It held well/didn't come loose on long portages.

fadersup: "Anybody stuff paddles into the side pockets of a portage pack? I've seen it but never tried it. "

Yes, sometimes in our GG Superior pack. It can be convenient on high-travelled portages, but will be abomination if one has to negotiate overgrowth or a downed tee to duck under.