Thinking of trying to rig a flexible plastic mat to the hull to drag instead of carry. Think of the drags used to get deer out of the woods. Probably need to punch in some extra grommets.
https://www.amazon.com/DEER-SLEIGHR-Magnum-Game-Sled/dp/B001CJI7XA

Anyone tried?

Now please refrain from telling me how to carry a canoe :D I am quite stout and still log over 1000 miles each summer as a raft guide so quite familiar about lugging big heavy things. The kevlar Explorer I can tolerate but the Royalex is getting the nod this summer and 72 lbs is a bit much for comfort. I am a two portage type; gear with one load and canoe with the other with a person on each end . My partner this summer is not that strong so when carrying by the ends with two I would like to not feel bad when easier just to drag. No kevlar grunch plates on hull.

Thoughts?

I am debating on rigging two portage yokes.

I am trying to imagine dragging a canoe on the Cherry/Hanson portage, that has got to be much more difficult than carrying it. Even if it is empty. When carrying a canoe your fulcrum is centered, making narrow turns easier. Dragging a canoe brings the fulcrum to the front and makes narrow turns much more difficult.

Agreed. And many portages have things to step over that require lifting the canoe a couple feet in the air that you would just step over if on your shoulders. The 2 person end carry and drag is just my reality as a 72 lb royalex boat is more than I "should" be hoisting. The double carry yoke doesn't solve the problem either for those tight turns that each end of the boat are off the trail with the center pivot. Just trying to figure out a way to save the endangered species royalex as much as possible.

I feel like there are very few portages in the BWCA where this would work without potentially damaging your canoe.

kayakyok: "

YaMarVa: "I am trying to imagine dragging a canoe on the Cherry/Hanson portage, that has got to be much more difficult than carrying it. Even if it is empty. When carrying a canoe your fulcrum is centered, making narrow turns easier. Dragging a canoe brings the fulcrum to the front and makes narrow turns much more difficult. "

Agreed. And many portages have things to step over that require lifting the canoe a couple feet in the air that you would just step over if on your shoulders. The 2 person end carry and drag is just my reality as a 72 lb royalex boat is more than I "should" be hoisting. The double carry yoke doesn't solve the problem either for those tight turns that each end of the boat are off the trail with the center pivot. Just trying to figure out a way to save the endangered species royalex as much as possible. "

Other than a couple of trips I have always used an alumacraft and my tripping partner and I always do the two-person carry. It's not great for those tight turns as mentioned but we have always had the motto of work smarter not harder so we share the load when we can.

AlexanderSupertramp: "I feel like there are very few portages in the BWCA where this would work without potentially damaging your canoe. "

I am very much in agreement with this. I also think you will wear yourself out much more than you think dragging 72 lbs of anything across the ground, but especially something 16-17' long that isn't designed to be moved that way. Where are you planning to go?

While doing the Grand a few years ago there was a canoe drag mark that whet on for more than a mile. Glad it was not my canoe. Try it and let us know how it works.

You can always tell it is rental canoes, people going down the portage leaving blue, red and aluminum marks and the banging as they go down the rocks approaching a lake. I have cringed more than once hearing the dragging of a canoe.
This must make outfitters raise the price they charge some due to replacing damaged canoes.
I wonder when you rent, is there a potential charge for damaging a canoe.

kayakyok time to buy a Kevlar if you can afford it. Well worth every penny of it and value never goes down.

Pinetree: "kayakyok time to buy a Kevlar if you can afford it. Well worth every penny of it and value never goes dn."

Have one expedition layup. Trip planning for Upper Missinabi and feel RX is more appropriate for low water rock banging. Know it is not boundary waters but figured you folks might have an opinion. If I go with the idea will post how it works.

I’d say that’s the craziest idea I’ve ever heard of.

I can only imagine the amount of brute strength it will take to do such a thing. Have you been to the BWCA?
Tom

kayakyok: "Thinking of trying to rig a flexible plastic mat to the hull to drag instead of carry. Think of the drags used to get deer out of the woods. Probably need to punch in some extra grommets.
https://www.amazon.com/DEER-SLEIGHR-Magnum-Game-Sled/dp/B001CJI7XA
Anyone tried?
Now please refrain from telling me how to carry a canoe :D I am quite stout and still log over 1000 miles each summer as a raft guide so quite familiar about lugging big heavy things. The kevlar explorer I can tolerate but the royalex is getting the nod this summer and 72 lbs is a bit much for comfort. I am a two portage type; gear with one load and canoe with the other with a person on each end . My partner this summer is not that strong so when carrying by the ends with two I would like to not feel bad when easier just to drag. No kevlar grunch plates on hull.

Thoughts?

I am debating on rigging two portage yokes."

Are you an idiot? Did you eat a lot of lead paint as a child? Guess what, I am not politically correct, I don't think everyone deserves a trophy just for showin up but perhaps you should get one because this is obviously the best outcome your parents could have hoped for, pick up the boat, carry it as far as you can, take a break and repeat, it's 72 pounds not 72 thousand pounds....

I'm pretty much in the same camp as nooneuno. I would suggest quit trying to overthink everything and carry your canoe as it's intended (one person) and don't even think of dragging it.

One of the tenets of BWCA is to leave no trace. Dragging a canoe over a portage is going to leave more that just a trace. Carry it.

nooneuno: "Are you an idiot? Did you eat a lot of lead paint as a child? Guess what, I am not politically correct, I don't think everyone deserves a trophy just for showin up but perhaps you should get one because this is obviously the best outcome your parents could have hoped for, pick up the boat, carry it as far as you can, take a break and repeat, it's 72 pounds not 72 thousand pounds...."

Thank you for your expert opinion. Avoided the lead paint but have consumed a regular diet of e-glass, s-glass, kevlar, carbon, neoprene, hypalon, pvc, wood dust, epoxy, vinylester, adhesives, toluene, acetone, and MEK over the years. I will be sure to consult you for any future designs.

RMinMN: "One of the tenets of BWCA is to leave no trace. Dragging a canoe over a portage is going to leave more that just a trace. Carry it."

Good point, hadn't thought of that.

If you are a raft guide, as I was when I was younger, you understand how to move boats in their "normal way". You would not regularly load an 18' raft on a trailer on your own, because it is supposed to be done with a few people. Likewise, a canoe is not supposed to be dragged across a portage, for many reasons already mentioned. Plus, factor in the friction created while dragging, and you are exerting much more energy to accomplish the task. Instead of recreating the wheel, why do you not look at other options, like changing out the canoe for something lighter, like a rental. You mention low water and banging on rocks. Ok, so you are aware of the obstacles in the water that can cause damage. So act and maneuver accordingly. If you are fit enough to be a raft guide, then you are fit enough to carry a canoe as it was intended.

dave

Instead of recreating the wheel, why do you not look at other options, like.........a wheel

w_w_w_31: "If you are a raft guide, as I was when I was younger, you understand how to move boats in their "normal way". You would not regularly load an 18' raft on a trailer on your own, because it is supposed to be done with a few people. Likewise, a canoe is not supposed to be dragged across a portage, for many reasons already mentioned. Plus, factor in the friction created while dragging, and you are exerting much more energy to accomplish the task. Instead of recreating the wheel, why do you not look at other options, like changing out the canoe for something lighter, like a rental. You mention low water and banging on rocks. Ok, so you are aware of the obstacles in the water that can cause damage. So act and maneuver accordingly. If you are fit enough to be a raft guide, then you are fit enough to carry a canoe as it was intended.


dave"

This will be year 40 as a guide. I find now that my shoulders do not work as they used to lifting over my head. My middle back between my shoulders and my neck do not tolerate weight as well. I can still drag, and luckily our staging areas are covered in wood chips so I drag 14' rafts that weigh over 100lbs regularly. Low water upper Missinaibi trip planned. There will be inevitable scraping. The kevlar explorer I can still carry, but the royalex outfitted with float bags that I prefer for harder whitewater hurts to carry. Not that I "can't", just trying to preserve what body I still have. There will be somewhat level portages that dragging will be easier on me. I was just asking if anyone has tried something similar in their past. I live by a river and will just try it out and to see how it works and decide how bad of an idea it is for my situation.

Ahahn366: "Instead of recreating the wheel, why do you not look at other options, like.........a wheel "

I have a set, but don't want to carry on this trip. They work well from getting from the vehicle a remote lake on a logging road, but don't want to have to carry a set for 100 miles with numerous portages, some of which will be too difficult for wheels. Wheels tip over on rough trails. They are helpful for the appropriate situation.

You state that you have a Kevlar canoe. Why don’t you use that? I have fifty five years of BWCA tripping. I have never seen anyone dragging a canoe across a portage, I’m not sure it would even be possible.

kayakyok, you're aware of the fact that portage wheels are not allowed in the BWCA, right?

I have actually witnessed the canoe drag. It was many years ago and involved some young stout guys dragging royalex canoes over portages. It was on the fourtown billy goat portages and horse portage. It did leave many marks on the rocks on the portages. The canoes did have some skid plates that did help facilitate the drag. I felt sorry for the outfitters canoes. It was only my second or third trip so I was thinking maybe this was the new way. I don't in any way condone this method but I will say I was amazed at how fast they completed the portages. Maybe it was because these guys were young and strong that they just bulled their way thru.

Welcome to the board, kayakyok!

I'd encourage you to try your idea. If it doesn't work, you move to Plan B or C.

Good luck.

Ps. I have never tried this. And have refrained from telling you how to portage a canoe.... as you requested.

I never have, but I suppose there maybe a few times when you must drag a canoe. There are definitely times when you have to slide a canoe. Seven years ago we had to slide my buddy’s Royalex canoe down an extended steep slope in NW Ontario since it was impossible to carry it. In fact, this slope was so steep we had to use brush for handholds to ascend and descend the trail. Never say never.

RMinMN: "One of the tenets of BWCA is to leave no trace. Dragging a canoe over a portage is going to leave more that just a trace. Carry it."

Exactly what I was thinking plus it will be way more work.

I've found that if carrying a canoe by yourself is a problem, it probably has more to do with your portage pads, balance, and how you carry the load than it does the load itself.

I tried about everything myself to avoid carrying the canoe. It only made it worse.

What I finally ended up doing is getting one of those spring creek seat/portage pads. This makes my 70lb aluminum canoe feel 20lbs lighter. The portage pads let me balance better, raises the canoe a bit for visibility and airflow, and absorbs impacts so the canoe "bounces" instead of digging into my shoulders painfully. Basically, it lets me stop fighting myself and took away 95% of the pain.

As soon as you can balance the canoe correctly and stop making adjustments every few steps, or not fight against someone else carrying the canoe, the job gets so much easier. You are much better off putting your time and money into carrying the canoe the "right" way instead of finding new wrong ways.

It's basic physics, anything that doesn't put you directly under the center of gravity or adds any outside forces (i.e. second person or a drag) increases the amount of force required. The more force you have to put in, the heavier it feels.

bobbernumber3: "Welcome to the board, kayakyok!


I'd encourage you to try your idea. If it doesn't work, you move to Plan B or C.


Good luck.
"

What’s plan c, throwing the canoe?

YaMarVa: "

bobbernumber3: "Welcome to the board, kayakyok!



I'd encourage you to try your idea. If it doesn't work, you move to Plan B or C.



Good luck.
"

What’s plan c, throwing the canoe?"

B and C are one-man and two-man portaging. D would be throwing. E would be block-and-tackle or come-along.

I’m interested in learning more about option E.

YaMarVa: "I’m interested in learning more about option E."

Pretty easy. I carry 2 small double pulleys, couple of prusics, along with your flip line, throw bag, and carabiners that are already on the flipline and throwbag is all you need. I can usually get a boat unpinned or lowered over a cliff with just the flip line and throwbag but boy do those pulleys come in handy when your shuttle ride gets stuck in the mud. The 2 pulleys weigh less than 11oz.
For those that maybe didn't read earlier posts I am not dragging my boat in the boundary waters. Upper missinaibi in Ontario. I known how to carry a canoe, and now I will add that I will always happily unpin your wrapped boat for a case of beer.
I ordered a deer drag and will give it a whirl. I have seen dumber ideas work in my years of paddling. I will be sure to post the results.
Scott Downs
Ohiopyle, PA

YaMarVa: "I’m interested in learning more about option E."

I'm headed to the Kopka River this summer and came across these photos of portaging around some of the falls...

I think Kayakyok is trolling y'all!

bobbernumber3: "

YaMarVa: "I’m interested in learning more about option E."

I'm headed to the Kopka River this summer and came across these photos of portaging around some of the falls...


"

Ahh, thought I was being trolled :)

This is pretty simple except the top rope (static line) is going to be close to exceeding the length of a standard throw rope. Your are setting up the static line, attaching the canoe bow and stern to the static line with two carabineers and lowering the canoe with a haul line. Throw bag is all you need for the haul line.

Looks like they are using regular climbing rope for the static line but can't be sure. Climbing rope doesn't stretch, but with lowering a single canoe I would have no issues with stretching a throw bag taunt enough to do the job. A simple truckers hitch should get you the tautness needed on the static line.

Using a couple of shorter pieces of webbing for tie offs (flip line). I mentioned flip line earlier and would be perfect. Basically a piece of webbing wrapped twice around your waist with loops big enough for a couple of sets of hands connected with one or two carabiners. Attaching the static line to the flip lines with the flips lines around your anchor points saves you a few feet of rope as long as the canoe can be launched from the top and disconnected from the bottom before the knots.

I would be trying to avoid carrying a full-on climbing rope as they are heavy and overkill for just lowering a canoe over a cliff and would be looking for a mondo throw bag. I googled your portage real quick and bet there is info out there the length of rope needed.

Basically I think this can be done with two long throw bags, two pieces of webbing. and five carabiners (two on anchor points, two on canoe, and one on the haul line to attach to the uphill side carabiner on the canoe). No pulleys needed, if you want a little more friction on the haul line run it back through the carabiner on the top flip line tie off.

All of this is assuming that whoever is up top can disconnect the ropes and make it down. Looked like there were knotted ropes that were a permanent fixture.

Hope this helps, just my quick two cents looking at your pics.

bottomtothetap: "I think Kayakyok is trolling y'all!"

All I aked is if anyone has ever used a stiff piece of plastic to drag a canoe...:)

kayakyok: "

bottomtothetap: "I think Kayakyok is trolling y'all!"

All I aked is if anyone has ever used a stiff piece of plastic to drag a canoe...:)"

And you sure ignited a discussion! Lovin' it!

bobbernumber3: "

YaMarVa: "I’m interested in learning more about option E."

I'm headed to the Kopka River this summer and came across these photos of portaging around some of the falls...



"

Good video of kopka goat portage. Static lines are just left there in place from date of video few years ago. I would have an extra throw bag in case they were gone. Didn't watch the whole thing, but they are using a locking belay device on the guiding line ( maybe a gri gri), helpful with just two but enough people would not be needed IMHO. Same setup I tried to describe. goat portage

kayakyok... just a friendly reminder when posting links... please use the Add a link to this message function. You've already been adding photos successfully. The Add a link to this message function is right next to the Add a photo button. It is simple to use and makes your link a hyperlink instead of words that need to be copied and pasted. Let me know if you have problems.

A couple of thoughts:

Since you didn't offer that this was not a BW/Q trip in your original post, it was not unreasonable for the group to wonder about your thought process here for several reasons:
1. The BW/Q both specifically ban portage wheel devices (except in a few very limited exceptions). The reason being the continued over use and eroding of the portage trails. I cannot see that this dragging process would be any different and probably more destructive to the trails. Certainly not within the LNT spirit.
2. Dragging a carcass out of the woods over leaf litter, small branches, etc is a different thing altogether than dragging a canoe over gravel, sand, rocks, roots, etc. First, that relatively thin piece of plastic is going to leave behind lots of small pieces of plastic as it is ground away. Second, I question how long that piece of plastic will last over a BW/Q portage environment. Certainly it will quickly build up a rough underside that will create a lot more drag than it relieves.
3. Time to attach and unattach at portage ends? Will it really be any less work/time to take your canoe out of the water, attach the 'sled', pull it over the portage somehow, unattach the 'sled', and put the canoe in the water and reload? Will this be less painful/time consuming than carrying the canoe and resting as needed?

Being an aging member of the group and one who loves to trip rather than basecamp, I know how much we want to keep going back and making those long traveling trips like we used to. However, given the physical limitations you describe for yourself and your paddling partner, I am wondering whether or not you are planning a trip that is beyond you and your partner's physical limitations?

One of the cardinal rules of being a group leader is being brutally honest about your group's physical limitations (including your own). If this idea of dragging a canoe won't work (for whatever reason), and carrying is going to be painful/hurtful/injurious for both you and/or your paddling partner, how is this trip within your physical limitations? If you insist on this trip, I would think hard about buying some SAR insurance to cover any costs of rescue you might incur.

I sincerely hope you can make your trip and make it safely.

I once watched in shock and awe a group of guys drag a blue Coleman royalex across a portage. They had emptied out about half of the canoe which was a good thing because these guys were a yard sale. Anyway, it looked like they had done this thing before, proven by both their technique and the condition of their canoe.

Anyway, there was a streak of blue flecks across the entirety of the portage. They clearly were not interested in the principles of LNT. It was a bad scene.

Dragging a canoe across a portage is a bad idea. It's bad for the canoe, it's bad for maneuvering, and it's not the way canoes were meant to be transported across land.

Mike

kayakyok: "....Hope this helps, just my quick two cents looking at your pics."

Yeah. No, not at all. I'm hoping to get my planners to re-route our trip for paddling, fishing, and camping which is our comfort zone. This level of portaging looks like a PITA to me. And a bit more mountaineering than I'd like.

We had a great Wabakimi trip a few years ago... I'd be happy to repeat that same route.

I recall reading an account of a long portage along one of the Canadian rivers where they fashioned a harness from some rope and then drug their canoes as it was not possible to carry them. I think is was either due to muskeg or tangle foot vegetation. So dragging them is rare, but sometimes its the best solution.

I had to look up the Missinaibi River, as I hadn't heard of it before. Found some youtube videos of Upper Missinaibi river trips and it looks like a fun trip. The one I watched didn't show any of the portages, and some of it doesn't look lineable.

So I can't weigh in on the drag sheet concept for your trip. I'd love to know how it works out.

I'm a firm believer that there is no 'right' way to trip and you do whatever you want; as long as it is within regulations. Dragging may or may not be a good idea, but feel free to try it.

The LNT piece of this is significant, though. I'd worry about leaving plastic pieces along the portage. You could try something natural like leather or deer-hide to protect the canoe.

Forgive the rants of an old member here, and no longer active in canoe tripping. I do find the OP statement contradictory.
" I am quite stout and still log over 1000 miles each summer as a raft guide so quite familiar about lugging big heavy things. The kevlar Explorer I can tolerate but the Royalex is getting the nod this summer and 72 lbs is a bit much for comfort."
I am not a big person nor young but still managed lifting and portaging 75+ pound canoes.
The guy under this 3 person 18.5 foot aluminum canoe is the retired late 60's father of the red shirted bib wearing guy. Yeah this was a few decades ago but very common.
Directly to the OP. This seems to be your first BWCA trip. Do what you wish but the recommendations to single carry even a 90 pound canoe are sound and taken directly from experience. 2 person carry or dragging can be done (on short flat and straight clear portages which are few in the BWCA and Quetico), but once done you will not do that again!
Learn how to lift your canoe and portage it, it has been done with heavier canoes and by smaller folks more often than you think.

butthead

If you ask me, nothing wrong with a little brainstorming session, sometimes a good idea comes from a lot of bad ones, but still worth investigating and fun to throw out some random thoughts. The one thing I know about draggin things, usually dead ones with horns, is that getting any/as much weight off the ground helps tremendously. I used to have a frame backpack i rigged up with a strap to get the deer's head/as much of the body as possible off the ground (while hitting you in the back of the knees as you walked, of course) but the more weight I could put on my shoulders and off the ground made the drag much easier. So maybe think about a half carry, half drag situation? either way, good thoughts, good ideas, keep em coming...and as always, haters gonna hate.

butthead: "Forgive the rants of an old member here, and no longer active in canoe tripping. I do find the OP statement contradictory.
" I am quite stout and still log over 1000 miles each summer as a raft guide so quite familiar about lugging big heavy things. The kevlar Explorer I can tolerate but the Royalex is getting the nod this summer and 72 lbs is a bit much for comfort."
I am not a big person nor young but still managed lifting and portaging 75+ pound canoes.
The guy under this 3 person 18.5 foot aluminum canoe is the retired late 60's father of the red shirted bib wearing guy. Yeah this was a few decades ago but very common.
Directly to the OP. This seems to be your first BWCA trip. Do what you wish but the recommendations to single carry even a 90 pound canoe are sound and taken directly from experience. 2 person carry or dragging can be done (on short flat and straight clear portages which are few in the BWCA and Quetico), but once done you will not do that again!
Learn how to lift your canoe and portage it, it has been done with heavier canoes and by smaller folks more often than you think.


butthead"

I will be 59 in a few weeks and 40 years of guiding and paddling have somewhat taken its toll. Have trouble lifting heavy things over my head anymore. I can drag rafts around and paddle all day long. Weight on my shoulders will reek havoc on my neck and middle back over time. I am ok with my Kevlar explorer, but the royalex explorer just kind of exceeds my limit. Can I do it, yes. Does it hurt, yes. Sorry I did not mention earlier this is not for a trip in the boundary waters. Don't tell me how to carry or how I need different portage pads. Not my first rodeo. Slung my share of livery boats. I know carrying a boat with a person at each end is not as eloquent or easy as a solo carry. I have an idea and asked if anyone had tried before. Quite a simple question. I have seen dumber ideas become commercial endeavors throughout my years in the industry.

Wombeeevernons: "If you ask me, nothing wrong with a little brainstorming session, sometimes a good idea comes from a lot of bad ones, but still worth investigating and fun to throw out some random thoughts. "

Thanks, agreed

"Sorry I did not mention earlier this is not for a trip in the boundary waters." that will affect a lot of opinions on a BWCA/Quetico biased forum. I have myself been into areas much less single carry demanding.
My response was in terms of carry thru boreal forest on broken terrain and elevations. Specifics do matter.

butthead

butthead:
I am not a big person nor young but still managed lifting
The guy under this 3 person 18.5 foot aluminum canoe is the retired late 60's father of the red shirted bib wearing guy. Yeah this was a few decades ago but very common.
the recommendations to single carry even a 90 pound canoe are sound
Learn how to lift your canoe and portage it, it has been done with heavier canoes and by smaller folks more often than you think.


butthead"

Lol I asked please refrain from telling me how to carry a canoe in the OP and the vast majority of responses told me to do just that. All I asked if anyone ever tried dragging thier canoe on a piece of plastic. Boys, I hate to tell you but the responses I received to the same OP on mccr were much more thoughtful and most bit thier tounge and didn't tell me to carry my boat but critiqued the idea provided other options. The LNT was something I hadn't thought about, but I am sure there would be some portage areas in the bwca that would not shred plastic but none the less my question was general and my destination was later clarified. Thank you for the information even if some was not what I wanted to hear. SYOTR Scott

You've been quite condescending towards members with decades of experience who gave sound advice, partly because you left out important details. You seem to be fishing for people who will tell you what you want to hear and you are going to ignore most of the opinions given and go ahead and do what you wanted anyway.

Good luck with that.

plmn: "You've been quite condescending towards members with decades of experience who gave sound advice, partly because you left out important details. You seem to be fishing for people who will tell you what you want to hear and you are going to ignore most of the opinions given and go ahead and do what you wanted anyway.

Good luck with that. "

Sorry. Honestly. I do respect the experience of the members here. My bad for responding to comments that were not what I wanted to hear. It is a forum and is to be expected. I did learn things. If someone would of told me "I tried that and it didn't work because of X" I would have said thanks and tried to figure out a way to fix X or give up. It was just an idea. Not fishing, I do appreciate the opinions of others.

Forgive me if someone has already made this point, but I'm skeptical that the deer drag would hold up very well if you are using it to drag a hard surface (the canoe) over a hard, rough, sharp surface (rocks).
I own a deer drag like the OP describes so I know a little bit about them. They are designed to drag a soft, flexible deer body over terrain. Dragging a rigid canoe on one would create a hard "pinch-point" when it meets rocks. I believe you could possibly wear holes through it in as little as one longer portage.

I've seldom used mine as a deer drag because they are terrible when going cross-slope. I've spent a lot of energy just trying to keep a deer from sliding down slope when I'm trying to travel across the slope.

If you still decided to try your idea, you do realize that you'll need 2 or 3 of the drags, right? These are not canoe length, they are DEER length. You'll need to overlap them from rear to front like a shingle effect.

Last point...
Even if it would work to drag the canoe, it won't be quiet. My wife and I always try to be as quiet and unobtrusive as we can when we are camping/canoeing/etc. IMO, noise is an unwelcome intrusion in the wilderness. Sometimes it can't be avoided but we always try to keep the peace and quiet that most back country travelers are seeking.

Seems like this would take even more effort than a carry.

Please excuse that I’m going to suggest how to carry a canoe when you are concerned about supporting weight through your back. You might consider rigging up something like the old knu-pac system. Basically you carry the canoe on top of a frame pack and so, with a good hip belt, the weight is primarily on your hips. It makes a huge difference.

Because you are lifting the canoe higher than your shoulders, it is often easier to pick up the canoe well behind the yoke, leaving the bow on the ground, and then walk forward until you are at the yoke.

Here’s a discussion of this approach. .

My experience is that it takes a bit longer to hoist your boat this way, but much easier to handle weight. If you can portage a 45 lb Kevlar boat on your shoulders, I suspect you can portage a 70+ lb Royalex boat on a pack. Because the company no longer exists , you have to make your own.

andym: "Please excuse that I’m going to suggest how to carry a canoe when you are concerned about supporting weight through your back. You might consider rigging up something like the old knu-pac system. Basically you carry the canoe on top of a frame pack and so, with a good hip belt, the weight is primarily on your hips. It makes a huge difference.

Because you are lifting the canoe higher than your shoulders, it is often easier to pick up the canoe well behind the yoke, leaving the bow on the ground, and then walk forward until you are at the yoke.

Here’s a discussion of this approach. .

My experience is that it takes a bit longer to hoist your boat this way, but much easier to handle weight. If you can portage a 45 lb Kevlar boat on your shoulders, I suspect you can portage a 70+ lb Royalex boat on a pack. Because the company no longer exists , you have to make your own. "

Well, now there is a solution that hadn't heard of before. Actually found one only used twice. Have to drive a ways to pick up, but $100 with a big drybag attached to frame so seems like a good deal. Going this route for a plan A and see how it feels. Thanks!

Atta Boy, andym!

Very cool that you found a used one at a good price. The frames they used are the strongest I've seen and so a good choice.

The dry bags, especially the side loading ones are excellent for flat water canoeing because they are so easy to load and find stuff in. I wouldn't use them for whitewater because the longer seal may not hold as well if pinned in a rapid. They are huge and hold a ton of stuff. If you make it light, bulky stuff (e.g. sleeping bags), you might even be able to carry the canoe and some stuff at the same time. But my days of carrying the canoe and a full heavy pack are past.

One more point: for the rope from bow to stern, I like the rope sold as sailing sheets. Sheets are the lines you pull on to control the sails and they are designed for very low stretch and to have good control in your hand (not slippery). You also want the adjusted with little slack. If it is taut when in your hand it is easiest to control the boat overhead.

Let us know how you like the system once you try it out.