If you are in the market to barter while in the BWCA simply attach a red bandanna or red flag to the front of your canoe or attached to a tree at your campsite. Take it down when you are away from your campsite.

Think it would be great to have a signal that you would like to trade goods just like they did back then. Thoughts?

I go camping to get away from people lol. But I guess for more sociable types, this could be an interesting idea.

I understand but for those who are social or simply forgot something and are looking to trade. Our first year the Polly bear got all our food and we would have traded up to half are booze for some food.

Could be neat to trade lures ya never seen or food ya never thought to bring etc. Just think it would be nice to have a system for people willing to trade with like minded travelers.

Plus bartering is in the spirit of the wild. If ya need something you didn’t buy it you traded for it.

Think about it, you are on the same lake, on the same day in the middle of the BWCA. These are probably your type of people.

Fishing was so so good on $%&# Lake in #$&+% that a Walleye pulled my dangling jig and pole overboard while I was.putting the last fish on the stringer. When Jimbo learned of my dilemma he started bartering his extra rod and reel for the Kelly Kettle I had just bought. I happily went back to fishing.

On a trip down the Kopka Rv 8 years ago my buddy and I were running low on bourbon. We encountered a group of young Canadians who had run out of smokes, which my buddy, a smoker, had plenty of. Given the price of smokes in Canada, the Canadians were more than happy to trade a near liter of bourbon for 5 packs. Both groups went away happy with the trade.

deerfoot: "On a trip down the Kopka Rv 8 years ago my buddy and I were running low on bourbon. We encountered a group of young Canadians who had run out of smokes, which my buddy, a smoker, had plenty of. Given the price of smokes in Canada, the Canadians were more than happy to trade a near liter of bourbon for 5 packs. Both groups went away happy with the trade."

Nice! All I'm trying to do is create a system where if you are short on something you forgot to pack or something happened during the trip you could advertise with the red flag that you need help with an item and are willing to trade. Or simply interested in trading.

Marten: "Fishing was so so good on $%&# Lake in #$&+% that a Walleye pulled my dangling jig and pole overboard while I was.putting the last fish on the stringer. When Jimbo learned of my dilemma he started bartering his extra rod and reel for the Kelly Kettle I had just bought. I happily went back to fishing."

I bring an extra reel and eyelets in my tackle box. If I lose my rod or it brakes my plan is to whittle a small tree into a pole and ducktape the reel and eyelets onto it. The extra pole for me is a hassle but the extra reel packs easy as do the eyelets.

My vision is you see a red flag, you paddle by and ask what they need without even getting out of your canoe. Then go from there

...and what if they hang a pineapple?

analyzer: "...and what if they hang a pineapple?"

you trade std’s,of course

Crappiekillah: "

analyzer: "...and what if they hang a pineapple?"

you trade std’s,of course"

I figured you trade for a fish bowl.

Good idea - by the end of some of my trips, I’ve accumulated so many beaver pelts that my canoe is overloaded - I just want to trade for some bacon and instant Quaker oatmeal packets, but nobody seems interested.

Not sure why anyone would need a red flag hanging in their camp to indicate anything, let alone being willing to barter. If someone stopped by our camp and needed something, if we could help, we would.

Jackfish: "Not sure why anyone would need a red flag hanging in their camp to indicate anything, let alone being willing to barter. If someone stopped by our camp and needed something, if we could help, we would. "

This

I applaud your novel idea, but I just don't think it's something that is really needed. I've only had one party ask me for something: many years ago, on a solo, two brothers wondered if I had an extra pen (for writing.)

As for me: I'll exit the BWCA, get a new permit, watch the video, and repack my stuff before I ever admit to forgetting something so important that I'd have to ask another paddler/party for. Just me

Mike

At a portage, we once were asked if we had any food we could trade for whiskey.

As we had some extra Trailtopia freeze-dried meals, and as we had no whiskey, a deal was struck.

From the responses, seems like having extra whiskey is a better bartering tool than a red flag haha. One time on a solo I was entering Ram Lake and I encountered a group of 4 guys in the parking lot who were on their way out and of course we chatted for a few and then they gifted me most of a handle of whiskey, big glass bottle, can't remember what. Be honest that was the first time I drank on a BW trip. Set up camp on Ram Lake and did some day trips to Little Trout just for fun to do the infamous portage again a few more times. And sipped on the whiskey, sometimes for breakfast... nice guys

This thread was a surprise to me. I thought maybe it was a late joke.
PFFT.

This is a very cool idea and I would support it. Go for it.

I don't have a red flag.....what can I trade to get one?