If you do, do you have a weight limit? What ultralight gear do you take to cut weight or what do you not take at all?

quote BearBrown: "If you do, do you have a weight limit? What ultralight gear do you take to cut weight or what do you not take at all? "

I haven't weighed my gear so I couldn't tell you what my weight limit would be. However, what I usually leave behind is regular food, spare clothing (I bring just enough insulation layers) and the hatchet.

My light weight gear consists of a 1.5 lb sleeping bag, ultralight kayak paddle, and a 3 lb. tent.

All of the little things add up. However, if you can cut weight in your shelter and your sleeping bag/pad that goes a long way.

I think it would be dangerous to go without a spare set of clothes in the event of a capsize. I'm going in early Sept. and plan to use wool pants with my backup being a set of long underwear that I could pair with my raingear if my pants get wet. I'll also have a pair of nylon shorts.

I would love to single portage and no doubt could do it but I just don't want to take the chance of twisting an ankle or worse when I'm all alone.

I might see if I can make it work on my last day out when the food is gone.

I don't single portage, but I could if I made a couple of changes. I'd leave behind my garcia bear barrel and my chair. There are two reasons I don't:

1) I like having the second, smaller pack in order to distribute the weight and so trim the canoe, and (most importantly;
2) I don't want to.

:)

I do have a solo, lightweight tent (3 lbs). A small, compression sacked sleeping bag. An air matress that rolled up is the size of a quart jar. Most of my stuff is lightweight and compact.

I do take more stuff on a group solo than on a solo solo. For instance, I don't take the reflector oven on a solo, but with a group I do. I also have to take a pan for the oven. On a solo I eat out of the pot. With a group I have to bring a plate and bowl, etc.

I double portage on all my trips. Day trips are an exception where I only carry a day pack and am able to make it in a single trip.
Dick

Single portage. 33# canoe + #4 Duluth pack, hammock.

usually double. the trip where i did single portage was an april trip - so no fishing gear(not that i ever use it anyway). i also left behind the camp chair and a few other nice to haves. I did make sure to pack two full sets of clothing though - given the time of year.

All in all, i think my whole setup ran around 75 pounds including canoe, food for four days, etc...

I sure was able to put on the miles, but i also kept wondering what i was missing with my head stuffed under a canoe the whole time.

quote Bannock:
On a solo I eat out of the pot. With a group I have to bring a plate and bowl, etc. "

Heck Bannock, with Bogs and Seven no need for a plate or bowl. It would just look like a bunch of puppies circling a food dish, all eating at once.

quote moosedrool:

I sure was able to put on the miles, but i also kept wondering what i was missing with my head stuffed under a canoe the whole time."

That's one thing I am considering as well... What might I be missing on the portages? In all six of my trips so far, I have done maybe two portages without the canoe over the top of my head; I'm usually carrying a pack too. I feel like I may be missing wildlife, cool rock structures, side trails, the trees, etc. All in the name of not making a couple of extra steps.

Why would I? I'm not in a hurry, and the portage is part of the trip too. I usually take pictures and look at the rapids, falls etc. I've had to hurry too much in the past.

I carry two packs. The heavy one first, then the smaller one with the canoe.

I do not, and here is why.

I am over 50 and am not as young, strong, and spry as I used to be.
What I have learned is, when I take my big pack first I learn the trail. Then a lolly gag my way back to get my small pack and canoe.
I learn more about the trail, the portage, the area, and take in the sights of the portage. Then I put the small pack on my back, swing the canoe up and away I go.
I enjoy this sort of thing and have come acustom to it. So no need to single portage, heck if I did I might just miss something? and what is it I am in a hurry for anyway?
Just my thoughts.
SunCatcher

i doubt if i could pack light enough to single. even if i could i wouldnt, for safety reasons alone.

I don't plan on being in a hurry much of anywhere. I slow myself down quite enough with photography, fishing and exploring as it is.

Weight usually isn't much of an issue for me since I am a 5' 11" 250 lbs linebacker type (literally, that's what I played in high school and I haven't shrunk since). I have carried a canoe and a heavy pack accross many portages on tandem trips so far, so I think I might be able to do it solo.

Just wondering who does single portage and how they make it possible?

the things i feel like i'm missing - rapids, scenic overlooks, the occasional grouse, rock structures. some of this i still see when i single portage, but i enjoy it in a more hurried manner due to the weight i'm carrying around.

I have some pretty hard rules for weight on portages relative to body weight. the fact that i'm a very fit 6'4" 200 lbs makes carrying 75 lbs well within my personal safety limits on most carries. Being relatively young (32) doesn't hurt either.

I also eat from the pot i cook in, only bring a spoon (used for cooking and eating), etc. I try to have more no-cook meals as well which saves time and fuel weight. Peanut Butter Bagels are pretty good up there and give you a lot of the nutrients you need.

Even that, i rarely go on solos with the intent of single portaging - for many of the reasons already listed.

No, I do not single portage - for several reasons. I'm 60, not in as good shape as I used to be, and the knees, hips, back, shoulders, etc. aren't what they used to be. This makes it more difficult to single portage as well as more dangerous. I weigh 140 lbs., so a 75-lb load is over 50% of my body weight. I've done that; in fact I did it in Sept 2009 over the middle portage between Mudro and Fourtown, but my legs were shot when I got to the end. I looked down that granite slope and wisely, I believe, put the canoe down and came back up for it. I'm not in as much of a hurry as I used to be and the extra walk gives my back a good stretch from sitting and paddling. It's a nice time to look around, take some pictures, eat a couple of handfuls of gorp, take a drink, etc.

I hear you boonie, i would never portage 50% body weight on a solo. Way too dangerous. I try not to even do it in a group trip. that is a ton of stress on the ankles as well - if one even starts to turn, your in for a serious sprain.

on my first solo canoe trip in the BW, as a young testosterone charged twenty something, i considered the act of double portaging to be below my high standards. reality has a way of taming the the crazed urges of youth. i had gear for a six day trip and the sixteen foot royalex old town penobscot. starting my trip at hegman lake things went fine until I hit the 428 rod portage from tease lake to angleworm lake. just walking this portage is a trip from hell (I have never been back, this was 1981, maybe it is an easy portage now though i doubt it). i was determined to single portage this SOB, but the SOB won. on a section of the trail I was in boot sucking mud, mosquitoes and flies had declared war on me, and the humidity was tropical. i was pissed. a couple of years prior to this day i had survived a two day portage following caribou paths, and a five mile portage on railroad tracks going to some god forsaken town in ontario, that one carrying a water soaked canvas prospector that had to weigh ninety pounds. no way was a puny 420 rod portage, in the silly BWCA going to beat me. but in an epiphany moment i thought, what the #$@%!!. i thew the damn canoe off my dead shoulders and continued on. i came back for the canoe later.

i still carry a heavy as heck canoe. double portaging on a solo trip is swell with me. as a matter of fact i can't imagine carrying my seventy pound canoe with any other gear. life is too short.

I single portage simply out of personal choice. I also work out 5 days a week at the fitness center (which includes weight training) I could not do it without being in good condition. Hard work 48 weeks a year gives me 4 great trips a year. I also limit myself to 4 day trips which cuts down on the initial weight.

depends on the trip but i like to pack light and concise enough to single portage if i want or need to (dictated by time). by light i mean a pack weight ~25#. by concise i mean-fits into one pack(perhaps two if one is a front pack or thwart bag) for easy carrying rather than having fifteen items strewn around the boat to hand carry (i prefer the same approach when tandem tripping but not all padling partners think alike).

in order to pack that light some creature comforts stay behind. my packing list is never the same. my core items are all pretty lightweight and compact (MSR Hubba tent or Warbonnet hammock and tarp, Western Mountaineering Summerlite sleeping bag, Granite Gear Vapor Trail pack or GG Solo portage pack, POE Ether sleeping pad) but i do carry a bear vault for my food supply, saw +/- axe for firewood.

also need to have a good system for lashing paddles and fishing rods to the boat for easy carrying

tg

I have single portaged before, but more as a trial run only doing it a couple of times on an entire trip... I found i could do it, but shedding more weight would be better.

My next solo I hope to have a hammock for a tent, which will shed some weight & will cut down on my food & a few other comfort items. I plan to bring a dry-bag to put water in for balancing the load. Probably only bring 3 fishing lures & 1 pole.

I want to go far & deep in a minimal amount of time, cover some miles. I have done almost every type of trip other than a minimalist trip. I like to challenge myself & doing a 60-70 mile trip on a 3 day weekend, sounds like a challenge... I will probably plan a 4 day, but try to complete it in 3.

i still dont buy the claim that hammock sleeping is any lighter than a decent true solo tent.

quote kanoes: "i still dont buy the claim that hammock sleeping is any lighter than a decent true solo tent."

Well with the hammock... no tent poles, no kitchen tarp, no sleeping pad... I see big weight savings, along with bulk.

TRUE weight. let me see that. early and late season....no pad or underquilt?
i wouldnt have to bring a tarp, but i do. im talking pure sleeping arrangement here...would you hammock sleep without a tarp?

A rain fly for a hammock is a part of the system and necessary. But having said that; taking an additional fly or tarp is not required for me as I can sit under my hammock/rain fly any time. I place all my stuff under the hammock fly including my chair with plenty of room to spare. I can boil water while seated with no problem.
So my sleeping system includes hammock/fly, sleeping bag, windshield pad from Walmart. I don't take a theramrest because of space/weight. I'm pretty sure this is lighter than a tent with the usual thermarest pad plus a tarp.
Dick

im not counting a tarp as a must have with a solo tent. id like to hear about honest weights. including the required tarp for a hammock, underquilt/pad, ropes, stakes.

I'll try to remember to weigh my sleep gear tomorrow and post it here when I get that number.

Dick

quote kanoes: "im not counting a tarp as a must have with a solo tent. id like to hear about honest weights. including the required tarp for a hammock, underquilt/pad, ropes, stakes."

I single portage at least 80% of the time when solo but my kit is like TG's. I was much into ultralight backpacking before I was doing much canoeing, so for me, a pack weighing more than 45 lbs on any trip is heavy. When solo, I've done three day trips with about an 18 lb pack but most solo trips average between 20-25 lbs.

My hammock kit weight vs my solo tent kit weight:

HH UL Backpacker Asym w/fly and stakes = 2 lb, 1.5 oz.
Home made Primaloft overquilt and JRB down underquilt 30*F = 3 lb, 5oz.
Total wt = 5 lb, 6.5 oz.
(I'd save by using a down overquilt, but I'm sold on Primaloft in the hammock)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Sierra Designs Light Year CD solo tent = 3 lb, 8 oz.
Primaloft bag 20* = 2 lb, 8 oz.
BA Ins. Air Core Mummy Pad = 1 lb, 5 oz.
Total wt = 7 lb, 5 oz.

Difference in wt = 1 lb, 14.5 oz

Two pounds probably doesn't sound like much, but that's big to a ul backpacker. Shave off everything and soon your pack is twenty pounds lighter than the next guy.

Also, for me being 55, I regenerate much more thoroughly when using a hammock vs a tent, and ground sleeping. This allows me to single portage more often.

Thanks, Dick. More than Kanoes wants to know :)

I'm guessing that a lighter sleeping bag/minimal tent (bivy)/ 3/4 pads/stakes may be as light as a hammock/rainfly/underquilt(pad)/stakes.

I won't comment about comfort of a hammock vs. tent as I don't know. I'll find out sometime this year (I own a Byer Moskito Hammock & tarp(s) and I have not tried it overnight yet.)

When tent camping in the BW I needed a full length thermarest basecamp pad. I think it's 27 inches wide and blows up 2 inches high. Very bulky but that's what I needed to sleep somewht comfortable in a tent.

With my hammock I use a full size 1/4 inch closed cell foam pad. I don't know the weights but a lot of bulk saving right there.

Ty Portagekeeper. Your reply wasn't there when I replied to Buffalodick.

A little under 2 lbs difference? You could lose about another lb with a lighter sleeping bag, making it a 1 lb. difference :)

When I get home, I'll weigh my stuff. I know the tent I prefer weighs more, but it's comparable to 'normal' tent weight. And I KNOW that I can buy better stuff that is much lighter.

quote kanoes: "im not counting a tarp as a must have with a solo tent. id like to hear about honest weights. including the required tarp for a hammock, underquilt/pad, ropes, stakes."

Kanoes,
MY Hennessey hammock with all ropes, etc., bubble pad and hex rain fly weigh in at exactly 3 lbs. 12 oz.
I did not include the sleeping bag because it is universal to both tent and hammock.

Dick

I'll probably have to triple portage. LOL. Not because I'm bringing excessive amoutns of stuff, but because I need to keep my weights way down. I'm hoping to double, though.

quote nojobro: "I'll probably have to triple portage. LOL. Not because I'm bringing excessive amoutns of stuff, but because I need to keep my weights way down. I'm hoping to double, though."

Being able to consistently double portage would be a major victory for me.

quote Woods Walker: "I have single portaged before, but more as a trial run only doing it a couple of times on an entire trip... I found i could do it, but shedding more weight would be better.


My next solo I hope to have a hammock for a tent, which will shed some weight & will cut down on my food & a few other comfort items. I plan to bring a dry-bag to put water in for balancing the load. Probably only bring 3 fishing lures & 1 pole.


I want to go far & deep in a minimal amount of time, cover some miles. I have done almost every type of trip other than a minimalist trip. I like to challenge myself & doing a 60-70 mile trip on a 3 day weekend, sounds like a challenge... I will probably plan a 4 day, but try to complete it in 3.
"

Your best bet to do this would be in mid June woods walker, when the days are longest. This would allow you the most daylight for traveling. 20 miles a day would be a lot of work in my opinion, but if you are efficient, are in good shape, and have good weather you could probably cover that much ground during the long days of early summer.

thanks for the proof folks.

You are welcome!

Dick

The Hammock with tarp weighs 3 lbs 10 oz.

The solo tent I use is a North Face Rock 22 weighs 5 lbs 14 oz.

I prefer my Guide Series Kodiak pad which weighs 7 lbs

Have also taken my Therma-Rest instead.. which is 3 lbs... but my back prefers the heavier one at night.

My Tarp is a 12x12 weighing 2 lbs 13 oz.

So if I go with a hammock it will save me almost 12 lbs 2 oz. comparing to the bigger sleep pad & almost 8 lbs with the smaller one. Not to mention cutting down on the bulk size of the pack. I use the same sleeping bag in both, no under-quilt needed with the Clark Jungle Hammock... it was pockets I will stuff with my spare clothes & fleece jacket.

I know I could go with a bivy & be lighter, but prefer the hammock.