BWCA Solo Boat Balance Boundary Waters Group Forum: Solo Tripping
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04/25/2012 10:01AM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)


So I’m completely new to the idea of tripping in a solo canoe, I’ve never paddled one loaded before. From my reading and talking with others its clear trimming or balancing the load is important. My question is mostly for the single portage guys, if you have one pack how do you split the weight up between the front and the back? Do you have another light bag to split the load when on the water and then combine them at the landing? Do you adjust your seat position to allow the single pack to be placed in the boat and still trim out ok? Is a single 25lb pack light enough that it just doesn’t make a huge difference? If you do run with one pack to you place the pack in the front and position your body towards the rear or vice versa? My guess is all of the above are viable options and it will depend on the setup but I’m still wondering what you guys do, thanks for any info you can share.
 
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04/25/2012 12:33PM  
Answer depends on the type of canoe you paddle. Some canoes are designed for rear pack placement some for forward.
 
jb in the wild
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04/25/2012 12:53PM  
 
PortageKeeper
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04/25/2012 02:50PM  
This is the downside for me, when carrying just one pack and having a Magic with no seat adjustment. Wind is likely going to be the biggest factor, in which case you want to take your best guess at whether you'll be going into or with the wind during your next stretch of paddling. I generally carry the pack (yes 25 lbs. is plenty to make a difference) just in front of me, close enough to reach in case I need to move it behind me while on the water. There are times when you may need to carry a rock along to the next portage just for trimming the boat.
There will be times where you'll need to scoot the pack forward or back just by pushing it with your paddle. Sometimes it is still best to carry two small packs instead. Using your imagination, you can still single portage.
 
04/25/2012 03:21PM  
quote PortageKeeper: "This is the downside for me, when carrying just one pack and having a Magic with no seat adjustment. Wind is likely going to be the biggest factor, in which case you want to take your best guess at whether you'll be going into or with the wind during your next stretch of paddling. I generally carry the pack (yes 25 lbs. is plenty to make a difference) just in front of me, close enough to reach in case I need to move it behind me while on the water. There are times when you may need to carry a rock along to the next portage just for trimming the boat.
There will be times where you'll need to scoot the pack forward or back just by pushing it with your paddle. Sometimes it is still best to carry two small packs instead. Using your imagination, you can still single portage."


That’s about what I figured. I thought about just making a 2nd smaller sack that went in the top of my Pioneer, that way I could just undo the flaps, pull it out and put where needed. I plan on renting a Magic this weekend to scout out some camp sites to use when I go up there with my father for opener.


Do you happen to have any rules for trimming a solo, as in where you want to favor weight in relation to wind direction, being a total solo newbie I could use some pointers. In the tandem I've never really had much choice in the matter so I definitely have much to learn, looking forward to it.


 
mwd1976
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04/25/2012 04:56PM  
I do the split pack thing. A small backpack in my ccs pack, and split them after the portage so I can set the trim.

As far as trim, as a general rule: in a head wind, front heavy. in a tail wind, tail heavy. If you are bow light in a head wind, it tends to want to blow the bow around. If you add some weight in front, it makes the pivot point of the canoe near the bow, and the stern tends to follow. The same goes for a tailwind and being stern heavy.

 
04/25/2012 08:38PM  
I carry 2 packs....a main pack, and a smaller pack for the bow.
 
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