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Going canoeing in Quetico. HELP!!!


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Okay, here it is, my pack list. I have all this stuff packed in my backpack and want to know what I should take out and leave at home or add before it's too late. We are going to leave on August 5 and return on August 14 (so we are going to canoe from the 6th of August until about lunch time on the 14th.)

 

Gloves for Paddling

AA Flashlight

1 FL oz. of 100% Deet bugspray

First Aid Kit

Mole Skin

6 band-aids

3 alcohol pads

bacitracin zinc ointment

12 advil pills

Tackle Box

Jiggs

artifical "minnows" to put on jiggs

steel leads

1 lure

fish stringer

fish pliers

1 bobber

pocketknife

27 EXP Waterproof Camera

Small pot from my mess kit

Cup from my mess kit

1 spoon

Personal Kit

Hand Towel

Toilet Paper

Toothpaste & Toothbrush (travel size)

Shampoo and Body Wash (travel size)

Deordiant (trial size)

Nylon Rope

Bandanas (2)

Sleeping Bag (20 Rating)

Foam Sleeping Pad

Water Shoes (Tye Up)

Tennis Shoes

Food

Chicken Ramen Noodle Soup

Beef Ramen Noddle Soup

3 3oz Bags of Albacore Tuna

1 3oz Bag of Pink Salmon

1 5oz Bag of Hickory Smoked Tuna

Steak Tips

24 Flour Tortillas

Squeeze Tube of Peanut Butter (9oz)

6 Peanut Butter Cracker Packs

7 Fun Size Snickers

Rain Gear

Swim Trunks (1 Pair)

BSA Shorts (1 Pair)

1 Short Sleeve Shirt

1 Long Sleeve Shirt

Long Underwear (Shirt & Pants)

Fleece Jacket

3 underwear

1 complete pair of hiking socks

2 pairs of cotten socks

(Plus the pair of clothes that I will be wearing already)

 

Have at it!!! Help me determine what to leave at home or what to add to my pack. I leave Thursday so time is important!!! Have Fun!!!

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Hi hotdesk,

 

A few additional items might be:

 

1. Duct Tape. It's a must on the water.

2. Sunblock. The waterproof kind.

3. Bug repellent.

4. Water, or at least a way to purify it.

5. Stove, matches, and fuel, to cook with.

6. On your nylon rope, enough to tie your

gear down. front and rear painters, tie

your canteen in, rescue line, etc...

7. Something to bail water out with.

8. A sponge, for small amounts of water to

remove.

9. Plenty of garbage bags, for wet or dirty

stuff, etc...

 

That's a start off the top of my head.(This message has been edited by silver-shark)

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Hi hotdesk

 

OK, just to start, leave the cotton socks and take three pairs of hiking socks with three pair of sock liners. No cotton because they will never dry and that will ruin your feet. More than backpacking, I think the liners are important because your feet will be wet while canoeing and portaging.

 

You will need more fishing equipment, more lures, jigs and worms.

 

Playing cards. Book?

 

Explain the food to me. Are you taking your own food or is it provided by an outfitter? How many in your crew.

 

Barry

 

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I guess I should've explained that this is just MY PERSONAL GEAR. I didn't include any of the troop gear (each crew will have six people in it. 3 Scouts and 3 adults with two total crews going up and going is seperate directions) because I don't have to pack it in my backpack.

 

Like I said for the bug spray I have the one fluid ounce of the 100% DEET. One application last ten hours (so one day). I think, but not sure, that the one ounce should last the seven days. I don't think it'll take that much more. But am I wrong???

 

As far as sun block I have some SPF 45 which is suppose to be both waterproof and sweatproof. I need to find something else to put it into because I have a hugh bottle of it.

 

Each group will have at least two water pump puriferis and each person is expected to bring one full water bottle to start the trip. So I'll have a little bit more than the Nalgin water bottle amount.

 

Each group will bring up one or two stoves. Plenty of fuel. Not a concern of mine.

 

Each canoe will be equiped with a "bail" kit. It will have a empty pop bottle with rope attached to it incase you need to throw it to someone. Also in the kit will be a peanut sponge.

 

As far as fishing goes I have plenty of stuff. The adults that have been up their before gave us some advice and I followed it.

 

The food is my lunch for seven days. Some extra snacks, I hope and think, are packed in there. This is just my lunch. The dinners will be dehydrated stuff with fish planned for one meal toward the end of the trip. Breakfast will be mostly Sweet Morning and then a few meals with eggs and sausage.

 

More advice???

 

Oh another question, what's the duck tape for??? We've had some bad experiences with duck tape in our troop. Won't get into that here, but as long as I can explain the purpose for bringing duck tape.

 

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Hmm OK.

 

Take a roll of duct tape like silver-shark mentioned. It can be used for many things, but we went through a lot with two pairs of boots soles coming off the boots. It's perfect to plug holes in canoes and dry sacks, especially if the canoes are kevlar. And, I believe it's better than mole skin in preventing blisters.

 

As for water. The locals will tell you to canoe out in the lake about 100' and get your water there. It's clean, safe and taste very good. I'm not saying don't use your water filters, but we have never had a problem.

 

I would suggest taking extra deet. You may be fine, but someone else my over use it or loose it. Mosquetos are and interesting subject. It may be the time of summer, early August, but we never found them to be a big problem on the lakes until it got dark. Then watch out, it's like a horror movie. I put a little deet on my sleeves, collar and shoes kept them at bay, until dark and then you just need to be in your tent. Flys are a different story. Those guys can bite a nasty hole in your skin, even on the lake. So I save my deet for them. I never put the deet on my skin.

 

I'm not sure you will need long underwear. We took one bed sheet with us because we found it so warm that we sleep on top of the sleeping bag.

 

You didn't say if you were using an outfitter or not. If so, they usually provide a lot of camp suds and tolet paper.

 

Barry

 

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Not been to Quetico but been to the Boundary Waters to go canoeing through an outfitter.

 

That said,

 

more film

lose deodorant

canvas shoes, no leather (ones that you would not mind leaving behing)

no cotton socks, nylon. They dry quicker.

Duct tape yes, in place of moleskin

Rain gear.... jacket no poncho

extra batteries and bulbs flashlight... maybe a spare

Bear Bag?

get campers towel instead of hand towel, hand towels are cotton and once again will never dry

 

Used two pair of nylon pants and shirts when up there. one set for canoeing one for camp. Worked pretty well. One stayed dry for camp and one dried overnight for canoeing.

 

Have a waterproof bag for personal gear that is not in the troop or group packs.

 

Did not see PFD on your list. Provided?

 

Hat, sunglasses and cords to keep them on your head.

 

Compass? Whistle?

 

Waterproof see though bag for maps. (each canoe had a set of maps just in case the rest of us got lost)

 

Cut down flyswatter. Adds no weight to speak of but sure was nice to have. Complete with rope.

 

dental floss and needle for clothing or bag repairs.

 

method to light stoves? spare bic lighter is a handy thing to have.

 

Method to hang bear bag?

 

Will stop here, but will keep thinking

 

yis

 

 

oh, if you are taking a personal pack...make sure it floats. Boys lost 2 last trip, sank like stones. Couple of pieces of styrofoam in bottm of personal pack will keep most personal packs up.

 

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loose the Shampoo and Body Wash (travel size)

Deodorant (trial size), it is a smellable, bears like it. You are not suppose to bath in the lakes using any type of soaps.

You can drink the water straight from the lakes, but you will not be following the GTSS. Most outfitters will give you more than enough food, not sure if you want to carry anymore.

You will need the repellent on some portages, take a bit more, unless this is your personnel stuff, it is best to carry one big container for the entire crew, same for toothpaste and sunscreen. I would only take either the water shoes or tennis shoes not both. I wore my old hikers last year and a pair of sandals that I only wore at camp.

I would also suggest one first aid kit for the crew, not everyone carring the same thing.

A pair of long pants not jeans it could get cold.

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"Hat, sunglasses and cords to keep them on your head.

 

Compass? Whistle?"

 

Right on the money Red Feather. These azre probably the most important items he can take.

 

On Duct Tape:

 

1. Anything that leaks water or air can be fixed with it, from canoes, to ponchos, to dry bags, to tents, to tarps, or canteens, the list goes on...

 

2. Dry bags are expensive. I take five gallon buckets with lids, and Duct Tape the lid on. They float. Put a label on top so you'll know what's in it. $4.00 or less with the lid at Menards or Lowes, compared to around $25.00 for a dry bag, that may or may not float.

 

3. Coil your rescue line and Duct Tape it to the side of the canoe, just below the gunwale. Same for your painters, sponge, canteen, etc... You won't get the lines tangled when you swamp, and can easily find your rescue line even with the canoe capsized.

You can also easily get to the rescue line to throw over a branch, etc... on a stream or river to avoid danger.

 

4. Put it on the back of your ankle, and top of your foot, where your water shoe will rub to prevent a blister. I think that once one starts though, I would switch over to the moleskin with a hole in it, taped to your skin.

 

On trash bags, I bag everything that I don't want to get wet in them before they go into the bucket. Just in case. Gooseneck the open end and close it with a rubberband, and you've doubled the chances that your gear will stay dry.

 

The buckets also give you a seat for in camp.

 

I prefer the extra shoes that stay dry during the day, and would agree that you should take cheap ones. I know the kind of water shoes you're talking about, mine were around $8.00 at Walmart. They don't dry very fast.

 

That's all for now.

 

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You really won't need the extra food. When my crew went to Philmont, we only ate what they provided, we starved. At Sommers (another of the bases for Northern Tier) they fed us like you wouldn't believe. We could barely finish the food. It was good, and there was LOTS. (The other adult in the crew was a collegiate Water Polo Player, even he couldn't make sure there were no left overs)

 

Have a GREAT time!

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Thanks for all the great advice.

 

As far as the food goes, I do need it. We are not going through the scouts or through a supplier. The troop has all its own canoes and all its own equipment. So we do the trips on us. The adult leader in charge has been up their plenty of times before.

 

Some things that I see that I need to add to my equipment is

 

duck tape

a few black garabge bags

(i found one of those dry bags at Wal-Mart for $12. And just to let you know Coleman sells them for $10.)

(I have a life vest with a small whistle and compass together.)

 

and just too let silver-shark know the price on the water shoes has gone down $2.00.

 

if you have any more advice let it come out!!!

 

 

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