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    Gear Forum
       Items you bring along that are not required but are nice to have?
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Author:
Date/Time: 05/23/2013 12:36AM
Subject: Items you bring along that are not required but are nice to have?
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Previous Messages:
Author Message Text
Captn Tony 05/23/2009 08:26AM
My wife
richard tucker 05/23/2009 03:16AM
I take a small radio with an ear phone, I like tocheck the weather the last day so i can get through Basswood without getting wind bound.
I take extra rope way more than I need.
I take climbing pulleys that work so easy that I can pull myself up with the food pack so the bears or my wife can't get me.
I take two different custom blends of pipe tobacco, one for mosquitoes and one for black flies.
I take along paper bags to store my wet ones in so they can dry faster to be burned.
I take an extra thermarest 3/4 by 2" for my dog, plus his blanket.
When it works out, load wise, I take a 9x9 canvas baker tent with a screened front, so I have a comfortable place to put the lawn chairs.
I no longer take newbies, they are to hard to portage, and their crying in their tents at night keeps me awake.
buz 05/22/2009 08:42AM
Good man Capn'. Slow down, bring a chair, enjoy the walks thru the woods.
CaptnDan 05/21/2009 03:20PM
Very interesting discussion! Two years ago, I took a solo trip and tried very hard to minimize pack weight. I wanted to be in the low 30#. I put together what I thought was a nice, light pack; over 50#.No go! It took a lot of work (and leaving my Duluth pack home) to get down to the eventual weight of 36#. All my food was "boil and dump", Steri-pen for water, Jetboil as total cook set (there was a fire ban on), titanium spork, and no footprint. But I still had sfety gear, a tent, sleeping pad, a small book, journal and pleanty of fishing gear. With the prism, I could single portage, but it was still rough on a little old man like me.
This year, I'm going up to 45# and forget single portages.
As many have said, "required" is a relative term.
Voyageur 05/21/2009 08:53AM
Half my fishing lures. More likly 80% of my lures. A table. Not needed but really convenient.
Les Ismore 05/20/2009 11:51PM
wow, wish i had saw that bear print before tonite, i leave in two days so i wont have a chance to get one before the trip...damn....
but as for nice but not necessary? i'd say my canoe partner. he filets the fish, so it's nice to have him, but i could probably get by with out him...
mc2mens 05/20/2009 02:44PM
camp chair, bag of wine, something to smoke.
urbanflyguy 05/20/2009 01:56PM
My aquavu and vexliar, and my float tube
Wolf0503 05/20/2009 12:39PM
those are so wrong in so many ways, but they may have made a sale
Richwon4 05/20/2009 10:40AM
Bleacher Seat & sleep pad.

Love the Bear Tracks!!! I'll save the idea for when my wife and kids go up with me.
bmac78 05/20/2009 10:01AM
those rubber bear prints are just wrong in so many ways :)
sandhog 05/20/2009 07:57AM
I am in the aforementioned group that lostreef speaks of....and yes the prints looked realistic.
buz 03/12/2009 08:29AM
Wow, nice selection lostreef. There will be all kinds of new species spotted in the BW/Q this year i'm sure, lol. I think near my campsite the wolverine and grizzly are going to make a comeback to Minnesota! Ever seen a pronghorn antelope in the BW? Maybe this year. Or was that a jackalope, lol.
lostreef 03/11/2009 03:25PM
So much for plausible deniability, here you go.


http://www.acornnaturalists.com/store/Track-Replicas---Positives-actual-casts-C48.aspx
gutmon 03/11/2009 12:49PM
Why not go all out...
bdavid1157 03/11/2009 12:43PM
Wild River State Park has them maybe they can tell you where the got them. The number for the visitor center is 651-583-2925. I thought we purchased ours here years ago.

http://www.acornnaturalists.com/store/Mammal-Track-Molds-C703.aspx?UserID=17066907&SessionID=0I9Xycn59oHnsU0TOMEV

I only see the female molds but you could fill the mold up with chaulk and make your own male stamp.

Wolf0503 03/11/2009 12:28PM
Do they have a wolf stamp as well? That & the Bear would be too much fun.
Savage Voyageur 03/11/2009 09:41AM
Wow I need that rubber bear track stamp, my friends will go nuts when they see tracks all over the place. Too funny. Where can I get one?
buz 03/11/2009 08:54AM
Wow, I need one of those. The boy scout troop would never camp again in tents after I got done with that thing, lol.
lostreef 03/10/2009 10:01PM
I borrowed it from Kanoes!
Mongo65 03/10/2009 09:36PM
Lostreef. That fake bear paw is low-down, sneaky, devious and downright underhanded.


Where do I get one?
TomT 03/10/2009 06:30PM
That is hilarious. Where did you get that?
lostreef 03/10/2009 05:23PM
A secret rubber bear track stamp. Required, heck no. Nice to have around camp? YES, after everyone else goes to sleep. Made the trip immeasurably more enjoyable.




andym 03/10/2009 04:08AM
I guess I really have a lot of items that are not needed but I think that is one of the allures of canoe camping over backpacking is the ability to take more weight and have a more luxurious camp. And that's the view from someone who single portages!
tony 03/10/2009 02:36AM
1. chair
2. hammock
3. outback oven
4. solar shower
5. liquid pain killer
6. lantern (sometimes)


tony
greenandblackplaid 03/09/2009 09:55PM
An expendable corncob pipe and some quality pipe tobacco - much more relaxing to me than a cigar, although good cigar every once in a while is nice, too.
Merganser 03/09/2009 09:29PM
Required is an interesting term. For instance I "require" a camp chair. A sun shower is "nice to have" for me but my wife "requires" it.
Itchy Menace 03/09/2009 09:20PM
I like having music, especially on solo trips it's nice to just chill out with some good tunes at night.
Savage Voyageur 03/09/2009 05:45PM
Sorry knothead but my hammock is required. Some of the things that are nice to have are, GPS, GSI micro table, crazy creek chair, cast iron skillet,flask with booze, cigars,book, tripod. They are all going along in June
heyrpm 03/09/2009 12:18PM
Walkstool, Its light and collapses down, I lash it to the side of my pack. Walkstool
Camp Cook 03/09/2009 11:05AM
I also take my full size feather pillow... would never sleep well without it.
solotrek 03/09/2009 10:45AM
Folding Coleman beach chair. Although it's getting harder every year to get up outta that thing!
bdubber 03/09/2009 10:21AM
A chair, a couple of books, bag of wine and tobacco.
gutmon 03/09/2009 10:10AM
I had some friends that took a summer day float down one of our area rivers and they brought a generator and blender for on-river margaritas...cooler with some beer seems like a smarter choice to me.
Mad_Angler 03/09/2009 08:12AM
Still thinking...

I guess I would like to take a minimalist trip. Something where I all take is one small pack with the essentials. Here is a thread about that from last year:

Minimal

Here is another thread questioning what folks would take if they could only take a bookbag worth of equipment:
Minimal
Mad_Angler 03/09/2009 08:09AM
Let's see... I was going to start listing items but then I got to thinking about what defined "not required". Hum...

I've I had to list one luxury item, it would be my portable depth finder. It may not be required. But it makes fishing more fun for me and has helped me catch a bunch of fish. If it helps with fun and fish, is it really "not required"?
Minnesotian 03/09/2009 07:15AM
Thermos of wine and a couple cigars.
Ipod with some Beethoven symphonies.
A flask of whiskey.
Unas10 03/09/2009 04:06AM
Everything beyond a canoe and a paddle.
Mongo65 03/08/2009 04:42PM
Camp Stool
Spice Kit

This Year

Cast Iron Skillet
GSI Micro Table
Utensil Roll
andym 03/08/2009 02:38PM
Fabric kitchen sink and bucket. May add a second sink for rinse water this year.
snakecharmer 03/08/2009 02:18PM
I'm with izzy. A few beers always make it into my pack.
izzy 03/08/2009 01:31PM
Beer
Blackstick 03/08/2009 01:18PM
Lawn chair! Dutch oven.
dogwoodgirl 03/08/2009 12:59PM
crazy creek chair....my aging back loves it!

Also an enthusiastic second on the GSI microtable.
whiteh20 03/08/2009 12:55PM
Jimi,
I like acid blonde cigars as well. Good for a flavored cigar!!
gutmon 03/08/2009 12:43PM
myceliaman 03/08/2009 11:02AM
My depth/fish finder. Some trips I bring my girlfriend.
Jimi 03/08/2009 10:49AM
Acid Blondie cigars.
nolahlm 03/08/2009 10:41AM
Sleeping pad, not required but it is a life (and back) saver
lorileinenkugel 03/08/2009 09:48AM
My GSI micro table. Its not a needed item but I wont go into the bwca without it. It fits over logs so I have a nice flat clean surface to cook on. I also use it as a writing desk since I like to journal while in camp. My Taj3 tent for just me. Its big and roomy for 1.
Dodger 03/08/2009 09:29AM
This year I plan on bringing in a cot. Dodger
knothead180 03/08/2009 09:13AM
Hammock!
whiteh20 03/08/2009 08:40AM
The water bottle light thread got me thinking about needs vs. wants. What does everyone bring along that is not needed, but makes your trip more enjoyable. Example- I have reduced the stuff I bring so I can get a full sized feather pillow in my pack. Camp pillows or stuff sacks work but not near as comfy!



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