what to pack for canoe camping trip

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Essential Canoe Trip Pack List: Your Go-To Gear Guide for Paddling Preparedness

Ready for the ripple of water beneath your canoe but unsure of what to pack? This straightforward guide details the ultimate canoe trip pack list—everything you need and nothing you don’t for your on-water expedition. Gear up with confidence knowing you’ll have the essentials for both the paddle and the campfire.

Key Takeaways

• A well-chosen array of essential gear, including safety equipment and paddling necessities, is vital for a successful and safe canoe trip.
• Smart packing strategies, such as using dry bags for waterproofing and balancing the canoe’s load, are essential for efficiency and preventing gear from getting wet.
• Proper personal clothing, shelter and sleep systems, camp kitchen setup, and navigation and communication tools are key to comfort, safety, and enjoyment throughout the canoeing adventure.

Essential Gear for Your Canoe Trip

Embarking on a canoe trip is much like setting out on a great expedition. The canoe is your vessel, your paddles your oars, and a collection of carefully chosen gear your lifeline in the vast wilderness. Canoe tripping offers a unique way to explore and connect with nature, and canoe trips provide unforgettable experiences.

From the canoe itself to the paddles, safety equipment, and even the humble fanny pack, each item on your canoe trip packing list plays a crucial role in ensuring a smooth and safe journey.

The Canoe: Choosing Your Vessel

The canoe is the foundation of your adventure. Much like a sailor wouldn’t venture out in an unstable old ship, you must choose your canoe with care. The material, size, and weight can significantly affect your paddling experience, hence the importance of picking a model that aligns with your trip and skill level.

Whether you’re a seasoned paddler or embarking on your first canoe trip, a well-chosen canoe is a trusted ally on the water.

Paddling Essentials

Paddling a canoe resembles conducting an orchestra, where each stroke is a note and the paddle is your baton. However, orchestrating a successful canoe trip requires more than a decent paddle. Essential paddling equipment includes life jackets , spare paddles, and even a trusty fanny pack for those little extras.

These items ensure not only your safety but also your comfort and efficiency on the water.

Safety Gear Must-Haves

There’s an old saying among canoeists: “Safety first, because accidents last.” This couldn’t be more true. Essential safety gear like a first aid kit, whistle, and a throw rope is as important as your paddle or your canoe, and in many regions, a requirement to be on the water. These items are your safety net, ready to catch you when unexpected situations arise.

Packing Smart: Organizing Your Canoe Trip Gear

Similar to how a well-orchestrated symphony requires a skilled conductor, a successful canoe trip depends on smart packing. The goal? To fit your entire world – from your canoe to your camp kitchen – into a few dry bags and containers, without compromising on safety or comfort. And it’s not just about what you pack, but also how you pack it.

Dry Bags & Containers

Dry bags and containers are the unsung heroes of any canoe trip. These waterproof storage solutions are your first line of defense against the unpredictable elements, keeping your gear dry and organized despite the splashing water and sudden downpours.

From your cozy sleeping bag to your trusty first aid kit, every item in your canoe pack deserves the protection of a good dry bag.

Balancing the Load

Loading your canoe requires a balance akin to ballet – focusing on poise and precision. However, instead of executing pirouettes and pliés, you’ll grapple with dry bags, gear, and occasionally, the additional weight of a day pack. Distributing the load evenly across your canoe not only improves stability but also makes for easier and more efficient paddling.

Quick Access Items

In the world of canoeing, quick access items are the superstars. These are the items you’ll reach for without a second thought, whether it’s your water bottle during a strenuous paddle, your sunscreen on a sunny day, or a snack to refuel. Keeping these essentials within easy reach can make your canoe trip smoother and more enjoyable.

Clothing & Personal Items Checklist

In your preparations for the canoe trip, bear in mind that your clothing and personal items serve more than just being on a packing list – they essentially constitute your portable home. From your paddling gear and campsite wear to personal care essentials, each item plays a key role in ensuring comfort, safety, and enjoyment during your adventure.

Apparel for Paddling and Portaging

Whether you’re gliding through calm waters or tackling a challenging portage, the right apparel can make all the difference. Your paddling clothes should be:

• Quick-drying
• Comfortable
• Allowing you to move freely
• Protecting you from the elements

And don’t forget your portaging gear.

Just as a knight wouldn’t go into battle without armor, a canoeist shouldn’t embark on a portage without proper clothing.

Campsite Wear

After a long day of paddling and portaging, slipping into your campsite wear is like a warm hug. These are the clothes you’ll relax in, cook in, and sleep in. They should be warm, comfortable, and quick-drying, preparing you for chilly nights and dewy mornings. And with the right campsite wear, you won’t just feel great – you’ll look the part too. Be sure to check out our comprehensive camping checklist article here.

Personal Care Essentials

Personal care essentials may seem like a small part of your canoe trip packing list, but they’re vital for your comfort and hygiene. From toiletries and insect repellent to medications, these items ensure that you can take care of your personal needs even in the heart of the wilderness.

After all, a happy camper is a clean and comfortable camper.

Shelter and Sleep Systems

Much the same as a tortoise toting its home on its back, you’ll be transporting yours in your canoe. Choosing the right shelter and sleep system is crucial for a good night’s rest, preparing you for another exciting day of paddling. Whether you prefer the coziness of a tent or the freedom of a hammock, a good shelter can make your canoe camping trip all the more enjoyable.

Tents and Hammocks

Tents and hammocks are the two main contenders for your shelter of choice on a canoe camping trip. Each has its strengths and weaknesses, and the best choice depends on your personal preferences, the nature of your trip, and the camping conditions you’ll face.

Whether you choose the enclosed comfort of a tent or the open-air freedom of a hammock , make sure it suits your needs and provides a comfortable and safe place to rest at the end of the day.

Sleeping Bag and Pad

After a long day of paddling and exploring, your sleeping bag and sleeping pad are your ticket to a good night’s sleep. Choosing the right ones depends on the weather conditions, the weight you’re willing to carry, and your personal comfort preferences.

Whether you opt for the fluffy warmth of a down sleeping bag or the quick-drying convenience of a synthetic one, the right sleeping system can make all the difference in your canoe camping trip.

Extra Comforts

Sometimes, it’s the little things that make all the difference. Extra comforts like a packable pillow or earplugs might not seem essential, but they can significantly enhance your sleeping experience. After all, a well-rested paddler is a happy paddler, so why not add a touch of luxury to your wilderness adventure?

Camp Kitchen and Food Storage

Eating well is about more than just filling your stomach – it’s about fueling your adventure. Setting up a functional camp kitchen and packing the right food can turn meal times into a highlight of your day. But it’s not just about what you cook – it’s also about how you store it.

Cooking Gear and Utensils

An effective camp kitchen operates similar to a well-oiled machine, where every piece of gear has a role. From your stove to your cookware, each item should be easy to use, durable, and efficient. After all, the wilderness might be your dining room, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a good meal with the help of cooking oil.

Food Packing Strategies

Packing food for a canoe trip is a balancing act. On one hand, you want meals that are delicious and nutritious. On the other hand, you need food that’s lightweight, compact, and doesn’t require refrigeration.

The secret lies in careful planning and smart packing strategies.

Water Treatment

Water is the elixir of life – but in the wilderness, it can also be a source of danger. Ensuring you have safe, clean drinking water is vital, and there are various water filtration and purification systems that can help you achieve this, regardless of where your canoe trip takes you.

Navigation and Communication Tools

The thrill of a canoe trip lies in charting your own course and exploring the unknown. But to do so safely, you’ll need reliable navigation and communication tools. From traditional maps and compasses to modern GPS and satellite phones, these tools are your lifeline in the wilderness.

Maps and Compass

In this era of GPS and smartphones, the traditional map and compass may appear obsolete. But when you’re navigating remote waterways, they can be your best friends. Knowing how to use these tools effectively is a vital skill for any canoeist, and can make the difference between a successful trip and a disastrous one.

Emergency Communication

Being isolated on the water, far from civilization, necessitates the ability to call for assistance during emergencies. That’s where emergency communication devices come in. Whether it’s a satellite phone for remote areas or a personal locator beacon for serious emergencies, these devices can be a lifesaver on a canoe trip.

Additional Accessories and Repair Kits

As with any adventure, unexpected events often constitute the most memorable experiences on a canoe trip. But sometimes, the unexpected can also bring challenges. That’s why it’s a good idea to pack some additional accessories and repair kits.

From handy multi-tools to comprehensive repair kits, these items can help you tackle any surprises that come your way.

Useful Add-Ons

While the basics are essential, sometimes it’s the extras that can make your canoe trip truly special. These add-ons may not be necessary, but they can enhance your experience, making your trip more comfortable, efficient, or just plain fun without adding extra weight.

Repair Kits and Tools

Even with the best preparation, things can go wrong on a canoe trip. A sudden leak in your canoe, a broken paddle, or a tear in your tent can turn your adventure into a nightmare. But with a good repair kit and some basic tools, you can fix most issues on the spot and get back to enjoying your trip.

From the thrill of gliding through tranquil waters to the challenge of navigating uncharted territories, a canoe trip is an adventure like no other. But the journey is not just about the destination – it’s also about the preparation. So pack carefully, prepare thoroughly, and then paddle forth into the wilderness. The adventure awaits.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you pack for a canoe trip.

When packing for a canoe trip, remember to pack essential personal items such as quick-drying clothing, a small towel, a lightweight long-sleeved shirt, sunscreen, and sunglasses to protect yourself from the elements and stay comfortable during your adventure.

What food is good for canoe trips?

Good options for canoe trips include snack foods like trail mix, beef jerky, carrots, peanut butter, bars, cookies, and fruit. Additionally, plan meals like taco soup, lentil chili, or spaghetti with meat sauce using dehydrated ingredients.

Where should you pack the heaviest items in a canoe?

Pack the heaviest items in the center and at the bottom of the canoe to maintain balance and maneuverability. Place medium-heavy items over the heavier gear and lighter items at the ends of the canoe.

What is the best month to go on a canoe trip?

The best month to go on a canoe trip is September due to less boat traffic and crowded campsites, despite the slightly increased risk of precipitation compared to July and August.

What kind of clothes should I wear on a canoe trip?

Wear quick-drying and comfortable clothes for paddling and portaging, and pack warm and comfortable clothes for the campsite. It’s also important to remember to bring personal care essentials.

Hi! I'm Jess.

the girl with the maps

Outdoor Adventures , Packing Lists , Travel , Travel Guides · April 2, 2023

Canoe Trip Packing List: Everything You Need for a Canoe Camping Trip

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Looking for a great canoe trip packing list? Here are the best tips for how to pack for a canoe trip!

Canoe camping is one of the most fun outdoor adventures you can take! I’ve been canoe camping since I was a child and I’ve learned a lot over the years. Lucky for you, I’ve made all of the mistakes one can make when it comes to packing, and I’ve narrowed my canoe trip packing list down to perfection!

This post is all about the best canoe trip packing list.

Canoe trip basics, location research, water safety, first aid kit, campsite safety , sleep system, camp kitchen, water purification, personal care, electronics.

The first item on our list will be a canoe. If you don’t own a canoe I recommend checking your local outfitter for their rental options. You should rent a canoe that weighs 50 pounds or less, especially if you’re doing a lot of portaging. Most local outfitters include canoe paddles, lifejackets and a bail kit with each rental. Ensure your paddles are appropriate for your height, that your lifejacket is the correct size and inspect your canoe for any damages before beginning your trip.

Safety is a really important topic when in the backcountry and when on the water. Canoe camping can be a challenging but really fun experience and it’s really important to have all safety items in place so that you are prepared if an issue comes up. Whether that be bad weather and water conditions, an injury or illness, or a bad encounter with wildlife. You can’t always control these things from happening but you can be prepared when they do.

One of the most important things to do before leaving on your trip is to research the location thoroughly and develop a complete understanding of the area and the trail you are taking. Identify camp locations, distances, a turn back point, and water sources. Other important items to research include who to call for help, identify threats to safety such as understanding wildlife behaviour, what to do if you encounter them and how to store food safely, and research weather warnings including storms, aggressive winds, flooding and fire rules.

Each location has their own challenges and things to be aware of. Researching the location in advance both on the organization’s website and reading past experiences from other travellers will allow you to be prepared for your trip.

When it comes to navigation most people think of a map and compass which is great! It’s essential to always bring a hard copy of a map even if you have a copy on your phone. Additionally, I never enter the backcountry without my SOS device. An SOS device is a satellite messenger meaning that it can be connected to emergency services regardless of if there is cell reception available (and there usually isn’t). There are multiple device options available. Some only let you contact EMS (when needed) and others allow you to message with family and friends in addition to having an SOS button.

I own the Garmin inReach Mini and I love it. I can send messages to my parents with a trip update and my exact GPS coordinates so they know I’m safe. The other great thing about the Garmin devices is that they can be used for navigation via the satellite connection. I use this as my main source of navigation and have my paper map as back-up.

1) Lifejacket

When canoe camping we obviously spend a lot of time on the water each day. Regardless of swimming ability, everyone in the canoe should be wearing a lifejacket. As a certified lifeguard myself, I have seen way too many situations where a strong swimmer gets into a bad situation because they rely on the fact that they can swim. Even if you can swim, water currents, weather, physical ability and health risk factors all come into play. Being in the backcountry, where you don’t have easy and quick access to help, it’s so important to ensure you are wearing all necessary safety equipment any time you are on the water.

Not all lifejackets are made equal. If you are looking to purchase a lifejacket, make sure you look to buy a paddling one as it gives you more range of motion for long days in the canoe. Here is a great affordable paddling lifejacket option.

Many lifejackets come with a whistle, but if your renting one or yours doesn’t have one, it’s important to also be wearing a whistle to call for help. This classic Fox 40 whistle is a great and affordable option. It also works after it’s been wet which is essential.

3) Emergency Bag

Every canoe camper should carry an emergency bag that can be used if you had to ditch your boat in an emergency and could only grab 1 thing. This bag should have everything you need to survive at least 1 overnight. My emergency bag is a bright yellow dry bag . It includes the following:

• 1-2 emergency meals
• Tarp for a temporary shelter
• Fire starter & lighter
• Emergency blanket
• Water filtration system
• First aid kit

4) Canoe Recovery Practice

You never know what can happen on the water. It’s important to know how to recovery your canoe and practice this before you go out on your trip. I’ve linked some of my favourite resources below. If it’s your first trip I highly recommend a guide or group trip lead by a guide as they will help you develop these skills.

• Tandem Paddling and Basic Rescue Techniques
• How to Deal with a Flipped Canoe
• How to Empty a Swamped Canoe from the Water
• How to Keep Your Canoe From Flipping

You can purchase a small and ready made first aid kit online or you can make your own. If you’re making your own you should include the following at a minimum:

• Adhesive tape
• Triangular bandage & safety pins
• Antiseptic wipes
• Gauze rolls and pads
• First aid manual
• Medication ( pain , cold , allergy , nausea/upset stomach pills and epi-pen if needed)

1) Location Specific Items

Based on your earlier research of the trail and wildlife, you can add in here the specific items that you might need. For example, if you’re in bear country, you will need to bring bear spray or if there are poisonous snakes on trail, a snake bite kit.

2) Food Storage

Again, depending on the location you will need to plan for food storage. Some places require bear canisters , some have bear lockers or bear hang available and some places require you to bear hang yourself. I did bear hangs for years and find it quite tedious now. I prefer to travel with a bear canister (if permitted). It might be a little extra weight but it makes your life way easier at camp! See below for more information on food storage in bear country:

• Backpacking Food Storage
• What to do in a Bear Encounter (And How to Avoid One)
• Bear Spray Scenarios & Demonstration

3) Leave No Trace Principles

Following the Leave No Trace Principles is an essential part of being in the backcountry. These guidelines help everyone understand how to enjoy the environment in a responsible way and take action to protect it for years to come. To learn more information about Leave No Trace, I highly recommend checking out this REI video.

At least a 40L backpack is required on most trips. If you’re going for longer you might want to look into a larger bag. Depending on the type of outdoor adventures you plan to do in the future you have a few options. If you only plan on canoe camping then I’d recommend a canoe pack. This bag is waterproof and will serve you well on all canoe camping adventures by keeping your camp equipment dry no matter the conditions. If you plan on doing a little bit of everything (backpacking, canoe camping, overseas travel), then I’d recommend a backpacking backpack. This type of bag is designed for any excursion and built to carry weight really well. If you’re using this kind of bag while canoe camping, I recommend putting gear that must stay dry in dry bags and using a packliner.

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There are many options for a shelter when canoe camping. The shelter you choose will depend on the time of year, weather conditions, landscape and what you feel most comfortable with. Of course, there is the classic tent set-up but there are also hammock camping options and tarp tents. I spent one summer hammock camping and I loved it! But then a little puppy joined my family and I reverted back to the classic tent shelter option. I bought my tent on Amazon 3 years ago and it has held up so well in all kinds of weather, I highly recommend checking it out!

You might be wondering – what is a sleep system? A sleep system is a combination of gear that helps you have the best sleep possible in the backcountry. After a long day of paddling or hiking, it’s essential to get a good night’s sleep which means being as comfortable as possible while sleep on the ground. The essentials include a sleeping bag and sleeping pad. Depending on your camping habits you will want to consider the type of sleeping bag and pad you are looking for, they are not all the same. Both have temperature ratings for warm or cooler weather. In addition, it is important to think about the weight of these items. If you plan to do long trips in the future, it’s important to purchase light and packable items.

I opt for a 3-season sleep system as this allows me to sleep comfortably in spring, summer and fall in Canada. This is my favourite 3-season sleeping pad – it’s also really affordable. This is my favourite 3-season sleeping bag. A packable pillow is also a really nice item to have but it’s not essential. If you’re on a budget, put your clothes in a pillowcase or your pack liner and use that as your pillow. This is my favourite packable pillow , fun fact – they upcycle bits of sleeping pads to make this!

Everyone has different preferences when it comes to a camp kitchen. Some campers like to do a full meal prep in the backcountry, some like to simply eat freeze dried meals (me) and others sit somewhere in between. Depending on your preferences you can add to this set-up as needed:

• Water bottle
• Foldable sink
• Microfiber cloth
• Garbage bag
• Biodegradable soap
• Food storage container ( dry bag , bear resistant bag , bear canister )

The great news about canoe camping is that you will have easy access to water. There are many options for filtering or purifying water. My favourite for canoe camping is the Platypus GravityWorks System . It is great for long trips and large groups. For backup I always carry water purification tablets . I include these in my emergency bag and they are also good to have incase something goes wrong with your filter system. For more information about water treatment I highly recommend reviewing this REI video.

Another item I keep with my water filtration kit is electrolyte tablets. These are great for two things, the first being that they help with hydration after long days in the sun, and the second is that the taste of warm lake water gets old, really quickly. Electrolyte tablets like, nuun tablets , are great to help with the taste of water and also with hydration.

The key thing about packing food for your canoe trip is that you need to plan a menu for each day. Throwing random ingredients into a food bag will have you dragging around way too much food and trust me, you’ll regret it on the long portages. I recommend planning breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert and at least 3 snacks for each day. In addition, depending on the length of your trip and how deep you are in the backcountry, you should account for at least 1 emergency meal, incase you have to spend an extended period of time waiting for rescue. I opt for freeze dried meals as they are lightweight, easy to prep and clean up and most of them taste pretty good.

This category will change from person to person and in different seasons. This is what I recommend bringing as a baseline and you can add or take-away items as needed.

• Mineral sunscreen (it is important to wear mineral only as it’s safest for waterways)
• Toothpaste tabs – lightweight, low waste and you can bring the exact amount that you need
• Biodegradable soap – Campsuds can be used for dishes and body/hair as needed
• Quick dry towel
• Hairbrush & hair ties (if needed)
• Toilet paper
• Portable bidet
• Trowel – learn more about the backcountry bathroom situation here
• Prescription medication
• Lip balm with SPF
• Hand sanitizer

When it comes to electronics on the water, the most important thing is to store them in a dry bag to ensure they do not get water damage. I don’t bring many electronic items into the backcountry but these are the ones I recommend bringing:

• Head lamp – I got this amazing rechargeable headlamp on Amazon and I’ve been using it for years
• Powerbank – this cool solar one is a good option
• Phone – I recommend using your phone for photos but if necessary you could also bring a camera
• Phone charger

When canoe camping you want to pack clothing that I call “outdoor clothes” meaning that they are either built for the outdoors (durable) or its clothing that you don’t mind if it gets ruined. It’s important to avoid cotton for all clothing items as it holds smell and doesn’t dry quickly. Here is an outline of what I pack on each trip:

• Swimsuit – depends on season
• Shorts x1 
• Sleep clothes x1 
• Thermal layer x1 – depends on season 
• Under garments – avoid cotton if you can
• Socks x1 for camp
• Hiking boots/shoes – depends on season (I wear a hiking sandal in the summer and a boot in the off-seasons )
• Camp sandal (light flip flops, because you don’t want to be in your wet shoes/sandals all evening)
• Sunglasses (polarized is best)
• Raincoat + pants – this doubles as bug gear 
• Bug net – depends on season (necessary in June and July in Canada)

There you have it! This post was all about the best canoe trip packing list. Happy paddling!

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April 2, 2023 at 7:50 PM

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Canoe Trip Pack List: 62 Essentials for Backcountry Camping

Are you planning a backcountry camping trip in North America this summer?

I have been on several canoe trips in Algonquin Park and know how overwhelming it can be to pack for a multi-day camping adventure.

Forgetting a single essential item can make your trip less enjoyable or even put your safety at risk. That is why I have compiled a comprehensive list of 65 essential items for your canoe trip pack list .

I have learnt these tips from my numerous camping trips to Algonquin Park in Ontario , plus with the help of experienced campers who have been canoe camping for over 15 years. You can trust that this list covers everything you need on your canoe camping checklist.

Whether you are a seasoned camper or a first-timer, this article is perfect for anyone planning an overnight canoe camping adventure in North America this summer.

Want to receive this canoe camping packing list as a printable or fillable checklist ?

Canoeing Trip Packing List

• Sleeping and Shelter
• Food and Water
• Safety and Navigation
• Personal Items 

This portaging packing list is organised into categories.

Use the information in the categories above to learn about packing for a canoe trip in the backcountry.

Backcountry camping is a type of camping in which you have no access to running water, a toilet, mobile service, or electricity .

The main difference between backcountry camping and car camping is that you must carry all your belongings to the backcountry, either by foot or canoe.

Therefore, for backcountry canoeing, you need to pack as light as possible so it is possible to carry it.

You do not have to consider the weight and number of objects as much with car camping .

Sleeping & Shelter: Most Important Packing List Items

Some of the most important things on your packing list for canoe trips are items you will use for shelter and sleeping.

These overnight camping essentials may seem like luxury items, such as a sleeping mat or a pillow – but they will improve your sleep quality immensely.

Selecting the right tent is crucial to ensure a comfortable and safe canoe camping experience.

For extra comfort, bring a tent that can accommodate one more person than your group , as this allows for extra space for moving around and using the tent for changing or resting.

When looking for a tent, consider its durability and waterproof features to protect against weather conditions like rain and wind.

Additionally, the weight of the tent should be considered since it can be challenging to pack and carry a heavy tent on a canoe trip.

If you need more tips on choosing a tent, check out this tent guide on the REI website . 

The tent we use is the MSR Hubba Bubba 3-Person Tent .

• Best Budget : NEMO Aurora Tent
• Best Luxury : MSR Hubba Bubba Tent

2. Trekking Backpack

Your canoe trip may involve hikes and portages to get to your campsite . Therefore, you need to bring a large bag that you can fill with essential canoe trip items , such as sleeping bags, a tent, equipment, and emergency items.

Ideally, you want a large rucksack that has padded shoulder straps for comfort.

Many portages, such as those around Lake Magnetawan , involve hiking for over 1km – which will take much longer than a regular 1 km hike, given you will be carrying heavy equipment.

You also need a waist strap on the bag to support your back and balance the weight of the bag.

If you purchase a high-quality trekking rucksack it will last many years. For example, we use these Gregory backpacks and they are around 10 years old.

• Best Backpack : Gregory Stout 60L Backpack ( men’s product available here )

3. Sleeping Mat

Depending on your budget, you can use a regular sleeping pad, which is like a yoga mat, or bring a self-inflating sleeping mat .

The latter will likely be more expensive but will protect your back more from feeling the rocky terrain.

Consider that if you are a side sleeper, you may need to find more specialist products because even with an inflatable sleeping mat, you will feel discomfort on your side.

The sleeping mat we use is Therm-a-Rest Prolite . It is self-inflating and easy to roll-up.

• Best Budget : Stoic Groundwork Sleeping Pad
• Best Luxury : Therm-a-Rest Prolite Sleeping Pad

4. Sleeping Bag

Another of the most crucial items on your overnight camping packing list is the sleeping bag.

There are several types of sleeping bag. You can choose a sleeping bag based on its features, such as its lowest suitable outdoor temperature and whether it is fit for males or females.

Take some time and research to discover which sleeping bag will work best for you.

For those based in Canada , MEC has an excellent selection of sleeping bags (our sleeping bags are from MEC).

• Best 3-Season Sleeping Bag : NEMO Disco 30 Sleeping Bag ( men’s product available too )

5. Camping Pillow

If you do not bring a pillow, you will soon see why a camping pillow is a necessity . Sleeping on a rolled-up piece of clothing will not be as comfortable as a blow-up pillow.

Camping pillows are packable, and many of them are inflatable, so you can adjust the firmness of the pillow.

The pillow we use while camping is NEMO Fillo Backpacking Pillow . You can adjust the firmness of the pillow using the inflation valve.

• Option 1 : NEMO Fillo Backpacking Pillow
• Option 2 : Sea to Summit Aeros Ultralight Inflatable Camping Pillow

Bring a long, strong rope to hang your food barrel from a tree branch.

Pack another rope to hang tarps or make clothing lines .

A tarp is an excellent item to add to your canoe trip gear list because it packs up small and can be valuable in case of rainfall .

You can set up additional space for daytime use or use the tarp to keep other items dry at night if there is no space inside your tent.

Therefore, make sure you purchase a heavy duty tarp that is fully waterproof.

You can various options for tarpaulin on Amazon or other camping equipment stores.

• Best Budget : Amazon Basics Waterproof Camping Tarp
• Best Luxury : Sea to Summit Escapist Tarp (Medium)

Food and Water: How to Prepare for a Canoe Trip

In this section of the canoe trip equipment list, you will find all the gear you need to help with eating and drinking while on a canoe camping trip .

You should pack enough food for the entire duration of your trip.

If your backcountry camping trip exceeds three days , you should bring dehydrated or freeze-dried food ; otherwise, the fresh food you took may not stay fresh.

Large water containers are heavy to carry in addition to your other canoe expedition gear.

So, aside from the water you already have in your water bottle, you will need to use other water sources for drinking and brushing your teeth.

Nonetheless, you cannot drink directly from most lakes due to the risk of giardia (beaver fever). The bacteria from the water can cause some severe side effects. You need to make sure you purify any lake water before drinking it.

Some destinations, such as deserts, do not recommend attempting to purify and drink their water because it can clog filters. Therefore, you will need to bring large containers of water. Remember to bring enough water for drinking, cooking, and brushing your teeth.

8. Water Filtration System

A gravity bag is an excellent way of filtering lake water and making it potable. Water is abundant while canoeing; therefore, gravity bags are a great option to use to make drinking water.

A gravity bag is more expensive than other water purification methods, but consider it an investment because you can use it for many camping trips to come.  

This is the water gravity bag we use on our backcountry camping trips.

• Best Budget : Katadyn BeFree 3.0L Water Filter
• Best Luxury : Platypus GravityWorks 4.0L Filter System

9. Water Purification Tablets

These tablets are a compact and low-cost way (in the short-term) of purifying your water so it is safe to drink. However, purifying tablets can make the water taste a little different to normal, so you may prefer to use another water filter method.

It is advised to bring some water purification treatment tablets as a backup in case your gravity bag water supply fails. In this case, you will still have a method of drinking clean water.

• Aquatabs 49mg Water Purification Tablets

10. Camp Stove

Another significant item to add to your canoe trip pack list is the camping stove. This piece of gear is essential to your survival while camping, particularly if you have no access to a fire pit for cooking.

Once you have bought a stove, you should also guarantee you know how to use it.

If you have not used your camp stove since your last camping adventure, check it is working before you embark on your next canoe trip.

• Best Budget : MSR Pocket Rocket 2 Stove
• Best Luxury : Jetboil MiniMo Camping and Backpacking Stove

11. Kitchen Cookware

A good set of cookware, including knives, forks, spoons, plates, a saucepan, and a frying pan, will make meal preparation and serving a smoother experience in the backcountry.

Instead of bringing so much cutlery, you could also purchase a spork – a cross between a fork and spoon.

It is beneficial to have a cookware set that packs up inside itself.

If you are purchasing an MSR stove, there are often bundles that include some cookware.

• Stove and Cookware Bundle : including Sauce Pan, Deep Dish Bowls, two Insulated Mugs, Strainer Lid, and two Folding Sporks.
• Jetboil Frying Pan
• MSR Kitchen Utensil Set – includes Folding Spoon, Spatula, Ultralight Cutting Board, Salt & Pepper Shaker, Squeeze Bottle and Dish Towel.

In addition to knives used for eating, you need a sharper knife to cut food such as fruit or vegetables.

13. Bear-Proof Food Containers

A food barrel will keep your food safe from bears and the elements while you are on the water or in the backcountry.

It is also a great way to organise your food and keep everything in one place. You can also use it to store other scented toiletries.

When packing your food barrel at home, review the order you pack your food, with the items you will need first at the top.

A food barrel is heavy and difficult to carry when full. It is recommended to attach straps to carry the barrel like a backpack to make portages easier and allow your hands to be free to carry other objects, such as paddles.

• Food Barrel (MEC Canada)
• Straps for Food Barrel

It is also possible to purchase bear-proof bags and bear resistant food containers . These can fit inside your other backpacks and will keep your toiletries and food safe.

14. Water Bottle

Staying hydrated is essential when canoeing and camping. Bring a reusable water bottle to refill as needed along the way.

Even though insulated water bottles are good for keeping your beverage cold, I suggest bringing a lightweight plastic bottle. Plus, you will want a wide-mouth water bottle in which you can easily place an electrolyte tablet .

15. Empty Plastic Bag

Be sure to pack out everything you bring in. An empty plastic bag for waste will help you keep your campsite and the surrounding wilderness clean.

Remove packaging from new items before you leave for camping so you do not have unnecessary trash on you.

16. Espresso Maker

If you cannot go a day without coffee, you can bring a small espresso maker. It may be challenging to bring milk, so you need to drink it black.

17. Lighter

Starting a fire is essential for cooking and staying warm. Be sure to bring a lighter, as well as a backup option, such as additional lighters or waterproof matches .

18. Collapsible Sink

When backcountry camping, a collapsible sink is a useful to wash your dishes.

Washing dishes near your campsite or water source can contaminate the environment and attract wildlife. Therefore, a packable kitchen sink is handy to contain your dishwater and move it somewhere safe for disposal.

Collapsible sinks are lightweight, easy to pack, and a great item to add to your wild camping kit list.

• Best Budget : Flat Pack Sink
• Best Camping Dish Wash Station : Sea to Summit Collapsable Wash Bag

Safety Items: Canoe Camping Gear List

Some items on this canoeing equipment list are for an emergency; therefore, you hope that you will not have to use them.

Whereas, other canoe camping gear is essential; such as flashlights, a hatchet to cut wood, and a map to keep on the right path.  

As well as possessing these items, you need to be up to date on your bear safety.

Many destinations across North America, such as Banff and Algonquin Park are home to bears.

You can read about being “ bear wise ” here.

Rent canoes if you do not have one. It is a major piece on a canoe gear list.

Once you have determined where you will be backcountry camping, you should investigate canoe rentals.

If you will be camping in Algonquin Park, I have given recommendations for canoe rentals for Rock Lake Access Point and Magnetawan Lake Access Point .

20. Paddles

Just as with canoes, you must bring or rent paddles to steer and propel your canoe.

Each person needs a paddle.

21. Personal Flotation Device

Many parks require you to wear personal flotation devices, also known as PFDs, or at least have them in your possession. A lifejacket can save your life in case of an emergency.

Canoe and paddle rental companies will give you lifejackets to wear for your canoe camping trip.

22. First Aid Kit

Accidents can happen, and having a first aid kit can help you take care of minor injuries, such as blisters and cuts.

Consider the number of people on your camping trip and how many days you will be camping for. As you can see in the adjacent image – the medical kit we took was enough for two people on a two day trip.

Check you also have painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs in your first aid kit.

If you use anything from your medical kit while backcountry camping, make sure you replace it for the next trip.

• Adventure Medical Kit

Even if you visit your place of backcountry camping often, you should bring a map so that any group member can use it if needed.

Have it in a waterproof case so it will not be ruined by rain or dropped in a river.

When the sun goes down, it gets incredibly dark in the backcountry when all you have is the moonlight. You will need a reliable light to navigate in the dark and find your way around camp.

A flashlight or headlamp is useful for walking around the campsite in the evening.

A lantern is good for putting around the camp or inside your tent when winding down for the evening.

25. Hatchet and/or Sledgehammer

These tools will come in handy for preparing firewood. Plus, a sledgehammer can be used to hammer tent pegs if the ground is hard.

26. Compass

A compass can help you navigate and stay on course when you have no service.

27. Firewood

Verify whether there is a fire ban in the park before you enter.

You may not even need firewood if you have brought your camping stove. Although, if the weather is good, you can rely on wood that you gather on your camping site for cooking.

If there is no fire ban, buy wood from the park office. You cannot bring wood from outside the park.

Clothing for a Overnight Canoe Trip Packing List

When deciding what to wear on a canoe trip, bring the fewest number of clothes possible .

For shorter trips, less than three nights, you can typically get away with the daytime clothes on your back, plus an extra set in your pack.

After a few days of no access to showers on overnight canoe trips, you will embrace wearing the same clothes.

Although, you may wish to leave an extra outfit in the car for the end of the trip to travel home without smelling like a bonfire or sweat. 

Keep an eye on the weather forecast in the days approaching your canoe trip. The weather can change quickly, but the forecast should indicate if you will face cold or hot temperatures or rainy conditions.

The best kinds of fabrics for backcountry camping in summer are lightweight and quick drying ; for example, exercise shirts from Lululemon or swimming trunks for men.  

However, do not bring any of your best clothing that you would not like to get damaged or stained in case of any accidents or that is not easily replaceable if needed.

Read on to find all the items of clothing that should be on your backcountry camping overnight checklist.

28. Dry Bags

Before you pack any clothes on your canoe camping list, you need a waterproof bag to put them in.

Dry bags are the best for storing items that need to stay clean and dry. They are waterproof and the top folds over to stop any water from entering if the bag falls out of your canoe or kayak. 

SealLine is a reputable brand of dry bags.

You need dry bags in varying sizes, for example smaller ones for your clothing , and a larger one (with straps) for sleeping bags .

• Best Large Dry Bag: 65L SealLine Dry Pack with Straps
• Best Small Dry Bag: 10L SealLine Dry Bag

29. T-Shirts

Ideally, you will bring short-sleeve t-shirts in a sweat-resistant fabric .

Full-sized t-shirts are best for canoeing because they will cover your shoulders , which can burn on a sunny day. Plus, the material will make you feel fresher for longer.

Some suggested brands for this kind of t-shirt include: Lululemon and Adidas.

• Ladies ‘ Crew T-Shirt from Lululemon
• Ladies ‘ Running T-Shirt from Adidas
• Men’s Drysense Short Sleeve Shirt from Lululemon

Shorts are typically the best clothing to wear as bottoms for canoeing. It can get warm and sweaty on summer canoe trips.

Plus, it is common to splash water on your legs when paddling, so it will dry quicker on your bare legs and shorts than on trousers.  

Quick-drying shorts are better than cotton shorts.

• Ladies ‘ Mid-Rise Lined Shorts from Lululemon
• Men’s Baggies Shorts from Patagonia

31. Warm Sweater

Even though you are going on an overnight canoeing trip in summer, it can still get cold at times. You will likely need to wear a sweater, or another long-sleeved layer, such as a fleece, to keep warm once the sun has set .

Additionally, covering your arms in the evenings will help prevent mosquito bites .

It is best not to wear the same clothes to sleep in that you have cooked or eaten in (in case of any smells or remnants of food left on the materials) at night due to bears.

Therefore, ensure you have a warm enough sleeping bag or another long sleeve layer to wear for sleeping if you get cold easily.

• Gender-Free Crew Sweatshirt from Roots Canada ( available on US website here )

32. Long Pants

Another item of clothing that is good for canoeing trips is a pair of trousers, that are not jeans. This type of long pants is handy for evenings, when the temperature is cooler, and the mosquitos are out.

Leggings are typically too thin to stop mosquitos from biting through the material, so they are not the best trousers to wear in the evening on camping trips.

Sweatpants or other exercise trousers, such as these Lululemon trousers are better options for camping .

• Ladies ‘ Stretch High-Rise Pants from Lululemon
• Men’s Training Joggers from Lululemon

33. Leggings or Long Johns

It is recommended to bring leggings or other thermal pants because they are good for sleeping . If you think you may get cold legs at night, it is best to pack a pair of leggings.

I usually start by wearing leggings as it is cold at the start and middle of the night. By morning, you may want to wear shorts.

The best quality leggings for ladies, in my opinion, are from Lululemon .

• Ladies ‘ Align Leggings from Lululemon
• Men’s Thermal Leggings from Icebreaker

34. Bathing Suit

You will need some swimwear on your backcountry camping trip for several reasons. Firstly, after a long, hot portage, a refreshing dip in the lake may be just what you need. Secondly, swimming may be the only way to wash yourself during your camping expedition.

Ladies, bring a two-piece if possible because it will dry quicker and it will make going to the bathroom easier if you are exploring while wearing your bikini.

35. Daytime Socks

It is important to bring enough socks for each day to wear during the daytime because you might find your socks will get damp and sweaty.

You may prefer to wear active-wear socks as these will cope better with the dampness of the foot from hiking and paddling.

Also, check that your socks cover your whole heel to avoid getting blisters .

It is best to wear socks that come just above the ankle because it will help protect them against potential scrapes while hiking .

• Ladies ‘ Hiking Socks from Lululemon ( socks available for men here )

36. Warm Socks

I recommend bringing some thicker socks that you can wear in the evenings to cover your ankles from mosquitoes. Plus they are good to keep your feet warm at night .

Roots is my favourite shop to buy these types of socks from.

• Cabin Socks – 2 Pack
• Cabin Ankle Socks – 2 Pack

37. Underwear

This is self-explanatory, but bring enough underwear for the entire duration of your trip.

Men – you may be fine with wearing swimming trunks while canoe camping. But think about nighttime and other times you will not be wearing swimwear. 

Ladies – sports bras are better than regular bras because they will hold up well to sweat. You can wear bikini tops the whole time, but you may want better support while carrying the canoe/equipment on portages or paddling.

38. Rain Jacket

You should bring some rain gear, even if it does not look like rain is in the forecast during your canoe trip.

Rain jackets are usually easy to roll up small into a bag. Plus, you can use your raincoat as an extra layer if it gets cooler.

• Best Luxury : Arcteryx Beta Rain Jacket ( Beta LT for Women ) ( Beta Lightweight for Men )
• Best Budget : North Face Rain Jacket ( Antora Jacket for Women ) ( Antora Jacket for Men )

Wide-brimmed hats are great for canoe camping because they cover more of the face and neck than baseball caps. However, a baseball cap will also work if that is what you already own.

If you already own a wide-brim hat from a safari or other similar trip, bring it.

Check the night-time temperature because it is chillier at night. If so, you may want to bring items such as a knitted hat or gloves – but this is more for spring and fall trips . 

• Women’s Wide Brim Bucket Hat from Lululemon
• Sinsola Sun Hat from Arcteryx
• Abisko Sun Hat from Fjallraven
• Roots Baseball Cap from Roots

40. Sunglasses

Sunglasses will be another one of your canoe trip essentials. Do not bring your favourite pair of sunglasses in case they get lost or broken. However, make sure that the sunglasses you bring have sufficient UV protection .

You may benefit from having a string/rope to secure them around your neck when you are not wearing them.

• Sunglasses Strap

41. Old Running Shoes or Hiking Shoes

The best canoe trip shoes are durable and comfortable, but also you should be fine with them getting a little wet.

There are occasions while camping that you may accidentally step in water when getting in and out of the canoe. Therefore, you should be fine with wearing the shoes in water , or they should be able to withstand the wetness.

I suggest bringing an old pair of running shoes or sturdy hiking shoes.

I wore my Blundstone Boots when camping but I got bad blisters from the rigorous portages, so I would not recommend wearing these if you are prone to blisters.

• Women’s Hiking Shoes from Merrell ( Men’s version available here )

42. Campsite Shoes

You will need shoes to wear around your campsite, such as sandals. Campsite shoes give your feet a rest and a breath from the trainers you wear during the day.

I would avoid bringing flip-flops because it is tough to wear these with socks on, which you may want to do in the evenings.

A solid pair of sandals, such as Tevas are beneficial because they also can be used for walking and canoeing.

• Teva Sandals for Women ( Men’s version available here )
• Keen Sandals for Women ( Men’s version available here )

Toiletries: What to Pack for Backcountry Canoeing

43. biodegradable soap.

It is essential to bring biodegradable soap because it will decompose more quickly in the wild than conventional soaps.

Read about other best practices for camping and how to respect the environment, follow the Leave No Trace principles .

You will use soap to wash your dishes and to wash your body. It is one of the biggest must haves for tent camping.

• Best Budget : Campsuds Biodegradable Soap
• Best Luxury : Dr Bronner’s Pure-Castile Liquid Soap

44. Toothbrush and Toothpaste

Keeping your teeth clean while camping will help you feel fresher while away from many basic amenities. It is recommended to bring a manual toothbrush rather than an electric toothbrush.

Plus, those small travel tubes of toothpaste are handy to keep your toiletries as light as possible.

45. Sunscreen

Protecting your skin from harmful UV rays is especially when canoe camping because you may spend much of the day in direct sunlight. Facial sun cream should contain SPF 50 .

Spray sunscreens are good for the rest of the body because they can be applied while on the go. You may get sweaty while portaging or canoeing, so choose the thicker sports suntan lotions so it stays on for longer.

Here are my favourite brands of facial sunscreen:

• La Roche Posay Face Sunscreen
• Cetaphil Face Sun Protection

46. Deodorant

Do not forget basic hygiene while camping. Unscented deodorant is best to avoid attracting insects.

47. Antihistamine

If you are prone to mosquito bites, antihistamines will help relieve symptoms caused by bites, stings, or other allergens.

48. Bug Spray

Mosquitoes and other insects can be a nuisance in the backcountry, particularly while in wooded portages. You will need to apply insect repellent liberally to keep them at bay.

• OFF! Deep Woods Insect Repellent

49. Medication

Be sure to bring any necessary medication for your personal needs, such as prescription medication.

50. Antiseptic Cream

For minor cuts and scrapes, antibiotic ointment can help prevent infection. Polysporin and Neosporin are commonly found in North America.

51. Toilet Paper

Bring several rolls of toilet paper. You can buy toilet roll for camping that is designed to be biodegradable and environmentally friendly.

52. Tissues

Tissues are always handy for various uses. You can bring a small travel pack.

You will need to take your used tissues home with you.

53. Hairband

If you have long hair, it is a good idea to bring a couple of hair ties to keep your hair out of your face during physical exercise.

54. Hairbrush

You will likely wear a hat for the entire camping trip, but you should bring a compact brush or comb to keep your hair tangle-free.  

Bring a microfibre towel to dry off after swimming or bathing. Microfibre towels are quick-drying, lightweight, and easy to pack up small.

Personal Items for Camping

The following items are non-essential when packing for a canoe camping trip, but you may find them useful.

56. Portable Power Bank

If you plan on taking photos on your phone while backcountry camping, you will need to bring a portable phone charger . The iPhone will only last a day or two, even when set to Airplane Mode.

57. GoPro Camera

Another option for taking photos or videos while on a canoe trip is using a GoPro . This type of camera will last longer than using a phone.

You can bring any camera that has three days’ worth of battery.

58. Mosquito Net Hat

If you are susceptible to mosquito bites, you may find it useful to bring a mosquito net hat . This will be useful during the evenings when the mosquitos come out in full force.

Some portages can be extremely buggy, so a mosquito net hat can bring some relief.

Mosquito net hats are also extremely useful for visiting places like Scotland in summer .

59. Belt Bag

Ladies and gentlemen, you may want to bring a fanny pack for any small canoe camping essentials to always keep on you, for example, lip balm, tissue, camera/phone, and allergy tablets.

Everyone is a big fan of the Lululemon belt bag , me included, but you can also find other versions of belt bags on Amazon .

60. Backpack

If you plan to embark on day trips without your main camping gear, you should bring one backpack for the group. You can fill it with food for the day, a medical kit, sunscreen, and other essential items.

If you will be portaging each day to a new campsite, you will not need a daypack.

• Osprey Tempest Hiking Backpack 20L

61. Fishing Rod

If you are into fishing, you could bring some fishing equipment. However, ensure you have the proper authority to fish locally. Many parks require permits for fishing.

62. Camp Chair

If you still have space and can carry it, you could bring a camping chair. These are better for backcountry canoe trips where you stay at one campsite , so you do not have to carry it for as long.

• Best Luxury : Ultralight Compact Camping Chair
• Best Budget : Lightweight Folding Camping Chair

63. Secure Case

If you have brought expensive camera equipment or phones, you may prefer to keep them in a safe container while on the water. 

Pelican cases are shock-proof and waterproof and will prevent anything from happening to your luxury items. Check you have the right size for your camera and other precious goods.

64. Playing Cards

Another idea for passing the time is to bring cards so you can play games with other campers. 

You may have some downtown during the day or evening while camping, so you can bring a book to read. I suggest packing a paperback book rather than a hardback so that it is lighter to carry.

FAQ – Canoe Trip Pack List

What to wear canoeing.

If you are canoeing in a warm climate, you should wear shorts and a T-shirt covering your shoulders. Wear quick-drying materials such as nylon or polyester, and avoid cotton as it tends to get heavy and uncomfortable when wet. A hat and sunscreen are essential when canoeing.

If it is a little cooler, you could swap out your t-shirt for a long sleeve t-shirt or add a flannel shirt on top. You should have access to a raincoat in case of a turn in the weather conditions.

Canoeing: What should I take on a canoe trip?

Some of the most important items to bring on a canoe trip include, a life jacket, paddles, map and compass, first aid kit, insect repellent, sunscreen, and a water filtration system or enough drinking water. Other useful items include dry bags, camping gear, cooking supplies, and appropriate clothing and footwear.

What shoes do you wear for canoeing?

The best canoe portage shoes are hiking boots or walking shoes due to their support, traction, and waterproof features. It is also a good idea to pack sandals to wear around the campsite and they can be worn while canoeing too.

What should I pack for a 3 day canoe trip?

No matter the length of your canoe trip, you will need roughly the same amount of essential camping gear, such as a tent, sleeping bag, and toiletries. However, you may need to adjust your packing accounting for food and clothing.

Make a meal plan for your camping trip to consider all meals, including snacks, to ensure you do not forget any food. As for clothing on a 3-day canoeing trip, you should wear one set of camping clothes and pack another set. Make sure you bring enough socks and underwear for each day.

Samantha is the founder of Continuous Roamer, a travel website focusing on adventure and the outdoors.

With a love for adventure and the great outdoors, Samantha shares tips on skiing, luxury safaris, camping, and finding hidden food gems in different destinations.

With over 20 years of skiing experience across Europe, North America, and beyond, she's also an expert in luxury accommodations and experiences.

Whether camping in Canada or dining in a Michelin-starred restaurant, Samantha always seeks out the best experiences and accommodations, and her blog highlights the best of them for her readers.

Samantha is currently living in London.

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Of all the ways to go camping, canoeing is the best . Over 58 million North American households went camping in 2022 according to KOA , but most new campers are taking to the wilderness in RVs, tricked-out vans, cabins, and at glampsites. Maybe it's because canoe camping isn't as trendy (or TikTok-friendly) as #vanlife nor as hardcore as ultralight backpacking; it would seem like paddling in neither appeals to beginner nor seasoned outdoorists. To this I contend au contraire—canoe camping has a unique universality that makes it ideal for beginner and seasoned campers alike.

Consider, for instance, two different canoe camping itineraries. In one, you'd paddle the entire length of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail , a 740-mile route that has you hopping your way from New York to Maine via 23 rivers and streams and 59 ponds and lakes (not to mention the 65 portages—that's a French word that means you'll have to carry your boat and gear over land from one body of water to the next). On the other side of the canoe camping coin, you might simply book a campsite at your local state park or reservoir, load the boat with everything you need including the dog, and paddle in for the weekend.

My first experience with canoe camping was back when I was 12, when I tagged along with the my small hometown's local church youth group to the nearby Saint Regis Canoe Area, an 18,400-acre area in New York's Adirondack Park that's loaded with 50 ponds and lakes to paddle between. We paddled from campsite to campsite, learning technique and outdoor living skills along the relatively easy way. The area feels like true wilderness, but it's fairly accessible, which makes it an ideal beginner backcountry trip.

Years later, I spent three weeks paddling the New Zealand's Clarence River from the mountains to the ocean as part of a semester spent with the National Outdoor Leadership School (aka NOLS). That trip involved full neoprene suits, traveling through sleet, and paddling and lining our canoes through Class II and III rapids (lining is when you stand on the shore and walk your boat down the river, like a dog, when things are a bit too hairy to paddle through). There were even a few capsizes and swift water rescues.

The point is, canoe camping can be as accessible or adventurous as you want or need it to be. Recently, having acquired a new Old Town canoe, I traveled back to the Saint Regis Canoe Area for the first time in a number of years with a group of friends for a long weekend camping trip. Even having grown accustomed to farther-flung and higher stakes experiences over the years, our tame 20-ish mile route had all the elements of a real outdoor adventure. It renewed my fondness for canoe camping, and convinced me that it's one of the best ways to take to the outdoors.

How to Plan a Canoe Camping Trip

Decide where to go.

This is an obvious Step One, right? Maybe—give it some consideration. What kind of trip do you want? An easy one? An adventurous one? How much time do you have? What's accessible from where you're based? Do you own a canoe or will you need to find a rental? Answer these questions and you'll find you've narrowed down the options considerably (unless you live in Minnesota or Maine). If you're a beginner, seek out a flat water destination that's not too remote and go out for a night or two before leveling up.

Get Permits and Campsite Reservations

Before you break out the map, take a moment to check if you need permits or campsite reservations where you're heading. No? Plan away. If yes, be prepared to be somewhat flexible; limited campsite availability might choose your route for you. And if sites are first-come-first-served, see if you can find any information online about how crowded things can get or call a local outfitter for beta, and put a backup in place in case your top pick campsite is occupied by the local college outing club by the time you paddle up to it.

Plan Your Route

Let's assume that you have the freedom to paddle and camp wherever you want. Designing a canoe camping route is a lot like planning a backpacking trip. Canoe camping trips can be out-and-back excursions, they can be loops, or they can be one-way, point-to-point journeys. If you don't know how long it'll take you to paddle a given distance, take to the online forums again to see what others have done or, again, call a local outfitter for advice (they'll probably have really great route recommendations too, if you'd rather outsource this entire step). You can also go out for a paddle before the trip and time yourself to get a sense of how much water you can cover in a given time.

There can be added logistics involved depending on the type of route you design. For instance, you might need to run a car shuttle to leave one car at the takeout—don't forget to bring the keys to that car in the canoe with you! Local outfitters are a great resource here too, as many of them offer shuttle and pickup services and will arrange to have rental canoes ready for you at the put-in.

This is an important one: get a paper map. Ideally a waterproof one. While you're on the phone with the local outfitter, ask for the best one they have, pay for it over the phone, and have them mail it to you.

There are some amazing map apps available, but for paddling, analogue is best. You can secure a paper map protected by a waterproof case to the bag in front of you so that you can glance at it at any moment and check your progress and ensure you don't confuse one stream or bay for another and wind up far, far off course. Even though many smartphones are waterproof (so they say), you'll have to stop paddling every time you want to get your bearings and that means you'll wind up either not paddling enough or not checking the map enough. Both are no good.

Include a Portage in Your Route

I'm not an adherent to the old-school idea that all adverse situations are "character building," but there is something distinct about carrying a boat and all its contents from one body of water to another. It can be demoralizing while you're doing it and wildly empowering when it's over. Not every portage I've done has sucked, but the ones that have have also been among the most memorable moments of some very memorable canoe trips.

Make a Meal Plan

Some folks are content to count out the number of meals a trip calls for and buy an equal number of dehydrated meals and call this job done. I believe canoe camping offers a unique opportunity to call forth your inner backcountry gourmand. Since you won't have to carry everything on your back, you can afford to bring along bacon, a dozen eggs, and pancake mix for breakfast and leave the instant oatmeal at home.

I like to make a spreadsheet with all the meals (and snack times) listed out and use that to create a menu and a shopping list. This also makes it easy to assign meals to different members of the group and ensure that nobody goes hungry or thirsty.

Acquiring a Canoe

In places where paddling is popular, it shouldn't be too hard to find a place to rent one. As previously mentioned, many outfitters will deliver a canoe rental to your put-in and offer some sort of shuttle or pickup service to facilitate point-to-point trips. Renting is the best way to go for beginners, or seasoned paddlers who might not have the cash to throw down on a boat of their own and/or the place to store it.

However, there's also something to owning such a simple vessel, one that has no breakable mechanical parts and needs no fuel except sweat. A canoe strikes directly at that indelible human attraction toward freedom, supplying comfort in knowing that, when the AI apocalypse comes, you can always just paddle off into the wilderness.

I recently came into possession of my first canoe. Since I hadn't yet found the time to build one by hand and my family's old Orvis was inflicted with irreparable rot in its wooden gunwales, the only option was to go new. If you're going to buy a canoe, it's a good idea to get one made by a company based in Maine or Minnesota, where paddling is engrained in the local identity. Ontario also works.

Being a New Englander, I opted for Old Town , a company that's been building canoes for more than 100 years in Maine's Penobscot River Valley. The boat is a 15' 8" three-layer polyethylene vessel with two seats, vinyl gunwales, and an ash wood yoke called the Discovery 158 . It's a versatile watercraft; super durable, made for flat and moving water with enough space in the hull for loads of gear, all of which make it excellent for canoe camping.

Packing the Boat

Just as there is a science to packing a backpack for a multi-day trek, there's one to loading a canoe for a full day on the water. The keyword here is balance. An unbalanced boat is a tippy boat, so place items in the hull with a mind to keeping things relatively even bow to stern (front to back) and also side to side. It's a good idea to secure whatever you can to the boat too with straps and lines, particularly in moving water.

Canoe Trip Gear Essentials

In addition to everything and anything you need to camp the way you like to camp, bring these paddle trip-specific items.

Personal Floatation Device AKA PFD AKA Life Jacket — Astral Ringo, $170

Any life jacket is better than no life jacket, so if all you have at your disposal is one of those awkward orange foam horseshoes, use it. But some companies, like Astral, have figured out how to make PFDs that are certified-safe but also comfortable, facilitate better arm movement as you paddle, and have bonus features. The Ringo is all of these things, and it has a handy front pocket for frequently accessed items like sunscreen or your phone (or, as a paddler friend advised me, a 12-ounce can).

Big Waterproof Backpack — SealLine Black Canyon Dry Pack 65L, $260

The packing mantra for canoe camping is waterproof everything. Nay, double waterproof everything. Big, waterproof duffel bags are your friends in this endeavor, and SealLine's 65-liter Black Canyon Dry Pack could be your best friend. It's big enough to hold a backpacking tent, sleeping gear, and clothing for two people without being overly scant. It also has comfy backpack straps and a hipbelt that are adjustable and removable—you'll want these for that portage you built into your route.

Waterproof Boat Bag — SealLine Discovery View Dry Bag 5L, $35

Think of this smaller dry bag as your daypack; it's a place to stash the small number of essentials that you'll want easy access to while paddling. Things like a windbreaker or rain jacket, a fleece, sunscreen, some snacks, binoculars, a 35mm camera . This semi-transparent bag from SealLine makes it easy to see where everything's located so you don't have to do too much digging around. That'll minimize the time spent not paddling, which will make your boat mate happy.

A Good Fleece — Patagonia R1 Air Fleece Crew, $99

Fleece stays warm when wet, which makes it the perfect insulating layer for canoe trips. You're bound to get splashed—either by your own paddling or the wildcard in your group who your friend brought along. There are many fleeces to choose from, but this Patagonia crew is a workhorse that packs small and provides a lot of warmth. Check out Field Mag's guides to fleece jackets and grid fleeces for more options.

Camp Shoes — Chaco Chillos Clogs, $65

Or, depending on how you want to think about it, wet shoes. Either way, you'll want footwear that'll get wet during the day (and possibly stay wet for the entirety of your trip) and something dry to slip into when you arrive at camp. You can go a lot of ways here—any old pair of trail running shoes can do the trick—but Chaco's cross between sandals and Crocs is a canoe trip-approved option that'll work in the boat or at camp (and for other trips too). Along these lines, dry socks for camp are a must, and I'll even advocate for a pair of sleeping socks that you only use when cocooned inside your sleeping bag.

Camping Chair — Nemo Moonlite Reclining Camp Chair, $160

You're going to be sitting and/or kneeling in a boat for most of the day, so do yourself a favor and bring a chair with a backrest to camp. Any one of these camping chairs will do the trick. Nemo's Moonlite is a personal favorite because it's light, packs down small, and is quite comfy thanks to an adjustable back.

Cooler — Yeti Roadie, $250

If you're going to take my advice and go all out in the camp kitchen, you'll want a cooler that can preserve those perishables for a few days. Yeti's smallest hard cooler is a portable cold cellar, and doubles as a sturdy, hard, flat surface for food prep. It's not the easiest thing to carry on portages, but eggs and bacon are worth the extra effort.

Water Purification — LifeStraw Peak Gravity Water Filter System, $66

Look up giardia and you'll understand why water filtration is important. I've used big, bike pump-style water filters on some trips and chlorine drops on others to make water safe to drink, but LifeStraw 's approach is more straightforward. Just fill up the bag, hang it in a tree, and dispense as needed.

Extra Line — NRS Rescue Rope 3/8"

If your canoe doesn't come with a painter—that's a rope attached to the bow for tying up, which you should do at camp—you should affix one. Even if it does, it can't hurt to have some spare; for hanging a food bag away from pesky mice, making a clothes line, tying to your friend's bow because they forgot to do so themself, etc. You can get some at your local gear store, or order from NRS by the foot.

Now here's another photographic dispatch from a multi-day paddling trip in the Adirondacks .

Published 07-19-2023

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Canoe Camping: The Ultimate Guide

In the past ten years, I have been out on almost one hundred camping trips on the water, both here in Scotland and around Europe. These have ranged from short overnighters to eight day epics, some in my own time with friends, others guiding clients into a whole new world of canoe camping. 

In that time I have learned countless lessons along the way, often the hard way. From hunkering down under a canoe for a cold night in the rain, to eating dried oatmeal and cold coffee for breakfast when my stove died, I’ve been there. This guide is a cumulation of tips, hints, and ideas that I have picked up along the way that will help you prepare for your canoe camping trip.

Pre-Trip Planning

There’s plenty to be done before you even think about loading your canoe up on the rooftop and heading out onto the water. Sit down with a cold one, or a hot one depending on your preference, and make sure you have everything planned to make your trip a success.

How Much Time Have You Got?

The length of your canoe trip is often dictated by how much time you have off work. It’s surprising how much you can fit into a weekend though, especially if you’re packed and ready to go when you finish work on a Friday night. Short trips can be a down and dirty, fast and light style trip where you don’t have to load up on masses of gear to make things work. 

Though discomfort is bearable for the occasional night, on longer canoe trips you will usually want to carry more gear. Of course, you will need more food, but you’re also likely to want some of the creature comforts you would have at home. Perhaps charging blocks, pillows, and a more substantial tent might be in order when you’re heading out for a week.

How Far Can You Paddle in a Day?

The average canoeist will paddle at around 2 – 3 mph. This means that by paddling for 8 hours, you can cover 16 – 24 miles in a day. But not all canoes, or canoeists, are created equal.

It’s useful to learn how far you can reasonably paddle in a day and how long you can paddle for. You might top out at 10 miles or can go for 30. Knowing this will allow you to plan a trip that is right for you.

Remember that your pace and distance will also vary dependent on wind conditions, river levels, and even the rain. In cold and wet conditions, it can be hard to get motivated, while in hot weather you may struggle to exert yourself for hours at a time. Plan cautiously and don’t anticipate covering great distances until you’re sure you’re ready for them.

Pick a trip

It’s time to break out the maps, trawl through the guidebooks, and search the internet to find a trip. Trips come in all different styles and if you’re heading somewhere new it can be a great idea to phone an outfitter in the area – after all, local knowledge is almost always the best. 

Pick a trip that is suitable to your timeframe, but also your paddling style, as well as the paddling level of everyone in the group. A remote rapid three days into the trip and hours from help is not a time to push your skills, so stick to what you’re comfortable with.

Know the Route

Once you’ve read the reports or phoned the outfitter, keep researching your chosen trip. This is especially important if you’re heading somewhere remote, or to a location brand new to you. The more you know about the trip, the less likely you are to make a navigational error.

Maps can be left out on coffee tables for days or weeks and checked routinely until you know every turn along the way. You can even make notes on the map, or on a separate notebook, for bearings, portages, or notable features like large rapids along the way. This goes a long way to limiting mistakes and helps to put you more at ease once you’re out on the trip.

RELATED: Kayaking Near Me: the Interactive Map of Places to Go Paddling

Check for any facilities along the route, too. These could be towns that you can stay in or restock food supplies in, or simply water supply points and a shelter you can use for the night. It’s also a good idea at this stage to check whether you need a permit to paddle where you want to go.

Check the weather forecast

Ideally, all of our canoe trips would happen under a bright blue sky, with a gentle breeze to help us along and keep the bugs at bay. The reality is that nature is rarely so kind to us, but this makes those trips all the more special. 

The elements are not to be messed about with. Check the weather before you go and decide on whether you need to make any changes to your trip to accommodate the forecast. Are there rivers that are going to come into a flood, or perhaps a strong wind that will force you off the lake?

If the weather looks really nasty, you might have to completely change where you’re going. At other times, you can get away with minor route changes, or beat the weather by setting off earlier and having a mid-afternoon finish. If you’re not sure that you’re going to have a cell phone signal out on your trip, take the forecast with you.

Transportation

Getting your canoe and all of your gear to the water is the first step of your trip. If your trip is an out-and-back or a circular route, you can often get away with just one vehicle that is parked at the start of the trip. If you are canoeing a linear trip, you will need to leave a vehicle at the end or organize a shuttle service.

A lot of local outfitters offer shuttle services for you and your gear and this can relieve a lot of stress from your trip. Failing that, you can leave a second vehicle at the end to load up and return, or book a taxi and then go back to collect your gear. Where possible, leave someone with the gear while the shuttle is happening, that way you’ll still have a canoe to come back to.

Top tip: Keeping your key on your person at all times means that even if you lose gear, you can always make it home at the end of your trip. Secure it in a waterproof pouch or container and keep it in your PFD pocket. 

Have a Plan B

And C, D, and perhaps even an E. Most trips make it a long way through the alphabet by the end of their trip. Sure, you might stick to your plan A, but it’s always a good idea to know your options.

Check out where you can get out if things are going wrong, where you might have a cell signal, and any roads or towns along the way. On the trip, be ready to change it up if you’re not paddling how you had planned, or if things look a little different from how they were described in the guidebook. These usually aren’t big changes, but perhaps camping a few miles short of where you had planned, or in a spot with some shelter from the wind for example. 

Assign Home Contacts 

Sure, we all have cell phones nowadays and unless we’re a long way into the wilderness we can usually rely on having a signal. But what about if you lose your phone, or it gets wet and dies? A home contact can phone the authorities on your behalf if they do not hear from you after an allotted time and this has saved lives in the past.

These home contacts should know your plan, location, and details of vehicles and outfitters you plan to use. The more information these home contacts can give to the authorities – canoe type, color, tent style – the more likely they are to find you. 

Agree on a time that you should be in touch with your home contact, and an emergency time that they should alert the authorities if they haven’t heard from you. On shorter trips, this might just be an hour, while on longer trips it may be days, to account for a potential lack of phone signal. 

What’s the Best Canoe for Camping?

The best canoe for canoe camping or tripping will depend on the style of your trip. Picking the right canoe is imperative to success and comfort, so here are the three main elements to help you choose.

The key dimensions of a canoe are length and width. Longer canoes are faster and track more effectively against the wind than shorter canoes, making them a better choice if you have long distances to cover. Shorter canoes are more maneuverable and better suited to river trips or shorter journeys where you need to turn in tight spots.

Wide canoes have a higher level of primary stability, making them more stable when they’re flat or stationary. This width creates drag on the water and slows the canoe down though, so narrower canoes are often chosen on longer journeys. Wider canoes are suited to family trips or journeys where you are carrying heavy loads.

How much weight you can load into your canoes will directly affect the gear you can take with you. When you’re looking at your overall weight, remember to include the weight of all paddlers, their clothing, as well as any gear and equipment being taken onboard. You should keep your loaded weight to less than 70% of the overall capacity of the canoe for optimal performance.

The lighter your canoe, the easier it is to carry and the less you have to exert yourself. Lightweight canoes are ideal for trips with portages, but also remember you’re going to have to propel yourself across the water for days at a time. Heavy canoes might not make a difference on the first stroke, but by the thousandth, you could be feeling it.

There are advantages to heavier canoes though. For a start, they’re often far cheaper than their lightweight alternatives, making canoe camping more accessible. They also tend to be stronger and better suited to rocky rivers and rough water environments that can damage a canoe. 

Canoe trippers will often try to strike a balance of weight and strength which means they won’t be struggling along portage trails but also aren’t going to have to carry out running repairs every few hours.

Dress for the Weather

There are days for canoeing in a swimsuit and PFD and other days where you need to be loaded up with warm clothing and waterproof outers. Dress for the weather, remembering that you should be always prepared to get wet, just in case.

In general, it’s a good idea to prioritize layers over bulkier clothing. Layers keep you warmer and are also easier to change throughout the day if you need to warm up or cool off. In warmer weather, UV protective layers and sunscreen are essential.

ALSO SEE: What to Wear While Kayaking: The Ultimate Dress Code for Paddlers

We always recommend wearing secure footwear . You never know what’s lurking on the river or lake bed and when you might need to move around quickly on the shore.

Neoprene kayaking boots are often a great choice but can be too hot on long trips and lack grip for portages. More technical paddling boots are usually a better choice for long trips. Sandals are a great way to let your feet breathe on the water, but aren’t always great on the portage trail.

Hats and Helmets

Whether you need to take a helmet with you on your trip will depend on the environment but it would be unusual to head out on a canoe trip without a hat of some kind. Whether it’s a winter hat to keep you warm or protect you from strong winds, or a sun hat to stop you from overheating, these are essential for canoe camping.

If your trip takes you down a river that contains rapids, you might find yourself wearing a helmet intermittently. In this case, you can stuff your hat down the back of your PFD while wearing your helmet, then retrieve it once you are safely through the rougher spots. Don’t forget to secure your helmet to your canoe to avoid losing it.

Packing for Canoe Camping

Packing Your Gear: Dry Bags vs. Barrels

It’s important that you keep your canoe camping gear dry and secure while you’re on the water, but also in the event that you end up in the water. Most canoeists achieve this using either dry bags or barrels.

Barrels are popular among canoeists for their robustness and longevity. These barrels rely on a sealed lid, secured with a clip to keep it in place, and are capable of keeping your gear dry even while bouncing down a river. Barrel harnesses can be added for carrying these on longer portages, so you don’t have to make extra trips.

Dry bags can be more comfortable to carry on longer portages and have the added bonus that they can be compressed when they’re not full, freeing up space in your canoe. Heavy-duty PVC dry bags are usually the best option as they are more durable and have a higher waterproof rating. 

However you load your equipment, prioritize keeping important gear like sleeping bags and spare layers dry. Packing into smaller dry bags inside your barrel or bag can make it easier to find equipment and prevents it from getting soaked if your outer protection fails.

Pack a Day Bag or Barrel

Where possible, you want to avoid opening your main bag or barrel throughout the day. The more times you open it, the greater the chance is that you don’t properly secure the lid or straps. If your bag or barrel is tied into your canoe, you will end up wasting a load of time freeing it when you need access.

A small day dry bag or barrel for snacks and those things you need to keep close at hand is a useful addition to your canoe. This can be secured more loosely to the boat and shouldn’t contain any major essentials, but is a great place to keep snacks and spare layers.

Packing Food and Fuel

You’re going to need to eat plenty of food out on your canoe camping trip. One of the beauties of canoe camping is that you don’t have to scrimp on your meals. Sure, if you’re out for multiple weeks you might choose to eat energy bars and freeze-dried meals to save on weight. But if you’re going out on a shorter trip, you can cook anything, from steaks to stews.

Prepare as much food as is reasonable before you go, including chopping and packaging food that is going to be used on the first or second night. You can even make chili or similar to heat up when you get into camp and save time on the trail. How you cook is up to you and there are loads of canoe camping books and videos that show you meals for on the trail.

Cooking can be done using stoves, barbeques, dutch ovens, or any other method that works for you. If you’re carrying fuel, keep it separate from your clothes and sleeping bag in case of leaks. If you plan to cook on open fires or with a flame, be sure to check local guidelines and advice on wildfires and wood collection and abide by them. This may mean carrying in all of your wood or coals and loading the ashes back out with you too.

Emergency Extras

A few well-chosen extras, both gear and food, should be stashed in your main barrel or bag. Ideally, you won’t need these at any time, but should you capsize, or find yourself shore-bound for an entire day, they may be enough to keep you comfortable.

This gear list is not exhaustive and can be altered, but can help you to pack for your first trip. It’s a good idea to put together a list for each trip that you can tick off as you pack to prevent any surprises when you reach camp.

Paddling Items

• Paddles (One per paddler + spare)
• Personal clothing + PFD
• Waterproof jacket and pants
• Helmet (where necessary)
• Kneeling pad (optional)
• Drinking water

Camping Gear – Packed Into Barrel or Dry Bag

• Tent, hammock, tarp, or bivvy bag
• Sleeping bag
• Sleeping pad
• Spare clothing
• Spare shoes for camp
• Insulated jacket
• Stove and fuel
• Food (+ spare emergency food)
• Camping kitchen – knives, chopping board, cutlery, etc.
• Spare water (or purification/filter)
• Bug repellent
• First Aid Kit
• Saw/hatchet (where wood collection is allowed)
• Fire starters (+backup)
• Power bank and cables
• Toiletries 

Day Bag/Barrel

• First aid kit (smaller than the main kit, for minor injuries)
• Spare layer(s)
• Hat and gloves
• Snacks 
• Cell phone or personal locator
• Camera (waterproof ideally)
• Credit card/cash (for local towns or facilities on the way)

How to load your canoe

There’s more to canoe loading than just hauling your bag or barrel into your canoe and setting off. But how do you load up safely and securely?

Comfort and Safety

The most important factor to consider when you load your canoe is your safety. You should be able to safely exit your fully loaded canoe in the event of a capsize, or when you reach the shore. Don’t load gear onto yourself, or jam yourself in with bags and barrels.

Make sure you’re comfortable, too. Too much equipment can stop you from stretching out or can push you into uncomfortable positions. You need to be able to paddle for hours at a time and you can’t do that with a barrel digging into your ribs.

Trim and Balance

Aim to keep the weight neutral when you load up your canoe. Affecting the trim – the forward/backward balance of the canoe – can make it hard to control your boat, or to paddle against the wind. A side-to-side imbalance makes it harder to control your canoe and more likely that you will tip, and you can find yourself having to counterbalance your gear with your body weight.

Storing Gear in a Canoe: Tied, tethered, or loose?

In calm water environments, it’s often okay to simply load up your equipment into your canoe and head off. Unsecured gear will fall out of your canoe in the event of a capsize, but in calm water that makes it easy to rescue the canoe and collect up the gear afterward. By having your gear loose, it’s easy to access at all times and there’s no time wasted tying and untying your bags every time you stop.

A step above loose gear is tethering, using a long piece of rope to attach your bag to your canoe. With single bags or barrels, this can be a simple way to ensure your gear remains with the canoe if you capsize, and has the bonus that it can be moved around to help affect the trim if you’re paddling in the wind. With more than one bag though, you can end up with too much rope and this can be dangerous, causing entanglement issues that are especially dangerous in moving water.

In white water or strong winds, it’s advisable to lash your gear down securely in your canoe to prevent it from going anywhere if you capsize. In these environments, a bag or barrel going overboard may be unretrievable and you could lose the items stored inside. The lashed gear will also provide extra buoyancy in the canoe and make it easier to rescue, as it will fill with less water. 

Stay Safe on the Water

Don’t set off too fast.

You’re most likely going to be canoeing for hours, covering miles on the water. If you set off too fast there’s a good chance of burning out or injuring yourself. Think of the first hour as a warm-up and start gently where possible. If you don’t have that option and have to immediately paddle against a fierce wind, or in rapids, consider warming up before you get on the water. 

Keep the Group Together

If you’re paddling with other canoes on your camping trip, it’s useful to keep everyone within a reasonable distance of each other. That way, you can make decisions together, eat together, and if someone capsizes you are on hand to rescue each other. You often find yourself staying closer together in wilder conditions, and spreading further apart when the weather is calm.

Finding a Campspot

The canoeing is only a part of the trip and eventually, your day is going to come to an end. When you reach your camp spot, there are important factors to consider before firing up the stove and getting comfortable.

Location Location Location

Try to find a flat area near the water’s edge if you’re sleeping in a tent or a thicket of trees for hammock campers. Avoid pitching your tent in a dip in the ground, as these will fill with water if it rains. Look for shelter against strong winds, or an open spot if you need a breeze in calmer weather, to keep the bugs away. 

Avoid camping on private ground, and try to be discreet when you’re near civilization to avoid unwanted attention. A flowing stream is useful for drinking and cooking water, but unless you’re sure it’s safe to drink you should still treat it to avoid illnesses.

Tides or Rising Water

Before you set your pitch up, is the water level going to change overnight? Tides, heavy rain, or an upstream dam that could release water can all cause sudden changes in the water levels of lakes and rivers. Be aware of these to avoid being woken up by water lapping over your toes in the early hours of the morning.

Part of getting back to nature is making sure you keep yourself and your food safe from inquisitive creatures and critters. Bugs are a menace, but easy to deal with through bug spray and nets. A hungry bear, however, can cause far greater problems.

Keep your food secured in airtight containers in bear country and consider hanging a bear bag to keep your food out of reach. Do not take any food or food items into your tent overnight, and make sure you have tidied your campsite before you go to bed.

Top Tip: Secure your Canoe

A quick hitch around a tree with your painter can be the difference between waking up in the morning to still having a canoe, or being up the creek without more than just a paddle. This is especially important if water levels are likely to rise, or in strong winds.

Leave No Trace

Perhaps the number one reason for canoe camping is to get back into nature and reconnect with the natural environment. As responsible canoe campers, you should endeavor to leave as little trace behind you as possible. This means:

• Taking trash home with you,
• Using portage trails where possible, 
• Minimizing the impact of campfires and wood collection, as well as following any restrictions or advice,
• Not cutting live wood, but using fallen wood or wood you have brought in,
• Toileting responsibly and disposing of human waste in the right way, following any local guidelines,
• Respecting wildlife and other campers.

These are just some of the ways to be a responsible canoe camper, and you can find out more about responsible camping here .

Successful Canoe Camping: My Personal Top Tips

Here are my personal top tips from over a decade of canoe tripping.

Canoes Make Great Tables

An upturned canoe propped up by logs or barrels makes a great impromptu table for laying out food in the evening. This is especially great if you’re in a larger group. Just remember not to use it as a chopping board, or you might find yourself bailing as you paddle the next day! 

Go Old School with Navigation

In a world full of GPS systems and apps, there’s nothing better than a map and compass for navigation . It doesn’t rely on batteries and it doesn’t stop working if it gets wet – so long as you waterproof your map, of course.

Learning to use a map and compass lets you save battery on your phone for essential calls, which means you won’t be stuck in a tight spot if you run out of charge.

Be Prepared to Sit It Out

Sometimes we have to concede defeat to the elements. It’s not worth taking the risk against nature if conditions get too windy or rough, especially when you’re a long way from help. Be prepared to pitch your tent and spend the day waiting for the weather to calm down, or river levels to drop if they have flashed up. Perhaps pack a deck of cards or a book to pass the time.

Don’t Overload Your Canoe

You hear it all the time, ‘it’s great canoeing, you can just pack everything and don’t have to think.’ It’s true that you can carry a load more in a canoe than you can on your back, but you still have to propel your canoe across the water. What’s more, you might have to haul all of that gear along a portage trail at some point, too.

To keep your canoe performing to its optimal level, don’t overload 70% of the stated capacity. That means that if your canoe’s capacity is 1000 lbs., you should only load up 700 lbs. This includes paddlers, clothing, and all equipment.

Practice Rescues

Before you head out, practice emptying canoes and rescuing those in the water. Make sure you are capable of doing this in whatever environment you are going to head out in. If you’re paddling solo, have a plan to get back into your canoe and get to the shore if you capsize. If someone capsizes on the trip, it’s not a great time to be working out how to perform a rescue.

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Tom "Moose" Kilpatrick

Moose started his paddling life on the ponds and rivers in the South-East of England. He has slowly worked his way north and has spent the last few years paddling in Scotland, both with friends and as a canoe guide. A very experienced and knowledgeable coach and guide across Scotland and the rest of the UK, he spent a summer in Norway and a month in Nepal. He is also a cofounder of PaddleMore.co.uk.

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Canoe Camping Essentials: How to Pack for Canoe Camping

Be sure to check out our product recommendations and related blogs posts after the article!

Your gear can be the one thing that makes or breaks your experience out in the wilderness, so take the time to prepare well by getting to know the canoe camping essentials. To help you get ready for your first (or next) excursion, we’ve put together our recommended canoe camping checklist.

What to pack for canoe camping

The best approach is not to plan for ideal conditions. Prepare for the worst so that you’re not caught off-guard if Murphy’s Law decides to throw every possible obstacle in your path. And remember that while you’re heading out on a canoe trip for fun, nature is not a game. If you hit the water and the wilderness without the proper gear and skills, you may not get a second chance to be well prepared.

Canoe camping essentials checklist

• Canoe and paddle

Safety and signaling gear

Gear for making your way.

• A canoe that is appropriate for the conditions
• Of all the canoe camping essentials, perhaps the most important one you’ll need is a good canoe!

Whether you own or rent, you’ll want to choose a canoe that is built for the kind of conditions you’ll be navigating. Canoes come in a variety of models and specifications that affect speed, maneuverability, durability, and more.

A recreational or multi-purpose canoe is the most versatile, but if you’re planning to hit rapids at any point, you should choose a vessel that can handle fast-moving water.

For more information about choosing a canoe for your canoe camping trip, you can check out our article here, [link], which goes into detail about the different options available to you.

You’ll also need one paddle for every person in the canoe, plus a spare if one goes overboard or disaster otherwise befalls it.

Before any outdoor expedition, you should also put together a basic repair kit to patch up dings, dents, holes, and other issues affecting your canoe.

A typical canoe camping repair kit will include sealant, a roll of copper baling wire, nylon cord or bungee cords, putty, replacement nuts and bolts, and duct tape.

No matter your skill level as a swimmer, it is essential to wear a lifejacket that fits you properly at all times in the canoe. Even better if it has a whistle attached.

Devices such as whistles, mirrors, and flares are also musts so that you can signal for help in an emergency.

Another essential item is a bailer or bilge pump. This will be worth its weight in gold if you start taking on water.

Camping and personal gear

• Bug tarp and spray
• Tent and sleeping bag

Outdoor kitchen setup

Sun protection, first aid kit.

• Electronics

Choose a tent that, like your bug tarp, can stand up to the wind and that everyone can squeeze into without stepping on each other’s toes (figuratively and literally).

Bonus points if it’s quick and easy to set up since the last thing you want to do after a long day of paddling is spend hours fussing with poles and pitching. A sleeping bag that will keep you warm when the temperatures drop at night rounds out your setup.

Don’t leave home without a portable camping stove. Although the thought of cooking over an open fire speaks to the outdoors person in all of us, the reality is that cooking over a stove is faster, more reliable, and a heck of a lot easier. Plus, some areas have fire bans, so a stove may be your only cooking option.

Be sure to keep your matches, lighter, and firestarter in a waterproof container, so they’re ready to go when your stomach starts rumbling.

Here’s an insider canoe camping tip that we want everyone to know about: pot cozies. These make outdoor cooking a breeze in several important ways. Their insulating action speeds up cooking time and keeps food warmer for longer, thereby reducing your need for fuel.

Two more must-have items are a trusty water container and a multi-purpose knife.

The issue of what clothing to pack could fill an entire article on its own, so we’ll keep it general and say to pack for a range of weather conditions, including footwear (that means sandals, walking shoes, and rain boots) and a raincoat.

Many experienced canoe campers swear by the many light layers approach, and we agree. It’s the best way to stay warm without too much bulk.

Most people think of wilderness hazards in terms of wolves, bears, tornadoes, hurricanes, and poison ivy. But in fact, one of the things you most need to guard against is the very thing you want to bask in: the sun.

Without proper sun protection, hours out on the water and under the sun can lead to serious sun burns, heat stroke, heat exhaustion, and worse. That’s why a hat, sunscreen and sunglasses, and a lip balm with SPF should be at the top of your packing list.

Although a canoe camping trip is a chance to escape our digital devices for a little while, you still need to bring a few electronic devices along for the sake of safety. Two-way radios are useful when you’re camping in a group of two or more since they let you stay in touch in areas where cell phone reception is weak or nonexistent.

Your cell phone should come along if you’re using it for navigation purposes but keep it in a waterproof bag. A multifunction watch is another suitable device to have on hand to track the time and plan your day.

How to pack your canoe camping gear

Spread out on a table or floor, the amount of gear needed for even a short canoe camping trip can boggle the mind. It seems impossible to carry all that stuff around. It is indeed possible, however, with the right packing technique.

There are two kinds of packs we recommend: a barrel pack and a traditional canoe pack.

Barrel pack

A barrel pack is a round, rigid container for your food built to be waterproof and to keep out small animals.

When you pack it, start by placing your last day’s worth of food at the bottom, and then fill it up, working backward by day to the start of your trip. This allows you to take out each day’s worth of food without having to root around and unpack and repack items.

Traditional canoe pack

A traditional canoe pack is a large backpack with a long strap known as a tumpline, which connects to the sides of the pack and is worn across the forehead. It may sound a little wacky, but it does wonders for transferring weight away from the shoulders.

To pack it, place softer items toward the back (where they’ll be resting against your spine), and put medium-weight items on the bottom. Then layer heavier items in the middle and finish with lighter items on top. This ensures the weight is distributed and the pack is easy to carry.

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How to Get Started with Canoe Camping

Canoe camping is one of the oldest forms of travel and exploration of the wild places in the United States. Native people from tribes across the continent would fashion these versatile watercraft in order to move across the landscape via navigable waterways, fish, and visit other communities. Fur trappers and explorers followed suit when America was young, hauling pelts and supplies across untracked wilderness in canoes, through regions where foot and horse travel was impractical if not impossible.

Modern canoes, obviously, look quite a bit different than their dugout or birchbark ancestors, but they are still the right craft to explore many of the beautiful places in our country to which no path leads.

The Basics of Canoe Camping

What is Canoe Camping?

Canoe camping is the water-lover’s answer to backpacking. Self-sufficiency, challenge and exploration all come together to bring paddlers to beautiful campsites on lakes and rivers throughout the country. Canoeists will pack everything they need for the trip, whether it be one night or ten, into their boat. Then they paddle and fish by day while camping under the stars at night.

Depending on your expertise and your goals for the trip, you can choose a canoe camping trip that is just right for you. Here are a few tips to get you out on the water.

1. Plan your trip

Choose a lake or reservoir near you, and plan a one or two night trip for your first time out in a canoe. By paddling still water where you end up at the same place you started, you will not have to worry about ‘shuttling’ vehicles, and you will have a quick-bail option if things aren’t working out.

Once you start paddling anywhere with a current, many more skills come into play on the water as well. You will have to know how to steer your boat in a strong current, learn about ferry angles (or crossing the current), and be extremely competent in righting a capsized boat.

Using waterway maps and compass to navigate is a whole new skill set as well, but is essential to avoid becoming stranded or lost in a wilderness area.

Especially when you are traveling on the water, it is important to never travel alone. Plan your first trip with a close friend or family member, or better yet, join up with a group of more experienced canoeists. Learning from others is the best way to grow your skills and travel safely.

2. Think Analog

Always bring a hardcopy map of the area in which you’ll be paddling. Extreme temperatures can quickly drain batteries, and wild areas often don’t have good (or any) cell phone reception.

It’s important to have a basic understanding of orienteering and know how to use a map and compass.

3. Remember the Elements

When packing and planning your trip, think carefully about the time of year and what sort of natural elements you’ll be up against. Wind plays a huge factor in any water-travel. Even a steady breeze can quickly exhaust paddlers, making for longer days as well as plummeting temperatures.

Sun-exposure is another concern, so be sure to check the packing list below and make sure you are prepared for hours without shade. For any warm or hot weather trips, bring extra water and always have water purification. Finally, expect bugs. If there’s water, there will be bugs.

4. Balance the Boat (Keep it Light)

To make your life easier and safer on your next canoe camping trip, carefully balance the weight of your gear both aft and stern and on both sides. A badly balanced canoe is much more likely to tip over and will be difficult to steer. Keep your gear simple and light to avoid weighing down the boat in the water as well. A boat low in the water is easy to swamp.

5. Practice Paddling

Spend several days paddling your canoe around on flatwater, before you load it up for the trip. Learn how to steer effectively on both sides, move around safely in the boat, and practice front and back paddling position with your partner if you have one. Far too many people assume that because they took the canoeing class at summer camp when they were 12, they will be fine.

6. Always Take Water Seriously

This is the most important tip of canoe camping. Getting out on the water for a weekend of camping is a great feeling, but rivers and lakes can be dangerous to the unprepared. Wear a life-jacket, stay sober on the water, and don’t take unnecessary risks. Know where you’re going, stick to the plan, and stay safe.

Canoe camping gear list

Much of what you pack for your canoe camping trip will be very similar to backpacking or (basic) car camping. Before the checklist, however, let’s talk about the one biggest difference.

For a successful canoe camping trip, you need to be able to keep all your stuff dry, whether from the rain, or a potential flip. For a long time, canoeists used a traditional ‘wannigan’ to protect their gear from water. More than just a fun word to say, a wannigan is a water-tight, often wooden container, built to fit snugly into the bow of a canoe. In more recent decades, the water-proof barrel, complete with trump strap for portaging, became the go-to option.

Lucky for us, modern-day drybags, like those made by NRS or Watershed, are lighter, tighter and more versatile. They can be pricey, but they’re an invaluable addition to any camping kit. When you’re not using them, you can roll them tight and even leave them outside your tent if you don’t have room. Their soft sides make them moldable to any shape, and they are much lighter if you do decide to portage.

Besides a water-proof container of some kind, you will also need to pack the following gear specific to water-travel:

• Life-jacket
• Other flotation (depending on state waterway regulations)
• Extra paddle
• Paddle gloves (depending on personal preference)
• Boat shoes/sandals
• Plenty of sunscreen

Camping Gear for Canoe Camping:

• Sleeping bag/sleeping pad
• First aid kit
• Headlamp/lantern
• Stove/cookware
• Personal mess kit/utensils
• Water storage/purifier
• Meals/snacks

Personal Gear: 

• Raincoat/pants
• Mid-layer insulation
• Puffy (if applicable)
• Dry camp shoes

Selecting the Right Canoe for You

Single or double.

In all of the categories explained below, you will have the option of choosing a single or double seated canoe. If you have a dedicated adventure partner, children, or a dog, then the double will almost always be right. Doubles can be unwieldy to navigate alone, but not impossible, and they allow for you to bring more gear. Keep in mind that the added length can make storage and transport more challenging.

A single is for the light and fast canoeist who is ready for the experience whether anyone else is going or not. Single canoes are very maneuverable but do not have a great deal of room for gear. They also tend to be more affordable and easier to drive to the put-in.

Open-Deck Canoes

The traditional, open-deck canoe is a classic for a reason. Affordable, versatile and durable, these canoes can find a home on any slow-paced river or lake. Emphasis on ‘slow-paced.’ These models are not meant to go crashing through the rapids no matter what Disney’s Pocahontas taught us. Transport can be a challenge, without large trucks or trailers, but YouTube is full of ingenious solutions for the dedicated.

Within this category, you’ll have to choose from various material construction such as wood, poly, and fiberglass. Weight, cost and durability depend on the material you choose. Some will also consider opting for a square-sterned motor-mount, for returning upstream the easy way. If you plan to use a motor, make sure to carefully research captain licenses and check that you are not on a non-motorized stretch of water.

Closed-Deck Canoes

Beloved to die-hard canoeists, the closed-deck canoe keeps the traditional single blade paddle, along with the crouched position allowing the paddler to travel through more exciting waters. Also known as a ‘white-water’ canoe, closed-deck canoes cover the bow and stern storage areas, leaving only enough room for the paddler(s).

Canoe camping with one of these requires very minimalist packing but allows one to access rivers which would quickly swamp the basic model. Cost increases with this versatility, but most believe the investment to be worth it if you love canoeing.

Inflatable Kayaks, IKs, aka ‘Duckies’

A favorite of western river runners, these beauties are a fun way to play in quick current, and bumping the occasional rock won’t end your trip. Maybe from durable poly-urethene (aka hypalon), or PVC, IKs come with tie-down spots for gear bags, and use a double-bladed paddle like a kayak. They do not have much of a draft, and are perfect in shallow, rocky water, however, this also makes them difficult to paddle efficiently in flatwater to cover multiple miles a day.

The biggest appeal may be the ease of transport. IKs deflate quickly and roll down small enough to transport in a Honda Civic.

The Best Canoe Camping Spots

While canoe camping is a great option for any slow-water river or lake, there are few places across the country which boast ideal conditions for canoe camping.

The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness—Minnesota

The Boundary Waters of Minnesota has to top this list. It is the quintessential destination for canoeing and sea-kayaking. While you may not want to venture away from the visible shoreline in a canoe, as they are more difficult to navigate via dead-reckoning, there are thousands of miles of beautiful coves and cliffs to explore. Check out this insider’s ‘How to’ Guide for first-time Boundary Waters paddlers.

Everglades National Park —Florida

At the other end of the country, the Everglades offer a canoeing experience full of the beautiful details of the swamp. There are many routes to take, both through the National Park itself and the rivers nearby. As with any unique ecosystem and climate, camping in the Everglades requires special preparation and research. Paddling through the stillness of the rich air, and finding the hidden orchids and rare bird species make this a special destination.

Green River—Utah

Not into humidity? Then head out west to the Green River in Utah. Although many western rivers involve rocky rapids and narrow channels, the Green River has multiple stretches of mild gradient, winding through towering red sandstone cliffs of Labyrinth Canyon. Plan to shuttle your vehicle with a shuttle service, and spend three or four nights on the water in the high desert of Utah.

The Ozarks—Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Kansas

As a flooded river, the calm waters of Lake Ozark offer thousands of miles of unpopulated forested shoreline to explore.  This national scenic riverway spreads across Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. The fishing offers tremendous variety, from tasty tiny panfish, to bass and giant catfish. Camping in Lake Ozark State Park is a great way to get the trip started. Because of the crowds and heat, this is a great trip to take in the spring, or go in the fall to enjoy beautiful hardwood fall colors.

Related Campgrounds:

• Trails End Campground , BWCA, MN

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Lindsay DeFrates

Lindsay DeFrates is a freelance writer, mother of three, whitewater raft guide, as well as a former English teacher and Outward Bound instructor. Currently loving her sleep-deprived existence in Glenwood Springs, CO, she and the family often pack an absurd amount of stuff and their one-eyed dog, Ahab, into a mini van and get a little lost in the mountains or on the rivers of Western Colorado and Eastern Utah. She can be reached at www.roaringforkwriter.com

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Canoe Camping 101: What To Know Before Your First Trip

Get all information you need to know before hitting the water on your first canoe camping trip.

The Outdoor Authority may receive commissions for links included in articles to affiliate partners. Each of our recommendations is proudly backed by research and testing.

Growing up in Central Florida, my buddies and I would spend entire days of our summer vacation canoeing up and down the spring-fed river that bordered our neighborhood. We knew every inch of that river and were experts at chasing turtles, catching bass, and causing trouble.

As we grew older those daytime adventures led to overnight canoe camping trips on a public campsite a few miles downstream from our homes. Those were some of the best times of my life and I’ve never lost that same passion I had as a child.

I’m excited to share my love of canoe camping with you today.

In this post, I pass along all of my tips and tricks for a successful and safe canoe camping experience.

Table Of Contents

Choose Your Route

Prepare for portages, permits and regulations, emergency preparedness, food and water, choosing a canoe, tent selection, sleeping equipment, clothing and footwear, cooking equipment, fishing gear, dry storage bags or containers, wear a life vest at all times, understanding weather and water conditions, knowing your limits, being environmentally conscious, enjoying the experience, plan your trip.

Your trip starts before you go with planning. You’ll need to figure out where you’re going, what you’ll need, and what to pack.

Setting off in a canoe (or any boat) without any idea of where you’re going and what to expect is a recipe for disaster. You must research and plan your route in advance to ensure a safe and successful adventure.

Planning an effective route requires understanding the variables associated with different waterway types – such as ocean currents, white water rapids, and shallow depths on lakes or rivers – so you can prepare accordingly for safety during paddling.

Additionally, you should check online resources like NOAA’s buoy data and forecasts as well as government-operated websites to understand possible river levels or closures due to floods and other events right before you leave.

You’ll also want to plan for where you’ll be setting up camp and any necessary portages. Also, don’t forget to research cool places near your campsites that might be worth exploring while you’re in the area.

A portage is when you have to carry your canoe across land or water that is too shallow to paddle through. Some portages are just a a few feet in distance whereas others can be a mile or more. The video below does a great job of explaining everything you need to know about how to safely complete a portage.

It is important to research and obtain permits before embarking on a canoe camping trip. Each area or body of water may have different regulations, so it’s essential to know them beforehand in order to stay compliant and safe.

In the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness , for example, quota permits are required for overnight trips as well as motorized day trips. Other national parks like Voyageurs National Park require permits that must be picked up within five days of the trip date from recreation.gov and printed out in advance by those who plan on camping there.

A comprehensive first aid kit should be put together for each Canoe Camping trip and securely packed away for easy access if an emergency arises. Items such as survival blankets, bandages & elastic wraps (for stabilizing broken bones), antiseptic wipes/sprays/lotions (to reduce infection), eye wash solution (in case of chemical exposure)c should be included.

You should pack enough food to have 3 meals each day of your trip plus snacks to munch on along the way.

Paddling all day will burn through tons of energy even if you’re floating with the current. So, I recommend packing at least 2,000 more calories per day than you’d eat on a regular day at home. That doesn’t mean you should load up on junk food just because it’s high in calories. Instead, look for items like nuts, cheese, fruits, and power bars that are both nutritious and packed with energy.

You’ll also need to plan for water. If you’re canoeing in a freshwater environment then I recommend bringing a water filtration device like a Sawyer Mini or my personal favorite the Katdayn BeFree .

However, if you’re off shore canoeing in salt water than water planning is a whole lot more complicated. Pack at least 3 gallons of water for each day you’ll be gone and if at all possible I recommend planning to camp at locations that have access to fresh water.

Essential Gear For Canoe Camping

From choosing the right canoe and tent to packing sleeping equipment and clothing, making sure that you have the right gear for your canoe camping trip is essential.

The type and size of canoe you choose will depend on your own individual needs and preferences as well as the type of water conditions where you’ll be paddling. Narrower boats generally translate into increased stability while wider models are often best suited for transporting heavier loads without sacrificing speed over long distances.

Common types of canoes include recreational canoes, tandem or double-person canoes, expedition or touring boats, kayaks, marine hulls and folding models. Each has its own advantages in terms of weight capacity, length relative to width ratio (LWL), maneuverability and more; so it’s important to research each option for your particular trip before making a purchase or rental decision.

Canoe campers will generally look for a lightweight but durable tent that can take some abuse on portages and provide protection from harsh elements. It should be big enough to suit your needs comfortably and feature waterproof construction with good ventilation. You may want extra features such as an integrated groundsheet or internal pockets for keeping smaller items organized during your trip.

In addition to your tent, you’ll also need a sleeping bag and a sleeping pad or air mattress. A water-resistant sleeping bag is nice, but not essential. Any of the bags on my list of best camping sleeping bags will work just fine, there is no need to get a special one just for canoe camping.

To ensure comfort, safety and protection from the elements on your trip, it is essential to pack adequate layers of moisture-wicking clothes for warmth – such as wool or synthetic base layers underneath an insulating fleece or lightweight down layers as necessary – and fast-drying outer garments with sealed seams for extra protection.

Quick-drying shoes or sandals with good traction are also recommended; local outfitters will be able to provide more specific advice about suitable items for their area. Additionally, make sure that you have a separate set of clothes specifically for wearing at the campsite – don’t forget to tuck away a rain jacket or poncho in case of unexpected weather!

No canoe camping trip is complete without a few essential items of outdoor cooking gear. Good quality, lightweight pots and pans are the cornerstone for any camp kitchen set-up, as well as sturdy eating utensils.

When it comes to choosing a camp stove that’s suitable for canoe camping, go for something compact and portable but don’t skimp on fuel – make sure you have enough fuel to last the entire length of your journey.

If weight is an issue opt for using alcohol-fueled stoves instead of heavy gaseous models. Additionally, take a napkin or towel along with you so that cleanup after meals can be done more efficiently.

I also recommend packing a cooler for anything you want to keep cold, like eggs, meat, or a few frosty beers to enjoy when you’re done paddling for the day.

I love to fish, so if fishing is allowed along my journey you better believe I’m tossing out a line! So what fishing gear do you need to take ? That depends on where you’re going and what type of fish are lurking in the water. I recommend checking local forums or calling guides in the area to see what sort of tackle and bait they recommend.

Having dry equipment and clothes when you’re canoe camping is critical. Soaking your sleeping bag or wearing a soggy shirt isn’t the best way to start off an outdoor trip.

One popular item for keeping things safe from wetness are waterproof bags known as ‘dry bags’. Dry bags are specifically designed to keep items like clothing and other supplies protected against water infiltration even during intense weather conditions or submersion!

Place all of your essential items neatly inside these handy containers before heading out onto the lake or river in a canoe – ensuring that their contents stay organized, easy-to-find and most importantly – DRY! For added protection opt for padded compartments which offer cushioning for electronics plus extra insulation between heavier objects such as food containers on one side and clothing on another.

Aside from dry bags you can also look into specialized storage products with splash-proof lids; ideal for conveniently storing smaller items such as phone chargers, flashlights, maps, etc.

Staying Safe While Canoe Camping

Wearing a proper life vest, understanding weather and water conditions, knowing your limits, being environmentally conscious and enjoying the experience, you can ensure a successful canoe camping trip.

Wearing a life jacket or Personal Flotation Device (PFD) while canoeing is essential. Wear it at all times.

Make sure it fit’s properly too. An ill-fitting or incorrectly worn PFD won’t be effective if you do capsize – make sure it’s approved by a certifying agency such as Transport Canada and that it fits snugly and securely when buckled up around your chest.

When planning a canoe camping trip, understanding the weather and water conditions before embarking on your journey is essential for a safe, successful trip. Different types of water conditions—such as waves, currents, and wind speeds—can create hazardous situations for inexperienced canoers or amateur campers.

Weather also affects the safety of your canoe-camping adventure; quickly changing temperatures, rainstorms, and wind gusts can occur anytime during your trip. Being aware of forecasts such as air temperature and humidity levels is key to ensuring that you are appropriately prepared for any potential threats towards you or your gear during the course of your campsite experience.

For example: if you’re expecting hot days on the water but cooler nights once the sun sets, it will be important to have sufficient warm clothing while paddling or set up adequate shelter when stopping to camp in an exposed area.

Understanding your individual limits before and during a canoe camping trip is essential for both safety and enjoyment. Strenuous activities like paddling, portaging, and setting up camp in unknown areas can all require extra exertion that are easy to underestimate or overlook.

For example, the day may look calm from shore but paddling against strong wind or current may require significantly more energy than predicted.

Adjusting plans is equally important if conditions change unexpectedly during a trip – sudden weather changes or unanticipated circumstances can put quickly exhaust participants depending on their levels of fitness and experience.

Being aware of personal weak spots like fatigue caused by a lack of sleep or soreness caused by undue strain begins before departure.

When canoe camping, it is essential to maintain respect for the environment. As travelers into wilderness areas, we have an obligation to practice responsible outdoor ethics and ensure that any impact we make on our natural surroundings is as minimal and reversible as possible.

It’s important to remember all of the basic Leave No Trace principles when canoe camping such as packing out all trash (including food waste!), using biodegradable soap if washing in or near bodies of water, avoiding damaging vegetation or disturbing wildlife, leaving campsites intact after use so they can be enjoyed by others in their original state, and being knowledgeable about local regulations concerning fires.

Canoe camping is a great way to get away from it all and reconnect with nature.

First, disconnect from the everyday hustle and bustle by leaving social media at home. Instead, replace scrolling through your phone with meaningful conversations or an evening game of cards.

Embrace nature by getting up early to do yoga poses as the sun rises over the horizon, take a dip in refreshing water during lunchtime breaks while paddling upstream, spot wildlife in their natural habitat together at dusk.

Thomas Coleman

The Outdoor Authority

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Canoe Packs, Barrels and Dry Sacks: A Guide to Packing Gear for Canoe Trips

• Published on November 18, 2021

It’s no surprise that canoe tripping requires a fair bit of gear and that canoe trippers love talking about their gear. However, less attention gets paid to the equipment we pack our gear into. Well, not today because in this post we’re diving into everything you need to know about canoe packs.

We’ll talk about the different types of packs, including canvas and nylon canoe packs, dry sacks and barrels. We’ll discuss which pack works best for personal gear, food and equipment and provide our top gear recommendations.

Types of Canoe Packs

Uses for a canoe pack.

• What to Look for in a Canoe Pack

Our Tops Picks for Canoe Packs

Canvas and nylon canoe packs.

Canvas is one of the original materials for canoe packs. Canvas is extremely durable and weather-resistant. In addition to canvas, you can also find the same style of canoe pack made from nylon. Nylon packs tend to be lighter than canvas packs of a similar size and are less expensive.

Both canvas and nylon are water-resistant and dry reasonably quickly, however, they are not waterproof unless you use it in conjunction with a pack liner . This means you shouldn’t pack food or personal items directly in these canoe packs. Instead, use them for everything that doesn’t need to stay dry, like a campfire grill, rope, tarp, pots and pans. Or use your canoe pack to carry multiple dry sacks (more on that below).

Dry sacks are made of durable nylon and designed to be 100% waterproof when closed correctly. Most dry sacks have a roll-top which is secured with buckles. Dry sacks typically range from 5L to 120L in size.

The 5-10L sizes are good for storing personal items in the canoe with you. We like to keep our phone/camera, sunscreen, notebook and a fire kit in a small dry sack so we can easily access them throughout the day.

20-35L dry sacks are great for personal gear like clothing and sleeping bags. However, these packs usually don’t have backpack straps ( though there are exceptions ). You can pack multiple mid-sized dry sacks inside a canvas canoe pack, allowing you to carry multiple packs at a time and use dry sacks that don’t have backpack straps.

65L and larger are typically used for personal gear, shelter and some equipment. Dry sacks of these sizes always have backpack straps for easier portaging.

Canoe Barrels

When we’re talking about canoe packs, we usually aren’t talking about canoe barrels. However, canoe barrels fill a very important role in packing your canoeing gear.

Canoe barrels are excellent for storing food. If closed correctly, canoe barrels are airtight and almost smell proof. And if the critters do smell your food somehow, pesky rodents cannot chew through a barrel. In most circumstances, bears do not open food barrels either (though there have been cases of bears chewing through barrels in Algonquin, so you still need to properly store food and keep your campsite clean!).

You might also consider a canoe barrel for personal gear if you’ll be paddling whitewater. Barrels are very durable when thrown down rapids (just ensure you have the lid securely locked) and they float.

Personal Gear

Your personal gear includes items like your sleeping bag and sleeping pad, your clothing, toiletries and items for entertainment. In most cases, each person on the canoe trip has their own personal pack. If you’re trying to pack light and share a personal pack, consider using packing cubes or tiny dry sacks to help organize your gear inside. On the larger trips we guide, participants place their clothes into a sleeping bag, and we stuff them directly in a dry pack. This keeps everything organized and makes for easy sleeping area setup.

Large dry sacks are excellent for personal gear. Consider a dry sack with shoulder straps on it so you can carry it like a backpack, like the SealLine Boundary Pack . Small dry sacks are perfect for the items you want in the canoe with you.

Some people (myself included) prefer to use a 60L canoe barrel for personal gear because of how secure and durable they are. Plus, the open top makes it easy to find items inside the barrel.

Equipment usually refers to all of the gear that is used for communal activities. This likely includes cooking gear (pots, pans, utensils, grill, stoves, oven, water filter), shelter (tents and tarps) and miscellaneous items like garbage bags, dish kits and rope.

Canvas / nylon canoe packs are often used for equipment (and, as such, are often referred to as ‘equipment packs’). Most of the equipment items don’t need to be kept dry, so it isn’t necessary to put them in a waterproof pack like a barrel or dry sack. Canvas or nylon packs tend to have more flexibility and give to them, allowing you to more easily pack awkward items like pots and grills.

The Recreational Barrel Works Canoe Tripper Pack is a popular choice for a canvas / nylon canoe pack.

You want to carry all of your food in something that is airtight to ensure it is waterproof and ideally smell-proof (to keep critters away). Canoe barrels are the most popular choice for carrying food. In fact, many canoeists refer to them as ‘food barrels’ because they are so often filled with food. The most popular barrel is the Recreational Barrel Works 60L Barrel .

It’s important to note that food barrels are not bear-proof. While barrels do a good job of minimizing the food smell and are better than other packs, they aren’t perfect. And barrels may be durable enough to withstand the wrath of a raccoon or squirrel, however, a bear can bite through a barrel if determined. That’s why it’s so important to keep your site food-free and store your food properly overnight.

How to store your food properly is an entirely different topic that we’l likely cover in another post. However, there are two or three main schools of thought. Those that choose to hang their barrels in a tree, those that keep them on the ground dragged far enough away from the campsite, and even those who use the “bear canoe” method where you place your barrel in a canoe, and push it out on the lake (with a long line tied to shore of course).

What to Look For in a Canoe Pack

You want your canoe packs to fit all of your gear (preferably without the need to play canoe pack Tetris every morning). However, you don’t want to have packs that are so big they cannot be worn comfortably or fit inside a canoe nicely.

Canvas canoe packs are typically 75-100 L. Canoe barrels come in three sizes: 20L and 30L (great for food on a short trip or a first aid kit on a long trip) and 60L (great for food and personal gear on long trips). Dry sacks range from 5L to 120L. While it may be tempting to get a 120L dry sack (room for so much gear!) keep in mind how heavy that much gear will be.

Your canoe pack needs to be durable. The straps will get pulled when you try to force it out of the canoe; the body will get scrapped if the pack slides down rocks at a steep put-in. It’s important to be gentle with your gear, but also recognize that the wilderness is a rough place.

Body Material

Think about the material being used. Waxed canvas is a popular choice for canoe packs. For more durability, you want a heavier, thicker canvas. Many of the popular brands use a waxed canvas with a weight of around 18 oz, and this is sufficient for canoe tripping.

For dry sacks, two popular materials are polyurethane-coated polyester and nylon . Both of these are extremely durable and resistant to scrapes and abrasions. 

Straps and Connection Points

The second place you’ll want to consider for durability is at the connection points between the body and the straps. When canoe packs break, most often it is at one of these connection points. How is the strap secured to the pack? Does it feel sturdy?

This will come down to the quality of the construction of the pack (and the care you take when handling the pack). Read reviews on canoe packs and avoid any that have multiple reviews about straps breaking.

Carrying Comfort

Carrying comfort is an underrated consideration when choosing a canoe pack. If you’ve ever carried a huge, lopsided pack on a long portage… you’ll know what we mean.

Canvas canoe packs can be difficult for beginners to carry. Their free-form material shape makes it easy to pack awkward-shaped equipment, like pots and fuel. But this means you have to be careful not to end up with all of the heavy objects on one side or something sharp poking out in the center of your back.

Dry sacks are fairly comfortable to carry as well, so long as they aren’t too heavy.

Canoe barrels also tend to be uncomfortable, especially when they are fully loaded. It doesn’t help that, by design, a barrel is round while your back is flat. However, you can mitigate this by choosing a barrel harness that is secure, padded and fits well for your specific body. Also, the person who carrier the barrel on the first day (when it’s heaviest) also carries it on the last day (when it’s lightest).

It may take some experimentation (and trying out your friends’ gear on future portages) to learn what kind of packs work best for your body.

Waterproofness

The degree of waterproof protection you need will depend on the type of trip you’re doing and how risk-averse you are.

Many people choose to pack their gear in 100% waterproof bags. This means their gear will stay dry in a pouring thunderstorm or in the event of a canoe tipping over. We recommend always placing safety gear (like the first aid kit and sat phone) and personal gear (like sleeping bags) in 100% waterproof packs, like a dry sack or a canoe barrel.

Some people will choose packs that are waterproof enough to stay dry in the rain but aren’t waterproof if placed underwater. Equipment that doesn’t need to stay dry (i.e. pots and pans, grills) is often placed in packs like this, usually in a canvas canoe pack. Additionally, some people will keep all of their personal gear in small, lightweight dry sacks and keep those in a backpack that isn’t waterproof.

Below we’ve highlighted a few canoe packs that we’re especially fond of.

The SealLine Boundary series is one of the most popular dry sacks on the market. It offers a simple but effective design and – if closed correctly – is waterproof even in immersion. It’s available in three sizes: 35L, 65L and 115L.

Each of the sizes has a backpack harness, making them easy to portage. The harness is actually removable for added versatility.

The SealLine PRO Pack 120L is an excellent choice for a personal pack for long canoe trips. With a pack so large, it’s easy to fit all of your clothing, sleeping gear, personal items and even your tent in the same pack. The straps are comfortable for portaging and the welded seams ensure durability and waterproofness.

Canvas Canoe Pack

The Recreational Barrel Works Expedition Canoe Pack is a rugged canoe pack that will last years to come. Its simple design is easy to pack and perfect for loading kitchen gear and other equipment. The pack has adjustable shoulder and hip straps for easy portaging.

Although this canoe pack isn’t waterproof, the canvas material dries very quickly (use a pack liner for ultimate waterproofness). If you get caught in a storm or drop your pack in the lake, your pots and pans may get wet, but you won’t be carrying around a soggy pack for the rest of your trip!

Side note, the OG pack maker, Bill Ostrom, and his company Ostrom Outdoors also makes some of the finest packs around. Unfortunately we don’t carry them but make sure to check them out as well and tell Bill that Trip Shed sent you!

Canoe Barrel

The Recreational Barrel Works Canoe Barrel is the most popular maker for canoe barrels. The 60L is the standard size, though it is also available in 20L and 30L.

The barrel itself is made from durable plastic with two external handles. The lid contains an O-ring, ensuring waterproofness when secured by the metal ring.

Canoe Barrel Harness

Barrels are awkward to carry on portages. To make them easier to carry, choose a comfortable barrel harness with adjustable hip, shoulder and sternum straps.

We love the North Water Quick Haul Harness as it has adjustable straps and securely attaches to the barrel (so you won’t feel it moving around while you portage). The back panel and shoulder straps are padded, to make portaging even more comfortable.

FAQs about Canoe Packs

What about the wannigan.

The wannigan had long been a staple in canoe packing. A wannigan is a large wooden box with a lid and a long strap called a tump line. To carry it on portages, the wannigan rests on your lower back with the tump resting on your forehead. It definitely takes some practice to get used to carrying it, but if you can manage it, wannigans are great for storing kitchen equipment (plus the lid is great for a kitchen counter!).

Within the last decade or so, wannigans have lost a lot of their popularity but are still used my many traditionalists. Most people opt for a combination of packs, dry sacks and barrels instead.

Can you use a backpack for canoe trips?

Yes, you can. Hiking backpacks are very comfortable to wear on long portages (they’re made for carrying, after all!). However, backpacks are not waterproof so you’ll want all of your gear to be inside small, lightweight dry sacks inside. Additionally, it’s difficult to pack large and awkward gear (pots, grills, Dutch oven) into a backpack. The main reason however, that we usually don’t use a traditional hiking pack on trips is its size in relation to the canoe. For one, canoe packs typically fit better in the canoe while paddling based on its shorter length. Additionally, hiking packs are designed to be slimmer, sit closer to the body, and as a result are taller. This ends up pushing on the inside of the canoe while you’re portaging it and can make for a bit of an awkward ride. That said, the best pack is the one you’ve got – just get out there and use it.

How do I close my dry sack to ensure it stays dry?

Most dry sacks have a roll-top with two buckles. The rolls are what keep your bag waterproof and the buckles keep the rolls secure. The biggest mistake we see with new campers and their dry sacks is not rolling the top correctly. Watch this video for a demonstration.

In Conclusion

We hope this post has helped you determine which canoe packs you need for your upcoming canoe trips. You can view all of our canoe packs here . If you have any questions, please get in touch with us and we’ll find the right pack for you!

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Guide to a Canoe Camping Trip: How to Pack, Prepare, and Play

Set off on a journey on the water to special camping spots accessible only by boat.

Photos by Ben Matthews . Words by Whitney Matthews .

What is a canoe camping trip? 

One of our favorite summer activities (and secret skills) is finding new campsites throughout the Pacific Northwest. We get excited looking at maps of National Forest land during the week, picking an area, and then heading out to explore when the weekend hits.

We love the ease that comes with car camping, but on a warm weekend in the PNW, a campsite can be hard to come by. One summer we stumbled upon an island in the Puget Sound only reachable by boat. Determined to try something new, we packed up our foldable kayaks one weekend and set off. To this day, it was one of our favorite camping trips we’ve done.

Canoe camping is kind of like backpacking, except instead of hiking to your campsite with all your gear on your back, you’re packing up a canoe and paddling to a spot that’s only accessible by boat.

After a handful of kayak and canoe camping trips under our belt, here are a few tips (some we learned the hard way) for getting off the beaten path and hitting the water for your next canoe camping trip.

The all-day and water-friendly adventure sandal: Hurricane XLT2 .

How to prepare for canoe camping

Choosing a campsite.

There’s a lot of different ways to find campsites only reachable by boat, but finding the best spot for you will depend on your comfort level. If you’re newer to canoe (or kayak) camping, start small! Do a Google search of boat-in only campsites in your area or in State Parks near you. These spots will often be established campgrounds that are only reachable by watercraft. So you will get the experience of canoe camping, but you will still have the luxuries of typical campgrounds, like picnic tables, restrooms, and flat ground to camp on.

If you’re a little more comfortable on the water and with dispersed camping (aka: camping without amenities and services like restrooms, trash cans, and bear bins for your food), then National Forest land along a lake or river is what you want to look for. But remember, always recreate responsibly and practice Leave No Trace: pack out everything you pack in, camp on durable surfaces, and do not set up camp within 200 feet of the water’s edge.

Keep Safety Your Top Priority When Canoe Camping

Stick To Water You’re Comfortable With

Safety should always be your top priority when adventuring outside, but especially when you’re exploring by boat. Never take on water conditions you aren’t 1000% comfortable with. Lakes are often our go-to spots because they’re typically pretty calm and don’t have currents to battle like rivers do.

Share Your Itinerary + Location

It’s also so important to always share your trip itinerary with a friend or loved one before you hit the water. Tell them what time you’re leaving, where you are leaving from, where you plan to camp, and when you plan to return. For an extra measure of safety and peace of mind, consider investing in a satellite GPS communicator.

“We love how seamlessly the Hurricane XLT2 transitions from a water shoe to a trail shoe, and everything in between.”

Be Bear Aware

Consider the wildlife that lives in the area you’ll be in and plan accordingly. Always store your food and trash in a bear-safe container like a bear can or hang it in a tree away from your campsite. And don’t forget things like bear spray, just in case.

Keep PFDs With You At All Times

Regardless of how comfortable you are with the water, it’s important to always keep your life jackets in the boat with you at all times (in Washington State, and most other states, it’s actually the law to always have your life jacket with you). Even if conditions are calm or if you’re an experienced paddler or swimmer; it’s always better to be prepared!

What To Pack:

Packing for an overnight canoe trip can be tricky. You are limited on space so you can’t bring your car camping luxuries, but you’re also not carrying all your gear into the backcountry on your back like on a backpacking trip. Canoe camping is somewhere in between. Which can often trick you into bringing more than you need and can carry in your boat.

Layers, layers, layers. The days may be warm, but temps often cool off a bit more when you’re near the water. You’ll want to pack typical summer essentials like a swimsuit and quick-drying shorts and t-shirts, but also be sure to bring long pants and a warm jacket for sitting around the fire when the sun goes down. You’ll also want to bring dry socks for keeping your toes warm around camp – after all, who doesn’t love a good #SocksAndSandals moment?!

Feeling chilly? Just add socks to your Hurricane XLT2 sandals.

Best Teva Sandals for Canoe Camping

Our shoes of choice for all water-based camping trips are the Teva Hurricane XLT2 . We love how seamlessly this shoe transitions from a water shoe to a trail shoe, and everything in between. It’s amazing not having to worry about getting your shoes wet when you’re hopping out of the boat, or having to change shoes when you plan to do a little hiking and exploring. For a great closed-toe option that offers a little more protection for your toes and feet, the Outflow Universal is the best!

A water sandal that’s also a sneaker: Outflow Universal shoes provide extra protection.

When we started our journey with water-based adventures, we were living in a tiny Seattle apartment, so foldable kayaks felt like the best option. We’ve since upgraded those kayaks to a canoe, which offers us a little more space to pack our camping gear, as well as our favorite adventure pup.

If you’re interested in trying this kind of adventure but don’t have a canoe, no worries! Try renting one from your REI Co-op or a local sporting goods store. You can also borrow from a friend who may have one. If you’re interested in purchasing a canoe, places like Craigslist or Marketplace are a great place to look! We found our canoe at an estate sale, so you might even try checking out some local garage sales.

If it’s more accessible to you, you can also do this kind of adventure using a kayak. But you likely won’t have as much space available to you for packing, so be sure you pack extra light and practice packing your kayak before leaving for your trip!

For the most part, the gear you’ll bring with you on a canoe camping trip is the same gear you’d bring with you on a backpacking trip, just without the packs. Since everything has to fit into your boat, it’s important to pack small and pare down as much as possible. One major difference in packing when you’re canoe camping is what you’re packing your gear into. We highly recommend packing all of your gear (or at the very least, the things you definitely don’t want to get wet like sleeping bags and clothes) into dry bags, just in case you tip or take on water.

Teva Hurricane XLT2 sandals.

Our canoe camping packing list includes:

• 2-person backpacking tent
• Lightweight sleeping bags and sleeping pads (the same ones we’d bring backpacking)
• Our small, water-tight camp bin that holds smaller necessities like headlamps, lighters, camp mugs and utensils, a packable camp blanket, and a Jet Boil and fuel.
• A small cooler for a few drinks and perishable snacks
• Backpacking meals for dinner
• A water filter
• Dry firewood for starting a fire (psst: ALWAYS review fire restrictions in your area before starting a fire, and be sure to extinguish it thoroughly before leaving camp)

Pro Tip: Do a packing test run before you leave home. There is nothing worse than getting to the boat launch and realizing that everything you packed won’t all fit into your canoe. Especially if you’re newer to canoe camping, try packing all your gear and clothing into dry bags and practice how you would pack your canoe to make sure everything fits. Adjust, consolidate, and pare down if you need to.

Camp Kitchen:

We’ve done our fair share of more elaborate “backcountry” meals when canoe camping, but have found that sometimes it’s just not worth adding all the extra weight and space that a pan, a campstove, and all the groceries would take up. We now like to keep it simple by taking a small cooler for a few perishable items, and then relying on backpacking meals for our main meals. That way, we don’t need a ton of groceries, and we only need to bring a small Jet Boil for heating up water.

Other camp kitchen essentials we always bring are utensils, camp mugs, and an AeroPress for our morning coffee.

What To Do When You Arrive At Camp

Once you arrive at camp, the day is yours to ENJOY! We love appreciating the journey it took to get to camp by taking a dip in the lake, soaking up the sun (summer sun in the PNW is fleeting!), paddling around to explore our surroundings, reading a book or playing a game, fly fishing, and having an evening fire. They always say it’s about the journey, not the destination. But I disagree. I think it’s a little of both.

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11 Things to Take on a Canoe Camping Trip

From tents and tarps, to knives and firestarters, here are the essentials you need for a comfortable camp

By T. Edward Nickens | Published Apr 13, 2020 7:00 PM EDT

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I love the way a canoe camping trip seems to fast-track my escape from stress. A few paddle strokes down the river or across the lake, and worries fade away like ripples. The other big plus is that I can bring half the contents of my basement along for the ride. It’s nice to be able to spread out under a soaring tarp or sleep with a thick cushy pillow after long hours in a canoe, and the ability to cook a great fish dinner with kitchen equipment designed to do more than boil water is reason enough to load a boat instead of a backpack. These pieces of gear are particularly suited to what you’ll need on a canoe trip. They’ll make life in the boat—and in a riverside camp—luxurious enough that you might decide just to keep on paddling a few more days.

Grundéns Charter Gore-Tex Jacket

The Grundéns Charter Jacket Amazon

A super-compressible, easily stowed rain shell is the first thing I pack on a canoe camping trip, no matter the weather forecast. Known for their bombproof commercial fishing gear, Grundéns gets it right for serious anglers with the new Charter jacket . The Paclite Plus material packs small but still has a good feel so it won’t seem like you’re wearing a plastic bag. There are zippered hand pockets which are great for carrying sunscreen and bug dope, raglan sleeves for comfort during active movements such as paddling and portaging, and a smartly designed hood that pivots with your head—a critical feature when you’re bashing through wind-whipped whitecaps. The jacket comes in dark gray or Glacier camo, in sizes up to a hefty 3XL.

Grayl Geopress Purifier

The Grayl Geopress Purifier Amazon

It’s all too tempting to dip a water bottle into the stream or lake beside the canoe and take a drink. That’s also dangerous and dumb. This new water-bottle filter borrows from the French press approach to ditch the straw and hand-pump systems for a push-press that will turn creek and lake water into 24-ounces of clean, potable water in 8 seconds. Independently tested and certified, the Geopress removes viruses, bacteria, protozoan cysts, microplastic, pesticides, and heavy metals through both activated carbon and electro-adsorption ion exchange. The best part of the device? You don’t have think about any of that stuff. Just fill, press it, and slug the water down. It’s good for 350 cycles, then you simply replace the filter. Comes in a great range of colors.

Eureka Camp Café

The Eureka Camp Café Amazon

When you need to pry open the eyeballs of a dozen campers pronto—or half that number of serious coffee drinkers— this is your java jam . A 2.5-liter hard-anodized aluminum boiling kettle is outfitted with a heat-holding Flux Ring that enables the device to boil water twice as fast as most other kettles, and the pour-over filter nest holds enough grounds for 60 ounces of hot coffee. The kettle, carafe, filter holder, and coffee spoon nest together for easy packing, and the kettle can also be used to quickly boil water for other culinary applications, from hot chocolate to freeze-dried meals. It’s also outfitted with an integrated lid strainer for cooking large portions of rice and pasta.

Sierra Designs Full Moon 2 Tent

The Sierra Designs Full Moon 2 Tent Amazon

An upgraded and reconsidered version of its popular Summer Moon tent, this brand-new design gets double doors and a vestibule to make it easier for each sleeper to store their own gear in a dry spot. I love the ease with which it goes up. The tent poles are the same length, so no college-level geometry is required when you’re already beat down from paddling. It’s freestanding, so it’s no trouble to assemble the tent and then fine-tune placement. And all that mesh! That’s one of the biggest advantages to this tent—the walls are made of what seems to be acres of netting. On sweltering nights, you’ll catch the lightest breezes and watch the stars and still turn away the biting, stinging, buzzing hordes of summer. It’s a lot of tent for the money.

Big Agnes Deep Creek Tarp

The Big Agnes Deep Creek Tarp Amazon

Big Agnes has modernized the monster tarp. The basics are still there—in the large size, there’s 275 square feet of rain-shedding polyester taffeta, a pair of adjustable aluminum poles, and a build with sealed seams for a no-drip experience. But the Deep Creek is also cut into a six-sided shape for multiple set-up configurations, and outfitted with pre-cut reflective guylines with tensioners, stash pockets at each corner so you can stuff guylines out of the way for quick setup, and neat accessory loops along the underside of the ridgeline for stringing up camp lights and hanging light pieces of gear. It’s like an ultra-luxe version of all the tarps you’ve ever cursed.

Benchmade 202 Leuku Knife

The Benchmade 2020 Leuku knife retails for $165. Benchmade

You could carry a half-dozen knives for all the cutting tasks you might run into on a canoe camping trip: batoning firewood, cutting tent stakes, cleaning fish, sparking fire… Benchmade’s brand-new bushcraft knife can handle them all. With a satin-finished 5.19-inch blade, there’s ample cutting edge for slicing and sawing tasks. The tough CPM-3V tool steel can take any pounding you throw at it, while the drop-point profile sports a sharp tip for piercing tasks. The rubber-like thermoplastic elastomer handle is nicely textured for a grip in wet hands, and keeps the weight down to a friendly 5.31 ounces.

Thermacell Radius Zone Gen. 2

The Thermacell Radius Zone Amazon

There’s really no easier way to ban mosquitoes from a campsite than this one-touch wonder. Powered by a lithium-ion battery instead of the standard Thermacell fuel cartridges, the Radius Zone runs for more than 6.5 hours on a single charge. The proprietary DEET-free formula repels mosquitos in a 15-foot-square area and, unlike the fuel versions, the Zone is airplane-friendly so you can fly it to far-off paddle destinations. Thermacell products have changed the game for early season hunters. This even-more-portable and easy-to-use version should be just as useful on the water.

Toadfish Non-Tipping Can Cooler

The Toadfish Non-Tipping Can Cooler Amazon

It’s not the biggest problem in the world, but it’s up there: What to do with your beer while you’re paddling hard? Or fishing harder? This innovative koozie does more than keep your drink cold. Its tucked-away suction cup bottom sticks to any smooth surface, such as canoe and kayak hulls and cooler lids. Made of stainless steel, with an included adapter that will cradle slim cans and bottles, it’s built with a rubber gasket to hold your can tight when you hit a rock or bump your beer while fighting a fish. And you can feel even better about knocking back a cold one: For each can cooler sold, Toadfish supports efforts to replant 10 square feet of new oyster beds. Winner, winner redfish dinner.

Klymit Drift Pillow

The Klymit Drift Pillow Amazon

An awesome camp pillow sounds like no big deal until you crank out a couple of trail nights with an un-awesome camp pillow. Or worse, cradle your noggin on a wad of underwear crammed inside your raincoat. Klymit’s latest pillow design is its most plush. The Drift is filled with shredded memory foam, and clad in an innovative double-duty sleeve. It morphs from a durable water-resistant outer shell for when you need to cram and stuff it in a duffel into a plush cotton jersey pillow case that even your grandmother would love. Pretty sweet. It’s not the smallest or most compressible camping pillow on the market. But it could be the dreamiest.

Duraflame Outdoor Fire Log

One of the biggest knocks against fire logs is this: You can’t roast a hotdog or toast a marshmallow over their chemically-compromised flames. But it’s now time to bust out the S’mores fixings. Duraflame’s new OUTDOOR Fire Logs are roast- and toast-friendly. They still don’t pump out hot coals required for Dutch oven cooking and meat searing, but these new logs burn brightly and cleanly and they’ve been tested safe for campfire cooking. Traditionalists might smirk at the notion of a manufactured fire log, but these things have their place. Since they light so quickly, they’re great as an emergency backup in a canoe in case you flip and need fire pronto. And transporting fire logs between states and parks that tightly regulate firewood movement is no problem. Now you use them to cook a biscuit on a stick. It’s a wonderful world.

Orvis PRO Approach Shoe

The Orvis PRO Approach Shoe Amazon

Just about any outdoor shoe will suffice when you’re sitting inside acanoe. What matters is what you wear when you are in and out of the canoe,time and again, launching, getting out to sneak on a great fishing hole, scouting for campsites, and relaunching yet again. This new boating and wet-wading shoe is a super solution. A seamless, perforated PU cage allows water to drain quickly, and nearly wraps your entire foot, dramatically reducing all the mud, slop, water, and weeds you typically drag back into the boat. A breathable Ariaprene sock keeps all the gunk from getting inside the shoe,while a specialized Michelin rubber outsole is designed to pair slick-surface traction with abrasion resistance. There’s even an integrated lace hood so you can tuck laces out of the way where they won’t snag on fly lines. Smart.

T. Edward Nickens has covered sporting, conservation, and outdoors culture topics for more than 35 years. His work has appeared in Field & Stream for more than two decades, and includes features, his regular column, “The Total Outdoorsman,” five Field & Stream books, and the anthology The Last Wild Road.

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How to Pack for a Canoe Trip

Keep your outfit dry and organized 

Canoeists can be rather creative when it comes to packing their gear. In addition to the traditional canoe pack — such as made by Frost River and Granite Gear — wannigans (essentially a small cabinet with pots, plates, food and other cooking supplies) and barrels are all seen out on the water today.

Whatever packing system you use (everyone has their opinions on what works best) the fundamental goals are to keep things orderly and to keep things dry. This helpful packing list helps you achieve both: 

• Line your bags with 1-2 large, 4 mm trash contractor bags. Frost River and Granite Gear make some that are specifically designed for canoe packs. 
• Invest in waterproof casing, such a Pelican Case or a SealLine bag, for electronics. 
• Pack you rain gear last. This way it will be on top and easy to access when you need it. 
• Keep other items you might need during the day — toilet paper, water filter, camera — somewhere they are easy to reach. 
• The thwart bag. Carry everything you need for the day — such as lunch , sunscreen, chapstick, etc. — in a waterproof thwart bag. I use a 10-liter SealLine drybag that clips right onto a seat or a thwart. This way, you’ll have everything on hand and not waste time digging around, trying to find the hand lotion.

Pack for a single portage

The true mark that you packed well and really know what you’re doing is whether or not you can bring your entire outfit down a portage trail in one trip.

Granted, this won’t always be a possibility. If you’re on a solo trip or taking out first timers and decide to bring along an obscene amount of food along with a folding camp table, a single-trip portage might not be in your future.

However, with a few guidelines you can be well on your way to that quick and efficient single portage. Here are some pointers.

• Each boat is a seperate “portage” team. If you’re traveling in a group, divide the gear and bags so that the two (or three) people in a canoe are responsible for portaging that boat, and the gear in the boat. This makes life at the head of a portage trail infinitely easier and more efficient.
• Whoever carries the canoe, carries a small pack. The idea here is to take bulk out of the main pack. You don’t want this pack to be too heavy, rather, fill it with light, bulky items. Try to keep it between 20 and 30 pounds.
• Carabiners and clips are your friend! Clip life vests, thwart bags, waterbottles and more onto the main pack. On the canoe, secure a paddle and fishing rods onto the thwart. 
• Full arms! Whoever caries this will have their arms full of paddles, camera gear, etc. — along with a lot of miscellaneous items clipped onto their pack! It won’t look pretty, but it’ll get you to the end in one carry!

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18 Top Canoe Trip Packing List Items for 2024 + What to Wear & NOT to Bring

Heading out on the open water on a canoe is exhilarating, and a great getaway from everyday life. It’s a unique and interesting way to explore your surroundings and get in touch with nature. Whether you’re going alone, or are partnering up and going with a friend, check out this canoe trip packing list before you go. We cover the essentials, what to wear while canoeing , what NOT to bring and go over important frequently asked questions.

What to Pack for a Canoe Trip – 18 Essentials

1. neck wallet.

When you’re out on the river, the last thing you need is a wet map. Keep your maps and other navigation tools safe from any amount of rain, snow, dirt, dust, sand, or water. Use it to keep your valuables secure and focus on paddling instead of worrying about a lost wallet, map, or keys.

View on Amazon.com ➜

2. Waterproof Phone Case

Don’t head out on your canoe trip without a good waterproof phone case like this one! Protect your smartphone from splashing and the elements by keeping it in this handy case. This one’s awesome because you can even use it in the water if you decide to take a dip!

3. Windproof Travel Umbrella

If you get stuck in the rain during your canoe trip, you’ll be glad you brought along a windproof travel umbrella like this one. Great for keeping you and your stuff dry in the canoe, at your campsite, and even for offering sun protection, this umbrella is perfect for the unpredictable weather you may encounter on your trip.

4. Dry Bags

Even if you don’t flip, your paddles are likely to splash a bit of water into the canoe. Put all of your stuff in a dry bag, and you won’t have to worry about dropping anything in water or water getting into the bag. This one has a watertight overlap roll top and the best-in-class waterproof performance. Use it to hold your camera, cell phone, or use it as a fishing tackle bag or travel bag for so much more than canoe trips.

5. Packing Cubes

On your canoe trip, you’ll want to pack as light as possible to lessen your load. Use packing cubes to keep yourself organized and avoid overpacking. This set comes in a bunch of fun colors and includes cases for your dirty laundry and shoes, which will come in handy on your canoe trip.

Available on HeroTravelSupply.com with an exclusive 15% discount using the coupon code “HERO” .

Or view them on Amazon.com ➜

6. LifeStraw Water Bottle

Staying hydrated is always very important while doing anything athletic or in the outdoors. Use a reusable water bottle you can refill anywhere, while saving the environment and saving yourself some money. This LifeStraw water bottle comes with a built-in filter which will ensure your water’s safe to drink.

7. Cooling Towel

This is another necessary item. Even though canoeing is a water sport, it’s easy to overheat either with the activity itself or extended exposure to sunny conditions. The cooling towel gives instant relief. I just wet the towel, wring it out, place it around my neck and feel immediately refreshed. The effect lasts for 30-60 minutes and can be prolonged by repeating the process. The carrying case allows me to place it within arms reach in my canoe.

8. Electrolytes

After a long day of canoeing under the hot sun, you’ll need to make sure you’re not dehydrated. Bring along these electrolytes to mix with your drinking water to help your body absorb and maintain the vitamins it needs during your trip.

Keep your snacks and drinks cool while you’re on the river by bringing along a cooler. This one’s awesome because it reflects heat so it will keep your lunch cold all morning long! You won’t regret bringing a cooler when you start to get hangry!

10. Quick-Dry Towel

With any water activity you are bound to need a towel at some point. For canoeing, it could be to simply dry off or refresh yourself at the end of the day. This lightweight, compact travel towel is an essential item. It comes with a bonus face cloth and carry bag making it easy to store in the canoe. It is so quick drying that I can rinse it out in the evening and it’s ready in the morning for the next adventure.

11. First Aid Kit with Whistle

You should never embark on any kind of trip (day hike, canoe trip, mountain biking trip, etc) without a first aid kit. While canoeing you may encounter bugs that’ll bite you, trees that could scratch you, and loads of other hazardous annoyances. Keep bandaids as well as the big guns with you – emergency splints, instant cold packs, and gauze, because you just never know.

12. Emergency Floating Throw Line

If your partner or another paddler gets thrown into the water during a strong current, an emergency throw line can save his or her life. A good throw line comes in a bag that floats, unwinds upon throwing, and can easily be attached to the person in the water. This one has great reviews and is a good item to keep in your canoe for any kind of trip.

13. Solar Charger

Needless to say, outlets are nonexistent in the great outdoors, especially on rivers and lakes. Disconnecting is great, but there will be times that you absolutely need to charge your camera or phone. Bring a solar charger so that you never have to worry about running out of juice. This one is foldable and very efficient.

14. Canoe Trip Travel Insurance

If your canoe trip is taking you more than 100 miles from home, you’ll need to make sure you have solid travel insurance in case of emergency. TravelInsurance.com offers plans that cover a wide range of activities and will take care of the costs for flight cancellations, lost or stolen items, and medical emergencies. Their website makes it easy to compare plans from top companies to find the one that best suits you.

Compare policies at TravelInsurance.com ➜

15. Portable Waterproof Speaker

Whether you’re canoeing solo or with a big group, playing music will set the mood for a good time. This one will let you play music from sunrise to sunset after one three-hour charge! It’s perfect for a day out on the lake.

16. Paddling Gloves

A long day of paddling can do a number on your hands. Unless you want blisters, invest in some paddling gloves. These ones provide protection against the sun and have a contoured double layer in high wear areas of the hand. The soft material will help you keep contact with your paddle, and maintain flexibility in the wrist!

17. Mesh Slip-On Water Shoes

Water shoes will be a lifesaver on your canoe trip. Whether you’re stepping into the river or lake for a dip or you’re walking up onto the riverbank to stop for lunch, water shoes like these will protect your feet from unseen rocks and branches both in and out of the water.

18. Sturdy Sandals

When you pull onto the riverbank for lunch, are setting up your campsite, or are wading through the river during your canoe trip, it’s essential to have a good pair of sturdy sandals to protect your feet. These ones are perfect because they’re comfortable and dry quickly.

Other packing list items for canoeing

• Camping supplies
• Water filter
• Lightweight towel
• Pocket knife
• Deck of cards
• SPF lip balm

What to wear on a canoe trip

What NOT to take on a canoe trip

Denim is your worst enemy when you’re out on the water – it’s bulky, heavy and does not lend well to exercise. Leave the jeans at home, and wear stretchy comfortable pants or shorts.

2. Electronics

No need to weigh yourself or your canoe down with extra electronics.

3. Valuables

There’s no reason to bring anything highly valuable into your canoe that may flip.

4. Nice clothing or shoes

No need to dress to impress on a canoe trip, so leave the nice clothes at home.

FAQs about canoe trips

1. do i need prior paddling experience.

If you have no experience, but would like to go on a canoe trip, sign up for an organized trip. Your local REI most likely has a canoe trip scheduled for the near future, so go and learn with a group of other adventurous folks.

2. How many people fit in a canoe?

It depends on the canoe. The norm is two to a canoe, although they do make canoes with three seats. Definitely check the weight allowance before adding any extra people to your canoe.

3. How do you deal with inclement weather on a canoe trip?

Be prepared! Bring rain gear (jacket, umbrella, etc.) and make sure your stuff is in a waterproof bag.

4. Is it better to use a double canoe rather than a single one?

There are pros and cons to both types of canoes. If you are canoeing solo, you have the freedom to choose where to go and how fast, but you have to paddle by yourself. In a double, you share the weight and paddle together, but must agree on where to go and how fast or slow to take it.

5. What if I am driving and the ending of the trip is in a different location?

Have a friend pick you up at the pullout point. Or, if you’re going with a buddy, leave one car at the end point and one at the beginning.

6. How do you ensure safety while out on the water?

Make sure to bring a first aid kit and emergency throw bag with you at all times, and observe canoe safety protocols. If you’re not confident in your swimming abilities, make sure to wear a life jacket!

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Canoe Camping Meals: 10 Easy Canoe Trip Recipes

After a long day of paddling and portaging, there are few things better than starting a fire and cooking up a nice warm meal. Backcountry cooking is one of my favourite parts of a canoe trip, so I love any opportunity to experience backcountry-adapted gourmet canoe trip meals.

In this post, you’ll find 10 canoe camping recipes to try on your next trip.

For more canoe trip recipes (and a comprehensive guide on how to build the perfect canoe trip menu) check out my eCookbook: The Voyageur’s Backcountry Cookbook .

Canoe Trip Breakfast Ideas

1. breakfast sandwiches.

Another great choice is breakfast sandwiches. If it’s early in the trip, you can bring English muffins. If you want to have this meal later into the trip, you can use wraps, powdered egg and bacon bits or sausage.

Ingredients : wraps or English muffins, powdered eggs, powdered milk, bacon or sausage, ketchup packets, cheese optional: avocado, tomato

Instructions :

• Mix powdered eggs and powdered milk at a 6-to-1 ratio and mix with water until thick and runny. Scramble the eggs.
• If needed, cook the bacon and toast the english muffins.
• Add scrambled eggs, bacon and cheese to english muffin or wrap. Add toppings and ketchup and close.
• Optional: Wrap in tin fold and heat over the fire to keep them warm and toasty while you wait for your coffee to brew.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these links, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Your support is much appreciated! You can learn more by reading my full disclosure .

2. Cinnamon Buns

Another classic for a rest day is cinnamon buns. They require a Dutch oven and some prep work, and you’ll want to make sure you pack some butter dedicated for this meal because it needs a lot of butter.

Ingredients : baking mix*, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, butter, optional: nuts, raisins, powdered sugar

• Add equal parts flour and baking mix into a bowl with a little cinnamon; gradually add water and stir. You want a ball of dough that holds, but you don’t want it too sticky.
• On a cutting board with a little flour, roll out the dough so it’s flat and in an oval.
• Spread butter over the surface of the dough, then add a generous amount of brown sugar. Sprinkle cinnamon and nuts / raisins.
• Roll it lengthwise so it looks like a tube. Then, slice the tube so you have a bunch of little cylinders.
• Butter the inside of the Dutch oven. Be generous! Then put your cinnamon rolls (cylinders) into the Dutch oven. Place on the embers of the fire and wait. They will probably need ~20 minutes, but check regularly.
• Once crispy brown, remove and sprinkle some powdered sugar on top.

Tip : To make baking mix, combine 4 cups of flour, 2.5 tbsp of baking powder, 1/4 cup milk powder and 2 tsp of salt in a bag.

Bonus: Oatmeal

Oatmeal is my go-to backcountry camping meal because it’s so easy to make and clean up. Plus, there are a ton of ways to make oatmeal more interesting.

Here are two of my favourite recipes for oatmeal, and I have six other recipes in this blog post.

Sweet & Savoury Oatmeal

This recipe is met with mixed reviews. Cut leftover  bacon  into small pieces (or you could try packaged bacon bits) and top the oatmeal with  shredded cheddar cheese  and  diced apples . A little  nutmeg  and  brown sugar  bring this bowl to life. As I said, this sweet & savoury bowl gets varied feedback – bacon in oatmeal?!? But hey, don’t knock it til you try it. I’m a huge fan now, myself.

Maple Oatmeal

Maple syrup in oatmeal – a Canadian classic, eh? Instead of brown sugar, sweeten this bowl with  maple syrup , adding toppings like  craisins  and  coconut  to create texture. If you’ve got a fresh  banana , a few slices go great with the maple.

Read More : 8 Recipes to Make ~Not Boring~ Oatmeal on Camping Trips

Tip : Don’t make the oatmeal in the pot! Instead, boil water in the pot and put quick oats in everyone’s bowl. Let each person add the amount of hot water they need to get their oatmeal to the desired consistency. I personally, like my oatmeal very dry and hate it when someone makes a single batch. This also makes cleaning up easier because you don’t have to wash a pot.

Canoe Trip Lunch Ideas

I typically eat a lot of wraps for lunch on canoe trips. They’re easy to pack, quick to make and there’s a decent amount of variety you can get with fillings.

3. Burrito Wraps

Burritos are a crowd-pleaser. They require some work the night before but are worth the effort. You can also cook rice and add it to the burrito to make it even more filling. This is also a great opportunity to use sriracha or other hot sauce.

Ingredients : wraps, cheese, onion, peppers, tomato sauce, refried beans

• The night before: If needed, rehydrate refried beans, tomato sauce and veggies by adding them to a saucepan or pot with a small amount of clean water. Stir regularly, adding more water as it is absorbed.
• Once everything is rehydrated, let it cool and then store it in a Nalgene or bag.
• Day of: Spread bean mixture in the centre of the wrap and add cheese. (Don’t use cheese if vegan).
• Fold into a burrito. You can heat the burrito over a stove if you’d like.

4. Hummus Buddha Bowls

This is a high-protein, high-nutrient lunch that you can make reasonably quickly. The only downside is that it does require a dish and utensil. But other than that, this is an easy canoe trip lunch idea!

Ingredients : Cooked quinoa, dehydrated hummus (you can purchase dried hummus or dehydrate your own ), nuts / seeds (I like pine nuts or crushed walnuts), spices, Flax Crackers and / or Vegetable Chips (see below for making your own).

DIY Veggie Chips : Thinly slice easily chip-able vegetables (i.e. sweet potatoes, zucchini, beet, carrot). Toss vegetables in a tiny bit of olive oil and salt. Place on parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Cook on low heat (max 200 F) for at least 45 minutes.

• Pack the dehydrated hummus with the spices and nuts / seeds.
• Cook the quinoa the night before and store it in a plastic bag or sealed container.
• Rehydrate hummus in a bowl by slowly adding water and stirring. You’ll probably need about 1/4 cup of water, but you’ll know you’ve added enough when it’s reached your desired consistency. You can also add a small splash of olive oil, which will give the hummus a nicer texture, but I’m usually too lazy for that.
• Mix the quinoa with the hummus and nuts / seeds.
• Scoop the hummus mixture with your crackers and veggie chips and enjoy!

Note : Most people prefer this without the cup of quinoa, but I just don’t find this meal filling enough without the added grain.

Bonus : Sprinkle some dried kale on top for extra nutrients and additional crunch!

Canoe Trip Dinner Ideas

5. chilli & garlic bread.

This is my favourite camp meal. This is a meal best prepared by two or more people (someone to do the garlic bread and another to do the chilli).

Ingredients :

dehydrated ground beef or textured vegetable protein (TVP), dehydrated beans, dehydrated veggies, dehydrated tomato sauce, spices and bread mixture

• Make the garlic bread according to the instructions on page 42. Make chilli according to the instructions below:
• Add a splash of clean water to the pot and some dehydrated tomato sauce. Stir regularly. As the sauce absorbs water, add a little more.
• Once the sauce is almost rehydrated, add in the vegetables, and ground beef or TVP and big handfuls of dehydrated beans. Continue stirring and adding water if necessary. Add spices.
• Stir regularly. If the chilli looks too thick, add water. If the chilli looks too watery, add either more TVP or put a small handful of potato pearls.
• Let simmer on low heat.

6. Thai Red Curry

This is a super easy but super delicious meal to make. It’s so easy because most of the flavour comes from the red curry paste. You don’t need to refrigerate the paste before you open it, so I’ll buy a few small jars.

Ingredients : rice, coconut milk, jar of red curry paste, cayenne pepper, onion, peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, chickpeas.

• Boil water in a pot. Pour in rice and stir. Go with a water-to-rice ratio of 2:1.
• In a frying pan, rehydrate veggies and chickpeas if necessary. Pour in a can of coconut milk. Add some red curry paste and a pinch of cayenne pepper.
• Once rice is cooked and the sauce is done, scoop rice into bowls and add a big spoonful of sauce onto the rice.
• You can garnish with cilantro and peanuts if you’d like.

Canoe Trips Snacks

7. protein-based snacks.

So much of the food on canoe trips – especially the snacks – is carb-based. This is great for quick energy, but sometimes you need something with more fat and protein to sustain you on those long days.

Dates + Cheese + Pepperoni

This may seem like a weird combo, but it works out to be the perfect salty-sweet snack. Stack a date on a small slice of cheese and wrap in pepperoni. It’s actually very tasty.

This is a tasty, yet filling snack option. You can buy beef jerky in bulk or make your own and eat it after a long portage. The salt will be good after a long period of sweating!

Pepperoni Sticks

Similar to the above, pepperoni sticks are a filling afternoon snack. And if you want to experiment, use those individual packets of cream cheese as a dip. Personally, I love it.

Tuna on Crackers

Another high protein option, you can bring tuna canned or in individual packets (you can even get different flavours). Scoop onto crackers and enjoy!

8. Homemade Fruit Leather

Rather than buying (expensive) store-bought fruit leather, you can easily make your own at home in either a dehydrator or in your oven. Below I’ve outlined the steps that I take to create fruit leather at home.

If you don’t want to make your own, this is my favourite store-bought fruit leather. My only issue with it is that I need two to feel satisfied and they’re pricey – definitely buy in bulk rather than from the grocery store!

Note that I do all my dehydrating in an oven, rather than a dehydrator. If you have a proper dehydrator at home you can still follow this process but you may need to adapt a few steps for your specific dehydrator.

Ingredients : Apple sauce, optional: cinnamon, nutmeg, shredded coconut, chopped nuts.

• Preheat your oven to the lowest temperature setting it has.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Do not use wax paper!
• In a big bowl, pour in a can of apple sauce.
• This is the creative part: mix in any additional toppings / fillings that when make your fruit leather more fun. I always add cinnamon and nutmeg; I’ve also experimented with shredded coconut. I think chopped nuts could also be really tasty, though I’ve never tried that myself.
• Use a spatula to pour your mixture onto the parchment paper and spread until it’s a consistent thickness across the sheet, no more than 1/2 inch thick.
• Place in the oven.
• Cook time will depend on the thickness of your spread apple sauce and your oven’s lowest temperature, but I’ve found it to take about 6-7 hours in my oven.

Canoe Trip Desserts

9. lazy cheesecake.

This is such a lazy dessert I’m almost embarrassed to include it, but it’s so tasty. And it’s an awesome dessert if you are camping somewhere that has wild blueberries!

Ingredients : cheesecake powder, graham crackers, chocolate chips or fresh or dried blueberries

• In your bowl, add a few spoonfuls of cheesecake powder. Add clean water slowly, stirring until it is a thick liquid.
• Crush graham crackers over your bowl and add either chocolate chips or fresh blueberries. Enjoy!

Note : You could also make this un-lazy, by making a graham cracker crust and cooking it in a Dutch oven (page 63 of my cookbook).

10. Chocolate Cake

This is what I try to prepare whenever there is a birthday on trip. I discovered it on MyCCR a while back and fell in love. I use a Dutch oven, but if you have Reflector Oven and cake pan you can use that instead.

Ingredients : chocolate cake mix, instant chocolate pudding, milk powder, egg powder, water, butter, flour, chocolate chips, icing sugar.

• Mix 1/2 box of cake mix with 1/2 package of instant pudding mix, 1/2 cup of milk powder and 1/4 cup egg powder (you can put this all in a plastic bag at home).
• Grease a Dutch oven with butter. Sprinkle a little flour on the butter (this helps with sticking).
• Pour the dry ingredients and 1 cup of water in the Dutch oven and stir. If the mixture is really thick, add a little more water.
• Cover Dutch oven and place in the embers of the fire.
• After 30 minutes, check on the cake. Stick a fork in the middle – fork should come out dry if the cake is done.
• When done, use a knife to separate the cake from the oven along the edges. The cake may come out with the knife, or try flipping the oven upside down and over a plate or cutting board, and giving it a little shake. The cake should fall out (flip the cake over so it’s right side up).
• Finally, sprinkle some icing sugar on top, cut and serve! You can also bring shelf-stable icing to spread on top.

Canoe Trip Recipes – Final Thoughts

If you need more inspiration for creating excellent canoe trip meals, consider checking out The Voyageur’s Backcountry Cookbook . It has a ton of canoe trip food ideas, plus tips for meal planning, food preparation, dehydration and more.

Mikaela | Voyageur Tripper

Mikaela has been canoeing, hiking and camping for over ten years. She previously worked as a canoeing guide in Canada, and spent a season guiding hiking and kayaking tours in the high Arctic. Mikaela is a Wilderness First Responder and Whitewater Rescue Technician.

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Where do you source your cheesecake powder. I am only able to see very large quantities for over $100. I can see a Jello no Bake cheesecake mix, but it doesn’t seem the same as the cheesecake powder.

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10 Clever Outdoor Essentials to Level-up Your Campsite This Season — Starting at $16 at Amazon

Score heated camping chairs, comfy sleeping pads, and more under $100.

We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more .

Travel + Leisure

With winter in the rearview mirror, we can finally look ahead to the warmer months and the outdoor activities that come along with them. Namely, camping and hiking . You don’t need much to create a workable campsite, but that doesn’t mean that your experience wouldn’t be significantly improved with the addition of thoughtful gear to your packing list, and Amazon is a hotspot of must-haves to fill every gap in your arsenal.

Whether you’re looking to elevate your tent situation with an inflatable sleeping pad , or hoping to chef up some restaurant-grade meals from your campfire, these 10 clever camping essentials (think: two-in-one tech, genius kitchen gadgets, and upgraded campsite classics) will effortlessly enhance your time in nature. And with prices starting as low as $16, you don’t have to break the bank to do it.

Blavor Solar Charger Power Bank

Even if your goal is to unplug while spending time under the stars, it’s still important to have a line of communication to the outside world (and a source of light), and this solar charging power bank is the way to do just that. This portable battery is compatible with cell phones and other devices to provide wireless charging, and it’s durable enough to take on the great outdoors thanks to a waterproof, shockproof, and dustproof design. Best of all, it doubles as a flashlight.

CampLand Outdoor Folding Table

Longer camping adventures naturally require a more built-out campground, and that all starts with this convenient folding table and storage container that’s sure to become the centerpiece of your outdoor abode. The table itself is the ideal place to prepare your meals, play games, and rest your beverages, while the storage space beneath can hold your cookware alongside the other essentials you may have packed for your trip. Plus, it weighs just under 10 pounds, so it will be easy to transport from your car to your campsite.

Kipida Solar Shower Bag

Just because you’re spending time in nature doesn’t mean that you need to sacrifice your personal hygiene, and this convenient and portable shower bag is an excellent hack to bring the comforts of your home to the woods. Currently on sale for just $16 for a limited time, this durable shower bag can simply be hung on the branch of a tree, and offers warm water thanks to a heat-absorbing design that features a temperature indicator so you don’t need to resign yourself to a cold plunge before bed. It even comes with a portable hose attached, as well as a mesh pocket with plenty of space to hold your hair products and soap.

RoverTac Camping Essentials Multi Tool

You’ll never regret being prepared with a small arsenal of survival gear when you’re taking on the elements, and this 14-in-one hatchet is a great place to start while it’s on sale at Amazon for an impressive 50 percent off. Containing everything from a screwdriver to a bottle opener, this tool will quickly become the linchpin of your campground — and it’s just $20 for a limited time. Just remember, if you’re traveling across the country to go camping, it can’t be packed into your carry-on.

Hi Ninger Camping Cutting Board

There’s no need to set up a complete cooking station if you’re only camping for a night or two, but if you still want to make a nice meal, this multi-functional cutting board will be a clever addition to your packing list. Not only does it double as a basket for washing and storing veggies, but it even has eight other functionalities, from a veggie grater to a colander. We can’t blame you if it makes its way into your everyday kitchen once your time in the great outdoors has come to an end.

Wise Owl Outfitters Camping Hammock

During the warmer months it may be nice to have the option to sleep outside under the stars, and this comfy and reliable hammock will allow you to do just that. Complete with a packable tote attached to the exterior of this hammock, this comfy sling weighs just 16 ounces and easily holds up to 400 pounds — it’s no wonder it’s a best-seller at Amazon . The compact piece packs up incredibly small so you can stuff it into your frame pack when it’s not in use, and it even comes with two nine-foot long tree straps and carabiners for a secure and relaxing experience.

Wannts Ultralight Inflatable Sleeping Pad

A good sleeping pad will completely transform your quality of rest while camping, and this compact and packable option from Wannts is the perfect selection that boasts all of the support you need while taking up minimal space. On sale for just $25 for a limited time, this pad boasts a built-in pump with a foot press inflation mechanism so you don’t have to waste your breath manually blowing it up. Plus, it quickly deflates once the plug is removed, so you can pack up your campground in the blink of an eye when it’s time to head out.

LifeStraw Personal Water Filter

Water is the one thing that you always want to be assured access to while camping and hiking, and the LifeStraw filter is a great way to maintain peace of mind in case of emergency. Loved by T+L writers and a recipient of more than 94,000 five-star ratings at Amazon, this potentially lifesaving product is a no-brainer addition to your packing list — and it’s even on sale for just $16. The straw essentially works to filter dangerous bacteria out of any water source, so if you’re left with a muddy creek as your only option, you can rest assured that you’ll still get the hydration you need.

Sunnyfeel Heated Camping Chair

Even the nicest spring and summer days can give way to chilly evenings, and that’s exactly why you’ll be happy to have this heated camping chair at your fingertips for the coziest night by the fire. The director-style chair boasts a convenient fold-out side table to hold your meal or drink, while a convenient carrying bag with handles makes this portable chair that much easier to get to your campground. To adjust the temperature, simply press and hold the control button to turn it on, and navigate through three temperature options for up to seven hours of warmth at a time — just know that you’ll need to buy your own battery.

Odoland 15-piece Camping Cookware Mess Kit

Cut your campground kitchen station packing list in half with the help of this 15-piece cookware set from Odoland that all stack together for compact, easy storage. The entire set weighs just under 3 pounds, eliminating bulk from your bag while still providing you with everything that you need to cook a five-star meal from the comfort of your campsite. Not to mention that the non-stick pots and pans result in less mess to clean up at the end of the day. At just $40, you can trust that this is an investment that will be with you for years of camping to come.

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How to pack a cooler for camping (or any outdoor trip away from home)

W hether you’re camping for two nights or a full week, camping requires some careful forethought and planning. No one wants questionable food due to the cooler getting too warm too soon or an unidentifiable snack that’s soggy from falling out of an open package and into melting ice. With some consideration and preparation, you can easily pack a cooler for camping that will seamlessly serve you well throughout the length of your trip.

Type of cooler

The three greatest factors to consider when choosing the best cooler for camping are its ability to insulate well, its size, and its features. Brands like Yeti and ORCA are both top performers for backpack coolers because they are incredibly durable and excellent at insulating. If you are in the market to buy a fancy new cooler, you can get good sizes from both brands too, should you need a compact design or a more sprawling cooler depending on your needs.

A 56-quart cooler can hold enough food and keep it from spoiling for up to six and a half days, which makes it a versatile option for campers who go on both long and shorter trips.

If you know you’ll be moving the cooler around with other camping gear, opt for a cooler with wheels . And if you plan to have a cooler just for drinks and ice, find a cooler with long ice retention and easy drainage.

Cooling materials

The key to making these coolers keep your food cold and fresh for as long as you need it comes down to how well you pack it with cooling materials. That begins with getting the cooler itself as cold as possible before you even place the first item or ice pack inside. If you have a spare fridge in your garage and can somehow move shelves around to fit your cooler inside, let it chill for about a day prior to packing. Otherwise, place the cooler in the coldest spot you can, even if it’s outside, to let cool it.

Next, line the bottom with ice packs. If you need more than what you have but don’t want to buy additional ice packs, consider filling sealable plastic bags or food storage containers with water and freezing them. Do, however, stay away from using ice cubes that don’t last as long and actually cause the other ice cubes to melt faster once they start floating those that have melted first.

After that first layer of ice packs is down, place a thin, insulating layer of cardboard, a broken down and cleaned milk carton, or even a foam pad between the ice packs and your food. This benefits the cooler in two ways. It will keep your food organized by preventing it from falling between the ice packs, and if there is water in the bottom of the cooler, it will also keep the food from turning into mush. It’s also a good idea to place an additional insulating layer like this between the food and the lid of the cooler, too.

Pack food and drinks the right way

Consider which foods need to stay the coldest as well as what you will need later in the trip. Those items should go at the bottom. Add another layer of ice packs and continue this layering pattern of food and ice packs until you reach the top.

Reserve one side of the cooler for drinks so you can easily reach in and find them without leaving the cooler open for too long. Always latch it all the way so none of the cold air slips out. The rest of the food should be well organized so you know where everything is and can easily find it without having to stand over the cooler, pulling tons of items out. One way to prevent this from happening is to pack by meal. The last day should be on the bottom while the first day should be at the top of the cooler. You can even incorporate a separate section for snacks.

Something to consider as well is a second cooler for drinks. You’re likely going to be reaching in for drinks like water, soda, or beer a lot more often than you are ingredients for meals. So, if you can, packing a separate drinks cooler will allow you to keep the food a lot colder in the long run.

Coolers are at the top of the list for camping cooking gear and a great way to make everything last as long as possible is to freeze the items that need to stay cold prior to packing them. Things like meat, water bottles, and even fruit can be frozen and then packed.

It’s also helpful to remove the original packaging for most food and repack it in sturdier containers that are less likely to leak. This also allows you to prevent any wasted space because you can do meal prep and package it well. One example is eggs. You can crack them into a plastic bag, add any toppings or mix-ins you might want, such as veggies , then seal it and pack it in a much smaller space.

How to pack sandwiches

Packing sandwiches in particular can be tricky, so here are some tips on packing them in a cooler. First, use leak-proof containers or wrap sandwiches tightly in plastic wrap or reusable food wraps to prevent moisture transfer and keep them from getting crushed by other items. Pack enough ice packs or blue ice around the sandwiches to maintain a cold temperature, and place sandwiches upright in the cooler, like books on a shelf, to avoid them getting squished.

Put sandwiches toward the top of the cooler, where the temperature stays coldest, and consume them before other items. Some additional tips include packing the spreads separately and adding them to the sandwiches when you eat them. You could also toast the bread before your trip to add a slight barrier against moisture.

As you use your camping meals and containers become empty, you can drain off any water from the bottom of the cooler into the now-free containers. Though it won’t freeze, the water should still be cold enough to help keep the rest of the cooler cold within the sealable containers without leaking.

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