Canoe Trips - Checklist
Canoe Trips - Checklist
We have divided the checklist items into two following categories.
| Necessary or Very Useful | top |
Any tent will be OK, but keep in mind that it should fit in your
canoe, so a small tent may be more convenient than a family canvas
monster. If you don't have a tent, you can try to borrow, buy, or rent
one (see Frequently Asked Questions).
A sleeping pad (or an air mattress) is optional, but nice.
You will need rope to secure things in your canoe and to hang up your
food bag at night. Bungy cords work really well, but they should be
the right length (something like 36-40 inches stretched).
Since we are bound to get a little wet (there is always some water on
the bottom of the canoe), put anything you want to keep dry in a
waterproof bag. You can try gallon-size zip-lock baggies for clothing
and other small stuff. Double layer garbage bags work fine for clothes
and sleeping bags. It is a good idea to mark your bags with your name
or some colored tape - all garbage bags look identical and this causes
confusion during loading and unloading from the outfitters truck and
canoes.
We will be carrying all our waste (except perhaps for organic waste)
with us starting from Saturday morning and dispose of it when we get
back to Cooksburg.
Everyone is responsible for bringing and preparing their own meals.
You will need 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, and 1-2 dinners (depending on
when you arrive Friday and leave Sunday, basic components for the
Saturday dinner will provided). Some creative things that have been
successfully roasted on the fireplace in the past are baked bagels,
shish-kebab, burritos, marshmallows, and s'mores. Whatever food you
bring, you will need to keep it away from the night critters. Food
should be put in a bag and hung from a tree at night. Do not take food
into your tent.
There is no drinking water on the Friday night campsite and during the
two canoeing days, so bring some water with you for drinking and cooking.
The quantity depends on your personal needs, but as a heuristic, a
plastic gallon container is usually enough.
This is just to scare away rain. In case you don't have a good
raincoat, plastic bags with holes for your head and arms work well in
case of emergency. (Although they may not scare away the rain.)
Whatever you take with you, make sure that it is easily accessible
when you are in the canoe.
When the weather is sunny, you will be exposed to sun for at least
six hours a day. It is prudent to wear a hat and some lightweight
clothes and use sun block on all exposed parts of your body.
| Useful but not Really Necessary | top |
Canoes are large enough to carry coolers, so if you put enough ice in
them, you can keep your drinks cool and also take perishables like
milk and meat with you.
A large sponge helps in getting small amounts of water out of your
canoe. In case you get a lot of water in, you will need a bailing
bucket -a chopped-of gallon plastic milk container works very well.
This is in case you get wet (your canoe capsizes or scaring away the
rain does not work). It is also a good idea to leave a dry set of
clothes in your car. The weather in June is usually very warm and
T-shirts and flanel shirts with long sleeves are sufficient, but if
you think you may get cold, take a sweater or a sweatshirt with you.
While capsizing does not happen often, you are practically certain to
have to wet your feet. This is especially true when the water level
is low and you have to jump out of the canoe and push it on shallow
water. Also, when you get stuck on a rock, the best remedy is for
one person to jump out of the canoe and push it. Some people found old
sneakers good, others did not like that they never get dry and
preferred plastic/rubber sandals.
- Bathing suit and towel
- Insect repellent
- Stoves
You can do pretty well without them if you plan your dinner in such
away that it can be cooked on the fireplace (e.g., shish-kebab). If
you like soup, coffee, noodles, etc., a stove is better than cooking
on open fire (especially for cleaning the pots afterwards!).
Enough cooking and eating utensils for your own meals.
Some people find it hard to sit on the canoe bench for several hours.
A small cushion may ease the possible ache. If you don't use your life
jacket, you can sit on it too.
Fines are stiff for "littering" and there are rumors that people
have been caught in the past. See Deuteronomy 23: 13-14 for more
detailed instructions.
