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3 Day Adventure - Algonquin Canoe Camping

· 9 min read
Aqueeb
Aqueeb
Enterprise Architect, Technology Enthusiast, & an Avid Motorcyclist

I recently went on a 3 day adventure canoe camping and portaging through West Algonquin. It was an experience unlike any other. Just documenting it here for lessons learnt (and to answer all the questions I've been getting about it from friends and family).

Full disclosure: MOST of the planning and research was done by Nik, a buddy of mine. I'm taking credit for A LOT here. But documenting it here nevertheless since it is helpful for future me and others.

A lot of planning went into this. I'm a complete novice (this is my first time canoe camping and second time backpacking) so take everything I put down here with a grain of salt. On to the planning!

When is a good time to go?​

Canada is cold and I have a tendency to choose the hottest months for outdoor activities. This is not a good idea for camping mostly because of the amount of biting insects one can encounter. We chose end of August mostly because the nights can still be warm but the biting insect populations are trending downwards.

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What to buy?​

I started with the basics. Since I would be carrying everything on me, everything was bought with a focus on lightweight equipment.

Tent​

This is the tent I bought two years ago when I first went backpacking. It has held up to around 10 nights so far and still going strong. I'm 183 cms (6'1") and it's JUST right for me. I'm comfortable at night turning and twisting and I can get some basics inside like my power bank and usb cables to charge my various digital devices overnight. I do have to change my clothes lying down though, as the tent height limits your ability to sit up.

Trekking Poles​

You don't need trekking poles for canoe camping because mostly you are on water. I only brought along one of my trekking poles because it is needed to prop up the tent at night.

Sleeping bag​

I'll have to take a closer look at my sleep system as I have not been getting a good nights sleep even though I've been exhausted. At the moment I have a MEC Sleeping Bag but I might switch over to a quilt.

Pillow​

When I said "sleep system" earlier I meant everything associated with sleeping in a tent. This includes the pillow so I'll need to revisit this. At the moment it's a MEC Deluxe.

Sleeping Pads​

At the moment I have the MEC Camper Deluxe but just like everything with my sleep, I'll need to revisit this.

Backpack​

The MEC Vektor 65L Backpack I bought two years ago is AMAZING! It fits what I need and has easy to reach pockets for things on the go.

Shoes​

The first time I was going backpacking I thought that I could just wear my runners/joggers but my buddy quickly convinced me of the need for good hiking shoes. So I invested in the Keen Targhee II Low Waterproof Light Trail Shoes (wow, what a mouthful) and LOVE them. I am thinking of getting something like this if I'll be doing more portaging as putting on and taking off my shoes and socks every time we had to portage became a little tedious.

Dry Bag​

Since I would be in water all the time, I needed something that would keep things dry in my backpack. As canoes have a tendency to take on water when paddling I needed to make sure things in my backpack stayed dry. The MEC Brooks Dry Bag was on clearance so I picked it up.

Emergency Distress Call​

This is a big expense but in my eyes a necessary one as it gives you peace of mind that you have the ability to send an SOS to an Emergency Response Team if you have an emergency. Keep in mind that there is little to no cell coverage in Algonquin. so you need to take that into account. I'll definitely be buying my own if I go by myself but my buddy has one at the moment and I did not need to get it. This is the particular unit my buddy has → Garmin inReach Mini 2

What to pack?​

This is what I packed. I've deliberately left out food and clothes as I feel they merit their own sections.

Meal planning​

Meal planning was determined by the number of days and nights we were going to be out. We were leaving early Saturday morning and coming back home Monday evening. So 3 days. Which roughly translated to 9 meals. Since we were leaving early Saturday morning to drive up to Algonquin, we decided to have a hearty breakfast closer to Algonquin covering our Day 1 breakfast. And since we would be leaving Algonquin Monday evening, dinner on Monday was also covered. This left us with 7 proper meals to plan, 2 breakfasts, 3 lunches and 2 dinners.

This is what I did:

  • For the two breakfasts I bought two of the AlpineAire Strawberry Granola With Milk. I just had to boil water and add to the pouch it comes in...easy and convenient
  • For the three lunches and two dinners I made 6 portions of my own take of the Ramen Bomb

In addition to the above, I packed:

  • On the go eating
    • Trail Mix
    • Beef Jerky
    • Chocolates
  • Nescafe Coffee Sachets for my morning coffee
  • 6 eggs just in case I felt like having eggs (and I'd bought this the first time around for camping and had it handy)

Clothing​

For clothing I had to think of the following:

  • Do I need backup in case I get wet?
  • Do I pack a full sleeve shirt (it helps with the bugs when you're around camp if you don't want to wear the bug net)?
  • If my clothes get wet, what materials should I pack so that I'm still comfortable?

This is what I packed.

  • Merino Wool Socks. Even if they got wet, they didn't feel clammy against my feet
  • Some light ankle socks in case it was too hot with the wool ones on
  • Three t-shirts made from comfortable moisture wicking material. Two for each of the days (for day 1, I was already wearing it when I left home) and one for backup
  • An extra pair of track pants (I had a pair on when I left)
  • Underwear, nothing special here

Lessons Learnt​

  • Figure out how to boil water quickly. Waiting 20 minutes, at least, to get water boiling to make an ad-hoc cup of coffee is no fun.
    • Related to this is, take a measuring cup! And measure out only the water you need to boil, it'll reduce the time it takes to boil the water (1100 ml, which is the capacity of my pot, vs a cup or two that are needed for coffee or Ramen Bombs)
  • Clothing for the camp site for when we are relaxing should be something comfy, airy and protects you from bugs
  • Something to keep the Toaks system stable. Since it is lightweight and works by stacking together cylinders, it becomes quite unstable with the heavy pot of water at the top. To my dismay, I spilled simmering water twice (and now that I think of it, it was extremely dangerous but I only thought of my wasted efforts when it actually happened 😆)
  • Improve my sleep system (as I've already mentioned above)
  • Make sure the yoke is padded when renting out our boat
  • Before leaving Algonquin Outfitters, try out the yoke with the backpack on to make any adjustments with their help. I just got one chance to do a single portage with my backpack before my buddy got injured and we had to do double portages so I didn't get to figure out what works best for me when carrying the boat on my head
  • Figure out a more streamlined approach for getting in and out of water when portaging. Putting my socks and shoes on (I like to keep my feet naked in the canoe) every time we got off and then putting them back on for the portage and then doing the reverse for getting into the water got tedious
  • Research to see if there is a way to protect food on the ground? I forgot a small Ziploc bag of trail mix in my back pack and by the time I discovered it, we had already hung our food away from the camp site and I was being lazy in bringing it down. So I sealed the trail mix Ziploc bag inside of an OPSak Odour Proof Barrier Bag and left it by our benches. Come morning it was gone 🤦‍♂️
  • Think of getting https://store.dji.com/ca/product/osmo-action-floating-case for the phone and Osmo Action 4
  • Think of getting a clamp mount to mount the Osmo Action on to the boat

That's all I have for now. I posted a video on YouTube documenting the route we took with the portages. I'll update this page if I remember anything else...thx for stopping by 🙏