Canoe camping ?s

[gannon311]

I want to do a three or four day trip on the buff. This year. What I would like is some suggestion on a canoe to buy. Also what are some must have gadgets that make a trip like this more enjoyable ?
I have all the regular camping stuff plus the dry bags. I know there are several u u that have been doing it for years and it would be faster to learn from mistakes u might have made and take some pointers from your experiences.

Thanks

[Clif]

cumffy bed and chair are way more noticed on a multiple day trip than an overnighter... night 2 and 3, you'll be glad you did. Many think the boat bottom will make a fine table.. and does.. but once again.. a small table makes for way more ease of use.

I have been happy with my retired rental buffy barge... Buffalo Canoe. Cost me $200 several hundred miles ago and came with 2 paddles. Hits eddies and has even surfed if 2 folks know what to do. Boat depends on what else you want it to do.

[gannon311]

Camping and cruising the buff and similar rivers

[Jaredpcci]

A 16' Royalex boat built by Mad River, Buffalo or similar will be perfect.

I second a good Thermarest or similar comfortable mattress and a good chair and a must. Sitting on the bank and trying to sleep on a cheep mattress are the pits.

Plan, Plan, Plan, and Plan for the worst. Overnight trips are very rewarding and are memorable experiences.

[we66erno1]

Best tip I can give you is get an ice chest that can handle dry ice. I'm a fan of not wasting space in my cooler because of ice. Ive done the whole buffalo a couple of times. I also own a buffalo boat that I've taken to just about every floatable rIver in AR(It won't be going down Richland any time soon). Main thing is to Plan your meals. And if your wanting to eliminate some weight, get a waterpurifer. I take mine for my solo multi-day trips. Make sure it filters out microbes for sure or you'll have the worst trip ever.

[Richard]

I don't take an ice chest. I don't take a filter. I do take a few one gallon IHOP syrup bottles for water. My must haves are a cot, pad, table and chair.

[paddledog]

As for a boat of choice.......Why do you think they call them "Buffalo Canoes"?
Great prices and made for that style paddling. Other makers make similar and just as good.

Get a good canoe seat/back. Well worth the time and effort.

Tips and Tricks......
Cooler tricks.
Find someone with a walkin freezer, fill the cooler with 6 in. of ice and water,
freeze it and get some of the plastic grid from over head lights (lowes or Home Depot)
cut to fit so the food and ice stay separate.
Drain your cooler at least once a day !
Use your sleeping pad to insulate your cooler. Just drape it across the top of your gear pile
to keep the sun off.
Bring a small (10X12) tarp. There is no end to it's uses.
Bring trading supplies....TP- a couple extra rolls will go a long way.
Sweets and "adult beverages"
5 gallon pickle bucket are great to have along. Beware of the white lids, paint them if necessary
but keep them covered at least. They are blinding in the mid day sun.
(I have a limitless supply of food grade 5 gallon buckets and lids if anyone needs them)
They are dry and sturdy. They pack well in a canoe. Great for table/chair. A sharpie pen will
label the contents well.

Don't tie your stuff into the canoe. Tie them together but separate from the boat. If you have problems,
you don't have to rescue them at the same time. A swamped boat is heavy enough, don't add the gear in there
also. Take a 15-20 foot of 5 mil and loop all the handles on the gear. When you grab one piece of gear you
got it all.
Think carefully about what has to be kept dry and what doesn't . I see a lot of people working hard to keep
gear dry that is water proof. Think sleeping pad.
A large mesh duffle bag helps a lot in boat organization. Here you can keep the things that need to stay out
of the way but don't have to be kept dry. Think tent poles, have the fabric part of your tent in a bucket (dry)
and the poles/stakes can be in a mesh duffle. I can get my sleeping bag and a large tent (fabric portion) in
one bucket.
Bring a friend that can't talk. Fido.

[gannon311]

Thanks for all the tips. I plan on using a yeti for all the cold goodies and sleeping in a hammick to cut down on a bulky tent. Let hear anbout some of the space saving gadgets u guy have! Looks like a X rental Buffy will be my best bet. We float the buff 2/3 times a year with rental boats and I'm done buying there boats for them!!!!!! could have bought 3 boats for what I've payed for rentals in the last five years

[okieboater]

great tips so far.

most Buffalo camping is done on gravel bars. Not saying a person could not find the right trees for a hammock but it could be a problem. It is a lot easier to have a system for shelter and sleeping that can be rigged up right on a gravel bar next to the water. Tent stakes are mostly very hard to use on gravel bars.

One of the reasons Richard uses that cot is setting it up on gravel bars.

[okieboater]

great tips so far.

most Buffalo camping is done on gravel bars. Not saying a person could not find the right trees for a hammock but it could be a problem. It is a lot easier to have a system for shelter and sleeping that can be rigged up right on a gravel bar next to the water. Tent stakes are mostly very hard to use on gravel bars.

One of the reasons Richard uses that cot is setting it up on gravel bars.

[paddledog]

SPACE SAVINGS ?????
we are talking canoe camping.
Over-nighting from a kayak is space saving.
Go all out and take your comfort with you.
I canoe camp with a table, chairs and all the amenities.
Yes, you do have to take it all with you when you get away from it all.

[tomOzarkVideo]

Good advice all around!!

You really can't loose with a Buffalo Canoe.

Do some more internet research about safely camping on the river. (Never camp on the bluff side of the river, always have a hike out route incase of rising river. monitor the water level with a stick on the waterline... Etc.)

Have a blast!!! We did our first overnighter last year and can't wait till the next one. (saturday!!!)

[Crane]

If you're just starting to outfit for canoe camping, and if you can afford to spend a little more... go small, light-weight, high quality. I geared up as a rafter for my over-night trips (week long). Then, I needed to gear up for canoe camping (8 days) and had to buy new, lighter gear. Now, I'm gearing up for a 10-day, or so, hiking trip and need to go even lighter!! If I'd gone light to start with, I'd have had good equipment for all three kinds of trips from the get-go!!

For all outdoor gear, my general rule is that spending all you can afford will increase your comfort... which is one of my goals!! Because gear lasts for years, if you buy cheap gear to make do (and most of us have done this) then along the way you inevitably buy better quality gear and wind up with a store-room full of cheap stuff that only gets used by newbies you take on trips.

Thus, I'd start with a Watershed Colorado waterproof bag. Into it I would put a good down sleeping bag stored in an Event-type, waterproof compression bag. I'd buy some good Capeline fleece and nylon river-wear and a breathable, waterproof jacket with a hood and pants to match. It would also hold my Jet-boil with a quart pot. I'd purchase a good, light tent and a light sleeping mat of good quality (Big Agnes??). I'd carry a cap-light for my ball-cap and a good reading light... just to make sure. I'd also carry a basic first-aid kit stored in a waterproof plastic container... nothing too serious, since a part of a roll of duct-tape can handle most concerns on the river. REI sells a collapsible chair called a "Larry Chair" that folds up pretty small and is fairly light, but it's not as comfortable as an aluminum tripod chair with a back... and is probably heavier.

Check out Gamma Lids for pickle-buckets... For under $10 you can have an easily opened, water-tight storage container... Really!

Go light... go light... go good quality... 'nuff said... Crane

[Clif]

Collected lots of gear over time and figured out much of it is too heavy and/or bulky for b packing. Something else to consider if you may want to do both. Hike a lot but we base car camp and do day hikes.. not really trail runs.

[okieboater]

Backpacking = every thing has to fit on your back. I know some of you guys will say you can comfortably carry a ton of stuff 20 miles a day over rough ground but most of us will top out around 40 or so pounds and 5 miles or so a day. Which means camping comfort can be ok, but pretty basic. Lightweight sleeping pads, not much space in the tent, freeze dry or basic food items, multiple use items and basic clothing. Any car even the mini sized ones works great for transport to the outdoors. Some items (ultra lite designs) can be expensive but hard to spend a ton of money. Easy and most economical way to experience the outdoors. Not recommended but unless a person gets seriously injured, can be done alone or with a small group just fine.

Canoe Camping = every thing has to fit in your canoe (exception is unless you have to portage). Then it has to be carried but hopefully short distances and a person can make multiple trips. Which means a lot more comfort like reasonably thick sleeping pads, roomier tents, folding chairs, small coolers, comfort food and Dutch Ovens. Plenty of extra clothing. Disclaimer: if you flip and everything gets wet, all bets are off as far as comfort stuff. Canoes work well on multiple types of smaller streams and can cover decent distances reasonably fast. Cost of gear goes up over back packing, but not excessive. Canoes fit on smaller cars and cost on average around a thousand bucks. Not cheap but most can save up and afford it. Takes some skill to operate the canoes efficiently but depending on the streams most people have no problems. If the canoe flips, and gear properly packed, most of the time not a problem. Always better to have help but recovery usually not that big a deal.

Raft camping on big western type rivers. Big rafts mean deluxe comfort. Multi days on the river. Basically move at speed of the current. Monster ice coolers mean cold drinks, gourmet food and sometimes ice cream for multiple days. Ultra comfortable Paco pads with cots are the norm. Spacious tents for sleeping with big monster tarps for cooking and meeting places if rainy weather. Multiple changes of clothing. Big trucks and trailers to move all the gear makes getting there a planning and costly project. Big kitchens like at home, dutch ovens out the yeng yang, recliner chairs and happy hours every night. Hi dollar and fun to the max. A new quality raft rig and associated gear is gonna be 7 to 10 grand, a major investment. Then you got the trailer and at some point you will want a powerful engined vehicle to pull all this stuff long distances. Depending on the river may need to go to a school to learn proper rowing skills. If the raft flips, you got a problem unless you have the right group and skill set. The next best thing to the old style African Safari trips most of us will experience. Examples of rivers this setup handles easily are Grand Canyon, Yampa, San Juan etc and other multi day trips with awesome scenery to match.

Just some comments on three basic ways to get out and enjoy the river wilderness or what we have left. It can cost more or less and I have not covered all the details or costs (ways to spend a lot more or a lot less and still get er done).

The main thing I advocate is get out side and see what the outdoor offers. Does not matter how much gear you use, figure out what works for you and enjoy walking along the river banks close to home, floating local streams in a canoe or traveling out west to raft float the big ones - it is all good. And, there are plenty of ways to do all three types at lower costs than buying all this stuff.