Wisdom from the River

[Road]

I haven't done a ton of boat-based camping, but I have done a couple of trips. One in a canoe, and the other in my current "water rig" the Intex Mariner 3 with 3hp Sears Gamefisher. In both cases, space was a major consideration. I took a fair bit of gear on the inflatable, but nowhere near the capacity of the boat (660lbs total capacity) Here was the loadout for me and my daughter:
View attachment 106619
We used the blue case and the green boat bag as seats. The entire boat kit fits easily into my 99 Honda CR-V.

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Cool. If you have things you've rigged up or use mostly for boating as far as storage, cooking, packing, and overnights etc that can be handy for overland travel, too, that's what is hoped this thread will be about. Things we do and gear we use on the river or lakes with our rafts, canoes, and kayaks that can help folks be better travelers in their land rigs.

 

[CR-Venturer]

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Cool. If you have things you've rigged up or use mostly for boating as far as storage, cooking, packing, and overnights etc that can be handy for overland travel, too, that's what is hoped this thread will be about. Things we do and gear we use on the river or lakes with our rafts, canoes, and kayaks that can help folks be better travelers in their land rigs.

Yeah, for sure. I think the backpacking mentality of pack less, pack light serves overlanders quite well. The concept with mine there is interoperability - I can take down the blue cases from my rig and put them straight into the boat as seats if I need to. The entire setup, the rig and the boat together, is designed to permit me to explore as many places as possible with as few barriers as possible.

 

[Road]

Yeah, for sure. I think the backpacking mentality of pack less, pack light serves overlanders quite well. The concept with mine there is interoperability - I can take down the blue cases from my rig and put them straight into the boat as seats if I need to. The entire setup, the rig and the boat together, is designed to permit me to explore as many places as possible with as few barriers as possible.

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Exactly. I'm talking to a couple vendors right now about products I can use in my van when traveling long-distance, in camp when base-camping for several nights, or take with me in canoe or on my bike, or even in a pack when hiking. I have to admit to not doing as much distance hiking as I used to, but still want gear I can stow in a pack and grab it and go, whether on foot, bike, or canoe.

 

[4wheelspulling]

The information I have been able to transfer is the waterproof dry good bags, Alps, River sandals, and pelican cases for electronical gear and for photography gear! I did lots of Backpacking, Mountain Climbing, so gear has alway been mutual gear to use with all my hobbies and outdoor activities! Vance.

 

[Dilldog]

Great suggestions, @Plisken (should we call you Snake?)...

Lieutenant JG Iroquois Plisken...
Sorry nothing to add, Im just a sucker for pop culture references.

 

[Road]

Giving this thread a bump, now that there are a ton of newer members who may not have seen it. @Plisken started it, and we had both hoped it would take off more than it has.

Check out the previous posts in this thread as to Wisdom From the River: things you've learned being on the water that have been handy in your adventuring on land.

My latest thing is finding good, durable, lightweight dry sacks. I've had a few I use when canoeing but have wanted more, and in various sizes, for general use around camp and when biking or hiking. You can use them to stow just about anything that'll fit to keep it dry, and once you roll the top onto itself and then buckle it, it does a damned good job at keeping everything from the elements.

I've really liked other products I've bought from Snugpak, like their awesome jungle blankets and all-weather notebooks, so didn't hesitate when I saw they have dry sacks.



Just got these over the holidays and am looking forward to seeing how well they do for general camping and adventuring purposes.

I suspect I'll keep one ready to go at all times as part of my bail-out bag; a grab-n-go bag I try to keep ready with three-four days of supplies, gear, and clothing.

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Roaddude - On the Road In North America - ROADDUDE

Roaddude - Traveling Photographer/Writer/Artist On the Road In North America. Gear, reviews, people, places, and culture.

roaddude.com

 

[Road]

More Wisdom From the River: water filtering and purification

I recently had a great chance to thoroughly test some water purification devices on a five-day canoe-camping trip in Canadian/Maine boundary waters where the only water we used the entire adventure was what we gathered and filtered from the river.

I already have a terrific 20 L jerry from ICON LifeSaver that I keep for general emergencies when I need to filter river, pond, or urban water in volume, and a few LifeStraw personal sized water filters I keep in my various day packs and vehicle, but have been wanting something in between size-wise for filling my Hydroflask and Nalgene containers for cooking/drinking on canoe and bike overnights.

This canoe-camping trip provided the perfect opportunity. Knowing my buddy had a more robust purification system he likes, I bought a LifeStraw Universal water bottle filter adapter kit from Cabelas. It fits a variety of bottles with a long filter insert:


What I found with this one is if you can suck a golf ball through a garden hose you can maybe get enough water through this thing for a good drink when you need it. Otherwise, it's micro-sips and painfully slow.

Just wasn't practical for what I want, though perhaps okay in more of a dire emergency. I already have a few LifeStraw Personals for that, though, and can easily fill up a bottle and use them that way when needed instead of sipping directly from the source. I'm leaning more towards returning this purchase than keeping it.
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The other purification system I bought, though, is amazing. My canoe buddy brought along a portable filter he'd been using for years, the First Need Elite XLE from General Ecology, a world leader in drinking water purification and filtration systems. I was so impressed at how easy it was to use, and how wonderful the water tasted, I bought one myself.

I'd only heard about it once before; in a thread here, actually, four or more years ago. They're not big on marketing like Sawyer, Katadyn, and LifeStraw, etc, so you don't even see them in a lot of filter comparison reviews or you tube vids. But man, I can tell you this thing works better than any of the others I've tried or seen used.


Couple weeks ago canoe-camping, filling up a Nalgene.

- Easy to pump from any water source. Pumps over a gallon of clean filtered water into your containers in three minutes.
- Also comes with a bag for drip filtering while you do other things.
- Easy to back flush, easy to test for efficacy, and does not need constant changing out of filters or chemicals.
- Removes viruses, pathogenic cysts like Cryptosporidia, Giardia, etc, disease bacteria, foul tastes, odors, color, dirt, sediment, etc.
- Ultrafine Microstraining, molecular capture, and electrostatic removal

Filters and purifies better and more effectively than every other portable system I know of.

Like some survival schools say "Use Sawyer etc for wilderness areas where you'll be filtering mountain streams and lakes with no serious upstream contamination; use First Need Elite XLE purifiers in those places AND more extreme situations like urban, or other places when doubtful about water sources, potential chemical or viral contamination at source or upstream, etc.

First Need does all the others do, plus more.


Made right here in the USA too, this is a robust and durable filter.


Attached to my 40oz Hydroflask.

The First Need Elite XLE screws onto a variety of containers from Hydroflask to Nalgene to military, even to store bought smart and sport water bottles.


Not so great for backpacking, no, because of size/weight (still small, but not small enough for long-distance backpackers), though for general adventuring, and for my canoe and bike overnights, this is absolutely perfect.

That's why I am adding it to this thread; it's a terrific bit of wisdom from the river that directly applies to, and is useful for, vehicle-based adventuring.

This is the filter that will stay in my van year-round and will go with me on all canoe and bike camping trips. SO much easier to filter water along the way than to carry enough when away from trailer and van.

Absolutely the clearest and best tasting water I've ever had, whether it's been through a filter or not. Compared to city and well water, the water that comes out of this filter is damned near sweet.

Not all great products are ones that get all the publicity and hoopla.

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Roaddude - On the Road In North America - ROADDUDE

Roaddude - Traveling Photographer/Writer/Artist On the Road In North America. Gear, reviews, people, places, and culture.

roaddude.com

 

[CR-Venturer]

Giving this thread a bump, now that there are a ton of newer members who may not have seen it. @Plisken started it, and we had both hoped it would take off more than it has.

Check out the previous posts in this thread as to Wisdom From the River: things you've learned being on the water that have been handy in your adventuring on land.

My latest thing is finding good, durable, lightweight dry sacks. I've had a few I use when canoeing but have wanted more, and in various sizes, for general use around camp and when biking or hiking. You can use them to stow just about anything that'll fit to keep it dry, and once you roll the top onto itself and then buckle it, it does a damned good job at keeping everything from the elements.

I've really liked other products I've bought from Snugpak, like their awesome jungle blankets and all-weather notebooks, so didn't hesitate when I saw they have dry sacks.

View attachment 133710

Just got these over the holidays and am looking forward to seeing how well they do for general camping and adventuring purposes.

I suspect I'll keep one ready to go at all times as part of my bail-out bag; a grab-n-go bag I try to keep ready with three-four days of supplies, gear, and clothing.

.

Roaddude - On the Road In North America - ROADDUDE

Roaddude - Traveling Photographer/Writer/Artist On the Road In North America. Gear, reviews, people, places, and culture.

roaddude.com

Those dry sacks are perfect for making bear caches when in bear country, which for me is almost anywhere I could go adventuring. The rolled handle helps reduce the smell signature and gives a spot to tie the line for stringing it up.

 

[Plisken]

Those dry sacks are perfect for making bear caches when in bear country, which for me is almost anywhere I could go adventuring. The rolled handle helps reduce the smell signature and gives a spot to tie the line for stringing it up.

...and if you get the kind with backpack straps they serve dual purpose for quick hikes, etc. If you find yourself hiking slot canyons in Utah they will also act as a floatation device while keeping your gear dry. This also works really well for those who ADV/Overland on a motorcycle which I also do. The more you can do with the gear you have versus adding more gear, the better. <he appears again! ;)>

 

[ontos]

We have been river running a lot longer than we have been overlanding and have found a lot of river gear works great for overlanding. I really like roll-a-cots in our ground tent. They can ride on the roof and get wet, since they are made of instant dry mesh. They are relatively light and fold up small enough. Not for backpacking, but great when out with the rig.

We sometime carry an inflatable boat in our CRV when camping. We have a 12 foot Kaboat which is a sort of hybrid canoe/dinghy thing. We use it as a tender for our sailboat during sailing season, but it rolls up pretty small and fits in the back of the CRV. We power it with an electric outboard made by e-propulsion. It is a pretty sweet set up for fishing electric only reservoirs and general exploring. At hull speed the motor's battery has more than enough juice for a day on the water. It also works pretty well with canoe paddles.

 

[CR-Venturer]

We have been river running a lot longer than we have been overlanding and have found a lot of river gear works great for overlanding. I really like roll-a-cots in our ground tent. They can ride on the roof and get wet, since they are made of instant dry mesh. They are relatively light and fold up small enough. Not for backpacking, but great when out with the rig.

We sometime carry an inflatable boat in our CRV when camping. We have a 12 foot Kaboat which is a sort of hybrid canoe/dinghy thing. We use it as a tender for our sailboat during sailing season, but it rolls up pretty small and fits in the back of the CRV. We power it with an electric outboard made by e-propulsion. It is a pretty sweet set up for fishing electric only reservoirs and general exploring. At hull speed the motor's battery has more than enough juice for a day on the water. It also works pretty well with canoe paddles.

I've been considering switching to an electric motor for my little inflatable boat, since the gas motor I have doesn't push the boat much faster than an electric would, and the carburetor is very temperamental and doesn't respond well to riding on the roof for longish periods, plus it's an old oozy motor that's prone to leaking from the gas tank when not upright. Basically a ton of hassle for not much gain vs an electric.

 

[ontos]

I've been considering switching to an electric motor for my little inflatable boat, since the gas motor I have doesn't push the boat much faster than an electric would, and the carburetor is very temperamental and doesn't respond well to riding on the roof for longish periods, plus it's an old oozy motor that's prone to leaking from the gas tank when not upright. Basically a ton of hassle for not much gain vs an electric.

I've been really happy with it. I've always had gas outboards. Fuel quality in my area is bad. The carbs are a pain. The electric is just a pleasure to use. Quiet, doesn't stink, and quick enough for my needs. It also means I don't need a separate trolling motor which is something I hadn't considered but is actually wonderful.

 

[CR-Venturer]

I've been really happy with it. I've always had gas outboards. Fuel quality in my area is bad. The carbs are a pain. The electric is just a pleasure to use. Quiet, doesn't stink, and quick enough for my needs. It also means I don't need a separate trolling motor which is something I hadn't considered but is actually wonderful.

I just looked up their 3hp model. That would be perfect for me. What's the MSRP on something like that, though? I bet it's too rich for my blood.

 

[ontos]

I just looked up their 3hp model. That would be perfect for me. What's the MSRP on something like that, though? I bet it's too rich for my blood.

I think TBNation sells them for $1300 or so. As they say, it only hurts once.

 

[CR-Venturer]

I think TBNation sells them for $1300 or so. As they say, it only hurts once.

Hmm something to think about. That's not impossibly expensive.