The Red CanoeViolette & Stan · 2026

The Kit

What's in the canoe.

Five days off-grid in July. Every ounce earns its place, and the cold-water layers earned theirs twice. This is the full kit Violette and Stan paddled with, refined over two seasons of weekend trips in Algonquin and the Mauricie.

On the water

  • Mad River Explorer 17 (Royalex, ~36 kg) 1
  • Straight-shaft paddle (aluminum) 1
  • Spare straight paddle (wood) 1
  • Double-blade kayak paddle 1
  • Chinook Type III PFD 2
  • Bailer + sponge 1 ea
  • 15 m throw bag 1
  • Painter lines (3 m, bow + stern) 2
  • Locking carabiner (large) 1

Shelter & sleep

  • MT900 ultralight trekking tarp tent (1-person, 920 g, pitches with 2 trekking poles) 2
  • Trekking poles (tent structure, 2 per tent) 4
  • Footprint 2
  • Tarp 3×4 m + 30 m guyline 1
  • Exped Terra -10°C / 15°F sleeping bag 2
  • Thermarest Z Lite SOL closed-cell foam pad (R 2.0) 2
  • Sea to Summit Aeros Premium pillow 2
  • Large free-standing mosquito shelter (camp lounge) 1

Kitchen

  • Single-burner canister stove (isobutane, folding head) 1
  • Isobutane fuel canister (1 large + 1 small) 2
  • Stainless steel cup (nesting) 2
  • Stainless steel bowl 1
  • Spork 2
  • Lighter 3
  • Blue waterproof food barrel (30 L) + harness 1
  • Bear hang kit (50 m line + carabiners) 1
  • Sawyer Mini SP128 personal water filter 2
  • Campsuds biodegradable soap 1
  • Nalgene water bottle (1 L) 2
  • Liquid IV electrolyte sachets TBD

Packing system

  • Portage backpack (65 L, padded hip belt) 2
  • Roll-top dry bag (20 L, sleep system) 2
  • Roll-top dry bag (10 L, clothes, each) 2
  • Roll-top dry bag (5 L, electronics & documents) 1
  • Small dry bag (3 L, first-aid + repair) 2
  • Compression sack (sleeping bags) 2

Safety & navigation

  • Garmin inReach Mini 3 (with MapShare) 1
  • 1:50 000 topo maps (waterproof case) 4
  • Compass + whistle 2 ea
  • First-aid kit (WFR-spec) 1
  • Repair kit (canoe, paddle, tent) 1
  • Petzl headlamp (dual-LED) 1
  • Petzl headlamp (compact) 1
  • Spare batteries set 1
  • Nitecore EDC09 flashlight (1 600 lm, USB-C, waterproof) 1
  • Kershaw Blur 1670BGBBLKST folding knife (partially serrated, glassbreaker) 1
  • bayite ½″×6″ ferrocerium rod (with paracord striker) 1
  • Fatwood firestarter sticks 1
  • Counter Assault bear spray (8.1 oz) 1
  • Insect repellent (picaridin) 2
  • West System G/Flex epoxy adhesive 1
  • 3M Duct Tape (roll) 1
  • UST waterproof dry case (small hard-shell) 1

Clothing (each)

  • Quick-dry paddling pants + shorts 1+1
  • Merino base layers (long) 1 set
  • Sun shirt (UPF 50) 2
  • Fleece mid-layer 1
  • Rain jacket + rain pants 1 ea
  • Wide-brim hat + warm hat 1 ea
  • Bug head net (fits over wide-brim hat) 2
  • Camp socks (wool) 2
  • Camp shoes + water shoes (old trail-running shoes, retired for canoe duty) 1 ea
  • Gloves (paddling) 1

Capture

  • GoPro Hero 7 + chest mount 1
  • Phone (airplane mode, GPS only) 2
  • Anker 10,000 mAh power bank (30 W USB-C) 1
  • Anker 20,000 mAh power bank (87 W, built-in USB-C cable) 1
  • Anker Zolo 20,000 mAh power bank (45 W, dual built-in USB-C) 1
  • Dry bag for electronics (5 L) 1

How it all carries

Three loads on every portage: one blue waterproof food barrel (~14 kg loaded), two portage backpacks (65 L) with everything else inside dry bags (~20 kg each), plus the canoe itself (~36 kg).

The point of the backpacks: hands free, weight on the hips, and the dry bags inside mean a tipped pack on a wet portage doesn't soak the sleeping bags. Total dry weight is roughly 54 kg. The Royalex hull is the big compromise: it's heavier than a Kevlar boat by about 14 kg, which on a 575 m portage is noticeable, but it survives the rocks.

On short portages we make one round-trip. On the 480 m on day 1 and the 575 m on day 3, we make two trips for the gear plus one for the canoe.