Five days off-grid in June. Every ounce earns its place, and the cold-water
layers earn theirs twice. This is the full kit Violette and Stan are paddling
with, refined over two seasons of weekend trips in Algonquin and the Mauricie.
On the water
Mad River Explorer 17 (Royalex, ~36 kg) 1
Bent-shaft paddles (carbon) 2
Spare straight paddle (wood) 1
PFDs (Type III, whistle) 2
Dog PFD (Ruffwear Float Coat, M) 1
2 mm shorty wetsuits 2
Bailer + sponge 1 ea
15 m throw bag 1
Painter lines (3 m, bow + stern) 2
Portage yoke pads (sized for the Mad River yoke) 1 pair
Kneeling pads 2
Shelter & sleep
3-person 3-season tent (one for sleeping, one for gear) 2
Footprints (one per tent) 2
Tarp 3×4 m + 30 m guyline 1
Sleeping bag (5°C) 2
Inflatable sleeping pad (R 3.5) 2
Inflatable pillow 2
Dog sleeping pad (Charlie's spot in the sleeping tent) 1
Hammock (lounge) 1
Kitchen
2-burner liquid-fuel stove 1
Fuel bottle (1 L white gas) 2
Nesting pot set (1.5 L + 2 L) 1
Cast-iron skillet (8″) 1
Insulated mug 2
Long-handle spoon, knife, lighter ×3 n/a
30 L food barrel + harness 1
Bear hang kit (50 m line + carabiners) 1
Water filter (gravity, 6 L) 1
Safety & navigation
Garmin inReach Mini 2 (Enrich Share) 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
Headlamp + spare batteries 2
Bear spray 1
Fire starter (waterproof matches + ferro) 2
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 1 ea
Gloves (paddling) 1
Capture
Nikon F3 with 35 mm lens 1
Kodak Portra 400 film, 36-exp rolls TBD
GoPro Hero 7 + chest mount 1
Phone (airplane mode, GPS only) 2
Power bank (20 Ah) 1
Field notebook + pen 1
Dry bag for electronics (5 L) 1
Charlie's kit
Float coat / dog PFD (sized M) 1
Trail harness (no-pull, with handle) 1
Long line (10 m) + short leash (2 m) 1 ea
Collapsible bowl 1
Kibble (vacuum-sealed daily portions, 6 days) ~3 kg
Vet-approved tick & mosquito treatment 1
Paw balm + small first-aid (tweezers, gauze) 1
Towel (for shake-off duty in the tent) 1
Total dry weight
Roughly 54 kg across two portage packs, the food barrel, and
Charlie's kit, plus the canoe itself at ~36 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
trip. On the 480 m carry on day 1 and the 575 m on day 3, we make two trips for
gear plus one for the canoe.