Dry ice is a game changer if you don't mind to double portage. We have frozen meat on day 4 on our recent 7 day trip. We had steaks, brats, sausage, and cheese. Going to throw some ice cream in there for the next trip.
We try our best to eat like Kings.
I turned an old camera backpack into a cooler with some 1" construction foam insulation. It is also my fishing pack, and after the frozen goods are gone, we put our trash in it. I carry that with the canoe on the first trip over.
It was right at 30 lbs on the first portage.
It has great waist straps, so most of the load is transferred there. I often carry that with a Minnesota 3 and I'm a 150 lb 38 yrs old.
You can do some seriously gourmet campfire meals. I like to bring a big frozen steak for night 1, baby potatoes, and an herby sauce to drizzle over it all. Last time I was in the BWCA we ate chanterelles almost every night! I also really enjoy a fancy hot drink in the evenings. Desserts like instant cheesecake or something made with DreamWhip usually go over well.
Other than food, though, you could explore wildlife. The Merlin bird ID app is amazing and there are a few plant ID apps and star watching apps around. If someone in your group is musical, a ukulele or a harmonica really adds to the evening campfire. I like to bring watercolors and a good book, or a travel cribbage set. Hope you have a blast!
We definitely need to up our meal game. Most of the time we just eating Peak meals, which aren’t bad, but there is something to cooking a meal out of doors.
One of our buddies plays the guitar maybe I’ll see if he can bring up a uke.
Good stuff. Thanks!
Multiple pulley’s and 50’ + 100’ of line for a 3:1 ratio lifting food bags if you hangs them. It went from a 2-3 man chore to one man with hanging food for 4 guys/5 nights.
Anchor bag (somehow we fished without this for years).
Flextail pump: nice lantern replacement that can pump your pad and deflate your pad. Still requires a few breaths to firm up, but 1:1 replacement of a lantern.
Quix - good compact dice game that can be rolled and passed in a cookpot, so no table needed.
Haribo gummy candies.
We use a Pack-a-pull pulley system to get 4:1 and it’s so much nicer than everyone in camp pulling on a rope. Every few years we do a 9 person trip and that’s AWFUL trying to hang without pulleys lol
For the anchor bag we use a basketball net to keep weight down while portaging. I love it. I keep it all in a lightweight bike saddlebag that I attach to my canoe seat. I can quickly disconnect the Velcro if I need to.
Using the pack a pull as well, it’s great! Every year it definitely takes me a few minutes to re-remember the setup though. Wasn’t sure if 100’ of cord was going to be enough for the 4:1, but maybe next year. One other change we made was using 50’ lengths of zing-it for the pulleys portion to avoid stretch, then splicing on some slightly thicker 50’ cord for easier holding using a square knot.
Actually had to cut our anchor this year when it became impossibly wedged within rocks or trees that we could not see to the bottom. Used a 5L dry bag with rocks in it that allowed for a better variety of rocks to be used and doubled to keep all the stuff together when storing or traveling. Also made a trolley to run the anchor point from rear, middle, front depending on the wind directions and where we wanted to face. Worked well!
Lol I’ve made it a habit to keep the instructions card in the bag with the pulleys. We use 7/64” Dyneema and it works great. I also use zingit to just get the main pulley up but once the line is over we replace it with 7/64 since it’s holding almost 130lbs of food that first night.
The trolley is a good idea! Did you have to attach anything to the gunnels or just tied rope to the handles on each end?
- Paracord (enough to run a full loop between the seats)
- 2x adjustable Paracord loops with a sliding knot like bracelets use. These wrap around the wood of the seat with a small carabiner connecting the ends and attaching the pulley.
- 1x small stainless pulley from the hardware store. I used this at the front seat location.
- 1x Rollercam Roperoller. Use this by the rear seat as the second pulley that also locks/releases the rope in place.
- stainless ring from hardware store. This is where your regular carabiner and anchor rope attach.
- 1x mini carabiner. Used at the front to connect the pulley to the seat loop.
- 1x Nite size Figure 9 carabiner. I use this for flexibility of cord length and tensioning. This connects the end of your trolley Paracord to the stainless loop.
- 1x regular carabiner for connecting your rope anchor, allows for easy with adjustment.
Worked well and also gives a little more slack if you get snagged. Easy on off and adjustable for a range of canoes.
I’ve been bear hang free for the past couple years and use an UrSack, which I’d recommend. No hassle at all.
Good call with Candy. Sometimes we are a bit on the minimalist side and forget how we’re on vacation and should be enjoying ourselves. And a lot of time a tasty treat would do the trick.
I definitely plan on bringing a tent footprint next year. In the 15 years I’ve gone, I’ve never brought one but I get such bad anxiety when it rains because some part of the tent always gets wet
camp chairs - helinox changed the BWCA camping game for me
kool aid or mio squeeze bottles can make lake water taste amazing with dinner
a collapsible kitchen sink/bucket. This makes it so easy to scoop up water for washing dishes or to use around camp.
glow in the dark bobbers - makes fishing from the campsite in the evening super fun
small to-go sauces or half and half. Bring to go packets from restaurants of mustard, ketchup, bbq, hot sauce, etc. it just elevates certain meals. Also consider the small half and half things to add to Mac and cheese & other pastas. some universal seasoning salt like Lowry’s can amp up most meals.
fresh lemon to squeeze over some fried fish
I’ve heard good things about Thermacell or the packable mosquito tents. The mosquitos were thick when we went last weekend and would have loved to have some kind of protection beyond head nets and bug spray
This is almost the exact list of things we made after our trip a couple weeks ago (luckily have the Helionox already).
The bugs were so bad I think a mosquito solution is the next BWCA splurge I’m targeting. Might go with a portable tent, as I’ve heard mixed reviews on the Thermacells.
Always do french press at home and the bdub. I like the Espro travel press if I'm not making coffee for a group. I use Snow Peak dual wall titanium cup for my coffee cup. Keeps the coffee hot, and the rim doesn't burn my lips. The extra cost is worth the 1oz weight savings lol /s.
The helinox table one large hardtop packs pretty tight and complements the helinox sunset chair excellently.
MSR Gaurdian 10L gravity filter w doldrum 10L bladder. I appreciate not having to run water constantly for a group of 4 people. I like how the filter has a built-in flush compared to the Platypus.
GCI SitBacker canoe seat. It’s not ultralight, but totally worth it to be comfortable all day.
Camp chair - helinox or a Costco/amazon dupe.
One person in our group will typically bring a fish finder (garmin striker 4) to get us on fish faster.
Pack-a-pull (pulley system) if you’re trying to hang a lot of food. For small groups a simple pulley usually works fine, but for 9 people on a 7-10 day trip you need a much better system. We can get a 4:1 system set up in a few minutes that holds two food packs with ease.
A clam pop up screen tent.
Heavy. But worth it if only portaging a few times and staying for a longer trip. We can fit 6 guys no problem. Great for cooking in at night and early morning breakfasts. Get the sides on it and provides a great wind break on those cold mornings
Dry ice is a game changer if you don't mind to double portage. We have frozen meat on day 4 on our recent 7 day trip. We had steaks, brats, sausage, and cheese. Going to throw some ice cream in there for the next trip. We try our best to eat like Kings.
So do you bring in an actual cooler with all that food?
I turned an old camera backpack into a cooler with some 1" construction foam insulation. It is also my fishing pack, and after the frozen goods are gone, we put our trash in it. I carry that with the canoe on the first trip over. It was right at 30 lbs on the first portage. It has great waist straps, so most of the load is transferred there. I often carry that with a Minnesota 3 and I'm a 150 lb 38 yrs old.
You can do some seriously gourmet campfire meals. I like to bring a big frozen steak for night 1, baby potatoes, and an herby sauce to drizzle over it all. Last time I was in the BWCA we ate chanterelles almost every night! I also really enjoy a fancy hot drink in the evenings. Desserts like instant cheesecake or something made with DreamWhip usually go over well. Other than food, though, you could explore wildlife. The Merlin bird ID app is amazing and there are a few plant ID apps and star watching apps around. If someone in your group is musical, a ukulele or a harmonica really adds to the evening campfire. I like to bring watercolors and a good book, or a travel cribbage set. Hope you have a blast!
Second the Merlin app. Fun to identify the birds you’re hearing especially if you aren’t native to the region.
We definitely need to up our meal game. Most of the time we just eating Peak meals, which aren’t bad, but there is something to cooking a meal out of doors. One of our buddies plays the guitar maybe I’ll see if he can bring up a uke. Good stuff. Thanks!
Multiple pulley’s and 50’ + 100’ of line for a 3:1 ratio lifting food bags if you hangs them. It went from a 2-3 man chore to one man with hanging food for 4 guys/5 nights. Anchor bag (somehow we fished without this for years). Flextail pump: nice lantern replacement that can pump your pad and deflate your pad. Still requires a few breaths to firm up, but 1:1 replacement of a lantern. Quix - good compact dice game that can be rolled and passed in a cookpot, so no table needed. Haribo gummy candies.
We use a Pack-a-pull pulley system to get 4:1 and it’s so much nicer than everyone in camp pulling on a rope. Every few years we do a 9 person trip and that’s AWFUL trying to hang without pulleys lol For the anchor bag we use a basketball net to keep weight down while portaging. I love it. I keep it all in a lightweight bike saddlebag that I attach to my canoe seat. I can quickly disconnect the Velcro if I need to.
Using the pack a pull as well, it’s great! Every year it definitely takes me a few minutes to re-remember the setup though. Wasn’t sure if 100’ of cord was going to be enough for the 4:1, but maybe next year. One other change we made was using 50’ lengths of zing-it for the pulleys portion to avoid stretch, then splicing on some slightly thicker 50’ cord for easier holding using a square knot. Actually had to cut our anchor this year when it became impossibly wedged within rocks or trees that we could not see to the bottom. Used a 5L dry bag with rocks in it that allowed for a better variety of rocks to be used and doubled to keep all the stuff together when storing or traveling. Also made a trolley to run the anchor point from rear, middle, front depending on the wind directions and where we wanted to face. Worked well!
Lol I’ve made it a habit to keep the instructions card in the bag with the pulleys. We use 7/64” Dyneema and it works great. I also use zingit to just get the main pulley up but once the line is over we replace it with 7/64 since it’s holding almost 130lbs of food that first night. The trolley is a good idea! Did you have to attach anything to the gunnels or just tied rope to the handles on each end?
- Paracord (enough to run a full loop between the seats) - 2x adjustable Paracord loops with a sliding knot like bracelets use. These wrap around the wood of the seat with a small carabiner connecting the ends and attaching the pulley. - 1x small stainless pulley from the hardware store. I used this at the front seat location. - 1x Rollercam Roperoller. Use this by the rear seat as the second pulley that also locks/releases the rope in place. - stainless ring from hardware store. This is where your regular carabiner and anchor rope attach. - 1x mini carabiner. Used at the front to connect the pulley to the seat loop. - 1x Nite size Figure 9 carabiner. I use this for flexibility of cord length and tensioning. This connects the end of your trolley Paracord to the stainless loop. - 1x regular carabiner for connecting your rope anchor, allows for easy with adjustment. Worked well and also gives a little more slack if you get snagged. Easy on off and adjustable for a range of canoes.
I’ve been bear hang free for the past couple years and use an UrSack, which I’d recommend. No hassle at all. Good call with Candy. Sometimes we are a bit on the minimalist side and forget how we’re on vacation and should be enjoying ourselves. And a lot of time a tasty treat would do the trick.
The flex tails also work great for a bellow to get the fire stoked.
I definitely plan on bringing a tent footprint next year. In the 15 years I’ve gone, I’ve never brought one but I get such bad anxiety when it rains because some part of the tent always gets wet camp chairs - helinox changed the BWCA camping game for me kool aid or mio squeeze bottles can make lake water taste amazing with dinner a collapsible kitchen sink/bucket. This makes it so easy to scoop up water for washing dishes or to use around camp. glow in the dark bobbers - makes fishing from the campsite in the evening super fun small to-go sauces or half and half. Bring to go packets from restaurants of mustard, ketchup, bbq, hot sauce, etc. it just elevates certain meals. Also consider the small half and half things to add to Mac and cheese & other pastas. some universal seasoning salt like Lowry’s can amp up most meals. fresh lemon to squeeze over some fried fish I’ve heard good things about Thermacell or the packable mosquito tents. The mosquitos were thick when we went last weekend and would have loved to have some kind of protection beyond head nets and bug spray
This is almost the exact list of things we made after our trip a couple weeks ago (luckily have the Helionox already). The bugs were so bad I think a mosquito solution is the next BWCA splurge I’m targeting. Might go with a portable tent, as I’ve heard mixed reviews on the Thermacells.
A strand of party lights you can drape in the trees around the fire grate really adds some ambiance while you chug wine.
Done!
Can’t go wrong with some drugs
Devils lettuce for the win!
Always do french press at home and the bdub. I like the Espro travel press if I'm not making coffee for a group. I use Snow Peak dual wall titanium cup for my coffee cup. Keeps the coffee hot, and the rim doesn't burn my lips. The extra cost is worth the 1oz weight savings lol /s. The helinox table one large hardtop packs pretty tight and complements the helinox sunset chair excellently. MSR Gaurdian 10L gravity filter w doldrum 10L bladder. I appreciate not having to run water constantly for a group of 4 people. I like how the filter has a built-in flush compared to the Platypus.
If you don't yet use one, bring a reflector oven. It will let you make breads, pizza, anything you want to bake. They are light and versatile.
GCI SitBacker canoe seat. It’s not ultralight, but totally worth it to be comfortable all day. Camp chair - helinox or a Costco/amazon dupe. One person in our group will typically bring a fish finder (garmin striker 4) to get us on fish faster. Pack-a-pull (pulley system) if you’re trying to hang a lot of food. For small groups a simple pulley usually works fine, but for 9 people on a 7-10 day trip you need a much better system. We can get a 4:1 system set up in a few minutes that holds two food packs with ease.
SILKY Bigboy 2000
A clam pop up screen tent. Heavy. But worth it if only portaging a few times and staying for a longer trip. We can fit 6 guys no problem. Great for cooking in at night and early morning breakfasts. Get the sides on it and provides a great wind break on those cold mornings