Oct
6
2009
I’d like to share a link to a forum I lurk on every once in a while. It’s a great place online to find discussion and knowledge-sharing regarding all things bushcrafty. You’ll also find a decent amount of Ray Mears fans in attendance.
I like the distinction that is drawn between survival and bushcraft; the latter is a much more holistic, sustainable approach to not only surviving, but living with your environment.
Sep
20
2009
(What I carry is nowhere near as nice as this, but the concept is essentially the same. These are from J.a.G Woodworking)
I’d like to talk about one decision I’ve made when it comes to kitchen on a canoe trip. There’s a part of me that wants to go as ultra-light as possible, knife and a flint striker and some rope, and improvise from there, but there’s another, more obsessive side that wants to bring every gadget possible. Somewhere in the middle is the ideal camping kit. That ideal pack obviously is different for each individual, and indeed, changes for me on a constant basis.
One peice of kit that has started coming with me on any canoe trip longer than three days is my version of a wanigan. Bill Casselman’s “Canadian Word of the Day” site describes it better than I could.
A wanigan is essentially a box for food, kitchen kit, and possibly tools that would otherwise be difficult to pack or too fragile to stuff into a roughly-treated pack.
It’s a traditional bit of kit, which, in the spirit of the Duluth-style canoe pack, is as simple as it is refined. Like the Duluth pack, the wanigan is a large, single-area storage solution. It requires that you keep your individual food and tools well-organized.
With a proper utensil roll or bag, you are left with a solid pantry that will protect your fragile foods – eggs, bread, etc.
The fact that it can serve as a table, cutting surface, and utensile-rest appeals to the multiple-use side of me. Sometimes, you make it to a campsite that ends up being wet, and it’s very nice to unpack and organize your meals on a clean, flat, comfortable surface.
The wanigan I have started using is just an old tupperware tub that I had hanging around, and by chance, it fits perfectly into a 68L roll-top drybag from Sea-to-Summit. I can’t say enough about this combo. I’ll eventually try a watertight one, but I like the fact that during use, the wanigan can allow moisture to escape, keeping the inside humidity low.
The bag also is large enough for extras, such as the pot and toiletries, all of which get hauled into the trees at the end of the day.
That’s right, because I’m just using a plastic box, even the wanigan goes up there, along with any pots that were used for more than boiling water. Some may call it overkill, but I’ve yet to confront anything larger than a chipmunk at my sites in the backcountry, and I’d like to keep it that way. This likely wouldn’t be possible to do with a traditional wooden wanigan, but I’d like to see if I can find a good compromise for weight and utility.
If anybody has any experiences of their own with wanigans, I’d love to hear from you, and please feel free to share here on the comments.
Jul
1
2008
In about a week and a half, I’ll be headed out to a bit of crown land with a friend of mine. It’s going to be an interesting experience, since I’m not used to letting someone else plan a route for me. I’ll be going in essentially blind, but that’s fine. I’m going with a standup guy, and we’ve both got good heads on our shoulders.
I like to make sure that every time I head out into the bush, I learn something. If I don’t, then all it means is that I wasn’t paying attention. For each trip, I also like to try and give myself some goals. They’re nothing crazy – sometimes they’re restrictions I place on myself, like not bringing a tent, or using a flint striker to start all my fires, sometimes they’re just an attempt to focus, like trying to keep my stuff together when portaging.
This time, navigation is key, so I’m going to set my sights on the orienteering skills I remember learning in junior high, about two decades ago.
Wish me luck. 
(more…)
Jun
13
2008
I have a saying, “I’d rather spend more time in the canoe than under it.”
We all love canoeing, but not many look forward to the portages. They can be stifling, sweaty, buggy and tiring affairs that feel like more work than they’re worth. They’re well worth it, but here’s some ways I make the necessary portages a bit more enjoyable.
Jun
10
2008
I live in a small apartment in downtown Toronto, Canada, so I had a few challenges to deal with when deciding which canoe to buy. I needed flexible storage and transportation options.
I ended up with a Pakcanoe, a skin-on-frame canoe that comes apart and stores or travels in a bag about the size of a hockey duffel. It’s sometimes known as a folding canoe or a collapsible canoe.
We were up at a friend’s cottage this past weekend, and he was nice enough to take some shots of us in action, getting most of the assembly process.
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