Mad Marmot A blog about programming, ruby, rails.

BWCA Gear List

Boundary Waters Canoe Area

The BWCA/Quetico wilderness is a special, one-of-a-kind place. Since I visit the BWCA frequently, I put together this list to assist friends of mine when they ask a day before the trip starts "What do you think I should bring?"

BWCA regulations

• No burning trash of any kind in the fire
• No doing dishes in the lake. Dishes must be done 150 feet from water and campsite.
• No food or anything that smells in your tent
• Cans and glass bottles are not allowed
• Containers of fuel, insect repellent, medicines, personal toilet articles, and other items that are not foods or beverages are the only cans and bottles you may keep in their original containers.
• Trash and leftover food should be packed out. Food should never be thrown into latrines, water, or woods.
• It is illegal to cut live vegetation for any reason.
• If you wish you can read more about regulations and trip planning in the BWCA Trip Planning Guide

Clothing

Ideally all clothing you bring should have no cotton! Cotton does not keep you warm when wet and causes hypothermia. Many people die each year from hypothermia in the middle of summer. Wool, polyester, nylon, fleece, etc. all work great. That being said, thousands of people venture into the BWCA each year with cotton clothing and live to tell their stories.

Waterproof bag = Large gallon sized ziploc, garbage bag, or some other waterproof container.

Necessary Items

• long underwear top and bottoms
• 1 pair pants (not jeans which are cotton.. if you don't have any non-cotton pants then make sure you have long underwear bottoms)
• 1 or 2 t-shirts
• 1 or 2 long sleeved shirts (not cotton)
  • This is your insulating layer to keep you warm.
• rain jacket
• 2 pair of socks (wool or synthetic, not cotton!)
• 1 pair shoes or boots
  • If you want your shoes/boots to keep your feet dry make sure you waterproof them shortly before the trip (I recommend Nikwax products), although this is unecessary if you are okay with having wet feet.
• warm winter hat (yes you will want this in the summer)

Good idea, but unnecessary items

• rain pants
• 1 pair of sandals
  • walking sandals are better than flip-flops
• hat with a brim
  • to shade the sun.. wide brim hat ideal, baseball hat works to
  • spending all day in the sun in a canoe will burn and frustrate die-hard beach bums
• gloves to keep hands warm
• sunglasses
• swim suit
• small towel
  • useful to share with significant other or best friend

Packing

• Set items aside that you will be wearing when paddling
• Select items you want handy during paddling such as rain gear and if it is a chilly day a long sleeve shirt. Put these together in an easy-to-access spot with the shirt in a waterproof bag.
• Put all other clothes into a waterproof bag that will be stored deep in your pack.

Camp Gear

Necessary Personal Camp Gear

• sleeping bag
  • Mummy bags are warmer and smaller. Be sure to puut in a waterproof bag.
• sleeping pad
• headlamp / flashlight
• waterbottle
• spoon to eat with
• Tent
  • unless you are sharing someone elses
• "bathroom items"
  • toothpaste, toothbrush, birth control, contact solution/case, etc.
  • toilet paper
  • the seagulls will still shit on you if you bring makeup
• packs to carry your stuff
  • ideal -> duluth pack
  • great -> a backpacker's backpack
  • but anything works... duffle bag, normal backpack, etc.
• packing
  • Put anything you don't want to get wet in a waterproof bag. Using lots of ziploc bags and garbage bags works great and is recommended even if you have a waterproof pack.

Group Camp Gear

I will be bringing these. Doubling up on items is fine, but unecessary and adds weight that must be paddled and portaged.

• Rain tarp and rope
• hatchet, matches, windproof lighter, firestarters
• stove, fuel, and pot
• water purification drops
  • This is Aquamira which does not alter taste or color of water and is more efficient at killing bacteria and viruses than filters
  • I can bring a water filter too if anyone would prefer this over drops
• rope to hang food
• first aid kit with ibuprofen, bandages, ankle-tape, and other goodies

Good idea, but unnecessary Personal Gear

• camera
• sunscreen
• small book
• cards or other group games
• a few extra garbage/ziploc bags
• toilet paper
• bugspray
• map and compass (unnecessary since I will have this, but bring your own if you like maps!)
• knife
• camp chairs
  • I would leave at home the conventional folding camp chair (very heavy), but bring any smaller camp chairs if you have them. We don't need enough for all as we can share and the ground with your sleeping mat works great!
• fishing stuff if you like to fish
• flasks if you like to drink

FOOD

My Backcountry Food Philosophy

• Simple as possible with a high calorie to weight ratio
  • Avoid any food that has water in it, as water is heavy! An example is fruit.
• Avoid big meals, but instead go for two small hot meals (breakfast, dinner) with decent sized snacks every 2 hours in between. When you snack this much you will not need a big dinner.
• Avoid washing dishes by eating hot meals in a bag, which only requires boiling water in a pot. When done zip bag shut and lick spoon.
  • Washing dishes is extremely annoying in the backcountry and is bad for the environment. In the BWCA you can't wash dishes in the lake, but must do it 150 feet from water. Usually you need a big washbasin tub. Also, ALL soap is bad for the environment, even soap labeled biodegradeable.
• Bring exactly what you need for the length of the trip and no extra. People don't die from lack of food, they die from lack of water, hypothermia, or general stupidity.

Breakfast Suggestions

• Hot : Instant Oatmeal
  • Combine 2 packets of flavored instant oatmeal together into a quart-sized ziploc bag for a single breakfast meal.
• Cold :
  • Nutri-grain bars
  • pop tarts
  • bagels

In-Between Snacks

• Bars
  • candy bars, granola bars, power bars, nutty bars.
  • I like 3 to 4 snicker-sized candy bars a day (200 calories per bar). Variety is key to not getting bored with bars.
• Trail Mix
  • Most grocery stores (I go to rainbow) have an excellent selection of trail mix in bulk. Variety is key again.
  • I like 6 ounces a day. You can weigh bulk trail mix on a scale at the grocery store.
• Other ideas
  • Usually I only do bars and trail mix. If you bring anything else you will not need as many bars/trail mix as I suggested.
  • Pringles or other chips
  • crackers
  • cheese (unnecessary to keep refrigerated)
  • jerky, beef sticks, summer sausage
  • bagels

Dinner

• Meals in a bag
  • Purchase at REI, Gander Mountain, Dick's
    • I like Mountain House and Backpacker's Pantry Brands
    • Price ranges from $5-$7 for a 2-serving meal. Usually one 2-serving meal is perfect for me, although is too much for Becca so we usually share and I snack more.
    • Before buying verify that all you have to do to cook it is to pour boiling water in the bag and let sit. Not all of these meals work this way!
  • Purchase at grocery store
    • You can buy cheaper Lipton pasta or rice pouches. These are not as tasty. Be sure to repackage these in a quart-sized ziploc bag.
  • Make your own in a quart-size ziploc bag
    • Choose pasta or rice as your base
    • Mix in spices, powder for the sauce, and dehydrated vegies

Liquids

• I only drink water.
• If you want flavor, bring powders to mix with water in your water bottle
  • tang, powder gatorade, kool-aid, hot chocolate (for hot chocolate you'll also probably want a small cup)

Packing

• Repackage food in ziploc bags (except for ready-to-go brand name dinner's such as Mountain House)
  • It is useful to package the snacks by daily amount so you know how much you have to eat for the day
• Try hard not to bring too much food! Every single trip I've been on people bring way too much food, as in twice as much as they need, which makes portaging and hanging the food more difficult.
  • All food must be hung in a tree at night so the animals don't get it.

-- LukeLudwig - 14 Aug 2006