Primitive Camping- BWCA.. tips?

I have some experience with primitive camping the last several summers, but only once by canoe where gear is limited, and that trip was an absolute disaster from the get go (long story). It was about 5 years ago and had a couple buddies with that time, but this time around I’m going solo for a week. I’m looking for some general tricks of the trade for people that have done something similar in the past. Fishing from a canoe? Backpacking meals?

One interesting tip ive learned after reading through some forums is a good one I never would have thought of. Filling up an onion sack or a tied up basketball net with rocks for a portable anchor. Thought that was pretty creative.

The more I type the more I realize I don’t know exactly what im asking. I guess just tips to make this trip a little less miserable than my last BWCA “adventure”

Went a couple times when I was young. Second trip a guy had his friend paddling him out. He had a treble stuck in three fingers, holding them all together. Don’t do that. And don’t get sunburned.

25 straight years of BWCA trips. My body has betrayed me now so it’s been a few years. I’ve tried the sack thing for an anchor. Just make sure whatever you use is ten times sturdier than you think it is. Rocks on rocks wreck things. I found anchoring was more work than it was worth. Trolling and drifting was the name of the game.

Sort through your tackle and only bring the necessaties. My go to lures we’re rattlin raps, original Rapalas #11, nettle spins or paddle tail swim type spinners, jigs, mepps and a topwater or two. Had Rippin Raps and Whopper Ploppers been around they’d have been in the mix. A tackle box can get heavy and bulky.

Figure out if you are going to dry foot or wet foot portage and acquire the appropriate footwear with ankle support.

Fire starter of some type whether it’s gel, chips or whatever.

QUALITY rain gear will make or break your trip.

A good ground tarp to go under your tent will keep rainwater out.

A good roller hoist to hang your food.

A good foldable saw for firewood.

Instead of the expensive freeze dried foods I’d usually go with boxed foods, pasta, rice etc. Freeze a steak or two and wrap it up in the middle of your clothes pack. It’ll make for a great first night and or second night meal. Pita bread substitutes for regular bread and packs well. Tastes great fried too and warmed up on the grill. All of the years I did my trips I still always brought to much food. Be disciplined and prune back. That goes for everything.

Appreciate that. I will be bringing a ton of leeches, so I’ll use slips, lindy rigs, jigs, and maybe whip a few spinners up too. I’ll also have an assortment of floaters, sr7s, and rippin raps to go along with it.

Appreciate the pita bread tip too. In one of the hunting shows I watch, they’re favorite backpacking “on the go” meal is a tortilla with peanut butter, Nutella, and pre-packaged bacon. Might go even better with pita bread! I had considered bringing along the ingredients for Bannock but instead I’ve decided to pack “add water” biscuit mixes. Should be a decent snack, especially with some cinnamon.

Last BWCA trip we ran out of food and had dry cooked bass (no oil, seasonings, or walleye) with nothing to go along with it for lunch on the last day. We high-tailed it back to the truck that afternoon for a gas station burger dinner. Best burger I’ve had to this day Long story short, I’ll gladly overpack food this time around!

Did a 5 day trip last year at sawbill just north of Tofte and went with 6 people which was fun but trying to plan the meals was not that was alot of food to pack so I’m looking forward to when my fiance and I get to go to our selves. But we’ve been to sawbill before and there’s a entry point right at the outfitters. Got it last year, too late this year had to get the permits to a entry point 4 lakes away. Now we had 4 portages with the longest being a mile the biggest thing I learned about that was pack light as mentioned above. We tried and failed at doing 1 trip portage where we were able to grab everything in 1 trip vs having to go back to get another load that’ll turn 1 mile into 3 miles real fast. Now for the fish we mainly got them on mister twister and jerk baits wallies,smallies and pike. And I like that anchor idea going to have to try it out.

Be sure to let people back home know where you’re headed, from what entry point and when you plan to return. I’d leave that info above a visor of your car too.

Halazone or other water purification tablets and/or a small water filter. Do NOT trust that nice clean. clear water.

DEET and environmentally safe body wash.

A couple hanks of parachute cord.

Take a spare knife. Pack it in a pocket of clean shorts or jeans. Same with matches/fire starting components.

I have soloed several times in the BWCA, but am not an expert. I have used a regular canoe, not a solo canoe. If you are using a regular/full size canoe you will want to pay attention to how the weight is distributed. On rough days, heading into the wind I have loaded about 80 lbs of rock in the front to balance the canoe. I also just use a rock and rope for an anchor. I don’t worry about drinking out of the lake. Fill your water bottles in the middle of the lake, below the surface. My son worked in the Quetico for two summer. They had a crew of 6 and drank out of the lake. Never had a problem.

Good luck.

Bring multiple fire starters. Sturdiwheat pancakes and PB are a great breakfast, and easily packed just add water. At least 2 water purifiers. And once you get everything organized, pack it up and go on a long hike so you are confident you will be able to haul it all. Looks up Zimmer Pamphlets on YouTube, he’s a buddy of mine that spends most summers solo in the BWCA and has a ton of great info on there.

Dennis Williams wrote:

On rough days, heading into the wind I have loaded about 80 lbs of rock in the front to balance the canoe.

Another option for “ballast” is to fill a “dry” bag or two with water. The water will add the needed ballast, yet in the event of a capsize, the “ballast” will be neutrally buoyant and not continue to take the vessel to the bottom.

Tooo many trips to even think about under my belt. Funny how my camping “skills” progressed from when I first started at age 24 (over 60 now). I have used the basketball net for anchors many times and I like it. I also use the same bag and smaller rocks to toss the rope over a tree limb for hanging food. For years I TRIED to tie the rope around a rock – good luck with that.

For food we have gone pretty basic – instant oatmeal for breakfast (easy to cook and light to carry) – lunch is tortillas and either sausage or jerky and a chunk of cheese and trail mix. Supper is actually pretty easy – we have found so many regular meals just in the grocery store (think Betty Crocker mixes) that we gave up the freeze dried crap 25 years ago. You can come up with all kinds of light weight stuff this way. You can even take pudding mix and powdered milk and make that. Always take some type of cookie mix now and make “pancake” cookies at least once.

GOOD rain gear is a priority – nothing will wreck your trip faster than being wet. I ALWAYS waterproof my seams on my tent every year just to be sure and have never had a leak. Clothing is – wear one set – have one set dry. I only pack some extra socks and a wicking type underwear in case I flip over. Keep the dry clothes dry and just wash out dirty ones and hang out on good days,

I prefer to cast rather than troll, but I would admit trolling could catch more fish. Since you are solo, just go with the wind and only anchor if you are below a waterfall or by current. I like to fish smallmouth so I cast the shores. When it is time for a fish supper, find a waterfall, or reef hump and do the slip bobber thing and you will find supper. I go through a lot of jigs so take plenty. You can narrow stuff down fast.

I don’t like wet feet so I wear knee high black farmer boots and that lets me get in and out easy. I have sandels for around camp and just day trips.

HAVE FUN – but be careful

Tons of great tips here.
Easily the best thing to bring with outside of essentials is a packable hammock. You will be sick of sitting in canoes and on logs/rocks, the hammock will be a treat. I always bring two store bought anchor bags. Usually go out of Ely and I know Voyageur North Outfitters carries them. Mine has lasted 15+ trips and hasn’t failed yet. I like to cook my meals ahead of time and lay them flat in the freezer so they’re easily stackable in a small styrofoam cooler. Serves as a meal and ice.
Other “tricks” I use.
Gatorade powder added to tanic water will be your new favorite beverage…at least for a few days.
Double bag everything you put in baggies.
Bring a fresh roll of duct tape (double bagged) it’s of course great for many things, including patching a canoe if you mistakenly get brave on some rapids (not recommended especially solo). It is also a good fire starter.
If you plan on bringing eggs crack them ahead of time and put them in a tupperware container with a screw on cap and flip open lid or even a blender bottle. You can fit 20+ eggs in one container, and squeezing them out the flip lid one at a time is a breeze. Just make sure to duct tape the flip open lid down.
Five gallon buckets fit well in smaller packs and are great to have around camp. Just make sure to put something soft between the bucket and the part of the pack that will be on your back.
As someone already said, make sure to pack your things well. It can be the difference between a terrible time portaging and a tough walk through the woods.

I think a lot of camping comes down to personal style with regards to food, gear, fishing, etc. Over the years I’ve found mine will shift and change. I like to document things I liked, disliked, what worked, what needs changes and new ideas for the next time around after each camping trip. After seeing many campsites with storm damage over the years I started the habit of taking inventory of the trees around the campsite when setting up my tent. I’m basically looking for anything that may be candidate to come down in a wind storm (isolated trees, dead trees or limbs, etc.).

Speaking of wind there are a few things to keep in mind: If you’re traveling the above mentioned canoe trimming will come into play. You may need to re-adjust the weight load for better tracking and it will change depending on wind and travel direction. I once did a trip with a novice paddler that was significantly heavier than I was. I was in the stern paddling into a side wind and it was absolutely brutal trying to control the canoe. We were one big weather vane and I had to do everything I could to keep the canoe straight. If the wind is stronger you’ll want to keep funnel areas or rock shorelines that could have wave rebound in mind. Depending on the situation waves can really build in some of those areas. I’ve been in a couple situations where things were a little more dicey than wanted. Lastly, be prepared to position & reposition the canoe while fishing especially if there’s wind. Simply put it is a chore. You may need to resort to a fair amount of drift fishing with the rod in one hand and the paddle in the other to provide braking or adjustments. Trolling tends to work better with plugs or spoons. Not sure about lindy rigging where you’ll likely have bottom contact. Casting can be challenging as a solo. I just ordered a drift sock for my fishing kayak to help with better drift control. You can try to anchor up but with more workload. It’s best done in calm conditions. In a tandom we would commonly have one person devoted to canoe control while the other fished (with regular switching).

Good luck with the trip.

And get a bait king for your leeches. Have the bait shop put the bag in there and air it up for the trip out. Once your to your destination bring a leech tamer bag in the canoe while fishing and tie the bait king off to a tree then sink it with a rock out a little ways. Keeps leeches very well and you won’t need to worry about critters eating all your leeches over night or while away from camp.

Might be worth getting a mosquito head net. And plan out your route. We had long portages and long paddles. Kind of turned more into a survival trip vs. a fishing trip. All depends on what you want.

greenheadguru wrote:

And get a bait king for your leeches. Have the bait shop put the bag in there and air it up for the trip out. Once your to your destination bring a leech tamer bag in the canoe while fishing and tie the bait king off to a tree then sink it with a rock out a little ways. Keeps leeches very well and you won’t need to worry about critters eating all your leeches over night or while away from camp.

This is a good idea, otters love eating minnows/leeches left in a tamer bag/minnow bucket just hanging out on the shoreline.

I don’t have a ton to add but:
– wear your life jacket!
– mosquito net is smart, treat all your clothes (but not rain gear) with permethrin before you go
– be careful with any anchors in canoes, have seen/heard of more than a couple tip overs
– my friends that go 3-6 times every year have recently sworn to taking a small, good softside cooler like a Yeti Hopper 20 with a frozen 1/2 gallon jug or similar refreezable packs, they say it’s well worth the weight for cold food
– Gatorade powder is a good idea but AVOID Crystal Light and the like unless you like heartburn
– agree with cracking the eggs into a screw top container like an extra Nalgene, can pour out what you need
– would also agree about filtering water, better to be safe than sorry when on these trips

Good luck when you go.

BigWerm wrote:

Bring multiple fire starters. Sturdiwheat pancakes and PB are a great breakfast, and easily packed just add water. At least 2 water purifiers. And once you get everything organized, pack it up and go on a long hike so you are confident you will be able to haul it all. Looks up Zimmer Pamphlets on YouTube, he’s a buddy of mine that spends most summers solo in the BWCA and has a ton of great info on there.

x2 on sturdiwheat,only need water to make and with peanut butter,you can eat them all day, last time i was up there fishing was tuff, eat pancake roll ups quite a bit! and if drink, vodka/tang isnt to bad, get plastic bottle of vodka we did one long portage and base fished out of there, still could do day trips out of camp,kinda nice to have camp set up and not pack up each day.

For fishing out of the canoe, i always bring a small nylon drift sock and a sculler paddle. You can double duty the drift sock as an anchor bag for rocks.

Attachments:

1. 

   15592589304793150381744748385328.jpg
   

Wow, thank you all so much for the notes. Appreciate it all.

I’ve watched a lot of BWCA trip videos on Youtube, but not sure I’ve seen Zimmer Pamphlets. Will check it out!

I hadnt planned on bringing a soft shell cooler, hammock, mosquito net, additional bait container, or fire starters prior to today.They’ve all been purchased now! I did buy a platypus water filtration system earlier this spring, so I should be set there. Crap is adding up quick!! As of now, weather looks absolutely fabulous, but I’ve learned over the years that means little to nothing.

Will be fun running a practice run around my apartment complex in st paul. Will surely look like a complete idiot lol.This is all essentially a big practice run for a couple backpacking hunting trips out west I have this fall. Leaving Sunday, cant wait!

Bag of franzia dragged behind the boat to stay cool can go a long way…not much trash like beer cans or mixer cans hahaha

Walleye Hungry wrote:

Bag of franzia dragged behind the boat to stay cool can go a long way…not much trash like beer cans or mixer cans hahaha

Or better yet, use a mini keg as an anchor. Pull it up when I want to fish a new spot or want a nice cold drink

It really depends on how far you are going. One lake in and you can bring a keg. If your planning on multiple lakes and portages then only bring necessities. Quick dry clothing no cotton. Boots for portages or keen sandals in summer. Gravity water filter and water bottles. Compression dry bags for clothes and sleeping bag. Small amount of duct tape.
The smaller your pack is the easier it is to carry a canoe and pack together.
Renting the gear from an outfitter is smart if you don’t have it already. Tie up your canoe always. Bring an extra paddle.

solar shower works wonders!

I’ve been to the bwca over 25 times. A lot of good info already mentioned above. Just a few items I will add or echo:

– permethrin – can’t say enough good things about this. Treat your clothes and gear (packs) ahead of time. Word is this is going to be one of the worst mosquito years in recent memory.
– if you plan to eat fish for a meal, always have a “backup meal”
– bring homemade fire starters (egg carton, add saw dust and drier lint, then melt candle wax on top)
– hammocks – will change your life if you get a good one. No matter how good of a sleeping pad you have and how flat you think your tent pad is, a hammock is far superior comfort-wise. Check out shug’s youtube channel for more info on hammock setups.
– always wear your life jacket when in the canoe. always.
– bring backups/extras (headlamp, lighter, rope, TP, bug spray)
– bring a tarp + rope to set up at camp in case you get stuck in a big storm
– make sure your map is either waterproof or kept in a zip lock bag
– always keep a dry stash of wood somewhere back at camp (under tarp)
– bring a good camp chair – totally worth the extra weight
– get a canoe chair also if you don’t already have one
– use a basketball net and a random rock as an anchor. No need to paddle/portage in an anchor.
– check out bwca.com – much more info from seasoned BWCA vets
– lastly, make sure all your gear works before you go! nothing worse than getting up there and realizing your stove doesn’t work because your buddy didn’t bother to take 3 seconds and fire it up at home before leaving (speaking from experience)

When going solo in a tandem canoe, I’ve found its best to actually sit in the “front” seat with the canoe being backwards (compared to normal)… Meaning you’re still in the back seat when paddling but you’re actually sitting in what would normally be the front seat. The weight seems to balance out much better, at least in my canoe.

Lastly, use the paddleplanner website to get campsite reviews and an idea of how long it will take you to portage and paddle across a lake. There’s nothing worse than needing to hustle across another lake to get to a campsite in time to set up just before bed. Being in the bwca should be about relaxing and taking in the scenery. Nothing worse than being rushed for an entire trip because you underestimated how long it’d take you to get to the next campsite.

+1 on paddle planner dot com!

Always bring a small wire cutters.
It might be the only way to get a hook out of your hand (or leg).

Butterfly bandages

Medical stapler is tiny,light and only $11 online on veterinary websites!

Double and triple check sunscreen is packed. We did a trip out of Stuart River one year in record June heat, upper 90’s and clear blue skies for 5 days. Normally ideal but in this case once we got in we realized we were without sunscreen. No problem, we can tough it out. After our first day burn we had to do everything we could to cover up and found the best protection came from our rain gear. 98 degrees and we’re out there sweatin it out in our $30 nylon rain gear. My sunburn / tan lines on my feet from my sandals lasted a good couple of years. Miserable (but memorable!).

The first portage is 1 1/2 miles, coming out it was still hot like that. I got to the truck and there was a 12 pack of coke in the baking cooking in the sun. I was so thirsty I popped that 130 degree coke and slammed the whole can. Probably the best Coke I’ve ever had.

Sunscreen.

A good quality light wieght tent with a vestibule. Its your cocoon from the elements. A warm light weight sleeping bag. A thermal rest mattress. A super tarp- high quality can be used as a shelter. A good axe and fold able saw. A lighter that lights under any conditions. Fishing rods that are two piece. Plenty of good quality rope. First aid kit. Head net. Even a shirt netting depends on your season. Clothes that are good quality- dry out fast. No denim. A pack that is fit to you. Don’t bother with live bait. Do bother with a locator – my opinion. A book that you like.

I bring a chunk of Tyvek. Use it under the tent instead of a tarp, much lighter. Also keep it on outside pocket of pack that way if I get caught in a quick downpour I use it as a quick shelter instead of pulling out the tent.
I use a pocket rocket and MountainHouse meals. Bring a small (500ml) shaker bottle. I use this to mix pancakes in the morning and to drink out of the rest of the time. I take a tons of small condiment packets, catsup, mustard, mayo, BBQ sauce, tabasco, pickle relish that you get at restaurants and gas stations. Envelopes of chicken or tuna mixed with mayo on a soft taco shell (instead of bread)= chicken salad sandwich. Milk cartoon looking hash browns, just add water. Small premade pizza crust, pepperoni, small can of tomato sauce and string cheese warmed over a fire= backcountry pizza. I also buy the small envelopes of flavored mashed potato’s, just add water, really light to carry. Ramen noodles with a envelope of chicken is awesome and very light. Those packets of side dish noodles work well to with packets of chicken or tuna. You can brink tuna helper or chicken helper. Just take it out of the box and light to carry. Lots of hacks on the backcountry camping sites.

We always brought a couple basketball nets to wrap around a rock for our anchor. Bring a couple since you will get the rock stuck on bottom. X2 on the dried food, pancakes, dried fruit (put it in your pancakes) and the non refrigerated bacon for breakfast. Snack mix/jerky for lunch, and rice/dried pasta/boxed au gratin potatoes(dried milk) and shore lunch for dinner. We always brought our leeches in a old sports style water bottle with some ice cubes in a zip lock then transferred them to the bait kind as others mentioned. As others have said double and triple check your rain gear, thermocells, and sun screen is packed. We have went back an forth about the best way to have drinking water. We always bring both the pills and a pump with in case one fails. (the gravity pump you hang from a tree is sweet). Jig and a leech in the rivers is the ticket!

so….. how was the trip?

First off, thanks again for everyone that commented. There were plenty of things that I added to the list (to many actually) based off of what was shared here. First, here is all the crap I ended up bringing.

Yes, way too much stuff. I tripled portaged most of my way there and back. Didnt need that much food as I had blackened walleye for lunch and fried walleye for dinner every day of the trip! The cooler was nice for bait and butter but I wouldnt bring it again if I went solo. The depth finder prevented me from wasting too much time fishing in some areas, but it was a pain to haul.

Attachments:

1. 

   bwca-fishing-gear.jpg
   

2. 

   bwca-gear.jpg
   

3. 

   bwca-food.jpg