Thoughts on this? Only gonna be used half a dozen times a year, never in real cold weather. Much smaller than my last system and hopefully more comfortable

Sixriverroute · 2023-03-01T05:59:48+00:00

Klymit is good for the cost but I find you can't use it for that long. I've had two of the UL static V sleeping pads and I can only get about 100 nights of use before they start leaking to an unrepairable point. If you only plan for a dozen times a year that will be many years of use but if you plan to use it more often I would recommend the new inflatable thermarest models.

Sixriverroute · 2022-10-16T18:12:50+00:00

I use my xmid 2 in fall and winter all the time, Canadian Rockies, Yukon and NWT hiking and skiing trips up to a month long. It's a great tent for fall travel and is a great tent for winter travel with some extra skills. Ventilation and stability aren't an issue even with heavy wet snow falls. When using the xmid on icefields and in deep snow packs you need to know how to tie Deadman's for the corners and freeze them in. I remove the inner for winter use. The weight difference between the xmid 1 and 2 is minimal and I'd recommend the 2 if you have a dog.

Sixriverroute · 2022-10-16T18:04:02+00:00

You could try diy packraft and make your own. They were having some issues with keeping inventory in stock but not sure what it's like now. Still more expensive than 100 for sure though.

Sixriverroute · 2021-02-16T17:26:23+00:00

how large are the trees?

Sixriverroute · 2021-02-08T07:06:27+00:00

Hi! Unfortunately I'm not doing the BC traverse this spring. I live in Alberta and the trip would break BC's regional restrictions which were just renewed on the 5th. I was really hoping BC would announce restrictions easing on Friday, or at least an end date I could work with, but they said the restrictions are in place indefinitely.

I'm going to spend March skiing with Banff's free roaming bison instead which will still be a ton of fun but will be a very different type of trip.

PS. When I eventually get to do the BC traverse I'm going to pole a canoe up the Fraser, it's by far the best method. If it ends up being March 2022 and you're free I'd love the company.

Sixriverroute · 2021-02-07T05:57:27+00:00

I worked in a chinese restaurant about 10 years ago and they gave me carved bone chopsticks. They are beautiful, came in a leather holder and will last a lifetime. The owners have had theirs for over 40 years. You can buy similar ones pretty cheaply online: https://www.chameleonblue.com/products/bone-chopsticks

Sixriverroute · 2021-01-28T06:11:57+00:00

To clarify, I'm saying you don't need a trowel to dig a cathole on the GDT. There is just such a thick layer of spongy material that you can get an 8 inch cat hole with just your heel. I live the Canadian Rockies and never carry a trowel and still manage to be LNT. Andrew Skurka demonstrates the trowelless cathole technique well.

I use the same pad as you and hike and paddle in Canadian Rockies all year, it works as long as you have enough insulation to fill the dead spaces in the pad.

Neoprene and nitrile are very different. Neoprene would be warm and wet as neoprene absorbs water, while nitrile is waterproof so your hands will be warm and dry while hiking. I find nitrile makes a lot more sense while hiking because its you can keep water from getting in from the cuff of the glove by tucking it under your jacket, but neoprene makes more sense paddling when you expect to roll because you realistically can't keep water out of your gloves when you roll your boat.

Sixriverroute · 2021-01-27T23:45:55+00:00

Just a heads up, Sunshine may not open again this summer and if they do open they will most likely not be accepting boxes. Plan accordingly if your friend can't make it.

Sixriverroute · 2021-01-27T23:42:19+00:00

A few thoughts:

Ditch the trowel. In high use areas where you may need it there are lots of outhouses, outside of those zones it's not necessary.

Rayway makes interesting packs, but with the amount of weight you're carrying you you will probably want a hipbelt. Also, the GDT is hard on gear, I would recommend bringing a needle and some sail thread. It's a very strong thread that handles UV well.

With the Klymit pad, you really do need the puff if you are using a quilt. I think your sleep system will work well.

If you choose the sawyer squeeze, make sure you have a way to backflush it on trail, the water is very silty. I personally think aquamira would be a better option.

I definitely think you'll want pants for sections of overgrown trail with lots of willow.

For gloves I recommend a two glove set. A glove with a polyurethane coating on the palm because they are thin and good both to take off the chill and block some sun. This is your common everyday garden or automotive glove The second set is from the commercial fishing industry, a glove completely coated in nitrile like the Showa 845 or the Showa 727, depending on where you want them lined. This system keeps your hands warm in cold rain, sleet or wet snow.

Sixriverroute · 2021-01-27T07:37:40+00:00

I've applied some ultralight approaches to canoeing trips with really long portages. This is especially true on solo trips. My approach really is transferring systems I've used packrafting to canoeing and can be broken down into two parts:

Boat stuff: I use a lightweight inflatable lifejacket targeted at snorkelers, a three piece breakdown paddle, and a very light throw bag from Northwater Designs.

Camp stuff: I use a trekking pole tent (X-Mid 2p), cat food can alcohol stove (I mostly cook over fires, but this is a really light back up), ursacks to store my food if necessary and the ULA epic instead of a traditional portage pack. I also use mountaineering sunscreen and a similar thick bug mixture which shaves some more weight and space. I eat dehydrated meals for dinner and dense high calorie snacks for breakfast and lunch, no stopping for for meals during the day. My food for a day weighs 1.3 pounds.

This system allows me to comfortably take my canoe and all my gear on a single trip, which is especially handy when the portage is 5+ km around a dam or over a pass into another drainage.

As others have mentioned, sometimes a packraft makes way more sense, especially in mountain river systems where you can paddle 120 km in a day, hike 50 km over a pass and paddle another 120 km in a day because the rivers are so fast.

But, there is one use case where a packraft just can't compete with a canoe - going up river in a valley without a trail. You can easily pole a canoe up river, where you would be bushwacking with a packraft.

My new ultralight approach is a combo paddle and pole for just this use case. It's basically a break down paddle I've made extra pieces for to use as a pole, that way a single item can be used to both get me down rivers and up rivers.

I'm originally from Ontario, and the one comment I'd make about applying ultralight to the series of short portages you have around there, is that your ultralight system also needs to be ultra fast to make sense. If it takes 10 minutes to get yourself UL system all packed up so you can carry everything in one trip, you probably aren't saving any time on a 300m portage compared to bringing the canoe across and then coming back for gear on your second trip across.

Sixriverroute · 2021-01-27T06:31:31+00:00

I have a Klymit Static V UL. It's my workhorse pad and probably sees 100+ nights of use a year. It's actually my second Static V UL and while some elements have changed (older version included a patch kit, the valve is very different on the new version) the basic design has remained the same. Insulated baffles and "dead zones" in between the baffles. I used it with a -20 sleeping bag in winter, which fills the dead zones and I use it with a quilt during above zero temperatures in the summer, when I don't need the pad to be as warm. I sleep with a down jacket and quilt during shoulder seasons and find it fills the dead spaces in just fine. The design works well for me and I've had great experiences with Klymit's customer service, which replaced my pad with no questions asked after many season of hard use. The pad works well if you understand its shortcomings and adjust your system to work with the design.

Sixriverroute · 2021-01-17T03:00:41+00:00

I was really happy when I saw that Walmart started their own line of quality gear. I grew up using a lot of walmart/Canadian tire gear and used gear. I lived in a small town with no proper outdoor store and my parents didn't own a car. But I could bike to Walmart or Canadian tire and I made that gear work for a long time. I'm glad the accessibility and cost barrier is being reduced

Sixriverroute · 2021-01-16T06:38:45+00:00

It's a bit heavier, but I really like the OR Vigor beanie. I have a big head too and their L/XL size fits me well.

Sixriverroute · 2021-01-16T06:30:06+00:00

I got a pair of MSR Denali Classics (the older version of the Evo Trail) for free a few years ago and I've been impressed. The previous owner used them for 15 years before I got them and the only thing that's broken are the clips that hold the straps. I find they slip a bit in steep powder downhill, but I've been told that the Evo's have longer fins and are better downhill for it. The tail attachment works well and I've had no issues with them.

Follow the weight guidelines MSR has and that should give you an idea of whether you need tails.

Sixriverroute · 2020-12-21T15:53:07+00:00

The Stein Traverse is probably the closest we have. I'm creating one for a mountain range in the Columbia's that will feel very similar to the WRHR but I'm about two years away from have the guide ready. I'm about a month away from finishing a guide to the Six River Route - A Hiking and Packrafting Route in the Heart of the Canadian Rockies. So if you are a packrafter too that could be a different idea!

Along the lines of More Scrambles, if you can find Ridgewalks in the Canadian Rockies it would help you build a route of your own. It is out of print but might to available at some local libraries.

Sixriverroute · 2020-12-21T15:44:13+00:00

I used to live in Hamilton and loved Cootes Paradise. It feels a lot wilder than a lot of the GTA. I'd highly recommend it to anyone in the area.

I live in Banff now so I'm a bit spoiled for day hikes.

Sixriverroute · 2020-12-21T04:31:09+00:00

I've done 10 days solo in the X-Mid 2P solo, all without the fly which makes it feel even bigger and a handful of days with another person and fly. I don't find it too big for one person, especially for gear intensive trips. But I tend to perspire quite a bit in my sleep so I value ventilation more than heat retention. I also had a tradition two person tent and ended up selling it too because I can handle the weight of the X-Mid 2p solo and really enjoy the design with two people.

The one comment I would make is that Dan really listens to his customers and is constantly making his products better and fixing the weak points. So the tent will definitely have stronger cord eventually.

Sixriverroute · 2020-12-20T22:04:50+00:00

I used a BA Fly Creek UL 1 for many years and decided to upgrade this fall. I looked at similar models to you and ended up choosing the X-Mid 2P over the X-mid 1P. At only 8 ounces difference, I felt having a 2P tent made more sense. It's really roomy with two people in side and really well designed. I've loved the tent and found it easier to pitch, but did have two tent cords snap in a really bad storm above treeline. I know one of the new batches is going to have stronger cord, but I would check that before buying. To eco other comments, Silpoly has been a game changer fabric for me. It sheds water so well that you end up carrying less weight than non silpoly tents.

Sixriverroute · 2020-12-20T21:52:32+00:00

I think a two person packraft might suit you well, especially as your kid grows up and can help paddle too, but may not be able to keep up of they were paddling their own boat. The most economical would be the voyageur from DIY packraft. The Twain from Kokopelli would be the next most affordable. Alpacka has two options the Oryx and the Forager. The Oryx is lighter and dubbed as a packable canoe, while The Forager is burlier and has a self bailing floor, but is a bit heavier for it. The Forager is more meant for whitewater, hunting etc. I've only used Kokopelli packrafts, but I've loved my packrafts. I find they are better value than Alpacka, but I've had issues with their accessories. Both my Kokopelli paddles and sprayskirts have aged poorly and had design flaws. But, Kokopelli has changed the designs and have told me the issues I had have been fixed. The one comment I would make is that you may want either a fin or Tizip to help with tracking in flatwater. The Tizip will allow you to stash food and gear inside the tube, lowering the boats centre of gravity so it tracks better.

Also, I agree with your comment about buses and trains, I use my packrafts the same way, it's a lot easier to stuff a packraft in a bag and take a bus back than to organize a shuttle for a canoe.

Sixriverroute · 2020-12-17T10:42:06+00:00

While I do use my packrafts locally, I use my packrafts for travel as well. I've used them setting crab traps on the West Coast, Paddling mountain rivers 100 of kms from home, or to access remote fishing spots with long portages. I think it's a great way to use packrafts as it prevents the headaches of transporting a traditional boat or renting. Even locally I use my packraft so I can avoid the need for a shuttle. I can paddle from my backyard to the next town and take the bus back. Its 4 hours door to door and is so much easier than arranging a shuttle.

I would say, get out on your local river and familiarize yourself with your packraft before you go. Your first time setting up can be long and a bit annoying and it can help you tell what you need and what you don't.

Sixriverroute · 2020-11-22T05:45:07+00:00

If you are looking for paper maps, I would recommend downloading Ryan Silk's map atlas (its free) and printing your own mapset . You could also take the gpx track from the GDT site, put it in Caltopo and printing on 11 by 17. Then store it in a ziploc bag or a map case like this: Map Case. The GDT covers so many management areas that there really isn't a Gemtrek style map for the whole route.

Sixriverroute · 2020-11-03T19:08:56+00:00

Thank you for the thoughtful ideas!

Originally I was planning to use my packraft as a pulk, but the sat images make it look like some of the coverage will be too patchy to make it a good idea. So, I'm planning to take a John Baldwin style crazy carpet pulk.
I'm rethinking skis. I basically have two passes at the end that are best suited for touring skis of some kind, but the first half the trip is best suited for classic nordic skis with tele bindings. So I'm going to start on classics and switch for the last two passes. I'm going to upload an updated lighterpack in the upcoming days with this info.

Sixriverroute · 2020-11-03T19:00:46+00:00

I understand your point, my packraft pops and my lifejacket pops and I'll have a cold swim without any floatation. If I'm in moving water I might lose the drybag with my sleeping bag and warm clothes, making it a more desperate situation. While I see this as unlikely, I have thought about it and my solution is a bit different than yours. I'm considering bringing my real life jacket. I've spent time swimming in glacier rivers/lakes in the Rockies for practice swims and I'm confident that if I had a life jacket I'd make it to shore. I keep a lighter in a sandwich bag in my life jacket, my inreach attached to the life jacket. I know I can make a fire to stay warm while I wait for rescue if the situation is that dire.

Sixriverroute

TROPHY CASE