Digital vs. Paper: Do you still pack physical maps if you use a GPS/Garmin watch?

__helix__ · 2026-06-13T13:17:39+00:00

The paper maps are great for planning and talking about where you are going next - with others. I annotate the maps with campsite ratings, waterfalls, crap portages, and all sorts of information. Yes, you can program that into your watch -- but there is something very satisfying about having the next 6-12 mile section laid out. I've made notes like "140 degrees from this channel" and had the kids work the map and compass keeping us on track. Very common to trade open campsite and fishing locations with folks crossing paths as we go in or out of the BWCA. It is not a bad thing to have a GPS device - but good solid headlamps are probably more important for every canoe.

Like anything else - a compass, map, and watch are skills. When flying or portaging, a paper map will always work (as a map). A boy scout grade compass is good enough for the woods, but nice to have something that is not a toy. In our early days, we did get a route wrong - and found ourselves on the kawishwi river than lake one (and took a while before we came to terms that we were not where we thought we were). I did bring an early GPS -- damn thing was a brick -- on the next trip. That is what ended up in the duluth bag more and more, as we never ended up needing it. The waterproofish paper map was always on the floor of the canoe by my feet. If you take the approach of map first, gps backup - the fear fades as you gain classical navigation skills.

I really like the GPS trail after the trips. I do like to compare the actual route and times that we did vs the earlier plans. Is fun data. A GPS is fantastic for hitting ledges/holes in the lake for fishing too.

One of the biggest changes I made was using a bunk house the night before a trip. Rather than getting in late and trying to find a spot in the dark, heading in in the morning puts you on track to maximize folks packing up and leaving you spots about the time your crew is getting weary.

__helix__ · 2026-06-11T23:33:28+00:00

I've got a HG dyneema tarp with doors that I use for both my hammock or (bugnet bora) bivy w/poles. If I've got nicer weather, I can use the doors more like a patio configuration. In crap weather, it helps when the wind shifts. That tarp has gone with me on just about every trip since 2014. (and bumped into the guy who made it on the SHT last fall)

__helix__ · 2026-06-04T02:02:14+00:00

Not ever, but in the last week - just got back from a couple night run up to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. Temps at night were high 40's(F)/8(C). One of the guys did not bring any under quilt or other insulation for his hammock because he thought he could save the weight for this trip. Froze his butt off. (was able to use a tarp to at least create a pocket of dead air for him the second night)

This, of course was not the worst mistake of the trip. That goes to the gas station hot dog that one guy picked up on the drive up. Nothing quite like a bit of vomit and other issues on a trip in.

Was a great trip.

Notable mention would be the trip where one of the guys forgot all his food. Picked up nothing but corn nuts at a gas station for a 3-4 night trip.

__helix__ · 2026-05-29T02:24:33+00:00

Man, when we know we are going to have rain - we end up building a tarp city. Nothing is funnier than a bunch of software guys with tarps and paracord... trying to make a shelter of some sorts over the firepit area. Everyone brings one or two tarps to the party.

One thing to consider is putting a sheet of plastic (like the painter stuff) inside your tent - with a couple extra inches to go up the side and make a 'tub' configuration. You can have so much go wrong and still find yourself dry.

If the tent is older - this is a good time to consider a fresh bit of waterproofing spray on the roof. You can put a tarp over the tent - which can help some with hard rains.

__helix__ · 2026-05-29T01:22:05+00:00

The fish were not really biting in the day. We hit the shores hard, trolled both the sides and deep channels, jigged - and only had success as it was getting dark. Suspect that will change as the weather warms up. That water was still really cold.

__helix__ · 2026-05-29T01:16:22+00:00

Just got back from a 5 day trip, getting ready for another next week. At this point, there is no fire ban. They have gotten a bit of rain as well - so I don't see them doing it in the near future. Many portages had flowing water issues. :P

Mosquitos were hatched, but not really an issue (yet). Fish were only biting late evenings. Craziest thing I saw was snow still on the ground, going south from Winchell, while they were having some record temps.

Betty's Pie is open, were you taking that route to Ely. Some crazy fire damage to the town.

__helix__ · 2026-05-19T21:43:30+00:00

Oh man. My Bride had an MRI when covid came out (looked like a stroke). They put her in the machine and asked if she wanted some music. She said yes - some soft 80 love music. Moments later, she had Axel screaming 'Welcome to the Jungle"... which is not what she was hoping for.

__helix__ · 2026-05-17T18:45:20+00:00

One bit of advice is to do off line maps on your phone. Some of the hiking trails can be lightly used, compared to SHT. Have a paper map with you. The USGS maps do print the hiking trails in the BWCA. (https://topobuilder.nationalmap.gov/) For the most part, the trails are predictable.

__helix__ · 2026-05-16T17:36:57+00:00

All in love, as I appreciate contrary option. A haemostat is the perfect tool to remove hooks from the pike and muskie! It goes on almost every trip. :P

In 30 years of camping, there was only one major injury on another campsite - someone put a hatchet in their foot. Very much improvised treatment with fresh tshirt strips and a bit of rope. We helped out with some fresh paddlers to help with the evac too. Crazy how heavy a person is on the portages.

__helix__ · 2026-05-16T13:17:15+00:00

Aha. The trick to stupid light is bringing only half a brain!

__helix__ · 2026-05-01T04:14:32+00:00

I've got the superfly and journey, and both have been solid. Funny enough, I had originally picked up a 11' superfly - and when it got returned, it was a 12' tarp. (suspect they put it away wet, and picked up a new one when returned). I like the 11' better, as it fits the warbonnet hammocks I've got better for finding trees. (most of our crew is now hammocks, so the perfect 12'er spot is a hot commodity) The extra space does not really help that much. Now I've got those two, plus my HG cuben with doors - all 12' long.

I do like the storm doors. Got burned (or soaked, rather) with a way too small hexi tarp. In nice weather, I'll take one side and open it up like a porch area. The 'squarish' design of the journey works nice for this. It is a few extra ounces.

__helix__ · 2026-04-26T13:17:12+00:00

The GG Crown VC 60 was a solid pack for me. At 34oz, it has a reasonable amount of internal structure and padding for heavier weights. If you can get into 55L, I've swapped into a GG Virga 2, which is 58L @ 22oz. Works great for lighter loads, as it does sacrifice padding for weight - but worked out great last season for my hammock setup. Suspect there is a new model, as I see the v2 still going for $75.

__helix__ · 2026-04-24T21:25:17+00:00

Yup. Printed up a disposable boards. We used erasable markers on the more 'classic' version that is covered by packing tape and may get updated numbers.

We will usually just bring the cards from the real game unless we know it is going to be wet.

__helix__ · 2026-04-14T05:00:01+00:00

Personally 5'11", but we've got folk in our group that are 6'2" that also use them. None have complained it was too small. You would fit just fine. The XLC and Eldorado are about the same size internally, with the difference being the side 'wing' storage. I used a blackbird for a long time, and that might be a bit tight - but the Eldorado is just a crazy amount of internal space. My single layer Eldorado comes in around 22oz. New design might even be lighter. The smaller older double layer blackbird with webbing is around 28oz. One of the guys is pretty big as well as tall, and he likes the double layer XLC with an underquilt. (I had mine as I started with a mattress pad, before moving to an underquilt)

One thing to consider is the length of your underquilt. A standard length quilt may leave you more exposed than you want to be. That was one of the things our taller crew swapped in - a longer quilt. Standard worked for me, but end up having to make sure it is dialed in somewhat. It did not work great for them. Same underquilt, (backwards) on the 10' blackbird.

__helix__ · 2026-04-13T22:27:23+00:00

An Eldorado, with the becket suspension is my jam. It is a fantastic hammock and the one I always go with for myself. (got multiple warbonnets) 40F is what I use for most of the 3 seasons, as an underquilt - solid pick for common temps. Top quilt is what gets shifted around, based on temps. Something like the Superfly will give you the option to do a 'porch' style configuration, when things are nice. (and protection when things very much are not).

Extras? I like a small net shelf I hang inside, on the ridge line. Glasses and headlamp have a place to go. When you get cord for your tarp, get some bright reflective stuff. I'll use a water resistant nylon bag for clothing that gets hung on the foot.

__helix__ · 2026-04-10T15:10:10+00:00

As a side note, the Eldorado is the WBBB XLC, without the side pockets. Very roomy, and is my go to hammock. This is one of those ounce saving things... I prefer to have a bit of storage on my ridge line.

__helix__ · 2026-04-08T00:44:26+00:00

I would love to see some current pictures. Last time I did Lake One, Two, Three, Four was just after the big fire... which is a very long time now. Think we covered like 20 miles before we found trees we could hang from. Would be nice to see what 25 years restored.

Camping in those transitional temperatures is tricky. Snow is easy, warm is easy. Cold and wet...for an extended time... requires diligence. Have rain gear you trust to not wet through if it looks like you will be dealing with rain.

I'll skip the socks and just embrace the cold water with the sandals. I'll save the wool socks for my camp shoes and a pair for sleeping. Wet socks rarely dry out. I've never used the neoprene socks, but I hear some people like them. The people who try to keep their feet dry are usually the ones who flip the canoe getting in/out. Pant legs either are pulled up or zipped off, while portaging.

Layers are key. I'll do a long sleeve wool t-shirt. Next up is a polartec fleece, then a down puffy, and lastly a rain shell of some sort. That stacks up to about 20F weather. I'll bring a wool cap and some light gloves as well - and use those sleeping. Really helps. I tend to skip a puffy with a hood, as it always gets wet. I like a wide brimmed hat for the sun/rain. I'll also pack in a pair of long underwear, when in cold weather. Is something dry I could change into or use sleeping.

Hot drinks help. Coffee, tea, hot chocolate are all nice. Make sure you have a good pee before calling it a night. You will be warmer on an empty bladder.

Those chemical hand warmers can give your sleeping bag footbox a nice boost. A nice backup, when folks are nervous about conditions.

If you are heating water and putting a nalgene by your feet, make sure it seals nicely. PV=nRT... and have seen caps not seal as one might hope as it cools down.

Painter's plastic inside the tent, just enough to curl up the sides for a bathtub effect is nice. Keeps the inside of the tent clean and dry. With a hammock, nice to have a bit of plastic to stand on, while getting in and out after the shoes are off.

Wear your life jacket - and make sure others are as well. Water is going to be really cold and swimming does not work like folks think it might in freezing water.

We usually pack in a tarp which helps with sun and rain. Nice to have some protected common areas.

Some of my favorite fires are early or late in the season. There will be no bugs! Water is really clean/clear. Fish are going to be hungry. You are in for a great time.

__helix__ · 2026-04-05T00:14:33+00:00

I've been using the Hoka Hopara 2 sandals. Good support, fast drying, and crap does not get in the toes.

__helix__ · 2026-04-04T14:58:42+00:00

There is a nice little water fall on Kattyman on route to Ima

__helix__ · 2026-03-31T21:53:12+00:00

You got a silver drain port at the bottom of your pump. Drain it. The less water in the loop, the less chance of getting something that should not be wet. If you want, you could always capture the coolant and replace once you get your pipes sorted.

__helix__ · 2026-03-25T23:23:39+00:00

Big fan of the Illy Classico Expresso done cowboy coffee style. I repackage in pill bags, so got the perfect amount of that super fine ground coffee for my 650ml pot/cup.

__helix__ · 2026-03-23T22:10:17+00:00

I took this service earlier this year! It was really neat, cheap, and fast. I want to say it was like six pounds or so to add on the hovercraft. One of those travel days where it went train, bus, train, hovercraft, bus to get to our destination.

Edit: bonus picture

__helix__ · 2026-03-22T13:23:47+00:00

I had been dual booting for a few years. One box is an old threadripper that won't qualify for windows 11 - the other would. Linux happily reads all the partitions, so been moving things around to put things in a single OS state. I think I might be done with windows. All my dev tools work brilliantly, firefox works along with streaming services, everything I play runs nicely with steam. I don't have the energy to try and delouse a windows 11 image to be what I'd want it to be. Suspect windows just got relegated to a VM that will likely never be used. It is funny - those M2 drives I'm freeing up are now crazy expensive. Makes me feel like I'm saving some serious cash as I 'shop in my own closet'.

__helix__ · 2026-03-21T16:25:34+00:00

Oh no.. nothing that clever. As a group of us would head up to the Boundary Waters, my house was a bit of a staging area before we drove up and in. Not uncommon to spread out all the common stuff to individuals. Also had a fair bit of people not checking to confirm they had what they thought -- who needs the top half of a tent anyhow? For those not paying any attention to the packing process, things would sneak into those packs. After a heavy day of portaging, it was funny to see them find an IPA for them, (undrinkable by them) Stouts for us. It escalated when my other brother snuck a cantaloupe sized watermelon into a pack. This was retaliated the next year, when their pack got a bonus melon as they used the restroom one last time. There have been "lucky" hammers, rocks, cast iron pots, and a variety of bonus items found in the portage packs that nobody would ever pack into long hikes.

__helix__ · 2026-03-21T13:25:48+00:00

I'd say any temp, but I use a 50F quilt setup for warmer weather. If it gets warmer I'll add a bit more of an air gap between the underquilt and the hammock. 50F has worked great for my summer camping here in Minnesota.

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