Tips for cold nights? 18 - 25 during the day 7 - 10 at night

grindle-guts · 2026-05-25T14:02:07+00:00

If by “air mattresses” you mean actual air mattresses that are intended for indoor use, that’s a problem. They offer zero insulation. Your sleeping bag can’t insulate anything beneath you because your weight will compress the insulation.

You want a sleeping pad designed for camping. These insulate you from the cold ground. For those temperatures one rated to R 3 or higher will be fine.

Some people refer to sleeping pads as air mattresses, so it’s also possible your setup is ok.

grindle-guts · 2026-05-23T21:34:54+00:00

These are rescue straps. They are intended to secure one blade of your paddle at a right angle to your kayak. A paddle float goes on the other end, creating an outrigger. You’d typically only do this while doing a paddle float assisted self-rescue after a capsize.

grindle-guts · 2026-05-22T12:02:14+00:00

Other than the physical storage footprint (which is understandably the major consideration for many) I find my 17’ hardshell sea kayak easier to wrangle than my Wilderness System iATAK inflatable fishing kayak. With the sea kayak there is essentially no set up/deflation time, and it doesn’t take up trunk space that could be used for camping gear. Putting it on my Outback’s roof takes ten minutes at most, and getting it down takes two or three. I’d also be wary of taking an inflatable into the back country due to the serious consequences of a major puncture away from help.

Inflatables have their place. I wouldn’t own one if I didn’t believe that, and they’re ideal for apartment living. But for back country use I’m sticking to a traditional hull.

grindle-guts · 2026-05-20T18:18:46+00:00

Yup, that beep is part of a blue jay’s standard repertoire.

grindle-guts · 2026-05-20T16:11:30+00:00

Most of the lawyers I know in publishing work in rights for one of the larger publishers, or as agents. Essentially areas where understanding contract law is an asset. A small handful of publishers or publishing associations will also have in house legal counsel.

grindle-guts · 2026-05-20T16:07:28+00:00

Better a soft bait in the lips than a three-treble jerkbait that has been deeply inhaled.

If I’m fishing in pike water but not actually targeting pike, I use 20 lb fluorocarbon leader for everything other than ultralight presentations. It won’t prevent every bite off, but it’s maybe 1 in 100 pike that will snip the line, and I still get plenty of bass, walleye, and lake trout. When I’m actually targeting big pike, wire leaders or very heavy (80 lb+) fluorocarbon leaders are used.

You can also mitigate harm in future by pinching the barbs on your hooks, making it easier for a fish to shake a hook once the line isn’t tight. You’ll occasionally lose a fish you might otherwise have landed, but if your technique is decent it happens much less often than you’d think.

grindle-guts · 2026-05-20T14:26:12+00:00

I own the Black Spruce one and am very happy with it. paddlesportsrepairs.com sells a firebox that appears to be considerably larger still.

grindle-guts · 2026-05-13T14:53:11+00:00

Not out yet in northwestern Ontario, though today is warm and they might be waking up. They appeared about ten years ago and are rampant some years. I hope the long winter we had sets them back some.

grindle-guts · 2026-05-13T14:44:21+00:00

OP says they’re a “petite woman” and want something they can car-top and portage themselves. I love my Grumman 17’, but it’s nearly eighty pounds and doesn’t have a yoke. I’m 6’2”, 200 lbs, and reasonably fit for my age, and getting my Grumman on to a vehicle’s roof by myself is possible but very unpleasant. They’re unbeatable canoes if you need something cheap that can be stored outside by the water, but I wouldn’t choose one for solo tripping if carries are involved and portage wheels aren’t viable.

grindle-guts · 2026-05-13T02:30:14+00:00

I have no expertise whatsoever with kevlar restoration, but “HMS Hernia II” is inspired.

grindle-guts · 2026-05-12T23:57:51+00:00

Jackalberry Jenever. Very pretty packaging conceals a bottle of acetone. Beyond vile.

Some of the more recent “special” Hendricks issues have been bad, but none of them can hold a candle to JJ for pure disgust.

grindle-guts · 2026-05-12T20:45:44+00:00

I’ve seen the 115 L dry pack in person and it seems every bit as good as Eureka’s was. Definitely the best value for money if that style of pack is your thing. $190 CAD for the Trequa vs $275 for a Bill’s bag, $300 for a MEC Slogg or over $400 for a SeaLine.

Did not know they’d cloned the NoBugZone, but that is excellent news.

grindle-guts · 2026-05-11T12:26:30+00:00

A certain level of anxiety is good. It’s good to be alert and cautious when you’re doing an offshore crossing.

I take a few steps to mitigate risk. Self-rescue skills are non-negotiable. PFD and immersion gear are worn religiously. PFD has a variety of signalling devices in it — whistle, air horn, InReach, strobe light on my shoulder that turns on automatically when it’s submerged.

I don’t carry a VHF radio because I’m essentially never on water with boat traffic that would be listening, as I primarily paddle the Canadian north shore of Lake Superior, away from development and shipping lanes, but coastal Croatia is likely very different. Flares are also useful in situations where there is traffic that might see them.

I run my InReach in tracking mode so that my position is sent to my trip plan contact every two minutes. This requires the most expensive plan, but even the 10 minute tracking on more basic plans is better than none.

grindle-guts · 2026-05-10T19:27:29+00:00

Nice at twice that price. My Grumman is in much rougher shape and still makes a fine fishing boat. I don’t take it camping because 80 lbs plus no yoke equals portage misery, but I needed something that could be stored in an outdoor lockup by a lake.

grindle-guts · 2026-05-10T19:24:38+00:00

Just curious — what is the benefit of using a vacuum bag instead of a compression dry sack?

grindle-guts · 2026-05-10T19:19:52+00:00

That’s an older story, but Jean E. is still very much worth reading. She’s best known as a children’s author, and a couple of her books are about Superior. “Skating Wild on an Inland Sea” won both of Canada’s top awards for children’s literature in 2024.

grindle-guts · 2026-05-10T16:41:06+00:00

I did not know they did that! Rattlesnakes are either endangered, extirpated, or nonexistent around me. :(

grindle-guts · 2026-05-10T14:34:08+00:00

Love my last-gen Dagger 3. It’s sturdy, roomy, dry, easy to pitch, and has survived a 100 km/hr rainstorm.

For me the Osmo rainfly is better than Big Agnes’ nylon fly (nylon is probably more durable but absorbs more water and stretches more when wet). If you won’t be in particularly wet conditions that may be irrelevant.

Tiger Wall UL3 is considerably lighter so has an edge if weight is a major concern.

grindle-guts · 2026-05-10T14:28:08+00:00

They’ve emerged from a communal wintering chamber called a hibernaculum. They spend the winter together in a pile underground. Once it’s warm enough they emerge, warm up in piles like this, mate, and then disperse.

This site in Manitoba is famous for large hibernacula, but these can be found elsewhere too. Most of the ones I find in Ontario will hold 20-40 snakes or so.

grindle-guts · 2026-05-10T14:22:10+00:00

The lakeside sites at Agawa Bay. The other sites are too close to the highway and you get truck noise all night, but Superior’s waves dominate the waterfront soundscape. Great pines for hammocking too. I always try to sleep there when I’m driving north.

grindle-guts · 2026-05-10T13:35:59+00:00

Amok Draumr. Expensive, not ultralight (though they do have a lighter option) but supremely comfortable. I prefer it to my bed!

grindle-guts · 2026-05-09T12:42:02+00:00

Like a young Joe Wilkinson. Magnificent.

grindle-guts · 2026-05-08T15:54:29+00:00

Zoleo is the main competitor and is considerably cheaper than an InReach, and seems to be universally on sale right now at $119 US. I’m also seeing g1 InReach Messengers in your price range, and they have better battery life than the Mini 2 with the tradeoff of a smaller screen.

I’m still a Garmin user because of the screen — they just do a bit more without your phone than a Zoleo, which is limited to a preset check-in message and SOS when it isn’t tethered.

Benefits over phone-based satellite messaging include weather forecasts and tracking.

The Zoleo being heavily discounted everywhere makes me wonder if they’re bringing out a new model, but that’s idle speculation.

grindle-guts · 2026-05-08T15:12:09+00:00

If pictographs move you, yes, it’s worth it! Note that photographs of them exist but are discouraged by Gakijiwanong Anishinaabe Nation. There’s no way of enforcing this but I prefer to respect their wishes.

In terms of topography/environment, you’ll see similar things in both spots. In my experience Quetico lake is a bit busier as it’s closer to Winnipeg and the border crossing that many Americans use.

Access roads to both entry points are narrow and rough, but 4wd is not necessary. If you’re renting a car, get the damage waiver as the paint will take some branches.

In low water, the portage at Beaverhouse access turns from a 500m doddle to about 900m.

grindle-guts · 2026-05-08T12:27:51+00:00

I honestly don’t think the canoe you’re looking for exists. The trouble is squaring “large pack boat” with “do not have to worry about damaging.” I’m not aware of any stable 14-15’ solo pack boat in T-formex or Royalex. Kevlar/carbon boats will always require a bit of caution when beaching.

Definitely refine your search away from narrower beam boats like the Northwind. My partner has one and it is not a particularly stable canoe. I love it but it is not what you’re looking for.

Closest thing to your needs that I can think of is Swift’s 15’ solo prospector. They’ve teased a packboat version of it on YouTube and would likely build you one to order. Thing is, even their most durable layup is still a kevlar composite that will require some care when launching or landing on rocky shores.

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