When the glaciers plowed their way through the border area of Minnesota and Canada millions of years ago, they left in their wake a unique area of the world: The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Today, the Boundary Waters encompasses sandy beaches, rock formations, forest, hills, canyons, cliffs, crags and more than 1,000,000 acres holding 1,175 lakes and 1,200 miles of canoe routes.
A canoe trip means leaving behind all the ills of civilization. There are no roads or buildings. No city lights or sounds. No electricity or plumbing. With most of the lakes designated as paddle only, there are no motorized boats and no planes flying overhead. It’s just you and the natural wilderness. Which means you need to have the right gear. Below are the seven key items we recommend for your packing list to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
Granite Gear Quetico Portage Pack
The Granite Gear Quetico, like most portage packs (properly pronounced, “por-tahhhhhgg”), is shaped and designed to fit superbly in the bottom of a canoe to maximize space. It holds 82 liters of gear in a single compartment and is made with a beefy 420 denier Cordura Ripstop Nylon fabric. But its supreme advantage over other portage packs (e.g. the other Minnesota-based brand) is its harness system. Specifically, it has the exact same harness system that Granite Gear puts on their higher-end multi-day backpacks: padded back panel, contoured shoulder straps and a comfortable interchangeable waist belt to help balance the load when portaging between lakes. $220 | granitegear.com
ENO Doublenest Hammock with Atlas Suspension System
If you think hauling and ENO Doublenest Hammock with Atlas Suspension System into the Boundary Waters in a canoe is an extravagant item that adds unnecessary weight in a portage pack, you’d be absolutely right. Still, there’s a concept in the Boundary Waters called, “Boundary Waters Time.” It means no cell phone service. No schedules. No motorized boats or vehicles. Remote campsites. Crystal clear water lapping on the shore. Loons calling. Wolves howling. Leaves rustling in the breeze. The sound of a crackling campfire at night. Maybe even a show of Northern Lights if I’m really lucky. I want to be swinging in a hammock taking this all in. Hence the reason I’m bringing the extravagant ENO Doublenest Hammock with Atlas Suspension System. $70/$30 | eaglesnestoutfittersinc.com
Royal Robbins Bug Barrier Tech Travel Long Sleeve
There are many reasons I like the Royal Robbins Bug Barrier Tech Travel Long Sleeve—great fit for layering, long length that doesn’t bunch up under backpack waist belts, decent body temperature regulation. But the biggest and most important is that the fabric is made with InsectSheild bug barrier protection. Mosquitoes are everywhere in Minnesota in the summer but it’s the ticks I fear the most. Crawling on the ground on which I set my pack. Lurking on the bush during a bio break. Waiting in the tree branches to launch themselves onto me so they can burrow into my skin until they’re bloated and happy from the feast of my blood. InsectShield fuses and binds a formula of permethrin into fabric fibers that repels mosquitoes, ticks, ants, flies, chiggers, and midges. Per InsectShield, the repellency is “EPA-registered to last through 70 launderings—the expected lifetime of a garment.” $60 | royalrobbins.com
GSI Outdoors Pinnacle Bacpacker Stove Set
The GSI Outdoors Pinnacle Backpacker ($95) is an integrated kit comprised of a two-liter pot and strainer lid, skillet, two 14-ounce insulated mugs, two 14-ounce bowls and a wash basin to feed two campers. While this stove takes up a bit more space in a pack than other backpacking stove kits, it’s ideal for the BWCA for two reasons: 1) When traveling by canoe I have the luxury of traveling for miles without having to actually carry it on my back. Yes, I will be portaging between lakes but my longest portage will be 180 rods (roughly half a mile). And 2) the skillet will be critical to cooking the fresh Walleye I hope to catch. Altogether, the GSI Outdoors Pinnacle Backpacker provides the opportunity to eat more than ramen noodles and instant oatmeal for eight days. And the bag that doubles as a wash basin? How did I ever live without one? Not only is it priceless for cleaning up dishes, it’s good for general basic bathing, washing one’s face or a good deep-clean of a newly-acquired wound before applying ointment and a bandage. $100 | GSI Outdoors
Teva Original Universal Sandals
A summer BWCA canoe trip destination requires a pair of Teva Original Universal sandals. Who wants to step out a canoe into lake water to pull it onto the shore while wearing hiking boots? And who wants to wade into the lake to swim and touch the slimy, muddy bottom? Not too much has changed from the original-original Teva sandal of 35 years ago (that’s a good thing) beyond new colors and designs. But it’s the straps that are a big stand out. Teva has made a substantial and impressive commitment to sustainability to reduce its environmental impact. As of 2020, 100 percent of Teva’s iconic straps are now made from traceable, verifiable, plastic using REPREVE® yarn, which is made from 100 percent recycled plastic bottles and other recycled content. Either way, they’re a fantastic amphibious shoe to wear in and out of the canoe and into the lakes when swimming. $50 | teva.com
Natrapel Insect Repellent
Because the Royal Robbins Bug Barrier Tech Travel Long Sleeve can only cover so much skin and the mosquitoes and ticks are hungry and waiting to latch onto any body part that isn’t covered by cloth. Enter Natrapel Tick and Insect Repellent to keep me free from bug bites all day. Picaridin, a synthetic ingredient that “mimics” piperine (a compound found in black pepper) is the key ingredient. I’ve been using this brand for about five years and it’s the only one I will use. It is DEET-free, non-greasy, sprays on easy, dries fast, does not leave a sticky film on my skin and doesn’t smell like the Union Carbide Bhopal disaster. $7 | natrapel.com
Icemule Drybag Cooler
I’ll be in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness for seven days and the IceMule Classic Cooler will break up the monotony of a week consuming non-perishable instant oatmeal, tuna fish, ramen noodles and mac n cheese every day. When I used this cooler on a sea kayaking trip to Lake Superior’s Apostle Islands, I added brats, fresh eggs, a wedge of Gouda cheese and a bag of shredded cheddar cheese to the menu. Why? Because this portable, soft-sided cooler holds ice for two days and fit into the dry hatch of my sea kayak. I’ll be in a canoe this trip, but I still need to pack light as I’ll be doing a number of portages. Bonus that this comes with a shoulder strap. $70 | icemule.com
