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

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Escape, by Carolyn Jessop

I added this book to the COVID-19 reading list not because it’s empowering and uplifting (it’s not) but because it’s so gripping and engaging you will finish it in a day. That’s a full day of not thinking about COVID-19. Escape is Carolyn Jessop’s memoir of growing up in the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) freak show and the pivotal turning point that made her say, “What the fu–???” and escape. Except that she couldn’t exactly hire a good divorce lawyer and get in her car and abscond with her kids and dignity. It required a great deal of planning and finagling…

Gear Pairing for Escaping a Religious Cult

A pair of Brooks Ghost 12’s. You’ll appreciate their responsiveness and performance and fluffy cloud-like feeling of their 12mm drop.

Deep Water Passage, by Ann Linnea

The pace of Deep Water Passage is as relaxing and unhurried as a sea kayak on Lake Superior. Which is exactly what it’s about, making it a good choice for the COVID-19 reading list. Ann Linnea—nature writer, lecturer and avid sea kayaker—realized one morning that she wasn’t getting any younger and it was time to do some serious thinking about her life and her future. Significant topics, indeed. Is there any better place to contemplate them than in a sea kayak on Lake Superior? It also happens to be one of the few places you can escape COVID-19. If she succeeds, she’ll be the first woman to do so…

Gear Pairing for a Sea Kayaking Lake Superior

An Icemule Classic Cooler. I’ve used this on Lake Superior paddling the Apostle Islands. The size medium drybag design fits into my sea kayak’s large dry hatch behind the seat and it holds ice cubes for about 24 hours.

Into the Forest, by Jean Heglund

The term “social distancing” was still at least a decade away when Jean Heglund wrote this page-turning novel about a dystopian future in which a strange and unnamed highly contagious disease cripples the country. The main characters of this book are two sisters who are socially distancing themselves from the unnamed viral plague in their rural home in a northern California forest, trying to survive. While it’s ending is somewhat predictable, I did find within in its rapidly turning pages essential COVID-19 survival tips and new ways to cook vegetables!  

Gear Pairing for Food Preparation when the Electricity goes out

The GSI Pinnacle Backpacker stove. I fell in love with this stove sea kayaking the Apostle Islands for six days because its set-up (two-liter pot and strainer lid, skillet, two 14-ounce insulated mugs and two 14-ounce bowls) allowed a wide variety of meals beyond ramen noodles and instant oatmeal. The carry bag also doubles as a wash basin.

Where the Crawdads Sing, Delia Owens

The main character of Where the Crawdads Sing is a young girl who grows into adulthood while living completely on her own without no parental supervision in a North Carolina marsh. What could possibly go wrong! There was so much I loved about this book—the will of the main character to survive, her resourcefulness to make money to buy food, to learn to read, keep herself safe. All the things children don’t normally have to worry about when they have parents or responsible adults in the home. This is on the COVID-19 reading list because you’ll also find plenty of survival tips and recipes in this book as well. What I loved most though was the ending…

Gear Pairing for Living Alone in the North Carolina Marsh

An SOG Terminus XR knife. A good knife is an indispensable piece of kit for nearly any situation. It’s in a class that some refer to as an “Everyday Carry” or EDC, making it eligible to perform a variety of everyday-type tasks from gutting a trout to carving a spear for hunting and self-defense. 

A Lady Cyclist’s Guide to Kashgar, by Suzanne Joinson

If you like cycling, and plots that run parallel between past and present, A Lady Cyclist’s Guide to Kashgar will take you for a pleasant ride – pun intended. In the 1920s, Evangeline English follows her missionary sister to the ancient city of Kashgar, a stop on the Silk Road. While the missionary sister spews hellfire and damnation 24/7, Evangeline is shredding the gravel trails on her bike and penning a memoir about her cycling adventures. Meanwhile, in modern day London, another character strangely inherits the contents of an apartment that belonged to a dead woman she has never heard of. This is by no means an apocalyptic book. It’s on the COVID-19 reading list because we can still ride our bikes — something we all should be doing while we can. Some cities have mandated shelter in place rules.

Gear Pairing for Gravel Riding in Kashgar

A set of ReTyre Ice Racer tires for that one set of bike tires for year-round use that easily zip on and zip off from summer slicks to winter studs.

Circling the Sun, by Paula McClain

Circling the Sun is both a biographical novel about Beryl Markham, an aviator, horse trainer and overall path-blazer in 1920s Kenya. Freedom is what Beryl is searching for. I’m not giving away any spoilers when I say that it’s obvious from my opening sentence that she achieves plenty of it by pursuing occupations, adventures and hobbies that are not needlepoint, sewing or sketching local flora and fauna. Within McClain’s pages you’ll experience the beauty of Kenya and a woman who spat on traditional roles. But just don’t plan any travel to Africa right now. They have reported their fair share of COVID-19 cases.

Gear Pairings for Racking up Frequent Flier Miles

A Deuter AirContact Lite SL 60+10 multi-day backpack full of ethically-sourced clothing perfect for long hours at 35,000 feet.

Wild, Cheryl Strayed

Wild isn’t exactly a happy book to read. Hiking solo on the Pacific Crest Trail has its moments of metaphorical, emotional, psychological and physical peaks and valleys. But important to remember that hiking is something we can all still do during these times of COVID-19 quarantines and social distancing. What better way to lift your mood and spirits than a long hike outdoors? That’s why it made the COVID-19 reading list.

Gear Pairing for Thru-hiking Solo

A pair of Garmont Tower Trek GTX hiking boots. If they could take our writer Julie to Everest Base Camp, the Pacific Crest Trail will be its bitch. 

The Long Winter, Laura Ingalls Wilder

Of all the books on the COVID-19 reading list, this one is the most relevant. Many of us have read this series as young’uns. Who doesn’t enjoy a story that takes one back to a time before overpopulation and pollution began killing our planet? The Long Winter is Laura’s tale of the brutal winter of 1880-1881 that shut down the railroad, leaving the residents of DeSmet, South Dakota on their own to make it through the long winter without even the barest of necessities that were available at the time. Even salt pork and molasses couldn’t be had! They were starving, cold, scared and hopeless. Given the circumstances, stockpiling toilet paper was the least of their concerns. We would all do well to remember that these days.

Gear Pairing for Sheltering-in-Place

Dreams of warmer places and happier days ahead, like Long Caye, Belize or scuba diving the Great Barrier Reef.

Candy Girl, Diablo Cody

Candy Girl is Diablo Cody’s memoir about her year as a stripper in Minneapolis. To be perfectly transparent, I find the “strippers have the power!” justification to be ludicrous. Power is not about convincing some guy into withdrawing stacks of twenties from the ATM machine to stick in a 95-percent-naked-dancer’s thong while she strokes his ego for two minutes before moving onto the next one. But I add this one to the COVID-19 reading list because Cody knows all of this and isn’t glamorizing it. Its fast-turning pages are packed full of original quips and hilarious revelations like, “Could there be anything more grosser than pleading with undesirable men for three minutes of their company? The whole ritual defied logic, nature and the time-honored tradition of ‘Schlub Chases Babe’”. We could all use a diversion of continuous laughter these days. You may need a pair of Depends should you read this.

Gear Pairing for Recovering Strippers

The MSR DynaLock Explore Backcountry poles—to make the transition from stage and thong to the hiking trails effortless and enticing, like.

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What I love

Drybag design fits into sea kayak dry hatches. The IceMule Classic comes in four sizes: Mini (9L), Small (10L), Medium (15L), Large (20L). For sea kayaking I recommend the Medium because it’s size, even when full of ice, brats, cheese and eggs, fit into the hatch behind the seat. I could have fit the Large cooler into my larger stern hatch but then I would lose precious cargo space for items like tent, sleeping bag, non-perishable food, etc.  

Holds ice cubes for 24 hours. But strangely enough, a Yeti ice pack becomes a Yeti slop pack in about eight hours. No idea why other than it’s a Yeti thing and not an IceMule thing. The IceMule’s insulation technology is a combination of foam and air. However, the key to getting ice to remain ice for 24 hours is to minimize the amount of times you open the cooler. It’s not a refrigerator where you can open the door, stare at the contents for ten minutes while you ponder the future of civilization and what you’ll have to eat. Open it, get what you need, roll down the top, depress the air valve and then tighten the roll a bit more. For best results, complete these steps in five seconds or less.

Absolutely no leakage. It’s waterproof—both inside and out. After the ice cubes melted, the brats and Gouda cheese were eaten and all that remained were four hardboiled eggs and half a bag of shredded cheese that at least had to remain cool during the warmer parts of the day. So I secured the shoulder strap to a log of driftwood and let the IceMule bob and float on the 36-degree Lake Superior water to keep the exterior nice and cold.   

Tough. I’ve had this IceMule Classic cooler for about year now. After stuffing it into and pulling out of my sea kayak’s dry hatch on at least six multi-day sea kayaking trips, there is nary a single tear, thanks to its construction of heavy-duty vinyl with welded seams that are reinforced at the bottom.

What I didn’t like

Uhh…?? I can’t think of anything at the moment. Just be cognizant of how much food you put inside so that you can get three rolls.

Final thoughts

A lot of gear passes through my hands in a year’s time. Most are new colors or upgrades of last year models or lighter, sexier versions of a competitor’s model. It’s rare to see such a unique concept that is so basic and simple. Take a waterproof drybag, figure out a way to insulate and there you have it: The Holy Grail.

If you’re a sea kayaker, the IceMule Classic cooler needs to be in your dry hatch. 

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