LISTEN to these gals folks. They Know what they're doing . Something for EVERYONE. Tons of knowledge, experience & WISDOM here. No matter Where you're going or doing. Really well done ladies.
Upgrade your garbage bags to the contractor bags they are larger and a lot more durable then the standard garbage bag. I also like to take four or five bungee cords. They are lightening fast when you want to use your tarp or poncho as a rain fly or a simple shelter. As usual outstanding work, I look forward to your next post.
Thanks for the video. One thing I always caution about paddling before June is that the water can still be extremely cold - cold enough to kill if you end up in it too long.
+The Art of Photography Thanks Ted! Haha - can't tell you how many times I've thought about taking Finn along with us camping... though the inflatable air mattresses would probably last about 5 minutes with those claws 😄
I've seen some of your videos and can't figure how you do so much on so little food. My son and I go on some of the same routes as you but our food needs are larger and with more equipment
Just wanna say how much I appreciate this video (and all the previous ones!). Getting ready for a 4 day canoe trip on the river Loire in France with my wife and labrador pup. Wild camping as we go. Always helpful to check my gear list against others. Thnx!
Thanks so much for your videos. They literally sustain me while doing my treadmill walks in January and February! So informative and a real please use to watch. You guys are great.
Excellent video. I have been on many trips in Algonquin Park and your advice will be helpful to new canoe campers. I enjoy watching your videos. Thank you and enjoy this season.
This was so informative! Going over all the gear you use was perfect. Watched several of your guys videos. So very enjoyable to watch. Looking forward to new ones when they come along.
I watched your video .... after my first trip to Algonquin. Although, there are a few things I would do different, I fell in love with the whole package, canoeing, portages, camping!! I am in awe of you both, you are amazing. I hope to pass you someday in Algonquin!
you two rock.......that's so cool that you post these videos. I recently got back into backpacking and really appreciate your effort, knowledge and opinions. Please keep it up.....thank you
What a terrific survey for beginner trippers. The explanation regarding the paddles, very helpful. Scoping for my first canoe. Done a bit of canoe tripping when much younger at La Mauricie in Qc. Rented canoes, but super heavy on the portages.
Brilliantly helpful, both of you; engaging, informative and realistic. It makes us sorry that we are on the wrong side of the Atlantic, but we'll go back again to Algonquin Park - that's certain. Your videos will keep alive our very positive memories of this September's trip. Thank you both.
Great video. I had stumbled across your channel a few weeks before I saw the awesome trailer that you made for Joe. I’ve been sharing your channel with several of my RU-vid buddies down here in the Southland. They are just like me, think that your editing skills are top notch. I have a group of old friends that have been paddling together for years. We take several trips across our area each year, but always take one big annual trip, usually to the Okefenokee Swamp in South Georgia at the end of March. Next year, we are looking at our first international trip to Algonquin. In preparation I ordered a set of maps from Jeff’s Maps, but I am beginning to wonder about them. I’ve just got the confirmation that they the order was placed, and my debit was hit, but no word on shipping. I’ve emailed a couple of different emails that were returned “undeliverable” and I’ve tried to call, just to get a busy signal. I’ve even looked them up on Facebook. Have you guys heard anything about them possibly closing up shop?? Just thought that you might have heard something that I missed. Love the videos and you girls know your camping stuff. And again, Chris is editing is awesome.
This is a stellar video guide, one of the best I have seen as a pretty comprehensive introduction to Algonquin canoe tripping. It reminds me of a sort of video version of the material on the back of the Friends map. And it may not be obvious, but that's high praise from me ... I love reading the back of that map :)
Thank you! This is a great resource for those of us planning our first trip, also thanks for turning me on to the aero press it's now my favorite coffee maker. peace.
Great video, full of helpful info. Thanks for sharing :)! I do a fair bit of solo camping/canoeing/hiking (2 to 3 weeks without resupplies) so I tend to really docuis on getting most, if not all of my food dehydrated. If you are only going for a few days, these instant meals are great but for 23 days, they tend to be a bit too expensive, so I bought myself a dehydrator. Great way of reducing the weight and keeping your food from growing moldy :). One thing you mentioned (and probably the only thing you two did not fully agree on hahaha) is for how long you should go out canoeing. I agree more with Julia to make the trip a bit longer. I find that it normally takes me about 2 to 3 days to really get into that special mindset again of simplifying things. I call it going back to nature, going from A to B, make fire, get water, build shelter, done :)! The more often you do these longer trips, the longer you want the next trip to be and the easier you get that feeling back, wonderful! Last but not least I noticed a few items on your gearlist that could be swapped for lighter versions, but that is more important for when you go on solo trips and you do not share the load. Ps. you two make such an amazing couple, all the best to you in the future :)!
Outstanding video! very through and informative. I've been canoe canoe camping for years in the us but never been to Algonquin. Your video inspires me to look into it, sounds awesome!
Very informative, thanks! I did enjoy the way you used the Loon call for each segment. Reminded me of books with audio cassette tapes from my youth, where the sound of the bird (usually) let you know when to turn the page. Looking forward to your next Algonquin trip. 🙂
I disagree ladies my first even canoe trip in 17 yrs is going to be 7 to 14days solo , i have to say 5 days to get in touch with the wild , 10 i will be at home in the wild , 14 will be enough . Though im renting and coming down from the North and launching from Kiosk and was told by the guy who i booked its going to be great . With the said these ladies do give alot of great info lots of tips and stuff so give them a good watch if ya have no idea what do to . Keep it up ladies .
Absolutely exactly what I was looking for. I live relatively close to the park but didn't know much about it. I was told.no fires at all so I haven't been. There was no burn ban at the time. Anyways, thank you I will be going this spring I think. Appreciated.
Thanks for sharing your adventures! I've never been to Algonquin park before and have always wanted to go. My brother and I are planning on going next year to get away and do some fishing. Just want to say thanks for sharing your tips and experiances. keep up the awesome vids.
Great video Chris and Julia! I love the new hairdo. I look forward to seeing you two in action outdoors. You are great advocates for outdoor activities and ambassadors of Canada. Your care and planning shows up in the content that you post. That is pretty cool for the amount of subs you have. I have watched people with massive amounts of subs that don't post the quality content that you girls post. peace and love peace and love to you both
What a great resource this is. Will definitely be referencing as it gets closer to our annual canoe trip this summer! Hopefully my daughter doesn't "borrow" all my gear!
Excellent video for the back country, thanks for this. Julia is so right about adopting your father stuff as my daughter has been doing that but I did it to, circle of like Simba.
Great info video! One other thing I bring when with my young son is a walkie-talkie set. Great to keep track of each other on long portages or if one is out fishing and the other still sleeping. Plus super fun for kids. Also glow sticks are great for reference points at night for the camp. Saved my butt once getting disoriented hanging the food at night. Also the PLB should be registered at the Canadian Beacon Registry prior to use. For Algonquin, rescue would be launched out of CFB Trenton and on location between 2-4 hours pending circumstance. I never go without one especially if solo.
I see a lot of your gear that I want to upgrade! Start with the water filter. There are so many options that are lighter and smaller than the one you have.
YES, how about leaving it at home! There are MILLIONS of gallons of spring water in Algonquin Park. Just drink from the Lake. When was the last case of "beaver fever" recorded from drinking directly from the Park lakes. I've been going for years and I know for a fact that I will never get it. Lets be honest here! If you drink from a swamp, expect to get sick. You will be fine if you drink from the lake.
I love the bacon idea! I will add that to my camp menu now. My first night has always been steak (frozen in the morning) and pork chops on day 2. I tend to car camp for a day before a back country camping trip. It saves on a long drive on my first day in. I've never seen a pad for the yolk but I am going to look for one now. I am not as adventurous as the two of you are but I need to get into High Falls on the Nipissing. My passion is photographing waterfalls. Thanks for some great tips. 😊
I love your videos! Here (Down Under in Australia) we don't have to deal with bears... thankfully. But, we do have our own dangerous animals and critters to be mindful of. Snakes are the biggest threat on the East coast, we've seen a few brown snakes on our canoe/kayak &/or hiking trips. Of course spiders too. The best advice is to be mindful of their presence and take precautions. Up north, we do have alligators and crocodiles - again, it's about taking precautions... Algonquin Park looks like a great place to spend some time. Might have to put that one on the bucket list, and save up. Thanks for sharing. Cheers ShazBoo
I am so jealous of your lakes !! Here in the South of France, it is so dry that you would have to portage for 20km between 2 lakes... Well, I am sure this is a challenge you would accept, but I am not a tri-athlete !! Also, fire is strictly forbidden everywhere. Thank you for your fantastic videos. They are the best advertisement for Canada. (On a side note, I really like Julia's haircut, so cute...).
I'm the dad. My son ain't going to get my kit!!! LOL..a very informative video, thanks. (We tripped a few years ago and rented all of our gear from Algonquin Outfitters. Quality gear for sure. We discovered what a good tent is...we now have one of own.)
You forgot to mention to always pack at the very top of your ruck sack, so its the first thing you come to, "your sense of humour"😃 because as you know, just before either having to back track a few hundred meters or put your rain skirt bin bag (garbage bag) on. At least you can have a smile about it, oh and LMAO "Kids are easy bear food so keep an eye on um" LOL good video some good points very informative and very interesting thanks for sharing, regards Matt
This is exactly the kind of video i was hoping to find plus its you guys that did it thank you !! I still have a few questions though concerning the overall expanses of the trip, and also if its like do-able without taking your car there if there s like bus's or other means of transport to the park i would really appreciate it if you guys could give me some of these informations. Once again thank you for your videos !!
Hi Youssef, I'm not really sure about other forms of transportation to the park - we've always driven there by car, so your best bet is likely just searching for alternate forms of transportation online. Expenses vary greatly upon what you have and what you need, so I'd recommend making a list of the things you need and then beginning to reach out to local outfitters in the area / park reservations to estimate your costs :)
Hi, I've seen the question asked a few times, but cannot find an answer. What barrel and harness do you use and if you can share, where did you get it? If I missed this answer somewhere I apologize. Great video and information though. Thanks!
Great video! It is important to note though that biodegradable soap is great to use camping -- But it is not biodegradable in water! This soap degrades in the earth. It is very important to rinse all soapy water 200ft from any water source, treat it like any other human organic waste. Soap getting into the water can impact and build up in the ecosystem, especially in high impact areas like Algonquin. Using a foldable bucket (eg: Sea-to-summit Kitchen Sink -- love this thing) allows you to carry some water to a safe place and wash to your heart's content.
Great video for new and older paddlers. When navigating, I use those little black plastic compasses about the size of a dime. I stick it at the top of my map for that days travel. Then orientate the map and the path I want to travel will the direction in front of me. I also have my direction I wish to travel marked on my map. I then look for coves or jutting parts of the shore and compare that with what my map shows. I usually travel the boundary waters of Northern Minnesota or Quetico Provincial Park in Ontario. We usually do about 8 days and 70 - 80 miles with 1 lay over and a few early days. I'm 75 now but still want to get back on the water. It is just to far from central Texas. With your advice, anyone should have a good experience. Thanks for sharing, I plan to follow your adventures and be envious. larry
You gals have done some great videos! Out of curiosity, what type of camera do you use during your trips? Great to hear about the hammock - I've often considered getting one. I used a pump filter for many years and they have an advantage of easily filtering water while in the canoe. I switched to a gravity fed filter and I'm really liking it since I can go about other tasks while it's filtering. I've been considering getting a PLB and looking at the Garmin inReach Mini. It can also be paired with phone, and used to send text messages, cost depends on the plan though. I've read enough poor reviews of the Spot and will likely avoid it. Tip: MSR makes a couple of maintenance kits for your stove, as well as a couple of very informative videos on how to service the pump and stove. I think it would be a worthwhile addition to your gear. It's really great to see your recommendation about the PFDs. I'm a strong swimmer, have been paddling for over 20 years in all sorts of conditions, and tipped my canoe in deep water for the first time last Sept in Killarney during a crazy storm away from our interior camp. Our PFDs likely saved our lives. Conditions can change quickly. What is manageable in one area of the lake may not be elsewhere. Winds can be funneled down long narrow areas, bounded by rocky or steep shorelines, creating treacherous conditions when waves reflect. A swamped canoe in rough conditions is not easy to manipulate - one hand occupied holding the canoe, and the other holding a paddle, and it is harder to swim with clothing and shoes. Water temperatures can sap one's strength. I wish I'd had the opportunity and foresight to learn and practice self-rescue in a safe environment many years ago. Good judgement helps to avoid such a scenario to begin with, but conditions change and accidents happen. Recreational drownings happen every year. Lack of a PFD is a common factor in recorded boating fatalities (www.lifesavingsociety.com/media/241812/canadiandrowningreport_english_web.pdf).
Great videos thank you, I'm from Montreal so I wouldn't start in the southeast but rather the northern route so do you have any advice on a safe short route
Thanks for putting this together. A+ ive been told to go by so many friends who have and i am finally about to start planning a trip. how can you not bring fishing rods? lol
Hi hi! LOVE everything here!!! I was hoping to get a little help though. The Avenza app says Jeff's map is no longer downloadable, any other recommendations on how to get it accessible on your phone? Also, I'm an avid paddler and aspire to be a skilled portager, but being 5"2 with slight shoulders I find the yolk shaped for men's broad shoulders to be more painful than any weight or trek. What shoulder pad are you guys using exactly? Could you send a link? And do you have any recommendations for slight female shoulders until I'm able to build up more muscle to counteract some aspects of the width I dont have?
Hey gals thanks so much for the Intel much appreciated , my question is are there links or forums that allow you to meet others to camp with in Algonquin I know it amounts creepy sorry but just curious how someone who enjoys going but would like to meet others
Thanks Peter! That's a really good question actually... I haven't come across any, but I know Algonquin Park's running a free park entry day on July 21st (2017, for people reading this in the future) with free canoe / kayak / SUP rentals, as well as free guided canoe and bike trips. Might be a great way to meet some other people, or bring a friend along to try it out with :) You can find more info / links through Algonquin Park's Twitter account :)
Hi Vicki, we've been using the Agawa Canyon Boreal21 saw which someone sent us - it's pretty lightweight, foldable, and has a really efficient blade... though it's a tad longer than we'd prefer and a little cumbersome to pack for portaging at times. We used a smaller saw that could fold down to just about a foot-long for many years ( seen in this video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-BQkfWkwmfPw.html ), which suited most of our needs really well, and is probably what I'd recommend for the types of trips we go on. I'm not sure where it came from, but I think there are a few brands out there selling similar foldable saws. Hope this helps! :)
Thanks for responding, Chris . I often go out with women only, sometimes a group of 4 of us, sometimes just myself and one friend. We're a bit older than you :) (mid 50's to 60's) and lightweight plus ease of cutting are getting to be more important to us each year. I'll take a look at your suggestions for sure.
Oh and yet another one more thing :-) People need to remember that bacon was invented specifically for the purpose of being able to preserve meat before the days of refrigeration. That said, I would not trust standard package bacon more then 2-3 days in a canoe barrel. But if you can get yourself a slab of artisanal bacon (or make your own as I do) and cut off slices as you need them, you should be fine for a whole week's canoe trip.
Hi Chris, When you're out there, how much flexibility is there on sites (lakes?) because it was mentioned in this how-to video, you book the lake and not the site.
Park staff will tell you that staying on a lake other than the one you booked is not permitted. That said, there are times when it's unavoidable, and they would rather you stop at a safe campsite than try to struggle on to your proper destination in the dark, the windstorm, through injury or illness, etc. In general, bear in mind that there are a finite number of sites on a given lake, and one can never know if they've been reserved by someone else. If that other party comes to the lake and finds no sites left, what then? Additionally, if there were an emergency situation, park staff would search for you on the lakes where you had planned to stay - so it's a good idea to be there. If it's coming up on dark, if you're visiting at a time when the park sees little activity, and if there are a bunch of sites still free, there's probably little harm in camping on a different lake. It falls into the same category as the campers one sees on RU-vid enjoying a can of beer (both cans and alcohol are prohibited) as they watch the sunset; if they tote their empties back out, where's the foul? On the other hand, it IS against regulations. I don't know if there's a fine for those who are caught doing it, but it's good courtesy to avoid it if you can.
Good, practical video. If you haven't already, a great & essential read is Cliff Jacobson's "Camping Top Secrets" & related canoeing books. Also, watch Paul Kirtley's & Mors Kochansky's YT videos. What those 3 don't know about wilderness camping / open canoeing / survival isn't worth knowing.
Jeff is still working on the Algonquin version (under the Unlostify name). Hopefully it will be available soon. There's the Unlostify site on Facebook so if you want the map as soon as it comes out, I suspect that might be a good way to be notified.
Hi Tomas, we rent ours from Algonquin Outfitters for about $40 per day, though they're made by Swift Canoe & Kayaks if you'd like to look into prices :)
I just kept thinking throughout the video how kind you both are in sharing your experiences to help others... thanks so much! This is a wonderful resource which Ill definitely want to watch again. Rob
What a wonderful resource. And you two are really great souls. One truly gets your love of the park and that you hope that everyone else's enjoyment instills a greater appreciation of it. Been some time since I've canoed in myself, but dying to do so. Thanks again fir the inspiration , education and spark to do just that. Cheers! Carolyn 👍😃
You guys complement each other like ying and yang. Thanks for all the valuable helpful information. Chris you have a really soothing voice. You are so well spoken and concise. Cheers.
