The heat of summer is nice and all, but there is something special about fall paddling trips. Maybe it’s the landscape painted in the palette of autumn, the feel of cozy fleece under a drysuit, or the satisfying warmth of a hot meal at the end of the shortening days. As colder temperatures creep in we are nowhere close to thinking the paddling season is coming to an end, and that’s because for our team it never does. What we’ve figured out is it’s the little things, the gear we pack for comfort, fun and luxury that makes the difference in getting the most enjoyment out of these fall days.
To help you do the same, we asked our editors what they won’t go without this fall, and this is what they had to share.
Editor Maddy Marquardt’s Picks
MSR Remote 3
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Why Maddy loves it
This tent is basically a backcountry castle with a super roomy vestibule to cook in when it’s rainy and windy outside. I love that this tent has extended my paddle camping season, and is easy to fit in a canoe or sea kayaks.
Bottom line
The MSR Remote 3 is a sturdy and roomy four-season tent that keeps you and your paddling partner’s gear bone dry for shoulder season camping. The central-support frame of the Remote 3 uses Easton Syclone poles, a ballistic-fiber, carbon, and resin composite that offers increased durability and significant weight saving compared to aluminum poles. The Remote 3 has a 22 square-foot vestibule, 46 square feet of floor space inside, and reaches almost four feet tall inside for space to move around on those windbound days.
Nalgene 16-ounce Storage Jar
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Why Maddy loves it
I love using a Nalgene jar for my bowl in order to never truly do camp dishes. I just screw the cap on and let my previous camp meal season the next.
Bottom line
The Nalgene Storage Jar can easily be your personal camp bowl, used for food prep, leftovers, or packing out coffee grounds and food waste. These jars are made of durable Tritan BPA/BPS-free plastic—so they won’t leave a funny taste in your meal. The lid is leakproof, and the 16-ounce is a condensed size that solves the puzzle in your drybag.
Nemo Tensor Ultralight Insulated Sleeping Pad
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NEMO EQUIPMENT AMAZON REI SCHEELS
Why Maddy loves it
I love that the Tensor is quieter to sleep on than most other pads, packs small enough to fit behind my skeg box, and is as comfortable to sleep on as larger sleeping pads.
Bottom line
Comfortable, packable, and sturdy: the Tensor insulated sleeping pad has an 5.4 R-value, which places it toward the upper end of all-season insulation. The Tensor is 3.5 inches thick and uses an aluminized film for its insulation value. Nemo also makes the pads in four sizes including regular, regular wide, long wide and a mummy shape.
Editor Joe Potoczak’s Picks
Solo Stove Bonfire Cast Iron Griddle Cooking Bundle 2.0
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Why Joe loves it
I was skeptical of the Solo Stove when the household first convinced me we should get one. It wasn’t until I had my hands on the griddle top that I saw the versatility of the Bonfire as both our backyard and basecamp low-impact firepit. The cleverness of the Solo Stove is in its cooking accessories that beat out those old grates over the fire ring and turn some serious heat up on the camp chefery.
Bottom line
The Solo Stove Bonfire can set up shop at the river festival, disperse camp down an NF road, or hold down the patio party. The 17-inch cast iron griddle top is the size of a large pizza, providing enough space to fire up breakfast for the whole crew. With the hub underneath to raise the griddle off the flames, you gain a built-on heat deflector to send some warmth out to those puffy-clad campers salivating over the sizzle of bacon.
NRS 35L Expedition DriDuffel Dry Bag
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Why Joe loves it
The NRS DriDuffel had me at the zipper that slides like a hot knife through butter. My first time using it was on an overnight trip outside of Yosemite. The 35 liter had all the space needed for my personal effects. The lengthwise opening was a dream to not have to root around the bottom of a deep, dark dry bag to find my fly box once I caught a glimpse of rainbows rising on the Tuolumne.
Bottom line
The NRS DriDuffel seals with a TRU Zip zipper and has an IPX7 waterproof rating. That means it’s submersible at a meter deep for 30 minutes. To back up the zipper, the DriDuffel is constructed of PVC-free 84-denier heavy-duty TPU-coated nylon. The outer straps help secure and compress your gear to fit in the back of your kayak or minimize the pile on the raft.
Rumpl The Camp Pillow
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Why Joe loves it
What I love about The Camp Pillow is that it doesn’t try to be a minimalist, barely there, teched-out solution for one of the most neglected pieces of trip gear there is. Instead Rumpl has stuffed their camp pillow dense with shredded memory foam. While others have left me spending the night folding and configuring to finally get comfortable, Rumpl’s solution feels like a luxury as I drift off staring at the stars.
Bottom Line
The Camp Pillow from Rumpl is 22 inches by 15 inches with a two-sided outer shell—one side brushed polar fleece, the other a soft-touch polyester. The shredded memory foam fill is accessible and adjustable for your preferred loft, and The Camp Pillow includes a stuff sack to compress it for your pack.
Tenkara Rod Co. Beartooth
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Why Joe loves It
I never have to ask myself again whether it’s practical to bring my fly rod on the river because of the Beartooth. It telescopes down to just 14 inches long and fits in my drybag for a raft trip, and I’ve put it in the back of my kayak to pull over and work the tails of pools on river runs. I was hesitant whether tenkara fishing would provide enough line on casts, but soon realized how little I actually use and that reaching most pockets could be solved with a few small steps.
Bottom line
The Beartooth is Tenkara Rod Co.’s most compact packing fishing rod. It weighs 2.3 ounces, extends to 10-feet long, is constructed of carbon fiber and has a 6:4 flex that land bigger fish than you’d expect by looking at it. You can get the rod alone or purchase the kit that includes line, tippet and even a box of flies so you are immediately ready to roll your line out.
BruTrek OVRLNDR Coffee Press
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BRUTREK AMAZON BACKCOUNTRY SCHEELS
Why Joe loves it
What I look forward to most on every day of camping is a cup of hot coffee, okay, not just camping, every day in general. I’ve used all sorts of coffee methods and contraptions to serve my indulgence, and the OVERLNDR is hands-down my favorite for brewing camp and travel coffee. The 24-ounce insulated French press makes just the right amount of coffee and keeps it hot. The Bru-Stop plunger keeps out the sludge, and it has a removable bottom chamber that lets me shake out the grounds, call it “camp clean” and brew another round. I also love the cylindrical shape without a handle, which gives it a big advantage for packing in a dry bag or bin.
Bottom line
The BruTrek OVRLNDR was designed for the adventurous. It’s body is made of a stainless steel construction, with a double-walled vacuum seal design to keep coffee hot for hours. The Bru-Stop plunger prevents over-extraction, and the removable base lets you break down as much of the OVRLNDR as you’d like for cleaning.
Editor-In-Chief Kaydi Pyette’s Picks
Korkers Neo Flex Thermo Booties
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Why Kaydi loves them
For wet, mucky, cold winter days, Korkers’ Neo Flex Thermo booties are possibly the most comfortable waterproof boots I’ve ever worn. The cushy fleece-lined interior is more reminiscent of a pair of cozy slippers than rugged outdoor shoes. They were invaluable in keeping my feet warm and dry during a snowy long weekend road trip in Yellowstone National Park this October that I felt otherwise unprepared for. The cushioning kept me comfortable during hikes, while the Kling-On Grip outsoles held firm on slippery boardwalks while other geyser gazers slid past.
Bottom line
Most rubber boots are made with a hard rubber midsole that leads to foot fatigue after a long day in the snow. The Korkers Neo Flex Thermo boots use Cush-Tech EVA on the midsole to absorb the day’s impact. The outsole is then finished with the non-marking Kling-On Grip rubber. The Thermos insulation is provided by 3.5-millimeter-thick neoprene and a fleece interior lining that adds up to a -20 degree Fahrenheit comfort rating.
North Water Water Bomber
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Why Kaydi loves it
The Water Bomber from North Water takes a page from Smokey Bear’s book, making sure “Only YOU can prevent forest fires” is more than just a motto. How you ask? It’s simple. First, fill the 12-liter rolltop bag in one fell scoop from a stream or lake. Then, dump it over your campfire and enjoy the satisfying sizzle of fire safety. Beyond fire control, the Water Bomber doubles as a camp dromedary—hang it by its adjustable strap from a tree or picnic table, and use the twist valve to dispense smaller amounts of water for washing and cooking. It’s light, compact, easy to clean by flipping inside out, and rolls flat for easy packing.
Bottom line
The Water Bomber has 12 liters of volume and it’s top is designed to fill in one scoop and extinguish the flames of the campfire. The twist valve sits an inch above the bottom to not spout grit, and the hang strip is adjustable.
Feature photo: Dylan Silver/OARS
The Big Agnes Blacktail Hotel is also a tent with a large vestibule. I paid $329Cdn.