There’s a window between fall color and ice-up, and another just after thaw, that are some of my favorite times to paddle. There’s no one else around, just the challenge of seeing how far I can push the season. Here’s what makes the cut when I’m heading out during the margins of the paddling season.
What’s in Editor Kaydi Pyette’s paddle-in shoulder season kit
Snowtrekker Hot Tent
MSRP: $2,358
Snowtrekker’s canvas tent and wood stove system is perfect for off-season backcountry adventurers. My four-man 10×13 Crew tent plus stove packs into a 55-pound bundle. Hefty, yes, but manageable when your portages are few. And so worth the effort. The tent and stove go up in about 20 minutes. Then you light the stove, string a line for socks, and suddenly you’re down to your T-shirt while snowflakes fall outside. Off-season canoe camping has never been so cozy. For smaller groups or solo paddlers, the smallest hot-tent-and-stove combo weighs around 40 pounds.
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Work Gloves
MSRP: $9
The least glamorous piece of kit, but the most unpleasant to overlook. You need a pair of work gloves to feed the stove and for the stove’s setup and teardown. Any will do, but pigskin or cowhide palms stand up to heat and sparks. Just don’t touch the white canvas with these gloves. Ask me how I know.
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Agawa Canyon Boreal 21 Saw
MSRP: $92 CAD
You’ll also need a camp saw to buck stove wood into manageable lengths. My favorite is the sturdy and lightweight Agawa Boreal 21. It chews through deadfall with ease, and its folding frame packs flat.
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Mark’s Aggressor Waterproof Boots
MSRP: $78 CAD
Think wellies but warmer. For the ultimate in shoulder season footwear, I go waterproof and insulated so I can step mid-shin at the put-in without worry. The Aggressors from Mark’s Work Wearhouse supply store replaced needing both water shoes and camp shoes on shoulder season trips (though I still bring a pair of hut booties for inside the tent). Removable liners dry by the stove overnight and spare you from damp boots at dawn.
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Patagonia Base Layer
MSRP: $109+
My favorite long johns ever. Over the last decade, they have accompanied me on almost every trip big and small, from paddling across Ontario to weekends in Algonquin. And this midweight merino wool base layer from Patagonia is still going strong. They don’t stink, they dry fast and they layer nicely under a drysuit—which you should absolutely be wearing when paddling on cold water.
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Kokatat Meridian Gore-Tex Pro
MSRP: $1,549
Cold water kills. Turn to page 87 if you need convincing. My go-to drysuit is the Kokatat Meridian. The National Center for Cold Water Safety (coldwatersafety.org) recommends dressing for immersion and wearing thermal protection when water temperatures drop below 70°F (21°C).
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Exped Dura 6.5R
MSRP: $199.00
My favorite cold-weather pad is the compact and inflatable Exped Dura 6.5R, which delivers an R-value of 6.9 for 1.4 pounds. As for a sleeping bag, the long-discontinued synthetic MEC Habanero -12 (mec.ca) is the old warhorse that I’ve trusted to keep me warm from the Yukon to Patagonia. It’s not the lightest or most compact bag, but it lives up to its temperature rating, and I can guarantee the water will freeze up long before I do. Cold sleeper? Add a fleece liner to your bag to buy yourself another five degrees of warmth on shoulder season trips.
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Dollar Store Fairy Lights
If you’re hot tenting but not stringing fairy lights along the inside of your A-frame structure, you are absolutely missing out. Fairy lights provide practical lighting and a cozy interior for long, dark evenings, and they light up your tent like a lantern for photos—all for around $10.
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This article was published in Issue 75 of Paddling Magazine. Bring the heat. | Feature photo: Virginia Marshall
