Gransfors Bruks Axe Review

Gear

a955a3de9afa2794fbaf8cc2473586cb_XL — Axe

This gear review of the Gransfors Bruks Small Forest Axe originally appeared in Canoeroots and Family Camping magazine.

Two thirds of Sweden is covered in forest so it’s no surprise that the folks at Gransfors Bruks build beautiful axes. The Small Forest Axe’s hickory handle is 19 inches long—an excellent balance between achieving a powerful swing and easy packing. Each well-balanced blade has a three-and-a-quarter-inch face and is stamped with the initials of the smith who forged it—a symbol of the small company’s dedication to craftsmanship.

$120 | www.canadianoutdoorequipment.com

This article appeared in Canoeroots & Family Camping, Spring 2013.

Wood Burning Stoves Reviewed

Gear

Photo: Ian Merringer — Cooking with fire.

This wood burning stove gear review originally appeared in Canoeroots and Family Camping magazine.

Imagine the implications of a “new” type of camp stove, the fuel for which is not only free but readily available at every campsite. No more guessing how much fuel is left in a sealed canister, no more trips to the hardware store to resupply, no more leaky bottles in the food pack and no more carrying around weeks worth of fuel or fretting over dwindling supplies.

If not liquid fuel, then what do these new stoves burn? Wood.

The recent availability of two compact, wood- burning camp stove models signals a renewed interest in an old idea. These stoves use a modern design and battery power to burn wood efficiently. Campers can enjoy their morning brew minutes after modest wood-gathering efforts.

The WoodGas Campstove, available from Ostrom Outdoors, and the Vital Stove, made by Solhuma and distributed by Eureka, are leading the back-to-wood movement. Both models use small wood tinder for fuel, no armloads of firewood necessary. They work by employing fans to feed

the flames so they burn hot enough to turn the combustible smoke given off into a second heat source. The results are extremely efficient stoves that can kick out up to 20,000 BTUs in minutes.

Wood stoves may offer a lighter and more convenient means of cooking for those who avoid campfires or trip in areas where open fires are sometimes banned for fear of forest fires. Though the particulars of fire bans differ in each jurisdiction, the case can be made that these self-contained stoves are as safe as the gas stoves widely permitted.

Though the units themselves are heavier and larger than most gas stoves, the fact that no fuel supplies are necessary makes them easier to pack than their gas-powered cousins for trips of more than a day or two. They are well suited to small groups and those who have found traditional stoves finicky.

Enthusiasm aside, the stoves do have disadvantages. The battery packs which also serve as the fan control units on both models should be kept dry. The fan motors appear rugged, but as with all things electronic, hard impacts are a danger.

Solhuma claims the Vital Stove will run for eight hours at top speed on two AA batteries. Packing spare batteries is a good idea; there should be plenty of room in the pack that you used to use for extra fuel.

This article originally appeared in Canoeroots & Family Camping, Fall 2008.

How to Use a Tumpline

Skills

Photo: Andrew Fergusson — Tumpline carry.

This canoe technique originally appeared in Canoeroots and Family Camping magazine.

For too many, carrying a canoe means suffering through grinding shoulder discomfort and aching arms held high to balance the canoe. Make carries easier by adopting the tumpline method used by Aboriginals and early explorers.

Set up your tump by attaching a leather or nylon strap to either end of your centre thwart. For most canoes and carriers, the tump should hang to almost touch the bot- tom of the canoe when on the water.

Use your normal method to hoist the canoe so the centre thwart (rounded for com- fort, if possible) is resting on your shoulders. Position the tump over your forehead with one hand so that the weight pushes down with your head and neck in a comfortable position. The tump becomes a cushioning leaf spring that takes much of the weight off your shoulders and sends it straight down your spine, where it belongs.

The tump may take a few portages to tune and get used to but it will take you to the good places: canoe, pack and paddle in one trip

This article originally appeared in Canoeroots & Family Camping, Fall 2008.

Daily Photo: Apostle Islands

6d7013048d0c128a879704427738873c_XL — Photo: TimWilson

Caves, arches and calm in Wisconsin’s incomparable Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.

This photo was taken by Flickr user TimWilson and is licensed under Creative Commons.

Video: Cascada Teaser

Videos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56858602

Rallying a group of world-class kayakers including Erik Boomer, Tyler Bradt and 19-year-old gunner Galen Volckhausen, the Forge boys hauled their Red Epic cameras to Mexico seeking to capture waterfall hucking as it had never been captured before. Unlike the more scripted films from the Of Souls + Water series, they took a read-and-run approach to Cascada, trusting that the scenery, personalities and action on the trip would present compelling stories as well as stunning visuals.

They were right. Cascada is going to be nothing short of spectacular.

How To Stash Your Food Safely Using A Bear Hang

Skills

Making a proper bear hang the safe and easy way doesn’t have to be a skill learned from experience; take it from those who have hoisted more than a few packs themselves—and have the healed-up rope burns to prove it.

Far too many trippers have awoken on otherwise fine mornings to find a bear has stolen their food pack, peeled open a supposedly bear-proof food barrel like a tuna can or a clawed through an overturned canoe. This can wreck a trip and be fatal to the bear, since once a bear associates humans with food its fate is sealed.

How To Hang a Bear Bag

4 tips to stash your food safely in a bear hang

Safeguard your provisions by stowing them out of reach of motivated claws and jaws. Raising the pack at least three meters off the ground is a good start, but too many campers leave their food close to tree trunks, serving up a boreal buffet for acrobatic bears.

The important second step is to pull the pack at least two meters away from the tree trunk. All sorts of pulleys, Z-drags, balancing acts and feats of strength will accomplish this, but the simplest method is to use two ropes: one to hoist the load and the other to pull it away from the tree.

The Bear Canoe: A Risky Way To Store Food Overnight

1 Don’t delay

Set up your hoist rope as soon as you arrive at camp, not after dark. A perfect tree is at least 200 meters from camp and has a stout branch four to five meters up, with no ladder branches below.

2 Be a rock star

Slip a fist-sized rock into a stuff sack and tie the sack to the end of your rope. An underhand lob will send the sack and trailing rope over the branch and back down to the ground.

3 Two ropes are better than one

Secure the food pack and a dangling second rope to one end of the hoist rope. Pull on the free end of the hoist rope while a partner helps from below (a paddle helps get it high). Tie the hoist rope off to a nearby tree.

Trust The Trucker’s Hitch To Cartop Your Canoe

4 Try the trucker’s hitch

Now use the second rope and a distant tree to pull the load away from the tree trunk—a trucker’s hitch offers some mechanical advantage. Secure this rope, and get back to the campfire!

With practice, and a little tree karma, it should only take a few minutes to keep your food, yourself, other campers and the bears safe.

Cover of Canoeroots Magazine Summer/Fall 2009 issue This article was first published in the Summer/Fall 2009 issue of Canoeroots Magazine. Subscribe to Paddling Magazine’s print and digital editions, or browse the archives.

Far too many trippers have awoken on otherwise fine mornings to find a bear has stolen their food pack. | Feature photo: Dave Quinn

How to Trip with Toddlers

85ca514f9886a96d3c067f991afcb736_XL — Photo: Hap Wilson

This technique article originally appeared in Canoeroots and Family Camping magazine.

One of the toughest quandaries I had to overcome when deciding to have kids was the fear that I would have to curb my outdoor pursuits. I soon learned that kids are malleable; they can adapt to, and enjoy, just about any outdoor adventure when their basic needs are met.

Route Choice: This is wholly dependent on the temperament of the toddlers. Start with short day trips, then lengthen them accord- ingly, but don’t be afraid to think big. I took my two- and three-year-old kids on a 450-kilometre trip on Ontario’s Albany River. During those two weeks, plenty of gorp breaks and beach stops kept the kids happy, even on some 50-kilometre days.

Diapers: I generally despise disposables, but admit they are a godsend on canoe trips. You’ll need a barrel lined with garbage bags for either soiled disposables or dirty cloth diapers. The key is a liberal sprinkling of baking soda to keep the smell down and bears away.

Toys: Make room in the canoe for another small barrel full of toys, games and stuffed animals. Having these diversions readily available is essen- tial. Kids drop stuff overboard constantly, so you may want to tether in any “on-the-move” play toys, or risk perfecting your pivoting strokes.

Tents: A larger tent is a must. It’s a great play-place for toddlers and kids and will be well worth the extra effort it takes to pack it and carry it around when the bugs or weather are bad. A “family-bed” of sheets and throw blankets works best when toddlers need the security of their parents. Introduce toddlers to their own sleeping bags, and eventually an adjoining tent when they are ready, but if you rush it you’ll find they would rather stay home.

Bugs: Some might say I was cruel, but when my kids were toddlers I let them get bitten a little just to strengthen their immune systems. Today, black flies and mosquitoes don’t bother them, at least not enough to ruin an outing. That being said, some measures are sensible. I used to set up a light mesh tent at the end of portages where my wife and ba- bies could escape to while I carried over the gear. Sheets of loose bug netting can be draped over kid-carriers, and bug jackets are essential once they are a few years old. Don’t slather your kids with caustic repel- lent! A light dab of Tiger Balm, orange rind or citronella on the exposed backsides of their hands works well.

Safety: Your job is to plan well and remain calm if things get tense; your kids will pick up on neurotic behaviour and it may sour the next trip. As usual, safety comes down to attentiveness and common sense—don’t tether your kids to the canoe thwarts! There are excellent baby and toddler PFDs on the market. Make sure they wear them at all times, even around the campsite.

Invest some energy in making sure your kids travel in comfort and security when they are young and by the time they are seven or eight they will carry their own packs, paddle with efficiency and be full partners in your outdoor pursuits.

This article originally appeared in Canoeroots & Family Camping, Fall 2009. Download our freeiPad/iPhone/iPod Touch App or Android App or read it here.

Weekly Canoe News, February 25, 2013

Courtesy: Ontario Tourism — Weekly Canoe News, February 25, 2013

This week in canoeing news: Dumoine photo workshop, ice canoe challenge, water-resistant down and a canoeing legend dies.

Nature Photography Workshop on the Dumoine River

Join Louise Tanguay and Wally Schaber this September for an exciting photography experience on the Historic Dumoine River. Come and explore its many miles of beautiful unspoiled shorelines. The workshop is for the novice to the experienced amateur or professional. It will be hosted at the 200 year old timber main lodge of the Dumoine Rod and Gun Club. The Dumoine River is flanked by majestic white pine forests combined with spectacular falls and rapids. A nature photographer’s paradise. The Dumoine is a wilderness wild river that forms the boundary between Pontiac and Temiscamingue counties in Western Quebec. It is Western Quebec’s best known and most loved wild river that flows over 100 km from the Kipawa Highlands to the Ottawa River. Learn more by clicking here.

Ice Canoe Challenge

Athletes in the Ice Canoe Challenge competed on the frozen waters of the St. Lawrence River in Montreal on Saturday for this elite title. The race, in which paddlers push their canoes over ice and jump back in as they hit the water, returned after a 20-year hiatus and is a two-hour spectacle of endurance. Via Ottawa Citizen.

Does Water-Resistant Down Live Up to the Hype?

Water-resistant down has been touted as a total game-changer since it debuted to much fanfare at last year’s Winter Market, and the buzz only has grown since then. This breakthrough in insulation technology — which significantly reduces one of down’s biggest weaknesses, its dip in performance when wet, with a polymer treatment — is a shoe-in for market domination. Or is it? Via SNEWS.

Canadian Canoeing Great Dies

john_wood.jpg.size.xxlarge.letterbox.jpg John Wood did more than win a silver medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. By finishing just 34/100ths of a second behind Alexandre Rogov of the Soviet Union in the 500-metre canoeing singles, he offered hope to paddlers across the continent that the dominance of the Eastern Bloc could be challenged. Via Toronto Star.

Daily Photo: Cleft Rock

Paddlers check out a cleft rock along the Bloodvein River – note the normal and high water levels on the rock face.

This photo is was taken by Mark Stadel and submitted as part of the Canadian Hertiage Rivers Photo Contest. Want to see your photo here? Send to [email protected] with subject line Daily Photo.

Daily Photo: Churchill In Color

A colorful sunset paddle on the Churchill River near La Ronge, Saskatchewan, after supper.

This photo was taken by George Thorpe and submitted as part of the Canadian Hertiage Rivers Photo Contest.