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Bower’s Barrel Baskets Beat Backache!
A couple of hours
at your sewing machine can
save miserable back strain on the portage.
By Carol Bower
The members of our annual canoe-camping
expedition are all over 55 years old, and all of us have suffered back
problems. To lessen chances of delay due to back spasms on our expeditions,
we’ve developed some guidelines – and a handy method of carrying
those awkward barrel packs so necessary to keep food secure.
#1 Use a pack board.
Nothing is harder on a delicate back than carrying heavy items in your
arms. We organize our portage loads so that almost everything is carried
in backpacks or strapped to a pack board. We have an old aluminum army
surplus pack board with its own straps, and with it anyone can carry two
barrels in great comfort high on the back. Paddles, a fishing rod and
a net are the only items we can’t carry on our backs, so we tape
them together in a bundle which can then be carried over one shoulder.
#2 Carry a sail bag.
Balers, lines, maps, wet shoes and jackets, and other miscellaneous items
are tied separately to the thwarts during paddling. They considerably
increase the weight of a canoe and make it much more difficult to portage,
often flopping around and snagging on trees. Instead of securing all these
small items separately onto packs (time-consuming and awkward) or carrying
them by hand (uncomfortable and dangerous on a rough trail), we toss them
all into a tough nylon drawstring sail bag, then lash the bag to a pack
board, along with a day barrel. This is a quick, simple, and convenient
solution, as long as you don’t buy a sailboat in order to obtain
a sail bag.
#3 Portage the canoe half way... and
switch.
It goes without saying that if you have back trouble, a Kevlar canoe is
a good choice. After stripping our Kevlar canoes, their empty weights
are 30 kg (66 lb.) and 25 kg (55 lb.).
On long portages, there are many advantages to taking the canoes one at
a time. Instead of lifting the canoe alone, avoid that dangerous manoeuvre
by having a partner hold it up while you get underneath. Then your partner,
perhaps carrying a backpack or the paddles, can lead the way over difficult
terrain, lending a hand over deadfalls and pointing out obstacles in advance.
Every 400 metres (440 yd.) switch loads. In two trips, just as in the
normal method, both canoes and two packs are still carried across, but
with less strain on either back.
#4 Weigh those packs.
We use one waterproof pack each loaded with personal and camping gear.
Each weighs 20 to 22 kg (44 - 49 lb.). On our latest trip, we also had
two large and a small food barrel, for a total weight of 22 kg plus two
day barrels, one for each canoe, weighing a few kg each. We also carry
the pack board and that sail bag of miscellaneous items, adding up to
another 10 kg (22 lb.). Aside from that we had a taped bundle of 5 paddles,
a fishing rod, and net.
This gear was enough for 3 people
for 17 days in the wilderness, and could be portaged in three trips. To
keep light we replaced books with crossword puzzles, ground beans with
instant coffee, wine with rum, and wore the same clothes the whole trip
(laundered daily by immersion for hours in flowing water).
#5 Make Barrel Webbing.
We use plastic barrels in two sizes: 19-litres (5 gal.) for day barrels
and 29-litres (8 gal.) (which have a wider mouth) for food. (See Edward
T. Neal, “Get Tanked”, in KANAWA ‘s Summer 2000 issue)
Both are awkward to lift and carry. The smaller ones have no handles at
all, and lifting and carrying the loaded food barrels by one or even both
side-mounted handles can easily lead to back strain.
Therefore, I made “baskets”
with handles at the top for each barrel (see photo). The black plastic
webbing I used is inexpensive and sews easily by machine using a normal
needle and thread. A basket for a 19-litre
(5 gal.) barrel requires less than 6 metres (7 yd.) of webbing, costs
under ten dollars, and takes less than an hour to make.
The handles on top make it easy
to pass the barrels from one person to another during loading, unloading
or on a short “bucket brigade” portage. Loops on the sides make
it easy to attach the barrels to a pack board in any combination, and
also to a canoe.
Buying a ready-made backpack harness
is another possibility, but then the barrels can only be carried one at
a time. Also, the straps of the harness are inconvenient around the campsite
if left attached, whereas the baskets become a permanent and unobtrusive
part of the barrel.
#6 Bring medicine.
Sometimes back problems are inevitable. On our last trip, we had a lot
of upstream work to do, which required pulling the loaded canoe from a
stooped position through shallow water almost all day long. The constant
bending and straining was tough on bad backs, and we had problems. Obviously
more rest periods and muscle stretches would have helped, as well as warm
ups before beginning the upstream work.
For those times when all else fails, your medical kit should include several
types of medication for pain and spasms, as well as stomach settlers,
since anti-spasm medication often causes indigestion. Also of great use
is a good heat rub, which acts immediately to relax muscles and prevent
further spasms. Massage the area lightly every ten minutes after application,
and the heat returns. Adhesive patches impregnated with the same active
ingredients as rubs can be applied and left on for a day or more; again,
when rubbed they reactivate. Be sure to try them first if you have sensitive
skin.
#7 Set back-saving rules for the trip.
Make a very conservative estimate of trip duration so you don’t have
to rush. This means including one or two days off in the estimate of trip
length, and planning for short work days. We generally leave camp at 8:30
a.m. and stop no later than 3:30 p.m.
We also promise each other to avoid
hasty decisions during adrenalin surges, and to monitor each other for
signs of these adrenalin surges or exhaustion. It’s up to everyone
to do some back-strengthening exercises for several weeks before the trip,
but en route we continue these exercises every morning or evening. We
also take frequent breaks, do a few stretches and warm up our muscles
before lifting.
Carol Bower’s back survived
a gruelling 160-km (100 mi.) trip which began on the stunning West Magpie
River, sometimes called one of America’s “ultimate” rivers.
After paddling the Magpie, the travellers spent days hauling loaded canoes
through almost continuous rapids, to cross to the Moisie River watershed
beyond Lac Vital, Quebec. Email her at cjbower@sympatico.ca
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