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EASY RIDER Summer 2004 Issue How the wisdom of Matonabbee led Bill Layman to the perfect, ergonomic kitchen pack... Story and photos by Bill Layman Ergonomic: pronunciation — urgu’nâmik: The study of the design and arrangement of equipment so that people will interact with the equipment in a healthy, comfortable, and efficient manner. ......... When this relates to outdoor gear, I might add... so that the gear doesn’t drive you crazy, need to be modified to the point where it would be easier to build it yourself, or make you spout run-on four letter epithets when it fails in the field. The wisdom of Matonabbee Little did I know that reading Samuel Hearne’s classic saga about his epic trek from Fort Prince of Wales (Churchill, Manitoba) to Bloody Falls on the Coppermine River near Kugluktuk in the years 1769-1772 would lead me to the word “ergonomic.” The Dene Chief Matonabbee was no doubt amazed when he heard about Hearne’s first attempt at crossing the Barrens. When Hearne explained that he hadn’t taken any women with him on his trip, my guess is Matonabbee had to bite his lip to stop from laughing. I can just see him putting his hand on Samuel’s shoulder and shaking his head slowly from side to side. Hearne recorded what he said. “for,” said he, “when all the men are heavy laden, they can neither hunt nor travel to any considerable distance; and in the case they meet with success in hunting, who is to carry the produce of their labour? Women,” added he, “were made for labour; one of them can carry, or haul, as much as two men can do. They also pitch our tents, make and mend our clothing, keep us warm at night; and, in fact, there is no such thing as travelling any considerable distance, or for any length of time, in this country without their assistance. Women,” said he again, “though they do every thing are maintained at a trifling expense; for as they always stand cook, the very licking of their fingers in scarce times, is sufficient for their very subsistence.” Man, the hunter This, of course, left the men free to do the hunter’s work – walking far ahead with nothing but a gun as they sought out supper. It seemed to me to be a great way of doing things. “I mean, if it worked for the Dene for thousands of years why would we try to do it any differently?” I reasoned to Lynda. Casting a tight lipped glare over her shoulder, she threw me an old copy of Gloria Steinem’s Ms. Magazine and went back to her typing. “Read this and get with the program stupid!” All for Lynda And thus began the quest for the perfect kitchen pack that Lynda could carry. I knew the pack had to be reasonably waterproof, had to be able to float when fully loaded, had to have room for a day’s food and all that we needed in our kitchen, and most importantly, had to be as easy as possible to portage. I built two different wannigans and grew to hate them on the portage — Lynda couldn’t carry either. She could carry a “Woods” canvas prospector pack, but when it rained the pack shrunk and the unpadded straps and back weren’t very comfortable. Anyone who knows me knows I just can’t leave my gear alone as I try to tweek it and build the perfect mouse trap. After going through a selection of other packs and various modifications over the last ten years on the Barrens, I thought my quest for the perfect pack was hopeless. Then I stumbled on to the Ostrom Nanibijou pack. And that was it. I had found the pack I wanted. And even better — I couldn’t find anything that I needed to “mod”. This pack has now been through three major trips on the tundra — nearly 2300 miles and 150 days — and I use it like I stole it. It is still as good as the day I bought it and I suspect I will be gifting it to my son Zane in my will. She loves it! Every time someone picks up our Nanibijou pack after having seen Lynda carry it across the tundra, they are floored. Trust me, the pack is “way” heavy. I refuse to weigh it lest she panic and refuse to carry it any more. At 5’ 4” and 135 pounds, Lynda isn’t poised to break into the WWF. But does she like our Nanibijou? Well, every time she finishes a portage less than a mile long she smiles and says, “I love this pack!” Anatomy of a pack:What’s in it anyway? Everyone has their own best idea about how to put their kitchen together. But if you’re a tad sick of your present system, maybe this anatomy of our pack will help you out. Perhaps the most important feature of any pack (after those noted above), is that “everything” should be in it. There’s nothing worse than a scattered kitchen at the end of a hard day. “Anybody know where the naptha bottle got to? And ... oh ... what about the big silver spoon and the salt and pepper and the tent pegs for the kitchen tarp?” Been there — done that! It makes for short tempers as you rip the whole canoe apart. With our system, at lunch or supper all we have to do is haul out the kitchen pack. Everything we need is there. As well as the basic pack, I bought an add on “canoe pack topper” and a “tripper day pack pocket.” The topper holds all the small kitchen stuff we need every time we cook, while the front pocket has many of the things I need to get at quickly when we are paddling. (Check the list on the next page and see if it works for you) Easy Rider And that’s it. This setup works well for us and may give you a few ideas. Best of all, Lynda can carry it and stay happy! In fact, she calls it her pack and there is no way she will even let me near it. She does, however, say that the canoe is mine. I get to carry it on every portage. What’s that all about? Bill Layman and Lynda Holland have lived in La Ronge for over 25 years. Look for trip reports at www.out-there.com Write them at PO Box 327, La Ronge, SK S0J 1L0. Suggested Reading Wanapitei Canoe Tripper’s Cookbook, by Carol Hodgins. $10.95 ($9.86 mem) The Wilderness Cookbook: A Guide to Good Food on the Trail, by Bonnie McTaggert, Jill Bryant and Chum McLeod. $14.95 ($13.46 mem) Nols Cookery, by Claudia Pearson. $20.95 ($18.86 mem) Pack Topper Note: This pocket attaches to the top of the pack. large stainless spoon plastic egg flipper rubber scraper for cleaning pots naptha bottle matches in waterproof nalgene bottle small squirt bottle of priming paste (to pre-warm stove) small ditty bag with dish washing stuff (detergent, pot scrubber, dish cloth) Radio Shack Microjet Torch (small plastic torch with a lighter inside — an awesome must have!) small velcro pouch with knives, forks and spoons Outback Oven (cover, scorch buster, and heat diffuser) laminated recipe “how-to-list” (real handy at the end of a long day!) Day Pack Front Pocket Note: This pocket attaches to the front of the pack. If you place the pack in the canoe with the carrying straps on the floor, you can get at the gear whenever you need it without going to shore and rummaging through everything. If you have ever been paddling mid-lake when a good sailing wind came up, or caught a 10- pound pike and then watched it thrash about the bottom of your canoe covering everything in slime, you’ll appreciate the pocket. 3/8” x 5 1/2” x 14” plywood cutting board (for filleting fish/ kitchen preparation) small fish stringer heavy plastic bags and elastic bands (to store filleted fish) fish filleting knife diamond knife sharpening stick Leatheran tool with needle nose pliers (for unhooking fish) small tackle box sail collapsible Sawvivor wood saw (for cutting sweepers) Main Pack Note: Last year I added an “Ostrom Waterproof Pack Liner” to this outfit. I haven’t had a chance to use it hard yet, but I think it’s a real winner. Aside from keeping everything dry, it will help keep the pack buoyant in the event of a capsize. Pot set (4 nesting stainless pots, 2 melmac bowls, 2 small plastic cups) bug-house tarp in a compression stuff sac (see KANAWA, Summer 2003 for bug-house plans) set of 10-inch spiral aluminum tent pegs (for tarp) collapsing center pole (for tarp) nalgene 1-liter bottle (to mix milk & juice powder and for water in the tent at night) teflon frying pan with a cover (to allow use of the outback oven) bannock mix granola olive barrel with all the essentials (coffee, tea, honey, peanut butter, lard, oil, etc.) spices (salt, soy-sauce, lemon juice, lemon pepper, etc.) 1 lunch and 1 supper for the day 2 Crazy Creek chairs ( a must-have on the tundra!) collapsible fabric water pail small ground sheet (great for keeping your kitchen knick knacks from getting lost) spare fuel bottle Coleman Exponent Apex 11 stove in padded stove bag (the best all-round stove I’ve used) short-handled axe in pocket on the outside (to pound tent pegs into rocky ground)