The Pioneer Pack is our primary portage pack and sees more use than my Duluth Pack, SealLine Boundary 35 Day or Vaude Hobb Creek pack. On tandem trips, it’s the perfect size for two people traveling in a lightweight style. On portages, one person carries the pack and the other carries the canoe. This makes for a quick single-carry portage.

On the trail, it is more comfortable than most portage packs because of its backpacking-pack-style features. To make it work, it’s best to loosen all the straps before putting the pack on. Then tighten the shoulder straps and hip belt. After that, tighten the hip stabilizers just enough so the pack doesn’t sway. Adjust the load lifters last to the point where the load shifts off the hip belt and hovers somewhere between the shoulders and hip. It works just like a backpacking pack that’d you’d carry for hours at a time.

There are a couple of downsides to using this system on this pack. The first is that the lack of frame prevents the load lifters from working as they would on a pack with a frame. You can stiffen the pack, by packing your sleeping pad chair kit or tent poles against the pack’s foam or by making your sleeping pad into a vertical cylinder shape and packing your gear inside of it. Second, for load lifter straps to work, the angle that the straps leave your shoulders and attach to the pack should measure about 45 degrees. That requires a taller pack. Because a portage pack’s design requires it to fit inside the gunwales of a canoe, the pack can’t be tall enough for the 45 degree angle. When I wear it, because of my long torso, the straps hover around 0 to 10 degrees. It still lifts the load, but not as effectively as a taller backpacking pack. Third, the foam used in the hip belt and shoulder straps looses shape easily and bunches up when tightening the stabilizer or lifter straps too much. If that happens, the pack becomes ineffective at lifting the load. That’s why I suggest loosening all the straps before putting the pack on. (Note: I recommend doing that with all backpacks.) If I could pick one improvement to the pack, I’d stiffen the foam in the hip belt and shoulder straps.

The pack itself is pretty simple. One main compartment holds the gear. Inside the compartment on the pack’s front, a small, interior, mesh pocket keeps fuel bottles organized. On rainy days, I stuff my wet tarp into the mesh pocket. After you finish packing, you secure the pack’s opening with two large flaps that fold in from the sides and clip closed using side-buckle snaps. A long top flap, typical of portage packs, folds over the top and snaps closed on the front of the pack. Inside the top flap is a large pocket, which is handy for rain gear, maps and the water filter. It’s big enough for all the stuff you’d want handy during the day, which allows you to keep the waterproof seal on your compactor or contractor bag closed.

We found that like most backpacks if you pack it following a specific order, it carries better. It’s key to keep the heaviest items low and against your back. In most backpacking packs, you pack the sleeping bag lowest, which helps shift the load when using load lifter straps. With this pack, we load it that way, too. First, we pack the sleeping bags on the bottom and usually one of the sleeping pads. The other pad goes next and up against the front of the pack. Next, we add food behind the pad and center it in the pack using bags of clothing. On top of the food we put the tent up against the pack’s back. Then in front of the tent, we place our cooking gear. On dry days, we use our rain gear to hold the load in place by stuffing it into gaps. Everything inside the pack is packed into one large contractor bag. When we finish packing, we twist the bag’s top closed, fold it over once or twice and secure it closed with a rubber band. Any variation from this order results in an unwieldy pack.

Top help with securing the load, the pack has three side compression straps. When combined with the two side pockets, the straps also work for carrying your collapsed fishing pole.

Overall, the Cooke Custom Sewing Pioneer pack is a great combination of a portage and a backpacking pack. It carries better than most portage packs. It’s big enough for two. It’s durable. The extra pocket in the top flap is a feature that I wish more portage packs would incorporate. Plus, it’s made in Minnesota by a passionate canoeist in a two-person company. If you’re looking for a portage pack, give this one a serious look.

Specifications

Dimensions: 24 by 18 by 11 inches
Capacity: 4700 cubic inches plus 525 cubic inches in the top pocket
Weight: 4 lbs. 2 oz.

Price: $195 | More Info

For solo canoeists, consider the Cooke Custom Sewing Explorer pack. It’s the perfect size for most solo canoes. I don’t own one yet, but it’ll be my next portage pack. You could buy me one in red or give to the cause by buying me a coffee or beer with the link below. :)

Note about portage packs and weight: Most commercial portage packs manufacturers choose beefiness over lightweight. Although the canoe environment is tough on gear and vocal canoeists, like Cliff Jacobson, insist on the heaviest, beefiest gear, not everyone needs it nor wants it. I’d gladly sacrifice some durability in a portage pack for a lighter weight. By using a slightly lighter or more modern fabric, I bet Cooke could build this pack to about 2 to 2.5 lbs. One look at his 8.1 oz. Lightweight Hiker pack shows that he can make a light pack. I’m not saying that silnylon needs to be the fabric, but I think it’s worthwhile to market a durable lighter pack that maintains the portage pack style. I’d really like to see the Explorer sold as a 2-pound pack and marketed as the “Explorer Pro.”

This article originally appeared on PaddlingLight.com. Leave a comment and an opinion by clicking through here: Cooke Custom Sewing Pioneer Pack Review

I’ve owned a Northwood pack with a custom hip belt since the early 2000s and have used it on many trips into the BWCA, down slow-moving rivers and on car camping trips. I’ve thrown it around, dragged it up rocks and across the ground, it has sat in the bilge water, got rained on, ended up in the mud and generally abused. I’m not careful with my packs. Other than some wear on the leather, it looks new.

When I first got the pack, the leather shoulder straps were stiff and dug into my shoulders. It took several trips to break them in, but now they fit me perfectly. When someone else uses the pack, they tend to feel some slight discomfort. At first, internal flap system confused me. Essentially, you use cotton straps threaded through grommets to secure your load into the pack before closing it completely with the top flap and two crossover straps. Duluth Pack claims the flaps allow it to carry the biggest loads. Although it can carry a large load, the limiting factor is the size of the top flap. With larger loads, it just doesn’t cover the top enough. The pack itself is large enough to carry enough lightweight gear and food for two for a week. In a tandem canoe, this means that one person portages the canoe and the other carries the pack and paddles.

Overall, it’s a great pack. I like Northwoods simple design better than some of Duluth Pack’s other packs, and the boxy shape makes it easier to pack than the envelope shape of the original Duluth Pack. The beefy construction seems like overkill, because it adds extra weight, but that same construction means that you’ll own this pack for your entire life. Then after you die, your kids will use it. The proven design of the Northwoods will never become dated, especially in canoe country where Duluth Packs are standard. If Duluth Pack could grant me one wish, I’d take one of these in silnylon. Make it 1.5 lbs., please. I have the perfect name picked out.

Specifications

• Dimensions: 23H x 22W x 8D extends to 29H x 22W x 8D
• Capacity: 5,200 cubic inches extends to 6,230 cubic inches
• Construction: 18 oz canvas, box pack design, double sewn side seams, double canvas bottom, two 36” leather crossover straps, leather reinforcements for all rivets and high stress seams, includes M-217 poly liner

Price: $195 (Plus $50 for the waist belt) | More Info

This article originally appeared on PaddlingLight.com. Leave a comment and an opinion by clicking through here: Duluth Pack Northwoods Review

Paige

Seal Her Up

The first thing you will notice with this pack is the fold over closure system, and perhaps this is the most important part of this pack. It was originally designed for canyoneering and spelunking, which both can demand a waterproof pack. And it seems that this pack delivers a waterproof seal, although not as secure as a SealLine pack – you have to be much more careful sealing this pack’s closure to make it as waterproof as a SealLine. It passed the Famous Nessmuking Seal and Drag Test, which is where I load it up, seal it, and drag it behind the canoe for a couple of hours. I do this on all “waterproof” bags.

Bubbha, the Tow Rope is Behind the Seat

No, I didn’t really drag it behind my car, but I can tell you that this pack is a good piece of durability. The construction details are flawless, the fabric seems to be as tough as a truck tarp, and I have no doubt that it would remain waterproof after a drag behind my car. In the five years, I’ve owned the pack the only reason it doesn’t look brand new is because of the mud.

Problem? Where?

The suspension system leaves a little to be desired. It lacks shoulder stabilization straps, which wouldn’t be too much of a problem if the pack had less depth. But the depth of the pack tends to allow the heavier items in the pack to sit further away from the center of your back, which in turn pulls the pack backwards off of your shoulders. With shoulder stabilization straps, this problem would have been solved. Of course, if you go lightweight, this won’t be a problem. It will carry perfectly for you.

And There’s More

Other features of this pack include a zipper pocket on the outside, although not waterproof comes in handy for carrying a water bottle. It also has a mesh pocket and some bungee cords to stash a jacket behind.

It’s Not the Size, It’s How You Use It

The size of the pack is about perfect for a lightweight fall trip of 5 to 10 days. It’s not as small as a Boundary 35, but it doesn’t weigh a whole lot more, mine comes in at 2 lbs. 9oz. And it fits inside my Magic much better than my Duluth pack or my Bell portage pack.

Overall

Overall, I’d say this is a good buy if you can find one. It’s not as small as a Boundary 35, but is much more durable. It’s not as easy to secure as a Boundary 35, but with careful closing is waterproof (I still line this one.) If you’re traveling light, then this pack will carry nice, and it fits even in skinny canoes, like the Magic. Oh ya, and before I forget, above I forgot to mention my ice climbing pack, and my padded food pack.

Product Reviewed: Vaude Hobb Creek Pack
Date Reviewed: 8/9/2005
Retail Price: Good Question

This article originally appeared on PaddlingLight.com. Leave a comment and an opinion by clicking through here: Vaude Hobb Creek Review