Do your thing far away from the water and please bury your creation in organic soil or pack it out. Nobody wants to discover a parade route of used tissue spread out along the trail or the shore. It’s probably not a bad idea to take some sort of soap or sanitizer with you on your walk in the woods. Miles from home and help is no time to slack off on personal hygiene. 

I’m a big Ol’ fan of Jack London stories and I would usually save “To Build A Fire” for a New Year’s winter campout over the school holiday with our little troop of boy scouts. Most of Jack London’s stories are available as reasonably priced books that include several selections in one volume. Still a great read and a great value. Perfect for the cold months ahead. Add it to the Christmas list.

9) Take a book.

That might bring to mind a nice addition to the pack for travelling – a book. I don’t know if it deserves a spot as a new tip, but it’s there anyway. It’s kind of weird, but it is suprising how fascinating any book can become after a couple weeks alone.

Helps stave off a case of bush crazy (not the kind you are thinking sickos)

One thing I am looking for is seat padding, as I am one of those unblessed with natural padding. My Kruger seat is quite comfy, but plain Kevlar, no padding. I was thinking of 1/2 inch Armaflex insulation, but if anyone has another great idea feel free to post or email @ natecanoes@hotmail.com

I like to take a book too. But take one that you won’t mind getting a little wet, battered and muddy.

Having said that, I don’t often find too much time to read, as I like to spend time sitting round the campfire shooting the breeze, putting the world to rights, and having the occasional wee dram.

It’s also quite nice to have an mp3 player or a radio along, to get some music or news in the evenings. And weather reports.

10)Wear the right footwear.

For places with frequent portages, like the BWCA, tennis shoes inside Tingley rubber overboots keeps your feet dry. In camp, you can take off the overboots and have a light pair of shoes to kick around in.

I’ve recently got a pair of long rubber boots (Muckboots, or posh wellies). Which are great for paddling and wandering around boggy shores in.

In summer I tend to use Teva sandals.

And in cold weather, I’ll wear 5.11 Canyoneers over my drysuit socks.

But the main thing is to take a spare pair of footwear along, so you got something dry and comfy to wear round the camp.

Why do you keep using dashes when everyone else used parentheses? Always trying to be different.

Let’s do one tip per post in the future to avoid confusion (for me at least). And use action verbs like, “Take along a good headlamp.”

I think your tip about the cooler is a good one for the purpose of practicing proper food safety. Not everyone will want or need a cooler, especially those people who are more experienced wilderness canoeist and spend nearly as much time portaging as canoeing.

One of our goals should be introducing people to outdoor recreation because it’s going to be good for them and good for the environment. People will care a lot more about conservation and natural resources after they spend some time outdoors. It makes sense to provide an initial experience that is as pleasant and enjoyable as it can be. Some people are afraid of any sort of physical discomfort and need to be shown that they can live well in the outdoors.

A good tip when purchasing items like coolers and other camp equipment is to buy quality products that don’t end up in a landfill after only a couple of uses.