Pack Canoes

A Surging Trend

By Alan Mapes

My first boat was a pack canoe, an Old Town Rushton 12-foot model, made of fiberglass and weighing 35 pounds. That was remarkably lightweight in the early 1970s. For the past 20 years, I’ve paddled sea kayaks, but this spring I returned to a pack canoe.

Henderson Lake was the turning point – a paddle trip there convinced me to get another pack canoe. Located on the southern edge of the High Peaks Wilderness, Henderson involves a 0.3-mile carry from the parking lot to the launching spot. Four of us set out to explore the gorgeous lake one day. Our companions had pack canoes weighing 12 and 19 pounds. My wife and I had our wood and fiberglass kit kayaks – lighter than most, but coming in at 37 and 45 pounds. Our friends, in their early 70s, each flipped a canoe up on a shoulder and strolled in the access trail.

My wife and I stacked our kayaks onto a set of portage wheels, with considerable difficulty, and pulled that rig, breathing hard, to the launch. That was the moment of decision, and this spring I got a 12-foot-long, 18-pound pack canoe.

What is a “pack canoe” and how did they come to be? It is a very lightweight, open topped, one-person canoe. It is paddled sitting down with legs forward, like a kayak. The paddler’s seat is low to give stability, a couple of inches from the bottom of the boat. The boats often have kayak-style footpegs. The paddle is double-bladed, perhaps a bit longer than a kayak paddle. A “solo canoe” on the other hand, typically has a more normal, higher seat, and is usually paddled with a single-blade like you would use in a two-person boat.

Modern materials make it possible to make really light and strong small canoes. Kevlar and carbon fiber are now the order of the day, sometimes woven together, as with my boat. The popularity of pack canoes has been soaring, as many aging paddlers find that their canoes and kayaks are too heavy to get on and off a vehicle. For me in my late 60s, my beloved NDK Explorer at 60+ pounds, is a beast to handle when off the water.

Another reason for pack canoe popularity is the ability to explore backcountry lakes and ponds. Carries between ponds and hikes into remote trout ponds are so much better with a light canoe. Pack canoe history goes back to the late 1800s when author/adventurer George Washington Sears wanted to paddle and camp throughout the Adirondacks. The diminutive Sears had J. Henry Rushton, canoe maker extraordinaire in Canton make him a 10-foot, 10-pound boat. Sears wrote popular books and articles about his adventures under the pen name, “Nessmuk.”

As a kayaker, I am used to boats that are 16 to 18.5 feet long, weighing 42 to 60 pounds. A sea kayak can handle most anything our lakes and rivers can dish out in the way of wind and waves – given a skilled paddler at the helm. How does an 18-pound, 12-foot boat perform in comparison? Here are my findings so far:

• The lightweight makes the boat a dream to get on and off the car, and to carry to the water. Carrying a kayak any distance is no fun, even less fun as age catches up with me. 

• The weight, or lack of it, also presents a challenge. On a windy day, I unstrapped the boat from the roof racks and lifted one gunnel to pull it toward me. The wind raised the whole boat up in the air! It basically took flight, hovering a few inches above the racks. Thus, my biggest problem so far is making sure the boat does not blow away!

• The shorter length lets me maneuver very nicely in tight spots like small creeks and marsh channels. I just love poking around in those spots, looking for wetland plants and animals.

• I don’t expect to paddle the pack canoe in major waves, but it seems to handle rough water and winds quite nicely. I find very little problem with side winds and tail winds making the boat turn away from my desired direction (weather-cocking). Behavior in wind will be different with each canoe model, but mine is working fine.

• With my 190 pounds, the stability seemed a bit tender at first – of course, I had not paddled at all this winter. Things felt more stable quite quickly.

• Sun protection is more of a factor with the canoe – your legs are exposed instead of being shaded inside the cockpit. Long nylon pants have become my uniform, along with my usual sun shirt, and wide brimmed hat.

• Water drips in the boat are more of a factor. I use a longer paddle, 240cm in size, and a low-angle paddle technique to minimize the water getting in the boat.

• Placement of weight in the canoe makes a difference. I tether a waterproof day bag behind me, where I can push it to the rear of the boat or pull it up close to me, depending on the trim I want.

• These canoes are made with tough materials, but damage is certainly possible. Luckily, these composite materials are very repairable. With reasonable care, a pack canoe should last indefinitely.

What did I get? Mine is a 12’ New Trick model from Hornbeck Boats in Olmstedville. Pete Hornbeck was a pioneer in modern pack canoe making. His company is one of four makers in our region. The others I know of are Placid Boatworks in Lake Placid, Adirondack Canoe Company in Minerva, and Slipstream Watercraft in Broadalbin. I have a number of friends with Placid Boatworks canoes and they are quite exquisite! All of these makers have a variety of pack canoe models and will arrange test paddling for you.

Test paddles, sales and rentals of pack canoes are also available at Mountainman Outdoor Supply Company in Saratoga Springs and Old Forge, Adirondack Lakes & Trails Outfitters in Saranac Lake, and St. Regis Canoe Outfitters in Saranac Lake. These shops will have models from makers including Swift, We-no-nah and North Star.

Did I choose the perfect pack canoe for my size and paddling style? The jury is out on that, but I’m not concerned. If I decide to change boats, selling a pack canoe should be no problem. They rarely come up on the used market – when one does, it commands a good price, and is gone in a snap!

There is an old adage about boats: “The smaller your boat, the more you will use it.” Boats don’t get smaller than pack canoes; they’re sure to get used and simply fun to paddle!

George W. Sears/Nessmuk Books You Can Buy

“Woodcraft and Camping” – A how-to book on Adirondack backcountry tripping & camping, old school (not leave-no-trace); a very interesting read regardless.

“Canoeing the Adirondacks with Nessmuk” – A fun read as he travels across the Adirondacks in superlite boats while everybody else at that time (1880-1883) was hiring guides in guideboats to do the heavy work (“An Adirondack Passage” by Christine Jerome is a modern version of that idea).

–Rich Macha

Alan Mapes (alanmapes@gmail.com) is a kayak instructor and guide, certified by the American Canoe Association. He lives near Saratoga Springs and offers kayak instruction through Capital District Kayakers Meetup.