Try replacing your flashlight with a headlamp. 12 years ago, I took a first-time Quetico paddler on an extended wilderness trip who happened to be an experienced mountain climber. He introduced me to the merits and clear advantages of the headlamp, and I've never used conventional flashlights since. Wearing my headlamp, leaving both hands free, I've paddled to find campsites after dark, set-up camp, fished, filleted fish, cooked dinner and early breakfast, broken camp early in the Fall, written in my journal, etc., well after dark. Nowadays, you can easily find headlamps powered by 2 AA batteries for $10-15 at WalMart, K-Mart, etc. They are far superior to flashlights. No matter what you may think of wearing a headlamp on a canoe trip, once you try it, you'll be convinced and you'll be hooked. Happy Paddling! Jeff Kwallek

Agree with Jeff -- headlight is the way to go. Don't bother with a flashlight.

Amen! I wear a Petzl Tikka LED lamp - 3 AAA batteries last the whole trip easily. Super lightweight at something like three onces! Nice, even illumination great for chores and reading/writing in the tent. I also carry a minimaglite for any "spotlighting" I might need to do at night.

I converted to headlamps in 1987 and will never go back! Headlamps are so much better than flashlights for everything after dark. I've filleted many fish, cooked dinner, hung foodpacks, run bears out of camp, setup camp after dark, found campsites after dark, written in my trip journals, etc., etc., with much more ease using my headlamp than one could ever do with a flashlight. Today headlamps are cheap and easy to obtain (easy to find a waterproof headlamp complete with AA batteries for around $10 at WalMart, KMart, etc.)