My wife and I just got back from a 8-day trip through the Allagash Wilderness Waterway in northern Maine.  This was the first time we did a remote canoeing trip by ourselves.  In the middle of the trip I realized how scary it was that we were all alone and what would we do if we did have an accident.  The trip is a combination of lakes and rivers so both scenarios existsed: dunking in the middle of a big lake and with shore a long way away and dunking in a river and watching your canoe go downstream without you.

Flash back to an August 2004 trip to Quetico. It is a cold windy day (I think that night was a record low temp) and we battle waves on Basswood Lake to get to campsite SU on Canadian point.  My raincoat is drenched from the constant rain and sweating while paddling. With multiple clothes layers and a small fire, the windy, cold conditions still leave me cold.  I eventually crawl into the tent and my sleeping bag to warm up.  Hypothermia would have been a serious threat had I been there in just my wet clothes.

This summer, our second day out in the AWW was one of contant drizzle/rain.  It started warm, so we were dressed in our quick-dry lightweight nylon clothes.  About 3pm, we reached a campsite and got off the lake just before the temperature dropped and the rain and wind picked up.  Those wet/cold conditions persisted throughout the rest of the night.  We spent the afternoon huddled under a tarp and dived into the tent early.  The northeast has been very wet this summer, building a decent fire in Maine was a real challenge under the best of conditions.  The problem was not getting a fire started with plenty of available of kindling, it was getting it to any size and keeping it going.  The larger pieces of wood (1 inch diameter) absorbed all the fire's energy just drying themselves out.

With that background, here is the scenario.  Under such conditions, you dunk say a half mile from shore.  Maybe instead of mid summer, it is at a time with cooler water, say in the low 60's.  We are probably talking 30-60 minutes to reach shore.  Once you get to shore, you are still in danger because of the wind, cold, and rain.  If all you have are some tools to make a fire, I would think you still could be in big trouble.

What I realized as I was reading this thread is I had the "solution" right behind me the whole trip.  One great find for canoeing gear I made a few years back is a clear vinyl Eureka Cloudburst waterproof backpack (no longer made).  It holds about 2500 cu in, enough for some dry clothes, first aid kit, and other survival equipment.  That pack was always behind the stern seat, clipped to the rear canoe handle.  It is small enough that unclipping it and swimming with it to shore would be no problem.  A lesson learned for future trips.