A lot of great ideas so far. Keep in mind the canoe that those packs have to fit into. I hate it when a pack has to be forcibly tucked into a canoe because going in is the "easy part." I choose from among my packs each trip so that the packs fit the jobs they have to do. I use a big Gregory internal frame backpacking pack for food on most trips. It is a top loader so I separate my food into different garbage bags. Each bag is for x number of days. No need to go deep in the pack until the previous bag is used up. The two big pouches on the back are great for getting at things during a portage. Rain gear is in the top pouch. I buckle the waist strap before pulling it out of the canoe. It makes for a good hand grip, the other hand is on the top hanging strap. This pack usually starts out at a dense 75 pounds. An important choice for me is the pack that I will tote when portaging the canoe. This is often times a Duluth style pack filled with lighter and bulkier items so my total load remains around 75 pounds at the start of a trip. After a week the items are shuffled around to keep the poundage equal on each trip across the portage. I do a lot of planning so I can still be smiling after a morning of portaging. :)