I've never seen it done in the Q, but I could see how in BW it would be more commonplace.

I'm a cynic by heart, and while I'd like too think my fellow paddler would respect this practice, but I have no doubt that some people would set-up camp and claim " that" trumps a pack on site. I've seen it happen in car camping parks where people leave coolers/etc and find the site taken anyway

I think at the very least, I'd hang my tarp and then leave pack under it.

I have seen this done with tents set up, but am not sure just a pack sitting there would be enough to convince another party to move on.  I've respected that a tent (empty) was set up and have moved on, in spite of not seeing anyone who appeared to belong to the tent.
I've asked if a party (who looked like they were leaving) was actually leaving and if I could hang around just off campsite until they were gone and take the site over.
Once a lady friend and I hit a campsite late in the afternoon on one side of a point while a group of men got on the same site from the other side of the point.  We met at the top in the middle, we tried to claim the site but they wouldn't relenquish it without an argument and I wasn't anxious enough to get beligerent so we ladies moved on...

I've never done it. I have heard of it though.

Do I think it is right? I guess like all things in life it depends. I think if it is done for a very short time period I see no problem. I can even see why someone would do that in a busy area. If you just throw out a pack and then go all over the lake, checking every site or fishing for several hours I am not so keen on it.

I've heard stories of people not occupying a site because soemone put a pack at it only to see the group come back several hours later and pick up the pack becuase they found another site they liked better (my friend talked to the group claiming the pack). To me that is selfish and rude to block a site for a period of time and then not use it.

The tent thing would bug me too. Once again settign up a tent to make sure you get a site later is quite selfish. You are denying other people that site on days you are not even using it.

I guess I am lucky that I have never personally run into people like this out in canoe country, but I tend to avoid busy areas where this probably takes place more often.

T

I've definitely heard of it, and not in a good way.  A guide friend of mine arrived at a BW campsite, saw it unoccupied and went about setting up camp.  An hour later, they found a rolled up tarp at an alternate landing area further away from the fire grate.  Figuring someone left it, they just put it with their gear and go on setting up tents, tarps, bear ropes, etc.  Two hours later a large crew comes ashore, and is quite angry as they believed they "reserved" the campsite by leaving gear there.  Threats were made, so my friend radioed Base and explained the situation.  After a brief rule check, and a call to the Forest Service, it was quite clear that there is no reserving campsites in the Boundary Waters.   Set up camp before you go fishing, exploring, swimming away from camp.  You're better prepared and the site definitely looks occupied with a tent or tarp up.

I've paddled up to crews who looked like they were just eating lunch and asked if they were camping there for the night, and I wouldn't have a problem with others asking me the same.

If it were a bunch of lawn chairs cabled to a parking meter a day before the big parade - fine. I'll honor your request.

One lonely pack, packed-up and ready to go on the shoreline in the BW/Q? When you see me landing at the site you intended to claim w/ a pack like that, you better be there before I've assessed the site's suitability and finished unloading.

I've never considered leaving a pack as an option so my assessment would be someone forgot it. You may even need to describe everything inside perfectly once I've had time to invoke the full finder's keeper's rules of ownership. Asking nicely might get you your pack and anything in it I liked, back. I'm only half kidding.

All of your camp stuff ... set up? Totally different story although I'd wonder a bit if I noticed the site went unused/unchanged for more than a night or two depending on location and weather conditions.

There wasn't a poll radio option so I couldn't vote for ~Wouldn't do it nor honor it. As defined in reguard to reserving a site that way, Finder's/Keeper's would get my vote.