Here is my blow-by-blow account of our Quetico portaging regime. My canoe trips are always two-person adventures (my wife and I).

Almost always, we follow these steps...

1. Upon landing, we unload the canoe and set everything off to one side of the portage landing area (to get it out of the way of any others coming through).
2. I lift the canoe out of the water and set it off to one side.
3. We both change into our hiking/portaging boots (we don't do this if the portage is 100-200 metres or less and likely to be flat and easy).
4. I zip the life jackets around the bow and stern seats and attach the plastic bailer to the stern.
5. We put on our main packs (one each) and carry them (and a paddle, a divers' box holding camera & valuables and a couple of folding camp chairs) through to the other end. In case of a very long portage, we might shuttle things to the approximate halfway point and then continue from there).
6. Our second trip through has my wife carrying the food barrel (and a paddle) and me carrying a day pack and the canoe.
7. At the other end, we change back into our paddling shoes , I unzip the life jackets and bailer and then lift the canoe back into the water.
8. We load the canoe, take one last look to make sure we haven't forgotten anything and set off.

Like Mastertangler, I like to see what the route is like before carrying the canoe and also for my wife she feels more sure-footed and stable with her main pack than with the barrel so that's why we carry the main packs through first.

This may not be the most efficient method but we've become so used to it as a routine that it has become completely automatic.

zski wrote on Apr 12^th, 2013 at 2:44pm:


What I have noticed zski is they are usually whole lots worse on the way back than on the way there. They pick up your signature on their little radars and clutter about in the portage trail after your past.........of course they are ready, willing and able to gather in formation, feint left and bite right on your return. For that reason it is typically a good idea to walk briskly (jog or run if they are over 4" in length) on reasonably clean pathways.

Now there is one reason to take the boat first! Hard to swat while carrying the boat. I carry a bottle of Bens in a small pocket on the sheathe of my Seal Pup.......comes in handy once or twice a trip  up

BTW........if you just let them bite, you eventually develop a bit of immunity and you will stop welting up. DISCLAIMER: not to be attempted with blackflies     

No matter how you do it the one thing I notice is that by the end of the trip the portage routine has become much more efficient and is executed automatically with out much thought. Seems like the first portage in is always a little clumsy.

I like to have a few things easily accessible in a pocket or strapped on while walking the trail: insect repellent, water bottle, camera, knife and maybe a little snack if it's been a long day.

Usually a son and I; get packs and any loose items - nalgenes, paddles, map - on shore to one side - one of us grabs canoe and doesn't usually set it down till knee deep in water on other side; my sons might garb the lightest pack with canoe - I don't; I grab heaviest pack and loose items; and we both head back unless there is only one trip left, in which case my son goes back.  We try to avoid as much loose stuff as possible anymore, frequently stuffing it in top of CCS food pack after first day.

Whenever possible, we'll try to trade back-portaging - ideally meeting a similar size party at the half way point.

Not real rigorous about the method.

My routine is not too different from Phoenix's.

1. Upon landing, I unload the canoe and set everything off to one side of the portage landing area (to get it out of the way of any others coming through).
2. I lift the canoe out of the water and set it off to one side.
3. I wear sandals for paddling, wetfooting and portaging and almost never change footwear
4. I stuff my life jacket under the elastic straps on the stern seat (elastic installed solely for this purpose) and attach the paddle under the port gunwale near the stern with velcro. The plastic bailer and spare paddle stay where they are, attached to the stern with velcro and under the right gunwale near the bowwith elastic respectively. If they aren't there already, I attach my sponge and fishing rod to the gunwales with velcro.
5. For unknown portages over about 100m I usually take my big heavy pack for the first trip to scout things out. For known portages I might take the canoe first.
6. My second trip is usually with the canoe. The last trip is with my light pack, day pack and camera.
7. At the other end, I put the canoe into the water and reload my three packs and camera case. Unvelcro my paddle and put my pfd back on, and I'm off.

For me it's important to have a fixed routine with only a few packs and no loose stuff. Partly this is to minimize the chance of forgetting or losing things, but mostly it is to avoid wasting time. On days with lots of short portages it's amazing how much time I can waste at the takeout staring at my gear wondering whether I should take this and that, or that and the other thing, or what I should take first.

I also almost always triple-portage. My canoe is a bit heavier than most, and trying to carry too much at once on steep wet portages seems like a good way to slip and get injured. Besides, I like having one trip with my camera out and minimal extra encumbrance.