Know How


THE MIDDLE-MALIST Spork or foon French coffee press Nesting cook pots Wooden spoon Granola Regular oatmeal White gas camp stove Scouring pad Cooler bag with frozen meats and sauces


Pasta Gatorade flavor crystals Ground coffee, tea bags Powdered milk One sink—an old- fashioned plastic tub


[ CAMPCRAFT ] What’s In Your Wanigan? BACKCOUNTRY PROOF THAT YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT


While the traditional wanigan—that bulky wooden box, custom-built to fit snugly within a canoe’s contours—has largely been replaced by plastic tubs or barrels, its purpose has re- mained true: to cram as much kitchen stuff as possible. But one portager’s perfect stash is another’s albatross. Wanigans reveal trippers’ traits, classifying them as one of three wanigan personalities: extremist, minimalist or middle-malist. And there’s wisdom—and warning—to be dished from each camp. “Most paddlers want to eat like they do at home,” says Andrew Rafton, an extreme tripper


and waniganer who won’t compromise on meals. It’s why he invested in a food dehydrator and vacuum bag sealer, which allow him to fill his wanigan with all the fixings for everything from shepherd’s pie to pizza to cobbler. He won’t scrimp on his eco-friendly clean-up, either; he makes room for three—yes, three—folding sinks. “That’s not gonna happen on any trip I take,” says Jason Picard. “Not even a luxury one.” A


self-proclaimed minimalist tripper, Picard uses his cook pots as sinks, eschewing anything that only has one use. In Eugene Mohareb’s barrel-cum-wanigan you’ll find plenty of lightweight just-add-water


meals. Whereas Rafton needs his full assortment of spices, minimalist Mohareb is happy with his tiny vial of hot sauce. Picard does one better by loading up on individual packets of condi- ments when he’s at a deli counter. Your wanigan’s contents may also depend on your camping skills. Take Barb Russell, who


describes herself as a middle-malist and worked as a guide and chief cook for a tripping com- pany. “A percolator takes up too much room in my wanigan,” she says, before describing how to make cowboy coffee by literally swinging a pot of hot water above your head. “So my kit always includes a billycan.” — Denis Grignon


THE MINIMALIST Swiss Army Knife Butane canister stove Folding bowls One pot, its lid


doubling as a pan


Instant oatmeal Instant coffee, enjoyed black


Instant rice Mac and cheese Hot sauce No utensils— a carved stick for stirring and shovelling food


THE EXTREMIST Dehydrated veggies and meat Fresh apples Vacuum packed food Three foldable sinks—wash, sterilize, rinse Spice rack Outback oven with thermometer Double-burner stove with tins of extra fuel Dutch oven with charcoal Titanium utensils—full set Spatula, ladle and whisk Plates, bowls, cups and mugs Percolator and fresh ground gourmet coffee


Tetra-pak milk and cream Mixing bowls Flour Biodegradable dish soap


Dish towel


appear. I call myself a maximumist. Why have dehydrated veggies and meat when you can have a cooler full of frozen meat and a duffel bag of fresh veggies? No one with a big ap- petite likes to eat off of a small plate, so we have a plastic pail full of dishes, cups, cutlery, metal spatula, spoon and ladle. Not to men- tion a three-gallon pail of GORP for numerous breaks.” Good luck on the portage, Jim. On Canoerootsmag.com, Donald shared his live and let live philosophy: “Take all that you want or take the least possible to survive, just don’t preach your style to others.” On our Facebook page, Lindsie Blencowe posted, “I sometimes wonder if this topic will be the end of my mar- riage! I am not a minimalist...my husband is.” If things don’t work out, Lindsie, does that mean you want everything?


SENT PACKING


Denis Grignon’s “What’s in Your Wanigan?” ar- ticle (Campcraft, Early Summer 2011, www. canoerootsmag.com/0013) spurred some con- versation on trip packing styles. Jim Kaptein wrote, “My style of canoeing doesn’t seem to


EVENTS


Look for the Canoeroots team enjoying the summer sun at this year’s Upper Gatineau Whitewater Festival in Maniwaki, Quebec, August 26 to 28 and the 31st Annual Gull River Open Canoe Slalom Race in Minden, Ontario, September 10 and 11.


Visit www.canoerootsmag.com


or like us on Facebook for more chances to win great Canoeroots prizes.


14 EARLY SUMMER 2011 FIND US: editor@canoerootsmag.com, www.canoerootsmag.com, www.facebook.com/canoeroots, www.twitter.com/canoerootsmag, www.youtube.com/rapidmediatv


FAUBERT Bad hair day.


ROBERT


Susan Beatty won our Canoeroots t-shirt contest for her creative caption to this photo


from last issue’s Canoescapes: “My brother is ‘The Donald.’”


Campfire COMMUNITY | EDITORIAL | CONTRIBUTORS | PROFILE | STAFF TIP | CANOESCAPES Canoescapes


ILLUSTRATIONS: LORENZO DEL BIANCO


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