Muskoka Lakes Portage

If you’re from Ontario, or just North America in general, I’m sure you’ve heard of Muskoka before. With of 80 lakes in the Muskoka area, it truly is the perfect summer getaway, no matter if you’re looking to relax in a beautiful cottage, visit for the day to go boating, or are like myself and some of my friends and use the area is a camping/canoeing trip for multiple days, Muskoka is ready for you! With more than 80% of the land retaining its natural cover, and with dozens of acres of “Crown Land” if you’re up for the adventure camping sites can be found throughout the Muskoka area.

My favourite part of the Muskoka area is the closeness of the lakes to each other, being able to canoe across Muskoka lake, stopping for the evening with friends to recharge and refuel for the next day of canoeing and portaging our canoes to the next lake is all part of the fun. Not only enjoying the majestic water or the breath-taking views, but also being aware the whole time of where your perfect camp site for the night might be. On an adventure like this, especially with having to carry a canoe anywhere from 1-3KM to get from one lake to another, we’re always focused on making sure we pack as light as possible, while still having all the necessities.

Here’s my must haves when going on an adventure like this; First things first, you’re going to need a large enough, and reliable, pack. Depending on how much you’re planning on carrying, or want to carry, will be the final deciding factor in how big of a bag you should get, I always like to play it safe and say go bigger not smaller, because a pack can always be under packed but there is always a limit to how over packed it can be! I personally only use Osprey packs when Going on these kinds of adventures as I’ve never had one fail me in any way yet! I’d suggest checking out the Aura AG and the Aether AG. One of my favourite purchases I’ve made for being in and out of water is the Olukai Nohea Mesh, these slip-on shoes are perfect for my canoeing trips! With the mesh fabric being the main component of the shoes design it allows them to dry super face and not feel waterlogged when submerged in water. Now for some real necessities, food and water, and don’t worry I’ve got suggestions there too! Let’s tackle water first, it is pretty important, I tried packing water for a weeklong trip once, turned into me breaking my back trying to lift my pack pretty quick. Thanks to Grayl, all I have to carry now is a water bottle, that can even bee clipped on the outside of my pack that has the ability to purify any water I come across, which is normally easy to find when canoeing. Alternatively, the Lifestraw is always a great option for water purification as well. As for food, I’ve always been an eat what you can hunt and fish kid of guy, the jetboil MiniMo Cooking System has me covered. Ready to boil water for coffee and tea, or to use the canaster to have a quick fish fry with my friends. Last, but not least, I always make sure to have a medical kit in my pack! My go to brand for med kits would have to be Adventure Medical, with the ultralight/ watertight .5 medical kit taking the cake, packed with all first aid necessities without being overly large or heavy, while maintaining the integrity of the products within by keeping them safe and dry. Hopefully these packing tips will help you fully enjoy your next adventure! Leave a comment if you think I’ve missed any necessities!