Kayak Camping Workshop! Wednesday evening June 10th

[PeterB]

There will be a kayak camping workshop on Wednesday June 10th, at 6:30PM at the Gould Barn in Topsfield!

This will cover the basics of kayak camping: gear to bring (ranging from essential to recommended to optional),loading your boat, cooking equipment and maybe some recipes etc

Scott Camlin and friends will be running this workshop, and more details will follow.

With our new MITA club membership it appears that there will be more opportunities for camping than in years past, so this will be a great workshop for those planning to do some kayak camping for the first time.

It will also be great for people with camping experience, even hard core veterans, as part of the fun is is when people share their personal ideas, recipes, anecdotes etc.

If you have a favorite piece of gear or a personal secret or recipe, or piece of camping gear, bring it along!

Gould Barn

1 Howlett St.

Topsfield, MA 01983

[hopefloats]

Don't miss it!

[Bill H]

I will bring the Keurig coffee.

Bill H

[David MC]

It was a fantastic evening! A team of speakers gave round-robin presentations on a variety of topics. The barn was abuzz with questions, debate, demos, and information sharing. Great fun.

Most importantly, I learned about the incredible work of the Maine Island Trail Association. By partnering with island owners they help promote awareness and stewardship while allowing access to a 350-mile chain of over 150 coastal islands. Very impressive!

I'm joining! Membership even includes a 250 page detailed guide book and discounts at local merchants. http://www.mita.org/

Kudos to the presenters last night. I'm totally psyched!!

[hopefloats]

Let me Thank Scott, Peter, Deb, Dave and Paula for a fun, informative and interactive workshop! ...And Bill H for his wonderful coffee machine contribution too! There were a lot of excited future kayak campers and veteen K-Cs abuzz with the possibilities!

One idea popped up that maybe it would be fun to have an NSPN Kayak Cooking Forum where we could share camping recipies that do well in travel by kayak! Then when you are starting to plan your trip, there'd be a forum to search for stuff you like and tips on packing the ingredients giving the length of your trip, etc... since we're so good at pot lucks, I'm surprised we haven't started this long ago! What do people think?

[Grajan]

Thank you all for the hard work. That was a really excellent evening and we learnt a lot. Bill thanks for the great brew coffee. You are a sophisticated bunch - for paddlers

Graham

I will bring the Keurig coffee.

Bill H

[NPSheehan]

Great work to all those who presented and brought all of their gear as well as those who worked to make this event happen. I felt it was very informative and it was great to see what others bring for gear and how they pack it.

Neil

[subaruguru]

Thanks to all presenters and providers.

I wonder if some campers can post info re their favorite tarps? Having a dry area around one's tent seems like a fine idea.

Scott also mentioned an nspn tie-in membership with MITA, but I couldn't find it at their site. How does one join through nspn?

I like the idea of combining next year's redux with pot-luck, as I ate WAY too many of those peanut-butter cookies someone thoughtfully provided!

[jason]

Thanks to all presenters and providers.

I wonder if some campers can post info re their favorite tarps? Having a dry area around one's tent seems like a fine idea.

Scott also mentioned an nspn tie-in membership with MITA, but I couldn't find it at their site. How does one join through nspn?

I like the idea of combining next year's redux with pot-luck, as I ate WAY too many of those peanut-butter cookies someone thoughtfully provided!

If your looking for the directions it can be found in this thread (only available and visible to paid members)

Instructions for MITA Membership, To take advantage of the reduced membership rates available to NSPNers

-Jason

[PeterB]

Thanks to all presenters and providers.

I wonder if some campers can post info re their favorite tarps? Having a dry area around one's tent seems like a fine idea.

Scott also mentioned an nspn tie-in membership with MITA, but I couldn't find it at their site. How does one join through nspn?

I like the idea of combining next year's redux with pot-luck, as I ate WAY too many of those peanut-butter cookies someone thoughtfully provided!

http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___20070

http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___20069

I have the 10 x 12. ultralight tarp, made of ripstop nylon

Pricey: as in most camping equipment , more $$ for compact and lightweight, and more $$$$ for ultralight. Of course, any home depot tarp will do the job as well, just takes up more space. It’s nice having a tarp that carries in a bag the size of a kid’s football.

I put a grommet in the center of my tarp , and can use a telescoping painters pole (Home Depot) with a glued in peg to make a peak in the middle.

[scamlin]

Thanks to all presenters and providers.

I wonder if some campers can post info re their favorite tarps? Having a dry area around one's tent seems like a fine idea.

Scott also mentioned an nspn tie-in membership with MITA, but I couldn't find it at their site. How does one join through nspn?

I like the idea of combining next year's redux with pot-luck, as I ate WAY too many of those peanut-butter cookies someone thoughtfully provided!

Ernie:

The two tarps I showed at the workshop were Moss/MSR brand. (Moss used to be an independent manufacturer based in Belfast, ME. Cascade Design bought them out a number of years ago and now markets the designs under the MSR brand.) They make tarps with the ridge and edges cut on a curve or wing shape so that when pitched, they shed wind without flapping. Compared with flat tarps, wing or catenary tarps are better in the wind while flat tarps are somewhat more flexible for different uses.

The small tarp I had at the workshop is a 12' Moss Parawing over 10 years old: it didn't flap a bit in a stiff wind last summer camping in the Vinalhaven area. Unfortunately, MSR no longer makes the Parawing, but does make some small tarps of new design.

MSR still makes the VistaWing, another old Moss design, which was the larger tarp at the workshop: it is a mid-size one, good for small groups (2-4) but reasonable to carry. My only complaint is that given the curved ridge, the 6' poles do not allow you to stand upright under the tarp.

http://cascadedesigns.com/MSR/Tents/Baseca...staWing/product

This design is also available in a much larger size as the OutfitterWing (6-12 people) but it's almost 12 lbs and unrealistic for a kayak. NRS makes a similar size tarp, the River Wing. It would make a great emergency tarp for an guide or trip leader to carry to get a large group out of the rain, even on day trips.

These tarps are not cheap (the VistaWing goes for abotu $180 retail) but are very well made and durable. MSR also makes silnylon tarps which are lighter. As Peter says, light and strong = expensive.

Here's a listing of other tarps: http://www.backcountrygear.com/tent/tarps_wings.cfm

One thing to watch for is that nylon tarps generally will stretch when wet, distorting shape and making it harder to keep it taut. If not very well cut, they are difficult to keep pitched correctly. I have a 19' Walrus tarp (another disappeared manufacturer) similar to the old 19' Moss Parawing, but with a lighter fabric. It works OK, but when it rains, the water collects in bulges where the fabric sags inside the hemmed edges. That's one reason why some high end double wall tent makers switched to designs with a polyester fly a number of years ago (no stretch), even as the tent floor material remained nylon. I don't have any silnylon shelters, but I believe they are also susceptible to stretch.

Scott

For the technically minded, a catenary curve is a hyperbolic cosine. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catenary for an interesting overview. My labeling of the tarps at the workshop as a catenary cut was based on the old literature from Moss; the current MSR site does not claim the design is catenary.

[EEL]

(Moss used to be an independent manufacturer based in Belfast, ME.

Scott:

I wonder if someone in Belfast is still making them as I see similar tarps set out for display and sale when I drive through...or at least have withing last couple of years.

Being an old traditionalist and impecunious, I still use my old flat tarp with multiple ties. Don't know if they still make them..maybe Campmor.. Anyway, I find I can always create something in odd situations and broken ground due to its adaptability. Are the current wing style tarps you describe also flexible in terms of having one side down, or folded, etc. or do they need to be set up in a more limited manner.

Thanks.

Ed Lawson

[scamlin]

Scott:

I wonder if someone in Belfast is still making them as I see similar tarps set out for display and sale when I drive through...or at least have withing last couple of years.

Being an old traditionalist and impecunious, I still use my old flat tarp with multiple ties. Don't know if they still make them..maybe Campmor.. Anyway, I find I can always create something in odd situations and broken ground due to its adaptability. Are the current wing style tarps you describe also flexible in terms of having one side down, or folded, etc. or do they need to be set up in a more limited manner.

Thanks.

Ed Lawson

Ed:

Last time I remember driving through Belfast, I noticed the factory, but this was many years ago. It's possible that tarps are still produced at this location, but the brand name Moss is gone. When repacking after the workshop, I noticed the label on my old Parawing said "Moss Seattle, WA" which I assume is where Cascade Design is headquartered (or was). So I guess they kept the label for a while after they bought Moss.

As for price, I've had my eye on the VistaWing for over 10 years, waiting for a good deal. I got it for not much of a discount last December in the annual auction of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail--a 740 mile inland water trail from Old Forge, NY through Lake Champlain, Quebec, NH and the northern rim of Maine. I figured I didn't mind getting a small discount since I was looking for an excuse to support a worthy organization.

As for pitching: the VistaWing has no "beaks" as some tarps do, but it really does not want to be set up by folding it. As long as you keep the basic shape, it can be set with a steep or shallow pitch, or on an angle with the rear or a side down to the ground as a wind break. Once you start deforming the wing shape by folding it over a line, however, you lose the curve and the wind shedding feature. I've set the parawing on broken ground: just adapting the pitch to the terrain and pulling taut.

Scott

[Michael_Crouse]

The factory name was still there several weeks ago. I looks like they now make "sun shades" large tarps for businesses. You'll see lots of them on businesses in the rt1 rt3 area in Belfast. I'm glad I bought a Moss tent and tarp when they were absorbed into MSR along with Walrus.

Personally I find a square or rectangular tarp is easier to pitch and offers more options for pitching.

[subaruguru]

Thanks!

How's this look?

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Chinook-Tarp-Compa...%3A1%7C294%3A30

Ern

[Michael_Crouse]

I like the tie out loops instead of grommets, but I prefer a sil-nylon tarp. They're smaller, lighter, and of course more expensive!

[scamlin]

The factory name was still there several weeks ago. I looks like they now make "sun shades" large tarps for businesses. You'll see lots of them on businesses in the rt1 rt3 area in Belfast. I'm glad I bought a Moss tent and tarp when they were absorbed into MSR along with Walrus.

Personally I find a square or rectangular tarp is easier to pitch and offers more options for pitching.

Michael:

I, too, prefer the flexibity and ease of flat tarps. I used them for many years on wilderness canoe trips on lakes in northern and eastern Maine. My preferred tarps were the blue or green plastic coated tarps with the grommets: big, cheap and flexible, if not very durable. What I didn't like was the incessant drumming sound when the characteristic NW winds came up, often day and night for several days. The sound was enough to drive you crazy and kept you awake at nights: no amount of tightening or adjustment would eliminate the flapping. That's when I started looking for a wind shedding tarp.

Scott

[gyork]

I wonder if some campers can post info re their favorite tarps?

Walrus (to me, a premier tent maker in its time) trekker tarp. Doubles as a canopy tarp (think vaulted ceiling) and single wall tent (no floor,obviously). Has served as a community kitchen on all my group outings. Don't know where you'll find one (ebay or the like?)

Gary

[great_blue]

I was too cheap to buy the MSR and bought a Kelty Noah's Tarp (the 12, I think?) a few years ago and have used it a couple of times car camping. It seems fairly well made and with many tie-down loops has several pitch options. I believe there 3 or 4 sizes, as well. I've used the 2 pole setup which was OK in lighter winds. The one drawback , as Scott said, is the "droop" in the ridgeline, which makes standing under it difficult but very useful over a picnic table.

Jon

[subaruguru]

I like the tie out loops instead of grommets, but I prefer a sil-nylon tarp. They're smaller, lighter, and of course more expensive!

Hi Mike,

My recent-grad daughter overheard my interest, so pointed me to her ex dorm buddy, apparently a VERY persnickety kid making exquisute ultralight sil-nylon tarps:

http://www.outdoorequipmentsupplier.com/about.html

Small world! Now to pick a size....

[jdkilroy]

One of the handiest things we've found for camping (kayak or otherwise) is a shelter that allows you to get out of the weather quickly. A space to set up cooking, keep gear out of the rain etc. With these purposes in mind and the fact that I am 6'3', I prefer a peaked shelter that allows me to stand or at least have some headroom while still being protected from wind-driven rain.

The best I've seen is made by Superior Kayaks. Very well built, your paddle can serve as the only upright support. Mark is pretty helpful as well.

http://www.superiorkayaks.com/superiorkayaks2009_003.htm

Another well made shelter is made by GoLite. Laura and I use the 3 person shelter and it works great. You can find these on sale if you look for a bit.

http://www.golite.com/Product/proddetail.a...=SH6125&s=2

Hope that's helpful, Jon

Disclaimer: I have no relationship with either company.

[PeterB]

One of the handiest things we've found for camping (kayak or otherwise) is a shelter that allows you to get out of the weather quickly. A space to set up cooking, keep gear out of the rain etc. With these purposes in mind and the fact that I am 6'3', I prefer a peaked shelter that allows me to stand or at least have some headroom while still being protected from wind-driven rain.

The best I've seen is made by Superior Kayaks. Very well built, your paddle can serve as the only upright support. Mark is pretty helpful as well.

http://www.superiorkayaks.com/superiorkayaks2009_003.htm

Another well made shelter is made by GoLite. Laura and I use the 3 person shelter and it works great. You can find these on sale if you look for a bit.

http://www.golite.com/Product/proddetail.a...=SH6125&s=2

Hope that's helpful, Jon

Disclaimer: I have no relationship with either company.

Yes, tarps, and shelter.

Cliff Jacobsen, a canoe camper guru who has published many books and articles on the subject, says that the first thing one should do when making camp is set up a tarp.( would have thought tent first until I read this)

'This establishes a shelter : you can pile your gear underneath it, cook under it, etc. and then your tent has a better chance of staying dry inside, as it needn't double as a sleeping place and shelter while at the campsite.