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A4 checklist with all illustrated steps. Tick the boxes on paper as you go.

FeatherSticks · Skills

Canoe Camping: How to Plan a Canoe Trip, Pack the Boat and Camp by the Water

A canoe carries your camp. Pack it wrong and it carries you.

Quick facts

Time
Weekend for a first trip; plan 1–2 evenings
Difficulty
Medium – paddling skills and water judgement needed
Best for
Slow rivers and sheltered lakes, groups, families with older children
You need
Canoe, buoyancy aids, dry bags or barrels, a checked route and water level

What you need

  • Open canoe suited to the water and load, with spare paddle
  • Buoyancy aid for every person, whistle attached
  • Roll-top dry bags in several sizes and a waterproof barrel
  • Bailer, sponge, throw bag, bow and stern lines
  • Phone in a waterproof case, map in a waterproof sleeve
  • Quick-drying clothing plus a dry set for camp
  • Tent or tarp with longer pegs for soft banks
  • Stove, water treatment and a first aid kit

Step by step

  1. Plan river, level and rules

    1 Plan river, level and rules

    Choose water that matches your skills, check the gauge and forecast, and find out where landing and camping are allowed.

  2. Pack in dry bags and a barrel

    2 Pack in dry bags and a barrel

    Split the kit into closed dry bags and a barrel. Keep a small day bag with phone, warm layer and snacks within reach.

  3. Load low, centred and level

    3 Load low, centred and level

    Put heavy items low in the middle and light ones at the ends, so the canoe floats level with enough freeboard.

  4. Wear the buoyancy aid, always

    4 Wear the buoyancy aid, always

    Wear a fitted, zipped buoyancy aid on the water at all times. Stay close to shore and turn back when wind or water get worse.

  5. Land and portage safely

    5 Land and portage safely

    Land slowly with the bow into the current, step out in shallow water, unload first, then carry the empty boat around weirs.

  6. Camp high, boat up and tied

    6 Camp high, boat up and tied

    Camp well above the flood line, keep washing and toilet 60 m from water, and pull the canoe up, upside down and tied.

Common mistakes

  • Taking the buoyancy aid off on a hot, calm day – capsizes happen without warning.
  • Starting on a river above its normal level, or after heavy rain upstream.
  • Loading the boat high or at one end, so it rolls easily and steers badly.
  • Closing dry bags with one roll, or packing the sleeping bag in a rucksack with a rain cover.
  • Crossing the middle of a lake in rising wind instead of following the shore.
  • Paddling close to a weir or a fallen tree to have a look.
  • Camping on a gravel bar or low island and leaving the canoe untied at the waterline.