In this video I cover all of the gear I take on my canoe camping trips. Specifically my 5 day solo trip in the Okeefenokee Swamp in SE GA.

I few things to note about the gear set-up:

Certain items like my PFD stay set-up the exact same for all my paddling. I don’t remove items from my PFD so I don’t forget them on a different trip. I don’t necessarily need the knife/strap cutter for this trip but that’s where they reside.

The headlamp and the small light from treadlite collectively weight 42grams. I don’t pack those plus the goal zero light for redundancy, but more for convenience. Having a stationary light over my chuck box is much preferred than the headlamp. Leaving a light in the hammock is preferred over using my headlamp/moving the goal zero light around.

I have tried multiple different types of filters to make the water drinkable, but just have not found a solution to remove the tannins and bitterness. So I have to tote the water I need for the trip.

All my gear with the exception of the water can be packed down into the main dry bag/camera case/chuck box. So although it may look like a lot of items, it is separated out for easy access. The chuck box is only about 1/3 full to its capacity and if I find a viable option I will eventually upgrade that to a smaller box.

I am very weight conscious and this set-up is weighed out by each individual item on lighterpack.com. The vast majority of weight in most folks gear load out comes from clothing and your sleep system. I have dialed that in to keep a limited load on those items specifically.

I have essentially no portaging in the areas I go so although weight is considered it is not a driving factor for my trips. When I am backpacking that is a driving factor, but this is a different scenario entirely.

If you have any questions about the items I chose and why, feel free to ask! Thanks!