For those of you eager to get ready for your summer adventure with us here at Wilderness North, here are some helpful tips to help make packing easier.

WEIGHT LIMITS
Just a reminder, at Wilderness North we have a weight limit of 125 Lbs of gear per person. This weight limit includes everything that will go on the airplane with you. Meaning all your personal gear (clothes, fishing gear, tackle box, poles, cameras, and whatever else you bring with you), all food, and beverages (each case of pop or beer weighs 22 lbs…CANS ONLY. We DO NOT fly glass bottles,). 125 pounds may seem like a lot but it sure adds up fast so pack smart and really think about what you need. Save some weight by packing a water treatment system instead of lugging around cases of water.

Regardless of how many people are in your group, the weight limit is the same per person. If there are extra seats in the plane, we will use the extra room for taking in whatever supplies are needed to help staff offer the best guest experience at the lodges or cabins.

FOOD
Aside from beverages, the biggest culprit in going overweight is food. Luckily for you, you’re going fishing where shore lunches are the daily norm. In the event that you are only half the angler I am, here are some things to consider in helping you pack light without going hungry:

• Make a menu and stick to it. Include rice and instant mashed potatoes instead of  lugging a bag of whole potatoes around
• Avoid duplication by only having 1 person in charge of buying the food.
• When shopping, look for smaller bottles of mustard, ketchup, and mayo. Only pack what you will likely consume in the time you are away.
• Freeze any foods and beverages that can be frozen, and use frozen vegetables –great tip for keeping things cool without ice!
• If you have a choice between purchasing plastic or glass bottles, go with plastic as it’s much lighter and less likely to break. You don’t want your lucky fishing gear covered in burger toppings!
• Instead of packing soda bring along packets of juice powder to add to cold water, it’s refreshing and sweet at the same time.
• If you and your group are big drinkers, take advantage of our beverage service and be sure to submit your beverage order at least 3 weeks prior to your departure date. We will gladly fly up your beverage order, along with any cans of non-perishables, on an earlier flight free of charge.
• Pack cans and dry goods in cardboard boxes. Boxes are easy to shove in the plane and make great fire starters when out at camp.
• Limit coolers to 48 quarts or smaller. Bigger coolers are harder to load in the plane and are quite heavy.
• Conserve cooler space by planing on baking fresh bread or bannock -loaves of bread are light but don’t travel well.

 CLOTHING and GEAR
Checking the weather before packing will help provide a general idea of conditions, but keep in mind you are out in the northern wilderness where conditions can change and multiple storms can be experienced in a single day. Here are some quick pointers:

• Dress in layers. That helps you in packing your gear too as it allows you to focus more on lighter base layers.
• If it’s 65 degrees or more leave the parkas at home, they’re bulky, heavy, and unnecessary (Canada’s not all snow and ice).
• Use the remoteness to your advantage, and don’t worry about having a fresh new outfit every day. Pack a few outfits of grubby old clothes and who cares if they get dirty…you’re fishing.
• Have a nice travel outfit packed in the car, it cuts down on weight and helps you look presentable when returning home.
• Pack all gear in soft sided duffels weighing less than 50lbs –makes traveling and loading planes a lot easier.
• Sort through your tackle box and take out any unnecessary items (you don’t need your musky lures to go after walleye). See if you can downsize to a medium or smaller sized tackle box.
• To avoid entanglements pack your rods in tubes, but try to keep them as short and narrow as possible –under 6 ft. keep in mind that ABS pipes are heavy, cardboard tubing or carpet rolls work just fine!
• Pack multiple rods in the same tube and make sure you have all lures OFF the lines.

Packing is a chore that most of us dread when planning an awesome vacation or adventure, but it is one of the most important things to get right. Make a night or afternoon out of it and have a group meeting with all your fishing buddies so the gang can get together and discuss everything. Swap some stories, have a few drinks, and get into vacation mode.

If you have any questions about anything you read here, drop me a line, or give us a call. We are more than happy to help you to prepare for your next memorable adventure.
Meryl