So you’ve got your trip booked and route planned… or maybe you’re still brain storming. Either way, you’ll need to start thinking about what to pack for a BWCA trip at some point. Every year we try to improve our camp gear and packing list. By now, we’ve acquired a decent amount of experience in knowing what we need and what can stay home.
Here is my master list for a BWCA canoe camping trip. It’s nothing fancy or elaborate. We try to pack light to reduce the amount we are carrying and our impact on the wilderness. Also, packing light means less clutter in camp.
I’ll go through each item on the list to provide more clarity on why we need these items and recommendations on different types of gear. The goal is to help newer campers improve their packing skills by learning from our experience and avoiding blunders themselves.
Camp Gear
Tent: The tent you use will be determined based on your group number and dynamics. When we camp with a group larger than 6, we bring a large tent that sleeps 9. A group of 3 or more would require a medium sized tent that sleeps 6. For 2 or less, a small two person tent works. The reason I like to bring a larger tent than the number of people camping, is due to the needed room for gear. You’ll need room inside your tent for your clothing and shoes.
If you have multiple family groups along, you may opt for multiple tents. If you do have more tents, keep them smaller as finding a campsite to accommodate multiple tents or larger tents can be tricky sometimes.
Tarp & Rope: This item isn’t necessarily essential, but it is really nice to have during rainy trips. We like to hang our tarp up between two larger trees and store camp gear underneath. It also comes in handy for cooking under when it rains. Tarps come in all different shapes and sizes, there is no perfect size. I do recommend using a tarp made from lightweight material that doesn’t make a lot of noise, but an $8 tarp from the hardware store works in a pinch.
Clothes Line & Pins: Using a line of paracord tied between two trees and a few clothes pins give campers a chance to dry wet clothing, dish cloths, and swimsuits.
Extra Rope: It is important to bring some extra rope along, just in case. Extra rope can be useful when a food pack rope brakes, you need to walk a canoe through rough water, forgetting the tarp rope, and so many more situations.
Hammock: Some campers chose to sleep in a hammock under a tarp rather than a tent. We like to have a hammock for relaxation and an escape from the bugs. I highly recommend investing in a hammock that has a mosquito net built in.
Essentials
Canoe & Paddle: Well duh. Of course you’ll need your canoe and paddles. Everyone has a different preference for canoe type and paddle style. The number of canoes depends on the number of people in your camping party. You can fit 1-3 people per canoe and are limited to 4 canoes for your group in the BWCA. As far as paddles go, some prefer straight, I prefer bent. It all depends on the paddler.
Life Vest: YES!!! Every paddler needs a life vest. This should be worn every time you are in a canoe. Experience level doesn’t matter. People die every year because they didn’t wear their life vest. We have a rule when we camp, if you are in a canoe, your life vest is on. We also like to have younger kids wear theirs if they are playing near the water’s edge. Safety first! Situations can change so fast out there.
Map & Compass: Don’t forget your map. Check your maps before you leave to ensure they contain all of the areas that you may enter. Some areas of the BWCA require you to have two maps due to cutoffs for the next map. There are several map brands out there for the BWCA. Our favorites are Fischer and McKenzie.
First Aid Kit & Medications: A stocked First Aid Kit is an essential part of your gear. Mishaps happen in the wilderness. It’s best to be prepared. Also, be sure to pack enough of any prescription medications and extra for any delays.
GPS Spotter (optional): These devices have become more popular in recent years. While they are useful in an emergency, don’t rely on them fully.
Personal Gear
Clothing: This area of the packing list can vary greatly. It all depends on the weather and the duration of your trip. I do recommend that campers pack long pants, a sweatshirt, and warm sleepwear for any time of year. Even summers can become quite chilly at night in northern MN. A full change of clothes in case of a canoe tip, and always bring extra socks. My new favorite item to wear into the BWCA is a pair of “shants.” These are pants that zip off into shorts. They are amazing and dry fast. As far as footwear goes, we always bring hiking shoes and water shoes.
Sleeping Bag & Pillow: Pack a warm sleeping bag and a small camp pillow. You might think that you can just ball up some clothes for a pillow to cut pack weight. Don’t do that, what happens when your clothes are all stinky? Just bring a small pillow. It’s worth it.
Sleeping Pad/Air Mattress: Yep, age happens. The older I get, the harder it is to sleep on the ground. While my husband and I can still swing it for a night or two, it’s getting more difficult for sure. My parents bring an air mattress along that has a small, battery operated pump. On our most recent trip, my husband and I brought one along, too. If you suffer from back problems, it might be worth it to haul it in.
Smaller sleep pads are also useful. We have used a couple of inflatable sleep pads with a foot pump built right in. These are great for a quick set up and tear down style camping.
Rain Gear: Rain is highly likely on your trip. Bring at least a rain coat for everyone. My dad always brings along rain pants. I can’t stand them and never wear them. This is another one of those preference things I think.
Hygiene Kit: Personal care doesn’t stop when you launch your canoe. Bring along your tooth brush, tooth paste, hair brush, and other personal care items. Don’t bother with fancy shampoo and body wash, it’s bad for the pristine waters of the BWCA. Water wipes/face washing wipes are nice to have along, though. The hygiene kits should be placed in the food pack and hung up in a tree at night. The scents may attract bears and you don’t want them finding your tooth paste in your tent.
Misc.
Bags for Packing: While a nice Kelty bag is great for packing camping items with it’s many pockets and easy to carry on portages with cushioned straps, it’s not mandatory to have the top gear. We’ve used everything from old school backpacks to fancy backcountry packs. Currently we use a couple of backpacking packs and my husbands old Sea Bags from the military.
Tip: If the pack you’re bringing is not waterproof, line it it with a large, unscented trash back before adding your gear.
Camera: Don’t forget to pack your camera. The scenery is breathtaking! It seems most folks carry a phone as their camera these days. If that’s what you’re going with, be sure to keep it in a waterproof case. We use a waterproof cover that has a small floatation device and a lanyard to tether it to the canoe or my life vest while out exploring.
Hard Waterproof Container: Likewise with your other personal items such as a wallet, keys, and whatnot, bring along a hard waterproof container to keep them safe. We like to have a hard container so that important items don’t become crushed on portages or while being packed into canoes.
Toilet Paper & Waterproof Bag: No, the BWCA does not provide TP. This is not a State Park, you will need to carry in your toilet paper. I highly recommend having a designated toilet paper bag that is waterproof. You don’t want to end up using leaves because the TP got rained on. There are latrines at each designated campsite. Only TP and human waste can be deposited in them, no trash. Feminine hygiene products must be packed out.
Hand Sanitizer & Water Wipes: Hand Sanitizer is important for after using the latrine and before handling any food. Food poisoning in the backcountry is not fun. Yuck. Also water wipes are great for cleaning s’mores off of kid faces and for under the armpits, especially if it’s too cold to swim.
Flashlight & Headlamps: Be sure to bring some kind of light for when it gets dark. I prefer headlamps over a flashlight, they keep my hands available for other tasks when fumbling in the dark.
Camp Shovel: Having a small, foldable shovel at camp is very useful when burying dishwater, fish remains, or bathing water.
Mosquito Nets & Bug Spray: Don’t skimp on the bug spray and netting. The bugs can be atrocious! Spray is fantastic, but in recent years the real MVP has been bug repellent wipes. They are more effective in getting hard to apply crevasses, like ears and faces. The kids also prefer the wipes as they are more gentle on little faces.
Bear Spray: This one is optional. If you’re a bit nervous about bears, bring a cannister along. It doesn’t hurt to be prepared. I will say this though; in my 20+ years of Boundary Waters camping, I have yet to have a bear issue. I haven’t even seen one up there. We do keep a clean camp and always hang our food pack.
Saw/Hatchet: If you’re planning on having a fire, it’s important to bring along a tool to cut firewood. I prefer a saw over a hatchet, but everyone has their preference. I feel that a saw is more controlled and it’s less likely to cause any mishaps that would end a trip early. There are some really nice compact folding saws on the market. Whatever you bring, have the blade covered while not in use or portaging.
Fire Starters & Waterproof Matches: Starting a fire isn’t difficult on a nice day. Here’s the kicker, we don’t get to pick which kind of day it is. I’ve always brought along waterproof matches and a lighter, but now I bring small fire starters, too. You can choose not to use them, but it’s nice to have them in case of emergency or extreme dampness. When I say emergency, I mean a hypothermic emergency when a fire might be crucial.
Fishing Gear & Fillet Knife: If you’re planning on eating fish, you’ll need to catch them first. Our family used to bring live bait. It was such a pain to bring in, we’ve switch to using only artificials.
Nets are a awkward to carry on a portage and tend to snag on branches and bushes, invest in a folding net that can be stored in a pack.
Fillet knives should be sharpened prior to your departure, but also bring along a small sharpener if you have one. You won’t need a cutting board, use the back a canoe or paddle.
Kitchen
Camp Stove, Fuel & Lighter: More often than not, we’ve had a fire ban on our BWCA excursion. Do not rely on campfires to cook dinner. Using a camp stove may be your only option during a fire ban, but it’s also a cleaner option. Cooking over a fire turns pots black.
The type of stove you bring depends on your party size. When it’s just my husband and myself, we can get away with a small single burner that sits atop the fuel canister.
With a larger party, a double burner is necessary. Be sure to pack enough fuel for your trip duration. We pack 2 canisters for a 4 day, 3 for longer. Whether your stove has a built in igniter or not, bring a lighter. If you’re igniter stops working you’ll need to light it manually.
Camp Kitchen Set: Many camp kitchen sets are sold as a kit and they usually pack into a tight system. It’s very convenient, we have one of these systems and I’ll never go back to miscellaneous pots and pans again. Ensure that your kit contains a pot and a pan with lids. The lids are really important as they help trap heat to help water boil faster. This, in turn, saves on fuel.
Bring a small oven mitt for moving pans. Tongs and a spatula are needed for flipping pancakes or moving meat/fish around.
Optional: My new favorite way to cook in camp is on a cast iron pan. While it is heavy to bring in, it’s worth it for the ease of cooking meats and cleanup. A Backcountry Cast Iron Steak after a day of camping is fantastic.
Plates/Cups/Sporks/Knife: Pack plates and cups that stack well. Leave the bulky mugs with handles at home. We bring a couple of handled mugs only when we have more people than smooth cups.
Sporks are a classic camping utensil, a must! I actually only bring one knife that has a cover for the blade. Everyone cuts their meat first, then eats. This saves on washing extra dishes, packing space, and accidentally cutting other items in our food bag.
Paper Towels: While we are trying to reduce our impact and packing light, paper towels are useful. We use them for setting fish or bacon on when they’re done cooking, re-seasoning the cast iron pan with coconut oil, and other small uses in camp. Yes, you do have to pack out your dirty paper towels, but I find it worth it. You don’t have to bring a full roll, but a several folded in the kitchen kit are helpful.
Dish Soap/Sponge/Drying Cloth: A little bit of soap goes a long way! You can purchase a special camp soap bottle or you can save yourself a few bucks and use an old hand sanitizer bottle and put Dawn dish soap inside.
A big sponge takes too long to dry and wastes space, cut a normal kitchen sponge in thirds and bring 1 section. It’s plenty big enough for camp dishes and it’s dry faster.
For drying cloths, I like to have two microfiber, quick drying towels. One for placing dishes on when clean, and one for drying.
Some folks like to have a camp sink to wash dishes, I just use my pots and pans. It works well and reduces space in packs. However, having a small and collapsible rinse bucket is nice. If you’re curious about how to washing your dishes at camp, find more info here.
Food Pack/Soft Cooler/Rope: We’ve used different kinds of food packs. When we have a larger party, we bring a large, square, Duluth food pack and a Yeti backpack cooler. Both of these hang nicely from a tree.
With a smaller party, we use a dry bag and a smaller cooler. Any kind of food pack you’re bringing should be waterproof and able to hand from a tree. For ice, use frozen water bottles, you’ll be able to drink the water after it melts to reduce weight.
For the 2024-2025 camping seasons, campers are under orders to hang their food packs. Bring a long thick rope and a carabiner clip to hang your food pack at night or when away from camp.
Water Jug & Purifier/Iodine Tablets: The world of purifying water in the backcountry has expanded greatly. There are gravity filters, ultra violet purifying wands, purifying tablets, Lifestraws, and so many more. Choose what is best for your set up and be sure to pack enough. I like to have a backup filter just in case. It’s also nice to have a reservoir available at camp for quick hydration and easy cooking.
With a larger group we bring along a soft sided water bladder and use iodine tablets, we use this for cooking water. We also have a gravity water filter that we like to use to fill water bottles.
Trash Bag: Packing out trash is essential for keeping our beloved wilderness pristine. Pack out all trash, don’t burn it. I know it’s really hard these days, but try to find a trash bag that isn’t scented. Make sure it’s a durable bag, the trash is hung up with the food pack each night. You don’t want that leaking into your food supply.
Coffee Maker: Last but certainly not least, the coffee maker. Some people don’t consider this item to be essential, these people are incorrect. Sitting on a rock early on a crisp BWCA morning, watching the fog roll off the lake with a cup caramel macchiato and French vanilla cream… best way to wake up in the morning. Here are some Camp Coffee options.
Documentation
Now for the boring stuff…
ID: Don’t forget your ID, you will need to present this at the Ranger Station upon arrival to pick up your permit.
Permit: You will need to stop in to your designated Ranger Station that you selected at the time you placed your reservation. You’ll watch the short video, take a quick quiz and be issued your permit. This permit stays with you for the duration of your trip. There are Rangers out in the BWCA and they will occasionally request to see your permit. There will be documentation for each watercraft present.
Tabs: All watercraft requiring tabs must be up to date on their registration with current tabs on the side.
Fishing License: If you plan on fishing, be sure to have a current and valid fishing license on you. Also, if you are fishing in areas where there are trout, request a trout stamp when you pick up your license.
