Securing Gear in Your Canoe

Different canoe camping trips require different levels of load security. The main purpose of tying equipment down inside a canoe hull is to keep it from floating away or sinking should your canoe suddenly capsize. Always prepare as if you might "go over" during your trip. The chance of capsizing is never zero.

Also keep in mind that fast currents, big waves and winds can grab hold of storage bags and carry them off very quickly. Unsecured bags can be miles down river or downwind before you have a chance to begin looking for them.

Flat-water trips
On short trips across calm, protected waters, paddlers typically secure their gear by either running pack and dry bag straps around their thwarts, or by tying short load lines from each storage bag to the thwarts. These techniques won't keep your gear bags in place in the event of a capsize. But they will keep your gear connected to the boat so it's easier to collect should your boat go over.

More challenging journeys
On longer, more challenging journeys (especially those which involve rough water or rapids), you'll need to make sure that your gear remains securely in place inside your canoe. This is important because:

Bags that are tied in loosely can "bob out" and get caught up on rocks, stumps, or trees.
Properly-secured dry bags and dry boxes provide added buoyancy (as long as they're sealed correctly and the weight of the items inside does not exceed the weight of the water the bag displaces). This added flotation can mean the difference between a sunk, pinned canoe and one which is quickly righted and paddled to safety.

Basic tie-down techniques
The most common way to secure equipment loads in place is with a single tie-down line. This involves running the tie-down line from a secure anchor point (usually one of the thwarts) over, under and around your bags until they're lashed securely in place. This approach works best when bags are already wedged securely under your thwarts. A single-line tie-down may loosen up during travel if your bags start shifting around.

Customizing your canoe
Since tying everything down with a single line can be cumbersome, many experienced canoe campers customize their boats to make securing equipment easier and faster. Common methods include:

Gluing D-ring patches to various points inside the canoe hull to be used as anchor points for a number of short load lines. REI sells these patches.
Drilling a series of small, evenly-spaced holes just below (or through) each gunwale, then tying anchor loops (made out of durable nylon cord) through them. These anchor loops can then be used to string load lines from point to point quickly.

Shake down cruises
It's a good idea to go on a short "shake down cruise" before any long canoe camping trip. Loading up your gear and paddling a local stream or lake will help you insure that everything fits and that your canoe handles well when fully loaded. You may even want to capsize your boat during your test run, to find out how effective your tie-down techniques are and whether or not any of your dry bags or boxes leak. Remember -- it pays to test your gear and your skills before you get too deep into the wilderness.