34 AMERICAN SURVIVAL GUIDE [OCTOBER 2019]
there will be times that you will have to carry
your canoe. Believe me, even the “light” ones
are heavy after a day of paddling.CHOOSING THE RIGHT ONE
There is a wide variety of canoes. There are
canoes designed for recreation, whitewater,
racing and hauling freight. You name the
waterborne task and there is probably a canoe
for it.
So what do you look for when selecting a
canoe? Well, the first thing you need to do is
ask yourself, “What do I plan on using it for?”
For our purposes here, I will not even discuss
whitewater or racing canoes. Instead, I will
concentrate on recreational, expedition and
wilderness tripping canoes. All of these canoes
are designed to move people and supplies; the
amount of each is where they differ.RECREATIONAL
These are probably the most common type
of canoe available. They are easy to paddle
and are perfect on flat, calm water. These
canoes are very stable and hard to flip.
Recreational canoes generally run 13 to 16 feet
in length and have a width of over 36 inches.
They are capable of carrying some loads, but
are not the best for the job.EXPEDITION
These canoes are made for long trips and carrying heavy loads. They are capable of handling
open water and rough conditions. These canoes are long, measuring 18 to 20 feet in length. While
they can handle large loads, their greatest drawback is that they are difficult to get into tight
places or in shallow water, especially when fully loaded.WILDERNESS TRIPPING
I would say that this is the overall perfect canoe for the typical roles a prepper would need to
fill. They measure 15 to 18 feet and are designed to carry big loads while being stable. They are
perfect for getting into some tight areas, as well as hauling a deer or transporting a wood stove
to camp. Two good examples are the Wenonah Minnesota II, which is a two-person canoe, and› Above: Saltwater
estuaries are
perfect places for
finding a meal and
a canoe or kayak
can make getting
there and coming
back with dinner
stealthy and
efficient.› Right: A pool,
like this one in
Vermont, may be
an obstacle to m ost
but it’s easy to
cross with a canoe
or kayak.