Portaging With A Tump Strap

It’s time again for my “weekly” column dedicated to sharing what I found out there on the interwebs. I decided this time to share with you currently the top site for how to portage a canoe. While portageur.ca will have plenty on the subject, there isn’t really much else out there, on how best to portage. Search Google for “How to Portage A Canoe” and the first site will likely be this one. What’s best about this site is that not only are there very useful bits of information, it introduces and advocates the “Tump” concept. This is where instead of using a yoke to rest the canoe on your shoulders, you install a strap to the center thwart that is worn on your forehead and supports the canoe to lie its weight on the top of your back. He obviously knows what he’s talking about, check out his experience page (or “Cred”).  He’s even included detailed instructions on how to mod your canoe for the tump.

I have a tump strap on my backpack, and I find it very helpful, but when it comes to carrying the canoe, I prefer the shoulder yoke. That’s just my preference.

Enjoy.