| Flashlight/head lamp | It will get dark, and you will want to see. Bring a flashlight and a set of spare batteries - or better yet, two flashlights. Even the most expensive flashlight is useless if it’s dropped into the bottom of a ravine. |
| Knife | You will need to cut things. Making bushcraft, opening packaging, cutting rope - you will want one. |
| Day pack | If you want to make a day trip and need to bring lunch somewhere, don’t bring your whole backpack. |
| Water bottle | You will need to drink a ton of water - more than your body is normally used to taking in. Bring at least 2L of water carrying capacity for yourself, so you can filter a few hours’ worth of water in advance. |
| Deodorant | If it’s spring/summer, it is trivial to bathe frequently, wherever you like. In the fall and winter, bathing becomes a challenge that is difficult to address. Deodorant helps, and is small enough to be worth packing. |
| Toothbrush & toothpaste | To not brush your teeth is an offense to god and the people you are camping with |
| Toilet paper | You will shit eventually, and you will want this when you do. Ideally, sealed in a plastic bag so it is not damaged by rain and canoe sloshing |
| Hand sanitizer | If ever you intend to cook for others, it is worth using. Similarly to deodorant, it takes so little space to pack that it’s worth bringing. |
| Water shoes / sandals | Wet feet kill, so a pair of foam/plastic flp-flops/water shoes is essential. Your trail shoes should be in a waterproof bag, and these should be your canoeing footwear. |
| Swimwear | If you plan to go swimming, bring swimwear. |
| Extra Socks | Bring twice as many socks as days you plan to be there. If you don’t need them… great! Similarly to deodorant, they don’t occupy much space to pack, so it’s trivial to bring many. |
| Many garbage bags | More than likely you will be producing a good amount of trash while camping it must all come back out with you |
| Plastic bags | You will want a few of these. Wrap your shoes in them if it gets wet and you need to walk somewhere. |
| Long sleeve shirt + pants | These are both very important as physical barriers against sun and insects. Even during the summer, I find it more preferable to sweat heavily into a long-sleeved shirt than brave the sun on a lake with nothing but sunscreen to protect me. |
| Clothes | For the sake of getting in and out of the park. |
| Towel | Important even if you don’t plan to go swimming - wet feet kill. Being wet while camping is miserable and dangerous. |
| Dishes/cutlery | If you plan to eat, you should probably bring a plate, a set of cutlery, and a heatproof mug/bowl |
| Whistle | I’ve never needed to use one and never regretted bringing one |
| Compass | You will probably need this to make sense of the map or directions to your campsite |
| Poncho or raincoat | Even if there is no forecast for rain, you can smash a poncho down to a few inches squared. You should not miss that much flexible plastic packing space. |
| Sleeping accomodations | See seasonal tables below |
| Books(s) (optional) | I tend to do a lot of reading while camping. I like the variety an E-Reader offers. |
| Chair (optional) | This one truly is optional, but I refuse to go camping without at least a cheap stool strapped to my pack. The floor is frequently wet and dirty, and wet butts kill. |
| Earplugs (optional) | Mosquitoes can get very loud at night, and a few sets of earplugs can be helpful |
| Water treatment system | I recommend the Sawyer Squeeze, or anything else you can affix to the rim of a soda bottle. Crush up the soda bottle in your backpack and you can filter 2L of water at a time - much more convenient than most ~200mL pouches |