I've often read that tump lines are a great way to carry a heavy load. Usually that's in reference to a pack or wannigan, but occasionally, as in this month's Kanawa magazine, it's in reference to portaging a canoe. I usually single-carry a pack and a canoe; neither one are very heavy, but together they are. Do any of you have experience using a tump line to portage a canoe? what's your advice?

Scott:

There was some discussion about this in a previous thread. Have a look here

I haven't tried one but while in the Nova Craft retail outlet in London a few months ago, I noticed that they had one for sale that looked like the one in Cliff Jacobsen's book. Looked like a pretty simple set-up. Might be worthwhile calling them.

Bob

I've been portaging canoes using a tump for a good twenty years. I picked up the technique
while working as a guide at a youth camp in Algonquin Park and their outpost camp in Temagami. All the guides used tumps to carry their wood/canvas canoes, and in my humble opinion, it is by far the best way to portage.
While on the long northern trips I can carry my 80 pound Old Town Tripper a good mile without a break by just shifting where the foam-wrapped yoke sits on my shoulders, so the weight is not focused on only a couple of spots like with portage pads.
When carrying my fast, light Kevlar boat for local flatwater trips in the Boundary Waters/Quetico, I carry both canoe and pack in one trip, with the canoe tump placed right over the pack tump.
A good canoe tump is made of leather, with the part going on the forehead being about two inches wide. The rest of the tump is about three quarters of an inch wide and is tied to both ends of the portage yoke about six inches in from the gunnels. The best knot to use is the clothes hitch because it doesn't slip, but is quick to adjust.
In order for a tump to work it must be adjusted properly to the person using it. A poorly adjusted tump is hell on Earth, and I know many good trippers who can't stand them.
Personally, I can't imagine canoe tripping without tumps on both packs and canoes.
Amazingly, since my camp days, the only other person I have ever met on the trail using a canoe tump was a man who had once worked for a camp in Temagami where he had also picked up the technique.

Agree 100%. I've been using tumps for about a decade. I can manage a little less than a mile with my OT tripper the same way, assuming I've trained for the trip.

Al

I recently (this AM) saw a site which talked about using a braided (cloth) tumpline. This site discussed the benefits of cloth over leather. One benefit was the fact that it didn't get "slimy" from sweat on the head. Another was the benefit of soaking it in the lake and using it to keep cool while walking. It also discussed that a tightly woven tumpline streched very little at first and did not stretch after that at all.

I have personally never used one but have thought about it many times so I can't offer my opinion one way or another. Does anyone else have an opinion on leather over fabric, braided, etc...

Bill.

I quickly glanced over this article (it was a short bathroom break!). The author seemed to be recomending a "thwart" instead of a yolk (i.e. contoured, deep dish, etc…) since a thwart offers more options regarding placement on your shoulders/neck. Once a certain muscle area fatigues, the thwart can be slightly repositioned to a different muscle area. Apparently the problem with a yolk is that although initially very comfortable, once you start to get the "burn", your ability to reposition the yolk is very limited because of the "fitted" design. In the long run (ok, walk), a well fitted yolk is actually more of a pain…?
This seems like a good idea, anyone converted over to a thwart?
Converted tump users, are you using a tump - yolk or tump - thwart system?


<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Glenn on 2002-09-18 12:47 ]</font>

When using a canoe tump a thwart is preferable for the above-mentioned reason. However, on my tripper I have a yoke wrapped with enough closed-cell foam that it works just as well. I think it depends on the shape of the yoke.
As for leather or canvas tumps, my canoe tump is leather and gets wet with sweat on long portages, but never slimy. I have packs with canvas and leather tumps. They both work fine,
but when I place a canoe tump over a canvas pack tump (when carrying both at the same time), the sewn seams on the canvas tump sometimes irritate my forehead.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: ghommes on 2002-09-19 08:46 ]</font>

I would never carry a canoe with just a thwart. I like the extra wood over my shoulders that a yoke provides. I'll make my own yoke or reshape the one that came with the canoe if it's salvageable. I've tried various home made foam pads on the yoke. What I like best is a bare yoke with pads sown onto the upper part of the straps of the pack I carry with the canoe.

Tall yoke pads while providing less obstruction of the view, interfere with getting the canoe on your shoulders efficiently. The lower the canoe the easier it is to adjust the tumpline to "pull" correctly.

My wife makes my tumplines. So far we've used canvas for the headband and nylon straps.

Al

Once you've used a properly made tump, you'll never portage any other way. My current tump is made of a very thin nylon, on a couple of 36 inch rubber tie down straps from Canadian Tire. I Tied a couple knots in them to make them tight enough to bear weight. I use a yoke, and use life jackets etc to get the balance right. When So adjusted I can walk without any hands on the canoe, when I turn my head, the canoe turns making it easy to navigate through the woods. The rubber or bungie straps absorb any shock from bumping into things. Being able to rest your arms makes any portage half the effort, and having both hands free to deal with bugs is also a good thing, but they are also free to hang onto trees, or a walking stick of other supports on steep trails, I don't understand why everyone doesn't use them.

I have never used a tump for a canoe but will give it a try. It seems that the main advantage is that you can keep the canoe in the correct attitude (bow up but stern not dragging) without using your arms. I agree with Normhead that having to adjust the canoe position with your arms or compensate for poor balance point greatly increases portaging effort. We normally rent canoes and the yokes are often poorly balanced - either not located properly or balance altered by patching of the canoe. I always trim the canoe for balance, a PDF secured to a seat or thwart works well, so that I do not normally have to use my arms. This saves a lot of enegy and I routinely carry a canoe and a 35 - 40 lb pack over 2 km portages without a break.
Bill

The main advantage is that you have the weight and spine in an almost perfect alighnment which off-loads your upper body muscles. That's the basic tumpline "theory". It allows one to carry more weight or the same weight farther. See some of the earlier posts on this thread for examples.

You can achive the same fore/aft balance with or without a tumpline.

Applied to a canoe, you also off-load your shoulders which reduces the pain or at least delays the onset of the amount of pain that makes you put the canoe down.

Applied to a pack, it works best when you pull down on the tumpline along the sides of your head. This really seems to make the weight feel even lighter. I found this in one of Bill Masons books where he explains how he carries two packs. It's very effective.

Al

The tump discussion reminded me of a trip in Algonquin as a teenager. As the big kid in the class I always got stuck carrying the damn wannigan that had everything for a 10 course gourmet meal stuffed into it and seemed about the size of a typical garden shed. After that experience I vowed to never use one again, and have not.

I do remember how well the tump worked though when portaging the thing. A few have posted about making home made tumps from leather etc.

Does anyone know if they can be purchased commercially?

Thanks
Markw

I'm almost certain that canoe pack maker, Duluth Tent and Awning, in Duluth, Minnesota
would make one for you, if you tell them specifically what you want.