Well... After years of carrying too-heavy of canoes, weird boats, and doubling more than my fair share of portages... It's time, to buy a Hornbeck. The "need" for a Hornbeck definitely became compounded after reading (the required) healthy dose of Nessmuk articles, Woodcraft & Camping, and Rushton & His Times.
I'm headed out this afternoon to make the journey to the veritable canoeists mecca in Olmsteadville -- or at least from oogling over Hornbecks for the last 10 years, it seems that way to me. (Luckily I'm 9 days late to the party cause I realized they just bumped the prices [quite modestly, I should add])
Surely I can ask them a bunch of questions when I get there, but, I figured I'd get the take from the guys here, because I love the passion of the adkforum.
I love fishing. I love camping. I love soloing. And I love overnighters, and I tend to max out at about 5 days for a solo trip. I can pack -relatively- light, at least given fly fishing gear added. I like to say that I pack for "firepower" over ultra-light. No coolers here, but, I still manage to get a dining fly and some fresh food for the first couple nights.
Currently I'm trying to decide between the Black Jack (10.5' carbon fiber, 12 lbs), the 12 Jack (12' carbon fiber, 15 lbs) and the LowJack (low profile 12' carbon fiber, 13.5 pounds). Even at 15 lbs, it will be half as heavy as my last boat.
I'm 5'6" and 155 pounds, and the 10.5' is supposedly rated for 300 pounds. Trust me -- I don't pack -that- heavily! But, I'm wondering if it's long enough to also rig up my external frame pack? My last boat was 11' and it took the external frame fine, buuut... There's definitely a design difference. Anyone have some input on what choice might work? Or if I'm totally in the wrong ballpark?
Thanks for the input, I'll be back to let you know what I went with!
I'm headed out this afternoon to make the journey to the veritable canoeists mecca in Olmsteadville -- or at least from oogling over Hornbecks for the last 10 years, it seems that way to me. (Luckily I'm 9 days late to the party cause I realized they just bumped the prices [quite modestly, I should add])
Surely I can ask them a bunch of questions when I get there, but, I figured I'd get the take from the guys here, because I love the passion of the adkforum.
I love fishing. I love camping. I love soloing. And I love overnighters, and I tend to max out at about 5 days for a solo trip. I can pack -relatively- light, at least given fly fishing gear added. I like to say that I pack for "firepower" over ultra-light. No coolers here, but, I still manage to get a dining fly and some fresh food for the first couple nights.
Currently I'm trying to decide between the Black Jack (10.5' carbon fiber, 12 lbs), the 12 Jack (12' carbon fiber, 15 lbs) and the LowJack (low profile 12' carbon fiber, 13.5 pounds). Even at 15 lbs, it will be half as heavy as my last boat.
I'm 5'6" and 155 pounds, and the 10.5' is supposedly rated for 300 pounds. Trust me -- I don't pack -that- heavily! But, I'm wondering if it's long enough to also rig up my external frame pack? My last boat was 11' and it took the external frame fine, buuut... There's definitely a design difference. Anyone have some input on what choice might work? Or if I'm totally in the wrong ballpark?
Thanks for the input, I'll be back to let you know what I went with!
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