The Pack open canoe by manufactured by Old Town
I have only had the Pack open canoe for a couple of months so this review may need updated but here are my thoughts so far.
Specs
Length 12'0"
Width 32",
Capacity 180kg,
Weight 15kg.
Bow Height 17"
Depth
11.5"
Colours Deep Forest Green
Hull Oltonar / Royalex.®
First of all my reason for buying this canoe was that I wanted a canoe that would be more suitable for solo use. The Coleman Journey that I already had fitted my family use perfectly but was a little hard to control in the wind when paddling solo. Also when I was trying to keep up with another canoe being paddled by two people it was very hard work. So this review is based on how well the Pack meets these criteria for me.
The Pack is a really light open canoe. Still I would not want to be portaging it very far but that probably says more about me than it says about the canoe. The best way to carry the Pack is to carry it over your shoulder. The lack of a centre thwart makes carrying it over your head a little aquard. You can rig up paddles across the thwart and seat to rest on your shoulders but this is a lot of hassle when you can just sling the Pack onto your shoulder. Although I would recommend a rolled up "T" shirt or the like to pad your shoulder a bit. So transporting and carrying the canoe is a dream. Much as do not mind the weight of the Coleman Journey the Pack is so easy to get ready that there is no excuse for not getting out on the water.
When I read the online reviews of the Pack there were quite a few who seemed to think that there were problems getting it to go in a straight line. Well I have no idea how they got this impression. It goes where you point it, no problem. You have to use a "J" stroke or the like but then again solo you always have to put in a steering stroke of some sort. For some using the Pack I have found myself drawn to using the Indian Stroke. No idea why I just find myself slipping into it. Another thing that has pleased me tremendously is that it seems hardly effected by the wind at all. This is probably a combination of the low profile to the wind and the even trim achieved because of the seat position.
Another area where the online reviews seemed divided was on stability. Many seemed to think that the Old Town Pack is "tippy". Again not sure how anyone got this impression. Obviously it is a canoe so it can be tipped relatively easily but no more than any other that I have been in. Actually that is not really true. It is narrower and shorter than my Coleman Journey so mathematically it will require less of an imbalance to tip it but you do not notice it.
This hull of the Pack has a slight keel in it to help with tracking but it is still very maneuverable. The Oltonar / Royalex.® hull has a level of inbuilt buoyancy which helps to make the canoe sit high in the water. This aids the maneuverability and also means you can paddle in some pretty shallow water. I have not had the Pack long enough to be able to make any comment on how the hull will stand up to wear and tear but so far it certainly seems to be solid
enough and I certainly do not feel I have to be gentle with it. I have found that the hull does tend to flex up on the bottom with the water pressure (oil canning). This said it is not much and I have not encountered any problems cause by it. I have read of people using an old broom handle held in the keel by bracing from the seat and thwart to stop this but I have not felt the need for this modification. I may try it one day just to see the difference it makes but have not so done yet.
Again I have made two modifications so this canoe. The first was once again to fit "D" rings to the gunwales for clipping stuff to and tying things in. The second modification was to fit some insulation to the seat. On my first outing in the Pack it was a pretty cold day and in a short time my bum was frozen. This may be common to all cane seats but I was not going to put up with it for long. The solution is easy enough. I cut a piece from an old foam sleeping mat and covered this with some waterproof material that I attached under the seat with Duck Tape. You can see the result in the pictures above.
Good Points
Really light to carry and handle
Maneuverable on the water.
Perfect size for Solo use with plenty of room for camping equipment . That is a reason it is called the Pack
.
Hardly effected by wind
Bad Points
The seat lets you bum get cold but this is probably common to all cane seats
The hull "oil cans" a little but this seems to have no real negative impact. If it makes paddling harder I have not noticed it.
Summary
It must be pretty clear that I am very happy with the Pack. Before I got it I was worried in case it was not that much better solo than my Coleman Journey but it is. A great improvement. That is no slight on the Coleman. It is a jack of all trades where as this is designed and built for solo use and in that it excels.
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