Why Canvas?

BY CLIFF JACOBSON, AUTHOR & PADDLER

Why on earth would anyone choose an old-fashioned canvas pack over a modern nylon pack? To understand the lure of the ageless Duluth Pack, we must explore some popular myths.

Myth 1: Modern nylon packs will outlive canvas.

I have canvas packs from Duluth Pack that date to 1966 and have seen upwards of 100 grueling canoe trips, and they're still going strong. I can't say the same for modern packs of equivalent age there's no contest when it comes to longevity. Where abrasion is the real culprit, canvas often comes out on top. Drag a canvas Duluth Pack repeatedly over hard granite and notice how the fibers give and return to their previous arrangement.

Myth 2: Modern tripping packs are more waterproof than canvas packs.

Experienced canoeist know that any packsack advertised as "waterproof" may fail at a critical time. Holes and leaks develop after a few years of strenuous canoe travel. Canvas, on the other hand, being an all-natural material has fibers that swell with exposure to water creating a moisture barrier that can still breathe. For this reason we prefer to build a reliable, waterproofing system inside each pack. We give you a thick oversized poly liner free with every Duluth Pack. With this system, a pack will float indefinitely.

Myth 3: Nylon packs dry more quickly than canvas packs.

Scenario: After capsizing, you gather up your packs - one coated nylon and one canvas - and set them on the shore. Ten minutes later, the outside of the nylon pack is dry to the touch. Thirty more minutes pass before the canvas follows suit. You open the flap of the canvas Duluth Pack and notice that everything even the space between the liner and pack is dry. Canvas is breathable. And now to the waterproof nylon pack, the space between the coated nylon and the liner is soaking wet. Of course! Water can't escape through a fabric that can't breathe.

The Tumpline

"Nothing has been bad-mouthed more in canoeing literature than the tumpline. But as far as I'm concerned, anyone who bad-mouths a tumpline either hasn't tried it or is an idiot. A tumpline provides incredibly good balance and control, and you can carry amazing weights with it. To master something like the tumpline takes a little time. But once you get it, it's awesome."
- Cliff Jacobson, Author & Paddler

Tumplines shouldn't be worn on the forehead. Put the pack on wearing the shoulder straps, then place the tumpline across the top of the head, just to the rear of the hairline.