OK, the troop is going to be taking some canoe trips soon, the first is a one day only trip, but the biggie, coming up labor day, is a 3 day 50 mile trip. As I expect it will be like it was last year when we did a 2 day trip, the bulk of our gear (i.e. camp chairs, food for evening meal, sleeping bags, tents, dry shoes and clothes, etc) will be transported via trailer to the various take out/camping sites, so I am mainly concerned with just what is necessary/nice to have on the water for the day. My on-the-water load-out last year consisted of a pack filled with the ten essentials plus a few other items. I always tend to overload so I am looking to trim this down somewhat if possible. Comments and suggestions are most welcomed.

A day pack tied into the boat contains:

- Head lamp (in water resistant container)
- Rain gear
- extra clothing (fleece, extra socks, hat and gloves in dry sack)
- sun protection (sunscreen, sunglasses, spf 15 lip balm - a hat is lashed to my pack but will end up on my head)
- water (assorted bottles as well as a sawyer mini filter if needed)
- snacks (includes hydration drink mix and coffee, in dry sack)
- first aid kit (in dry box or dry sack)
- fire starting kit (consists of bic lighter, pack of the uco stormproof matches, tinder tabs and small thin pieces of cardboard all contained in a watertight container)
- compass with maps (maps will be laminated or otherwise waterproofed)
- back pack stove and fuel (in dry sack)
- stanley cooker with 2 cups nested inside
- sierra cup nests on the outside of the cooker
- mess kit with light my fire plastic spork
- one or more of those super absorbent towels (in dry sac)
- lunch for the day
- tp and small shovel (tp in dry sack)
- assorted wet wipes
- cordage (a 50 to 100 foot hank of paracord or something similar)
- mini-tarp, 5 by 7

On my person:

- knife (usually two, a SAK with attached swisstech pliers and cold steel voyager)
- cell phone (in watertight container)
- survival kit (beefed up PSP in watertight container)
- Heatsheet emergency blanket
- bandanna
- neck lanyard with whistle, fenix e-01, fire steel and pill fob containing char cloth and jute twine
- glucose tablets (in dry sack)
- if i can wear it with the life jacket, a belt pouch with spare supplies of insulin, needles, and alcohol swabs, otherwise this will have to go in the pack
- glasses keepers (lost glasses in bottom of lake last year, lesson learned)

I feel like I am overdoing it with a lot of the emergency gear, as the river we will be running parallels a major highway most of the way and often we can see people's houses from the river. But I pack it anyway, because it doesn't take up THAT much more space and that little "what if .. " voice keeps ringing in the back of my head. So please let me know what you all think. All suggestions and comments welcome and as always thanks in advance.