Dad Stuff: Duluth Pack Co. Monarch #4 Canoe Pack
October 23, 2011, By Craig J. Heimbuch 1 comment
The surfers have Hawaii. Golfers have Pebble Beach and Augusta. But ask a canoeist where the Valhalla of his sport is and he'll probably tell you it's the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. Dense woods, lots of lakes—it's the kind of country Gary Paulsen dreams about.
The people who seek out that kind of wilderness demand a high level of performance from their gear and who better to understand this than a company based not far from the entrance to the BWCA?
The Duluth Pack Company is a century-old purveyor of all things rugged, manly and meant for canoeing. While the high-tech, high-fashion outdoor companies are slinging neon nylon, they know a serious outdoorsman can't do better than canvas, leather and waxed cotton. It's not about saving weight or looking good, it's about carrying what you need on your back and your mode of transportation on your head. They make products for those who not only know what a portage is, but crave them. Classic. Time-tested and timeless.
And it doesn't get much more time-tested than the 129-year-old design of Duluth Pack Company's #4 Monarch canoe pack. This thing is huge (almost 7,000 cubic inches) and made from stone-tough 18-ounce canvas with glove-leather straps, three roller-buckles and padded waist and shoulder straps. A clip-on sternum strap prevents the load from shifting and, to take the weight off your shoulders, the pack comes with tumpline—a hundreds of years old technology that allowed fur traders to carry twice their weight in pelts. The #4 Monarch is designed to sit low on your shoulders so you can carry your canoe without interference.
Outdoorsmen unite. This pack is everything you've been looking for and more.
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