Portaging a kayak is always a challenge. If the track is flat and smooth, the small kayak carts work fine, especially with a light kayak. We have done a number of portages with relative ease, but we also had one hard portage when our cart had a flat tire on Murtle Lake.

We did the full Bowron Lake Circuit and were challenged by many of the portages. The long (18.5 feet) plastic kayak was broken in 4 places getting through the portages. Some thoughts on the challenges of plastic portage problems are offered here.

Weight Problems

• Light kayaks are easier to pull and are less prone to damage.
• One of the ways to reduce the weight is to go light – freeze dried food. small stoves, no fluids.
• Another way to minimize weight is to use large portage bags to empty the boat and carry the weight on your back.
• With a large portage bag, the kayaker can either hike the bag through, then jog back or she/he can wear the bag and pull the boat

Structural Problems

• Some kayaks are just not designed to be pulled with a load along a portage track. Rings are usually inserted into the top of the hull, but if the construction is light, they can pull out. I pulled out both the front and the back on the Bowron Lakes.
• A long plastic boat will have some flex and if the track is very rough (as per Bowron Portage #2 and #4), the front and back end of the kayak will “wow” and can develop cracks at the stress points, right at the edge of the kayak cart. Two hull cracks let in water for which we did a backcountry repair. We used Crazy Glue (thanks to Ian), kevlar tape (thanks to Bob), and duct tape (thanks to Shiraz).

Poor Portage Tracks

• Although we liked some of the Bowron portages, we found some of them very difficult for a kayak.
• Some were narrow and rough, hard to get a kayak around.
• Portage #1 was long and had a lot of elevation gains. This was hard, but reasonable.
• Portage #2 was terrible. The track from Kibee Lake to Indianpoint Lake has steep sections, is very rough, has muddy sections, and obstacles that the kayak must be pulled over (then dropped, where the damage occurs). This is not a credit to BC Parks. This section is embarrassingly bad and broke my kayak 3 times.
• Portage # 4-5 was more than terrible. It was awful. There are two portages from Isaac Lake down to McLeary Lake and the last one is rocky, rough, steep, and kayak-damaging. This portage needs a total redesign.

Cart Problems

• The kayak carts sold to kayakers are fine for shorter, groomed cart tracks, but are unsuitable for rougher, longer tracks. Canoe carts have bigger wheels and go over the obstacles more easily. The larger carts are a biut harder to load onto the backs of the kayaks though.
• We used the puncture-proof tires and these are safer than the air-filled tires, but they are a little harder to pull over obstacles.
• To avoid the bowing problems of plastic kayaks, back wheels can be used to support the back end of the kayak.
  Unfortunately, the wheels have small, hard tires and also don’t clear the obstacles easily. Nevertheless, we will bring them next time we do the Bowrons to avoid the bowing kayaks and damage problems.
• Pulling the kayaks isn’t easy. Kayak manufacturers don’t design boats with good pull systems.

Repair Issues

• In the backcountry repair is not easy. We used Crazy Glue (recommended), kevlar tape, and duct tape.
• What is your plan if the boat can’t be paddled? The Bowron route is backcountry and very remote.
• Redamaging the boat is an issue so emptying the boat is recommended.

We like the Bowron Lakes, but we will only return when we can resolve the portage issues.