News from Ely and the Boundary Waters

Boundary Waters Canoe Trips from Piragis

Piragis Northwoods Company

October 10, 2012 Email Newsletter

Greetings!

The last few weeks have provided some excellent opportunities for photos. The autumn leaves were of outstanding color and although they've been knocked down with the recent wind, rain and snow, they were memorable indeed. Fall is a short-lived season in the beautiful Northwoods, but it is vibrant.

We're asking your opinion on some shots we'd like to use for catalog covers next fall season. Click the photo below, check out the possible cover shots on our blog and vote by leaving your comment. Thanks in advance!

Click for more Cover Choice and a chance to vote

The sun is shining bright as I write this, melting the dusting of snow that fell in the early morning hours. We will climb up to the mid-forties today and possibly receive 1-2 inches of snow this evening.

Don't forget this time of year when you are planning a trip next year. It is a fabulous time to see wildlife as this picture from our friend, Dave Tatanish attests.

We are happy to have you all as friends. It sure is great to see you when you come to Ely. We'd like you to introduce you to some of our close friends,

"The Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness".

If you don't yet know about this group, take some time to get acquainted. Perhaps you'll even feel like joining. As Sig Olsen said, "This is the most beautiful lake country on the continent. We can afford to cherish and protect it."

We hope to see you soon in beautiful Ely, Minnesota!

From the End of the Road,

Tim Stouffer, Marketing Director and Webmaster

Piragis Northwoods Company

Outfitting News +

This Year's Used Gear on Sale

Notes from the Outfitting Desk:

Thank you all for such a wonderful summer of canoe trips! Hopefully you had your chance to get your paddling fix for the summer. If not, get up here soon, we have a couple more weeks of open water, but then it will be on to winter sports.

It is a great time of year to stock up on gear for next season. We have stoves, cook kits, packs, paddles, and much more at a discounted rate. Take advantage of our HUGE sleeping bag sale. We use the Big Agnes sleep system, where the pad slips into the sleeping bag so you don't have to worry about sliding off your pad at night. The bags are washed after each use and finish the season in great shape. For a limited time buy a sleeping bag and pad together and save $50!!

For the complete list of rental gear on sale,

CLICK HERE:

It is never too early to start planning next year's trip. Drew and I will be here all winter to help you with permitting, routing, and any other Boundary Waters questions you can come up with. Thanks again for a great year!

Adam Macht, Outfitting

Boundary Waters Canoe Trips.m4v

Boundary Waters Blog - Tools You Need and Toys You Don't! By Cliff Jacobson

As always, Cliff isn't afraid to tell you how it is :)

Anyone can enjoy canoe camping without spending a lot of money. Indeed, the more stuff you bring on a canoe trip, the more stuff you'll have to portage. But it takes experience to learn what you need and what you don't. The result is, that many people spend their camping dollars on things that are fun to have but not essential. Top choices include LED lanterns; bulky Gore-tex parkas that are better for mountaineering than canoeing; sleeping bags that are too warm for summer camping; quick-boil stoves that can't be used for real cooking; folding saws that fit in a fanny pack but won't cut thick logs, and pricey butane torch lighters.

These things are nice, but not at the expense of what you need to stay warm, dry and in command. Here, in no particular order are the things I value most on my canoe trips:

To read the rest of the blog and to comment click HERE

Fall is here, are you ready?

As Autumn creeps in, there are things every canoe owner needs.

In the weeks ahead, we will feature some of our best-selling fall canoe accessories that make everyone's life easier.

This weeks feature is our Canoe Storage Rack:

The garage mount storage rack attaches to your garage or storage shed and folds up to lie flush against the building when not supporting your canoe up off the ground. Heavy duty aircraft aluminum with extra strength hinges.
-- Four lag bolts included for attachment.
-- Swings down to 36 inches and will fit canoes with up to a 40 inch beam.
-- Set of two.
-- Weight: 4 lbs.
-- Weight limit 110lbs.

To Buy

click HERE $65.00

What our Outfitting Clients Think:

"Hi Drew,

Eileen and I had a great time on the Autumn Colors Trip. FYI:

(1) Not knowing anything about Ely and/or BWCAW outfitters, we selected Piragis based on the recommendation of Sara Weum, classmate and friend of Eileen's niece, Jennifer Shafi.

(2) Thank you for sending us the CD with photos from Steve's camera. They arrived a few days ago. Kudos to Steve for some beautiful pictures - especially the ones taken before I emerged from my sleeping bag in the morning.

Eileen and I have nothing but praise for you. The equipment provided, from the canoes and paddles, to the sleeping bags and tents, was first-rate and in A+ condition. The food was terrific, especially the fresh fish. And we can't say enough about how well Steve Johnson took care of all six of us on the trip, not to mention how much we learned from him. The six of us "guests" agreed to pool our pictures and we put together a book before the end of the year. So far, with the pictures I have from my camera and Steve's, it looks like we'll have a wonderful collection.

All the best," Chuck and Eileen

"Drew we found out you don't work on Sunday & Adam was out on a trip. These are a few pics from our trip. We went in and out on Moose river #16. The beavers had done their job well and made the rivers navigable. The first night was a great full moon rise. It was so bright it was hard to sleep. There were no bugs, we slept in the open air the first 2 nights. We fished some of the South side of Coleman. Traveled thru Toe, the Lady boot, Ge-be-on-e-quet, Green, Rocky, Oster, Agnes, Nina & out. The Small mouth were still shallow the first few days, on Wednesday we had smoke come in from the North and it was hard to see across some parts of the lakes. The last 2 pics are what we awoke to Friday morning. It was a great Fall trip in the BWCA. We spent our share of money in the Piragis store on Sunday. Thanks for all your help." Van Dunham

Send us your trip pictures and accounts of your time in the woods. Email our Webmaster.

Gear Sale: Something for everyone.

Email Newsletter Special Sales

The Guardian Bugnet is made of very fine noseeum netting.

It slips over your ENO hammock easily while still allowing plenty of headroom and freedom to move about. Easy entry and exit is through a side, double sided zipper.

It's really not fun to wake up with bugs in your nose.

ENO Guardian Bug Net Click Picture to Buy

List Price: $59.99

Your Price: $47.99

The Kid Comfort is a versatile and affordable child carrier with terrific ventilation by the original Deuter Aircomfort system.

Vari Quick system. Frame padding adds comfort. Padded hip belt. Headrest. Foldout stand. Large zipped storage pocket. Height-adjustable seat. New easily adjustable 5-point safety harness system. Holds child up to 45 lbs.

Kid Comfort Click to buy

List Price: $199.99

Your Price: $159.20

The Astro Sleeping pad packs down to the size of 32oz Nalgene bottle!

Many miles from the hum and buzz of a workaday life, the last thing you want to disturb your deep sleep is a pesky root or a fistful of gravel. Forget your typical inch thick backcountry pad. Astro™ is 2.5 inches tall and still weighs as little as 20 ounces.

Astro Air Pad Click to buy

List Price: $89.99

Your Price: $71.00

The Cat's Meow from North Face is one of our favorite sleeping bags for the Boundary Waters Canoe Camping.

Climashield™ Prism synthetic insulation and soft silken lining combine to make the Cat's Meow a classic bag for three-season treks down to 20 degrees F. With creature-comfort features such as a glow-in-the-dark zip pull, a chest level watch pocket and a reinforced Velcro® flap at the head-level zip, this bag continues to be admired among campers and backpackers alike.