Hey Greg! I am kind of bummed the forum here is not busier. I only recently learned about the CT River on YouTube lol. I have done some Saco trips, Squam Lake a few times, and several local rivers here in RI. My first and only boat I have owned is an Old Town Discovery 119. I have had it for just over a year now. I find it extremely versatile. I have not done a trip yet though that required more than 16 miles in a day. How I pack depends on the trip obviously. Sometimes I will pack heavy with creature comforts...cooking grate, steaks, beer, etc. Sometimes I pack my boat like I am ultralight hiking with the only difference being the boat. In my opinion the downside is the weight. While it is not heavier than a normal canoe is certainly is not as light as some of the packboats I would love to own. (like a swift). It weighs 56 pounds I believe. Other than that...it is a great river / lake camping boat

Currently paddling a 15' Swift Saranac kayak on my CT River journey. Had trouble in May/June up north due very low quick water over rock gardens and riffles. Heading back to Brattleboro next week to hopefully finish my trip to LI Sound.

We did a few trips down the river, all with at least one overnight. Depending on the trip we either had two or three kayaks, children and dogs. We have VIBE brand kayaks and generally bring the Yellowfin 130 (which can be set up as a tandem or solo kayak) and then a seaghost 130, and a Maverick (a hybrid stand up paddleboard/fishing platform of amazingness)
The kayaks are heavy and support a lot of weight. I think the Yellowfin is in the upwards of close to 500 pounds, or near that, I dont have the info handy but I know it was a lot. The last trip we did we had two overnights, 2 dogs, a 5 year old, two adults and a teen......along with everything we would need for camping. two tents, sleeping pads, sleeping bags, pillows, clothes, food-2 coolers, one hard, one soft, dog food, bowls, cooking utensils, snacks, towels, maps, emergency bag, and who knows what else, it was a lot of stuff and we loaded the two trucks with gear and then the kayaks. We took 3 kayaks that time. Loaded two of them with gear and either a dog or a child and the third kayak had the teen and the other dog, he was not comfortable paddling with the dog since he had never done it before and was nervous to bring gear or food that ultimately we didn't want to get wet. Our longest paddle was 14.7 miles between sections. We have done mostly the northern section of the river with all of the miles we have done on the river (i think near 63) North of North Haverhill NH. We passed a number of primitive siights, some were very nice looking, and I have no complaints about the sites we stayed at. One was tucked up under some hanging trees and if the water had been higher we would have missed it altogether, but it was probably my favorite. A picnic table, camp sire ring, nice beach for swimming, and a Toilet :) plenty of room for tents too, so I could spread out all the gear we had and the dogs were not getting underfoot. I haven tbeen able to get out this year but I am anxious!

We did a few trips down the river, all with at least one overnight. Depending on the trip we either had two or three kayaks, children and dogs. We have VIBE brand kayaks and generally bring the Yellowfin 130 (which can be set up as a tandem or solo kayak) and then a seaghost 130, and a Maverick (a hybrid stand up paddleboard/fishing platform of amazingness)
The kayaks are heavy and support a lot of weight. I think the Yellowfin is in the upwards of close to 500 pounds, or near that, I dont have the info handy but I know it was a lot. The last trip we did we had two overnights, 2 dogs, a 5 year old, two adults and a teen......along with everything we would need for camping. two tents, sleeping pads, sleeping bags, pillows, clothes, food-2 coolers, one hard, one soft, dog food, bowls, cooking utensils, snacks, towels, maps, emergency bag, and who knows what else, it was a lot of stuff and we loaded the two trucks with gear and then the kayaks. We took 3 kayaks that time. Loaded two of them with gear and either a dog or a child and the third kayak had the teen and the other dog, he was not comfortable paddling with the dog since he had never done it before and was nervous to bring gear or food that ultimately we didn't want to get wet. Our longest paddle was 14.7 miles between sections. We have done mostly the northern section of the river with all of the miles we have done on the river (i think near 63) North of North Haverhill NH. We passed a number of primitive siights, some were very nice looking, and I have no complaints about the sites we stayed at. One was tucked up under some hanging trees and if the water had been higher we would have missed it altogether, but it was probably my favorite. A picnic table, camp sire ring, nice beach for swimming, and a Toilet :) plenty of room for tents too, so I could spread out all the gear we had and the dogs were not getting underfoot. I haven tbeen able to get out this year but I am anxious!

Wilderness Systems Tsunami 165. A bit long, but I like to take it our for a week at a time and do the entire Ct River in two weeks, total. (Break up the trip at Wilder Dam.) Carries all my gear and water nicely and can do all the portages with it by myself. I eat one meal a day out of restaurants during the trip, except on the Moore/Comerford reservoirs stretch, so I have not had to carry much food.

/Users/garyjohnvollinger/Downloads/IMG_6781.JPG

not sure if this image is going to show but, attached is a photo of th skin on frame boat that I built this winter, and hope to through paddle this spring, I want to pack as light as possible, this is a 14 foot, 25 pound boat, and my goal is to keep my total load including the boat to about 50 pounds.
Gary