Home

Rigging The Tumpline

Learn how to tie a tumpline onto a wannigan and to rig your canoe for the portage trail

Butternut and Chicory: Tumplines for Backpacking

by Tim Roper

The tumpline has been used for thousands of years and is still popular in many areas of the world. Notably, Sherpa’s in the Himalayas are famous for using tumplines to carry massive loads. Many canoeists still use tumplines on their packs and canoes when portaging; one reason being that canoeing packs rarely come with hip belts in order to stow better in a canoe. I think this type of tumpline would work great when carrying a basket, barrel, box or other item with a fixed shape. A backpack doesn’t have a fixed shape, and tends to compress depending upon how it’s packed. If your pack has lash tabs on the bottom, you could thread the strap through the lash tabs; but my Osprey Kestrel doesn’t have them, so it was a deal breaker for me. The Two Tails type of tumpline is the type most often seen in use in the Third World. It’s a simple headband with two ropes or straps attached. The straps are then tied to the load. This is a simple, easy to make, cheap solution....

Read more...