Recreational Barrel Works Expedition Harness Review: 100+ Miles of Portage Tested
TL;DR: A Simple solution to carry a 60 litre or 30 litre barrel over long portages in relative comfort. Better suited to those of larger stature.
The claim on the label
When you go looking for a new piece of kit often the only information available is what the manufacturer or retailer supplies. We made our decision to get our Recreational Barrel Works Harness and barrel based on this information.
Manufacturer: Recreational Barrel Works
Product full name: Barrel and Expedition Harness
Price tag (May 2023) for the harness and 60l barrel: $204.85 (approximately £165), it actually looks like they are a bit cheaper now.
Retailer: We purchased ours from MountainMan Outdoors in Old Forge, NY at the start of the NFCT, however they are also available in the UK from Norfolk Watersports.
Key claims or standout information:
We were looking for a way to transport a 60l barrel for our longer canoe touring.
Of all the manufacturer claims, we were most interested in the following features, as they directly address the pain points of a heavy barrel when canoe touring:
Designed to transport barrels of three sizes: 20litres, 30litres, and 60litres. We had already found 30litres more than enough for a week, so the flexibility was great to know.
Padded shoulder straps and hip-belt. When you fill a barrel with food for two weeks it is not light, so having a decent set of padded straps is a must.
Padding on back pad and lumbar area. As a barrel is round and our backs are not, this padding makes carrying the barrel way more comfortable than just the simple webbing harnesses.
Accessible grab loops which means you can pick it up whichever way you approach it from.
Moveable buckle and attachment points for shoulder strap adjusters.
Rugged connection of shoulder straps to the harness body to prevent failure.
Webbing across the top of the barrel prevents accidentally opening and also a handy place for extra clothing or PFD on the portage.
Easy to change the straps from a 60l barrel to a 30l or 20l barrel and back again.
A strap under the barrel to stop it from falling out the bottom.
Out on the trail
We all know that manufacturers and retail staff's claims are all well and good, but the real proof is in the use on the trail. We try to give you an understanding of how much we have used the equipment and more critically, in what conditions, before we cast judgement on its performance.
Estimated time of use so far: Approximately 80+ days with well over a hundred miles of portaging included (we've honestly lost count!).
Adventure we have used this on:The biggest one was the NFCT, where we lived out of the barrel for three months, but also Klarälven Timber Rafting, Canoe touring Lake Båven, and many more multi-day canoe touring trips.
What we have used it for: Transporting food, cooking equipment, wash kits, and anything else that could attract nature by smell, or when we have wanted to keep stuff dry.
How has it performed: Up until our last trip (Canoe touring Lake Båven) it has had no issues at all. However we think the buckles used to hold the straps around the barrel are getting a bit worn as they now start loosening themselves when carrying a loaded 60litre barrel.
Any modifications made: We have added stickers to our barrel. Top tip: If you are looking to fly with a barrel for a canoe trip, get a sticker that includes a picture of a canoe in some way and stick it on the side of the barrel. It makes explaining what it is for, and what it has in it, way easier to airport staff, especially if you don't share a common language. Explaining with a picture is easier than trying to mime canoeing (trust us, we’ve tried!).
Our Open Canoe Association sticker has definitely helped at airports!
The good the bad and the packable
Being realistic there is no perfect piece of equipment, there are always pros and cons, so we try to give you our balanced view of what we feel about it and answer the question: does it make the packing list for our next adventure?
The bits we liked:
This is the most comfortable way of carrying a 60litre barrel that we have found so far.
The grab loops are fantastic for the, sometimes tricky, canoe loading or unloading in less than ideal conditions.
Despite how the harness looks on its own it is relatively easy to assemble and wrap around a barrel. Believe it or not we have even done it in baggage retrieval in an airport.
This design has been rugged enough for what we had planned.
We have been impressed by the amount of stitching that has been used to attach the various bits of webbing and straps together. The amount of stitching is often a good indicator as to how well a pack can withstand use and abuse. Not a single thread of stitching has come undone during all we have put it through.
How it could be better: As people of smaller stature (Katrina is 1.64m (5'4") tall, Robert is 1.75 meter (5’9”) inches tall, with an average waist/hip measurement of 94cm (37”) for reference), the hip belt is incredibly generous. We struggle to get it tight enough to effectively transfer the barrel's load to our hips. This means the weight of the barrel rests primarily on our shoulders, which significantly limits comfort while portaging which the harness is designed to provide. To correct this, we are considering a permanent modification of restitching the main hip belt buckle webbing loops closer together to allow for a much tighter fit. This harness is clearly better suited for users of average or larger stature.
What we think it is best suited for: Longer trips that require you to consider the big nature (bears and the like) being attracted to human foods and you need to carry a 30 or 60litre barrel. Even when there are no portages the accessible loops make it much easier to load or unload a fully stuffed barrel either into or out of a canoe.
Are we going to pack it for our next adventure?: Yes, but ours will need a little maintenance before we take it out again. We are looking at moving straps, replacing buckles and toying with different attachment mechanisms. New, off-the-shelf, it remains the best overall solution we have found for carrying a full 60l barrel.
Does it get our seal of approval?
If you are a bigger person without a shadow of a doubt, for people of a smaller stature we have spotted some other options out there that may be worth investigating. This harness has done us well considering all we have put it though.
