I should have mentioned that I got a Biolite stove for a present last year and was skeptical at first. It's definitely heavier than a whisperlite, but definitely lighter than a whisperlite and three fuel canisters. Anyway, we couldn't get our whisperlite working on the trip and realized the fuel was bad (think water had condensed over winter). So we only had the Biolite. I definitely changed my mind on it. It's an awesome stove and we could get water boiling in 2-3 minutes. You need to feed it wood pretty frequently but we started making thicker wood chips with our hatchet and it made it easier. Plus, we could charge our batteries while cooking, which is pretty cool. Funny thing is that it goes on my splurge list this year, as I'm bringing it and my whisperlite but maybe less fuel. https://www.bioliteenergy.com/products/campstove-2?variant=180482965518&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=Google&utm_campaign=Google%20Shopping&gclid=Cj0KCQjwz7rXBRD9ARIsABfBl80hMZxfd0K4mBm-yYci_muFgxeqVczKteDvZeveh4-plneXfFezUe8aAg-5EALw_wcB

A couple years ago we came across a couple sites where someone had lashed some campground furniture. At Luckless Lake, they made a bench between two trees that was actually very comfortable and at Shangrila Island they made a picnic table that seated four with a hanging rack. We had an argument about whether we liked this or not. The twine was sisal twine, so all natural and biodegradable. Some in the group thought it was negative, others thought it was positive. Thoughts? 

So the used one fell through, so I pulled the trigger and treated myself to a new Langford Prospector 17'4" carbon fiber with wood gunnels. We don't see any Langford's in the US, but now I'm totally sold on the company. I pick it up from the factory in Quebec on May 14th. Just in time for our trip in Algonquin on the 15th. So psyched. 

I live in Burlington, Vermont, so yes, we have the Heady Topper luxury. I also enjoy cooking the most. Someone was trying to push the freeze dried meals on me, and I was like, what would I do for an hour each night by the fire. I'll start a separate thread on campfire recipes. Also, if you are near Kiosk on May 15th NVM, I'll happily bring an extra Heady!

Love this thread. So my philosophy changed on backcountry canoeing. Originally, I was all about going extremely light. So I own all of the gear needed for a long backpacking trip. Over time, I started to add back weight, mostly because the harder you work, the greater the reward. In general, our rule of thumb is you have to carry all of your personal stuff on your back. Then we bring one food bag (small backpack) and one gear bag (small duffel bag). Thus, when we portage I carry the canoe and my backpack, my canoe partner carries his backpack and the food/gear bags. We've never done two trips on a portage. So here's my splurge/purge:

Staples: 
Biolite stove and whisper lite stove
Tent (either 2 or person depending on the number in our crew)
Battery Power Christmas lights, buy on Amazon, we have a few strands and they're awesome
Platypus water filter, if you don't have one, check them out, so easy and light
Large tarp for rain
Big Agnes air mattress
Petzl

Splurge (no I'm not joking):
We bring a good meal for four out of five nights and try to eat fish for one night, never went hungry
2- Heady Toppers (best double IPA in the world) for each night, yes I start with 10
1- bottle of Bulleit Bourbon 
Screen house tent, we carried it for 7 years and never needed it, last year we left it home and they swarmed
Helinox chair- this was one of the great additions to my list, fits in my pack and so comfortable
Hammock- not really a splurge seeing how light it is but worth it
Steak dinner on the first night

Purge:
Cooler? 
More beer? 
My two year old and four year old

This is our one week out each year away from the kids and the world, so I don't know what's better than arriving at a campsite after a day full of work, putting our beer in a cold lake, taking a dive to wash off, changing into some warm fleece clothes, sitting down next to a warm fire and cracking open a delicious beer. Oh and with this strategy, portaging only gets easier, ha ha. 

Thanks Peek, that's very helpful. I'll happily edit my original post or delete this thread if people think it's pushing the limits on the rules. 

I caught a 7 pounder on Catfish. My brother got a 5 pounder on Carl Wilson. My buddy got a 4 pounder on Cedar. We were not complaining. We were trolling with heavier spoons. All of them felt like pure luck.