Canvas:  Ask a tripper which one piece of gear he holds most dearly and most will tell you it's their pack.  Not the new synthetic choices of today's generation, but the old school, plain jane canvas pack.  They might not be aesthetically pleasing to most, but these packs have outperformed everything on the market for years and are the true workhorses of our gear.  You can pull them, drag them, throw them and they keep taking the abuse.  Canvas canoe packs generally feature one large opening, fitting virtually all the gear we have.  Look for ones with pockets on the sides for axes, saws, tent poles or any other long flat objects that need to be stored out of the way.  Some of the nicest canvas packs on the market today are manufactured by Frost River Pack and  Duluth Pack. 

                                       Synthetic:  Today's synthetic canoe packs come in many different designs and tons of features to make our lives easier.  They're more comfortable, dryer, have more compression straps, gear loops and a generally larger then their canvas cousins. If you plan on doing lots of portaging, look for a pack with lots of back support in the way of a stiff hip belt.  This will take pressure off your back and centre it to the rest of your body.  Make sure the pack has adjustments that will allow you to "snug" the load as close to your body as possible.  Compression straps are key to "synching" down your load and ensuring everything's tucked tightly in it's place.  A 110 liter design is perfect for most trips, however you may want to look at something smaller if you only go on 1-3 day trips.  An amazing modern canoe pack is manufactured by Headstrong Packs.

                                 Canoe Pack Liners:  Dry gear is essential to having a relaxing and rewarding trip.  To ensure your gear stays dry even if you dump, consider purchasing a canoe pack liner.  They work similar to dry bags, only their much larger.  Fold these over a couple times and you can rest assured everything will stay dry.  On of the better ones on the market is manufactured by Ostrom Packs