Woods Expedition Portage Backpack — What Is This Roll-Top Pack?

If you’ve spotted a backpack with a roll-top closure, an oval “Woods” logo patch, and a tree icon, you’ve found Woods — the in-house outdoor brand sold through Canadian Tire in Canada. The specific pack matching that design (roll-top closure, front gear-attachment straps, water-resistant ripstop) is the Woods Expedition Portage, a 65L dry-pack-style backpack built for canoeing, kayaking, and hiking where keeping gear dry matters as much as carrying it.

A quick honest note: this is a spotlight, not a hands-on tested review — Woods is a Canadian Tire exclusive that isn’t sold on Amazon.com, and Canadian Tire’s own spec pages weren’t loading when we checked, so we’re not going to invent a precise weight or price and present it as fact. What follows is based on the confirmed product design and description. Check Canadian Tire directly for current prices, exact weight, and colorways.

What It Is

The Expedition Portage (also listed under the closely related “Portage Roll Top Waterproof Dry Backpack” name) is built around three core features:

• A roll-top closure that seals the main compartment — the same style used on dedicated dry bags, rather than a standard zippered lid.
• Front gear-attachment straps originally designed to secure a canoe paddle, but equally useful for a foam pad, wet layer, or anything else you want accessible without opening the main bag.
• Water-resistant construction with welded seams, aimed at paddling trips (canoeing, kayaking, rafting) as much as backcountry hiking.

At 65L, it’s sized for multi-day trips — closer to a traditional backpacking pack’s capacity than a daypack.

Who It’s Actually Good For

Paddlers and canoe-trip hikers are the clearest fit — the roll-top and water-resistant build directly address the “my gear got soaked crossing that portage” problem in a way a standard zippered backpacking pack doesn’t.

Budget-conscious campers and hikers in Canada looking for a genuinely different (and often cheaper) alternative to premium backpacking brands, without needing ultralight-specific weight numbers.

Less ideal for: ounce-counting ultralight backpackers — dry-pack-style construction and a roll-top typically add weight versus a purpose-built ultralight pack, and without a verified weight spec, we can’t tell you exactly how much.

The Honest Trade-Off

Roll-top dry-pack backpacks trade some of the organization and quick-access convenience of a zippered pack (multiple pockets, a top lid) for genuinely better water protection and a simpler, more durable closure. If your trips involve real water exposure — canoe portages, kayak trips, rainy hiking — that trade-off makes sense. If you want fast access to layers and snacks throughout the day, a traditional panel-loading or lid-top pack will serve you better.

Bottom Line

The Woods Expedition Portage is a legitimate, distinctive option if you’re paddling or hiking in wet conditions and want a roll-top dry-pack backpack without paying premium-brand prices — just verify current weight, price, and colorway directly with Canadian Tire before buying, since we couldn’t confirm those details ourselves.

Check current listings at Canadian Tire →

Related Guides

• 📚 Ultralight Backpacking Gear Guide — the complete guide
• What Size Backpack Do I Need?
• Best Dry Bags
• Best Ultralight Backpacks of 2026

Carry less. Hike farther.