Above- Ampersand Mountain from Eagle Island campsite 01. Below- Southern shoreline Lower Saranac Lake from Eagle Island.
Shelter: a tent, a sleeping bag (3 season as it might get very cold at night; July averages are in the low 50's' but it was around 40 the night before I arrived), a sleeping pad and a camp pillow.
Clothing: a rain jacket, an insulating layer (puffy, sweater or fleece), shirts, pants, shorts, a bathing suit, and wool or warm socks for sleeping. A hat is must for time on the water, as are sunglasses and sunscreen.
Footwear: A good pair of sandals (Keens, Tevas, etc) that wear like a shoe. I brought hiking boots for hiking up Mt. Baker and flip flops- which were fine in the boat but almost worthless on the Island. I had to climb a hill each time I wanted to get to my campsite and going back down to water's edge from the site had the flip flops cutting into my feet.
Fire: fire starter (I like a small container filled with cotton balls dipped in petroleum jelly), a lighter, backup waterproof matches, and a small folding grill. The sites are rustic: fire ring, picnic table and, outhouse. Eagle Island, which is the largest island on Lower Saranac is completely wooded, so finding fire wood was no problem; do not know if that is the case on the smaller islands.Water: I'd recommend bringing in your own bottled water; pumping all of the water you will need will take a very long time.
Light: a headlamp and extra batteries; there is no electricity on the islands, and without headlamp or flashlight you will sit in the dark. (I also brought a phone charging battery and small portable Sony radio).
Kitchen: cooler, water bottles, plates, bowls, mugs, cutlery, a camp pot (for heating water for cooking and cleaning), a knife and small plastic hiker's cutting board. I will bring a small camp stove this summer to boil water in the morning without a fire.
Waterproofing: a Eno tarp (I hung it above the picnic table that was covered with all my gear- I lowered at night to keep all the gear dry). Dry bags and ziploc bags are a must. Your phone and wallet should be in ziploc bags and on your body on the lake. Your sleeping bag and sleeping cloths, minimum, should be in dry bags on the water. Para cord for lashing gear into boat and hanging dry food. A cloths line (paracord or a small looping one, I brought the Sea to Summit)..
Food: I grilled meat (a steak, pork chops) on a small grill with corn grilled in the husk and potatoes wrapped in foil and dropped in the fire. Breakfast was pop tarts, jerky, and other assorted dry items. I will bring some dehydrated food this year: entrees in case it rains and something like Mountain House Granola with blueberries for a warm breakfast. I saw no animals other than birds and an otter on the Island, but I'd still recommend duct taping your cooler shut and hanging dry food in a bear bag to keep small animals out.
Below: a bear bag hanging between 2 trees.
