"Par"
I want to make a more or less traditional wannigan (a wooden chest for
cooking gear and food, used on canoe trips). The design goals a

* Sturdy (if I have to coddle it I won's use it)
* Not too heavy.
* Should feel "nice" rather than "nasty" (e.g. plastic crate)
* Flexible contents (it should still be usable if I change
stove, pots, etc).
* Anything breakable and critical should be fields repairable
with knife, axe, swiss army knife and a few wood screws.

snip
Advice? Suggestions?

/Par

Par
I would make it from 12mm cypress, dovetailed corners,
polyurethane/resorcinol/epoxy glue, with the bottom reinforced with brass
box corners. The cypress will stand the wet/dry cycles very well and the
dovetailing will provide strength even if the glue fails.

http://www.horton-brasses.com/products/chestlifts/266

If you don't like the weight of cypress, use redwood. It will be lighter
and not as durable but it too will handle the wet/dry cycles fine. You
trade weight for durability.

Dave