Agreed! As a lad growing up we spent most of our camping days via canoe. My first trip was as a 5 month old to Forked Lake in the Adirondacks. It was a few years ago when I realized why my father always opted for the canoe instead of backpacking and it was due to the weight of the gear we had. When I told him of this "epiphany" he said we always canoe camped because it was "I" who complained of all the hiking as a kid. Of course the reason for that was likely because of the weight of the pack I had to carry.

Anyway, Jim makes some excellent points. If you haven't tried canoe camping it is great. One other point is some trailheads are only accessible by canoe or a serious bushwhack. With a canoe, you can explore other areas previously inaccessible.