View Full Version : Pack and Water Fording
keidallmer
07-30-2009, 10:36
How does one keep the pack dry whilst river fording? All of my stuff would be in sacks, obviously, but a wet pack is a heavy pack. :D Thanks!
Jack Tarlin
07-30-2009, 12:26
On the A.T., unless you're going thru a stretch where there's been an incredible lot of rain, it'd be quite rare to ever have to ford anything much more than waist deep, so the chances of one's pack getting soaked orsubmerged while fording aren't that great.
On deeper fords, I suppose one could hoist one's pack over your head and walk across the stream, but this isn't to be recommended......most folks like to use their trekking poles for balance while fording, and if you slipped and fell while having your pack held over your head, there's a good chance you'd let it go, not only soaking it, but maybe losing it, as well.
On the rare occasion you might have to ford something more than waist deep, I'd concentrate more on keeping the CONTENTS of your pack dry, rather than the pack itself. This applies especially to your sleeping bag, extra clothes, and food. One simple way to create a great lightweight vapor barrrier is to line the inside of your pack with a garbage bag (kitchen sized or slightly larger if you have a big pack). If you do this right, everything in your pack will stay dry wherever the day might take you.
Frick Frack
07-30-2009, 12:33
Also remember to undo your waist belt buckle & sternum strap on difficult, deep, iffy fords....if you do fall in you will be able to get out of the pack and you will not have the danger of taking a swim with the pack on.
johnnybgood
07-30-2009, 17:29
Have your clothes in a stuff sack and packed up high inside your backpack. That way the chancez of them getting wet are minimized. Also having a trash bag lining the inside of your pack adds xtra protection.
SunnyWalker
08-01-2009, 02:19
One guy who "walked through time" put his in a garbage bag, tied it off and floated it across the river as he swam. What was his name?? (Quiz question for all you hikers). What was the name of the river? Where was this river located? :-)
One guy who "walked through time" put his in a garbage bag, tied it off and floated it across the river as he swam. What was his name?? (Quiz question for all you hikers). What was the name of the river? Where was this river located? :-)
Colin Fletcher
Colorado
Grand Canyon
Do I win a cookie?
Blissful
08-01-2009, 12:04
I never got my pack wet on an AT crossing. Other crossing on another trail, yeah when it was accidentally dropped by dear hubby.
But it will get soaked in a downpour.
take-a-knee
08-01-2009, 18:16
One guy who "walked through time" put his in a garbage bag, tied it off and floated it across the river as he swam. What was his name?? (Quiz question for all you hikers). What was the name of the river? Where was this river located? :-)
Colin Fletcher was also a British Commando in WWII, he'd been trained to do that exact thing.
TIDE-HSV
08-02-2009, 00:42
Doesn't matter. What he did was incredibly dangerous and stupid, as he acknowledged later. He didn't really appreciate the hazards. Anyone who's paddled the Grand Canyon understands...
shelterbuilder
08-02-2009, 20:40
Doesn't matter. What he did was incredibly dangerous and stupid, as he acknowledged later. He didn't really appreciate the hazards. Anyone who's paddled the Grand Canyon understands...
Still, it made for interesting reading (way back when....).
TIDE-HSV
08-02-2009, 20:50
Oh, I agree. I read all his books. There wasn't that much backpacking reading back then. I always liked his story about only going to the foot of his sleeping bag to urinate, and then, after several days, beginning to suspect that a large animal had moved into the vicinity. In fact, I think of it probably most times I select a place to pee while backpacking... :D