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February 2001 Volume XII Issue 7 Abridged Edition |
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Tips from the River RatsAccessible Flash Lights with Fresh Batteriesby Tom Todd Scene: The end of a long day of paddling in solid rain with heavy cloud cover. The group has just come to a class III-IV rapid with a mountain goat path for a portage trail. The only campsite is just below the rapids. The light is rapidly fading as the sun is setting on a moonless night. Action: A couple run the rapids while others wait. The group is separated and when the guide returns and he takes them down the opposite side of the river as the last bit of light disappears. Most can't even access their flashlights, buried deep in their camping gear. I have two in my bucket, tested fine before the trip. I grab one, turn it on, and it fades and dies in 3-4 minutes. Groping in the blackness back to my boat I fumble in my bucket for the second flashlight. It dies in a minute, before I can find the new batteries. … and now one else has a flashlight available except the guide who is busy on the other side of the river fishing swimmers out of the rapids. As an irrationally frugal Scot, I had not put new batteries in my flashlights, because I had only used them 'a little.' I brought new batteries to use when the others gave out. Lessons Learned: Always put brand new, fresh batteries, in your flashlights before a trip. Always have them accessible. A backup flashlight that doesn't work is wasted weight. Seal Leaking Drybagsby Tom Todd On long distance trips there is a good chance that one or more of your drybags may get punctured or abraded so that there is a small leak. AquaSeal is available at many camping and scuba stores. It is clear and will form a strong seal on your drybags or airbags. It has the disadvantage that it takes about 8-16 hours to dry. Airstop, available in toy stores will dry much quicker, but is not as durable and tends to dry out in the bottle quicker. The containers are both small and I'd recommend them for your repair kit ditty bag.
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