It's been a while. Any updates to your ditch bag?

[PaddlingPitt]

Interesting, Al. I never considered taking tent and sleeping bags on a day trip. But you never know. In fact, that's the title of an article that Kathleen and I submitted to our Beaver Canoe Club in Vancouver, a couple of years after we moved to Pender Island, one of the Gulf Islands about half way between Vancouver, on the mainland, and Vancouver Island. Sometimes I wonder why we moved away!

You Never Know

September 10, 2,006 Pender Island


Kathleen and I stood on the beach enjoying the early morning quiet. The summer crowds were gone, and the Labour Day power boaters had vanished toward the east. Even the packs of powerful zodiacs stuffed with hopeful whale watchers seemed to be taking the day off. Browning and Bedwell Harbours were now ours alone to enjoy.

“Say, Michael. Why don’t we just hop into the canoe and paddle over to Carol’s for a cup of coffee and some poppy seed lemon cake?”

“Sounds good to me. I’ll climb up the stairs and get our paddles. You know, though, I wonder if we really need to take all our gear. It’s only 2 km (1 mile). The water’s completely calm. There’s no hint of wind – not even a gentle breeze. There’s no big boats that’ll run over us. It’s all flat water – no rapids between here and Carol’s coffee shop -- and we never capsize. Do we really need to lug our bucket of spare clothing, extra paddle, bailer and throw bag up and down these stairs? There’s not even anyone else out there to rescue. I think we’ve seen only one other canoeist all summer.”

(Note: There were 88 steps of stairs to climb up 65 vertical feet.)

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Momentary and Embarrassed Pause

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“We always take all our gear. It’s a Beaver Canoe Club Rule (not to mention the Canadian Coast Guard)! That’s the way it’s done. It’s always been done that way. It always will be done that way. It’s all about safe canoeing.”

Thirty minutes later, Kathleen, I, and all our gear approached Shark Cove, where we saw a man scrambling along the low cliffs on the north side of the cove -- a place that is not particularly a good place to scramble -- a place where we had never seen anyone scramble before. We naturally decided to paddle over to have a chat. When we neared to about one hundred metres, he began to wave, somewhat frantically. It was then that we noticed a blue canoe, about 25 m (yards) off shore, half submerged, with its bow pointing straight up out of the water.

The man on shore, bleeding from multiple abrasions on his arms and legs, spoke quickly.

“I capsized about half-an-hour ago, and haven’t seen anyone since. I’ve been trying to get off this cliff, but don’t seem to be able to do it.”

The man, a tourist from Utah, had rented a very nice guest cottage just a few minutes around the corner in Shark Cove. He had been setting a crab trap from the guest canoe, equipped with an electric motor rigged up on the side of the boat, near the stern. When setting the trap, he leaned over, on the motor side, to help guide the trap downward. The combined weight of motor and man then dipped the gunwale beneath the water, and over he went.

The canoe became entangled in the crab trap line, and the motor acted like an anchor, which explained why the canoe sat vertically in the water.

The man slumped down, still speaking quickly.

“God, I’m tired. I tried to pull the canoe free, but I couldn’t. I got exhausted so fast. The water is cold. I finally decided I had to get to shore. I barely made it. I think I would have drowned if I hadn’t been wearing a life jacket.”

Kathleen and I paddled over to his canoe and tried to work it free. It wouldn’t budge from its vertical position. We then tied one end of our ever present throw rope to a thwart and paddled back to shore. The line played out just as we reached the cliff. Although the man tried to help us tug his canoe free, he needed to rest every few seconds. He was apparently entering the initial stages of hypothermia, even though it was a sunny and somewhat warm day.

“Why don’t you just rest. Kathleen and I will pull your canoe back to shore.”

The canoe broke free sluggishly from where it had become ensnared beneath the water. Moments later we held his canoe up against the side of the cliff. Obviously, however, we couldn’t pull a canoe full of water straight up a 45-degree cliff. Also, we couldn’t empty the canoe by turning it over because we didn’t want to lose the electric motor’s battery, which fortunately hadn’t yet fallen out.

With our ever present bailer Kathleen easily emptied the canoe in mere minutes, and all three of us yanked boat, motor, battery, and crab trap (with 1 crab!) up onto the cliff. The man sat down to rest.

“Gosh I’m tired. Thanks a lot. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this. You have saved my day.”

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Aw shucks. It’s nothing any good rule-minding Beaver Canoe Club member wouldn’t have done.
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With everything in order, and seemingly under control, we put the man back in his canoe --an Old Town Pathfinder -- 14 feet, 10 inches long. The bow rose majestically a full metre out of the water, with the man, electric motor, and very heavy battery all in the narrow stern, which rode precariously only a few cm (inches) above the water. A certain capsize just waiting for the right time and place. Kathleen climbed into the Pathfinder’s bow to create better trim, and we headed back to the guest cottage, en route to Carol's for that cup of coffee and some poppy seed lemon cake.

When we returned 90 minutes later we again saw the man on the beach below his guest cottage, cleaning out the canoe with his wife’s help. He said he was still cold and tired from his brief encounter.

“I’m surprised,” he said. “I’m in good shape. I work out and jog on a regular basis. I’ve eaten a huge plate of hot spaghetti. I’ve got this wool sweater on. But I’m still feeling completely worn out.”

“Well, you probably know that body heat is lost something like 15 times faster in water than in air. I think you ought to just take it easy and go back inside and stay warm. You made two very good decisions today, you know. The first was to wear your PFD, even though you were going only a few minutes away from your cottage. It’s surprising how often recreational paddlers don't do that. The second good decision was to abandon your boat and gear to save yourself. Otherwise, a beautiful holiday morning and a 5-minute canoe trip could have ended very differently.”

“Thanks again, guys. I really do appreciate your help. I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t come along.”

You never know.

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This story might not have anything to do directly with a ditch bag, but I hope you like it!

Michael
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[Guest]

I’m just wondering who here has ever needed/used your ditch bag, and under what circumstances.

I have never needed my kit in a ditch situation, but it would be far more effective in some “survival” situation what fits in a (pure fantasy) Altoids tin, or even in my PFD pockets or an un-bulging fanny pack. But it is not so much a Ditch Kit as my more comprehensive Spares, Repairs & Emergency bag (post 3 above).

I use something from that kit often enough for myself, near always on group or family trips. Far more often than I need something from the big first aid kit (thank goodness).

I know my Spares & Repairs kit is overkill. What can I say; I like fixing things, especially in the field where that busted release buckle, missing cord lock or piece of webbing strap would be an every dang day frustration.

Brad’s list is a good necessities-in-one-kit start.

But it's not too much trouble to pack a medium sized ditch bag way ahead of time.

I plan to include a pair of fleece pants along with a jacket and wool socks (in a small compression sack) and a cheapo pocket poncho. My alcohol stove will go along with a small bit of fuel, butane lighter and firesteel, ziplock baggie of birch bark, tin cup and packets of dry soups. My medicine-whatever kit is minimal comprising of painkillers, small mirror, sewing needle and nail clippers/tweezers, small bandages, bug dope, reading glasses (in a protective case), headlamp, work gloves, Q-Tips, XL orange large trash bag...well it started off as minimal.

To help get less minimal (it’s hard to stop), I’d add gloves and warm hat; those don’t take up much room in a compression bag, and help keep a lot of warm in. And definitely some duct tape, even if you just roll 10 feet of Gorilla tape around a tongue depressor and nip off the excess wood.

A couple thick cable ties can be awful handy. Mylar space blanket? Where to stop?

Similar to that bag of Spares & Repairs in early fall I pack a little dry bag with a full set of off-season clothes. I have enough worn and holey but serviceable old tech ware and wool; long underwear, fleece, socks, gloves, hat etc. I think I threw in a leaky, better than nothing, set of raingear last fall; I’ll know in a few months.

I just fill a little dry bag with old clothes in early fall and leave it packed until summer. That compact (compression stuff sack inside small dry bag) spare clothes kit stays packed in the off-season, comes on almost every canoe trip and lives in the truck when not in the canoe. I can’t forget to bring it and don’t need to repack it every time.

If nothing else I have a set of clothes in the truck in case I need to change a tire in a deluge, return unexpectedly wet from a rainy day hike or have an unbalanced oops on a streamside wander. That has been known to happen, I love stream hikes.

Sometimes just knowing you have a set of dry clothes waiting back at the car is a heartening thing.

Come summer I empty that bag, wash the clothes and hang them to decompress. Come September those old duds, or something to replace them, gets packed up again for another eight months of truck and canoe living.

I have dressed dozens of people in my spare XXL one-size-fits-all clothes, including diminutive strangers. Always a pleasure, including the “Clown suit” of Goodwill duds and the lime green Bridesmaid’s dress I once carried separately as punishment spare clothes for the shivering needy.

(PP, I so enjoy reading your trip reports; not just your trips report, your reminiscences always strike a memory cord. Odyssey’s too)

 

[alsg]

This makes me think of my September ditch. At one point I was standing on shore soaking wet with only what was in my PFD -- just a knife, a fire steel and a whistle. Luckily, the weather was fair and we found almost everything in short order.

But based on that experience, my view is that you can't count on having anything that wasn't securely in or on your PFD after a ditch. I know I am going to put a Spot or InReach Mini in or on my PFD next time I go somewhere that there is no cell phone service. There's simply no room for anything else in/on my PFD that would make nearly as much a meaningful difference as one of those in a true emergency.

The other lesson learned was that I will never buy another dry bag/pack/tent bag that isn't a bright, fluorescent color. No more neutral colors or, worse still, black. That dark/neutral stuff is surprisingly hard to spot on the river post-ditch -- even in broad daylight! Before my next trip I will attach some bright colored water-proof tape and reflective tape to all those dark/neutral bags. If money and weight were no object, I think I'd strap a water activated strobe beacon to every pack and dry bag!

 

[cflcanoe]

Replacing my dry bags and dry box at this time is not an option, But doing something to make them more visible is. Was wondering what could be used. I often see bright pink plastic streamer / tape that surveyors and others use as markers. Wonder were to buy and if it would work.

Taking the tent and sleeping bags on a day trip sounds a bit much for me. But I often look at other paddlers with envy. I end up with food & water container of some kind, Dry box for phone and wallet, rescue bag, spare paddle(s), water proof storage for camera, bailing device, and some times extra storage for clothing for a day that has wide temp changes. This is just for a day trip. Way too much when loading unloading. But sometimes makes a difference between a safe enjoyable trip and a miserable one. Hate lugging everything around though

 

[Guest]

The other lesson learned was that I will never buy another dry bag/pack/tent bag that isn't a bright, fluorescent color. No more neutral colors or, worse still, black. That dark/neutral stuff is surprisingly hard to spot on the river post-ditch -- even in broad daylight! Before my next trip I will attach some bright colored water-proof tape and reflective tape to all those dark/neutral bags.

Replacing my dry bags and dry box at this time is not an option, But doing something to make them more visible is. Was wondering what could be used. I often see bright pink plastic streamer / tape that surveyors and others use as markers. Wonder were to buy and if it would work.

We have dry bags in every color under the sun, including some small compression dry bags I bought (lightly) used that are freaking black. The last batch of heat sealable fabric I bought ($8 a yard instead of $22 a yard) is deep blue/purple. Neither would not be as visible in a floating yard sale as our yellow or orange bags.

I’m not sure how well reflective tape would stay adhered to a dry bag; it does very well on our hard sided stuff, but it doesn’t get folded and wrinkled on hard surfaces, and I flame treated the poly barrels and drums before putting it on, which might be risky with dry bag material. Even on the hard side stuff I have multiple pieces of reflective tape on the sides, mostly so no matter which way a barrel is facing some tape is flashlight reflecting back at night.

Surveyors ribbon is cheap enough to try. Before I replaced our tarp lines with reflective Glo-wire some of them were hazardous-at-night black or dark blue. I tied pieces of bright (even some polka dot) surveyors ribbon on the trip-able guy lines. That was OK for a trip or two, but after the tarps were repeatedly stuffed the ribbon was more of a barely noticeable wad than a bright hanging streamer. Some beefier “CAUTION” or “POLICE LINE” tape maybe?

Where to attach surveyors tape to a dry bag could be an issue. Tied to the D-rings at the closure the ribbon would not be especially visible from many sight angles, and might be flopping around in the way when rolling over the closure.

I hadn’t given marking the dark dry bags much thought beyond wishing they were yellow or orange. But, now that y’all mention it. . . . .

The Spares & Repairs and group 1[SUP]st[/SUP] Aid kits, in yellow vinyl Baja bags, are denoted as such on the outside along with my name and contact info, all written in block letters. I tried Sharpie at first but it faded too quickly. A black enamel paint pen lasts much longer and easily makes for a large font.

My Stays-Packed spare clothes are in one of those black compression dry bags and I wanted that bag’s contents likewise marked, so I used a yellow paint pen. Just the yellow lettering “CLOTHES” makes the bag much more visible.

That enamel paint pen lettering has been on the Baja bags for at least 15 years (I refreshed it once) and on the spare clothes bag for at least 5 years. It does not seem to harm the vinyl bags in any way.

This has me thinking about paint penning a couple of thick yellow stripes around the circumference of the black or dark blue bags. Maybe a little of this high-vis action.

https://www.google.com/search?q=yel...&cshid=1553527435710061#imgrc=eHxqR-xFvWBCHM:

 

[Black_Fly]

I'm now updating my ditch kit for day trips, and because I have a thwart in my new boat that precludes using my fanny pack. Where do most keep their ditch kit?

 

[Odyssey]

To answer your question BF, while day soloing I use a dry pack (30L?) and place it in front between thwart and seat (I'm using the kneeling thwart behind center.) The only thing I place behind me sometimes is perhaps a rain jacket scrunched behind the stern seat. In other words there's not much near to me and my feet. If I dump day paddling there's not much else to go for a swim besides me. I'll find that pack if need be. The dry pack is bright orange. On tandem trips the same pack gets loaded last. The gear elsewhere fits tight-ish and may or may not spill yard sale-like if we dump. The ditch kit OTOH most certainly will. For the flat water tripping that we do we never fasten anything into the canoe. I used to use a fanny pack but prefer a roomier pack for bringing along a pile jacket etc. My ditch bag contents change with every trip.

 

[Iskweo]

Like Odyssey I only really paddle flat water. I portage around pretty much everything if solo and out in the back country. But WHAT IF you say. valid question. I dont often take anything other than water and maybe a snack, first aid kit. If I do it goes in my old rucksack which gets carabinered to the boat. In any capsize situation I would be with the boat but wet and there in is my concern...getting dry again in colder weather.
In that case I have dry clothes in the rucksack and a coat/fleece to help things along. Some water, food, and a fire kit. Not that I would be burning anything usually. A towel is a nice thing to have if trying to get dry too. And big fuzzy socks..wool would be ideal..warm feet means warm woman.
I know this flies in the face of all that is out there but I wear hip waders in the fall to keep warm. Even damp inside they act like wind pants to keep you warmer.

 

[lowangle al]

I’m just wondering who here has ever needed/used your ditch bag, and under what circumstances.

I had to use mine a week ago on the East fork of the Moose River on Alaska's Kenai Penninsula. It was a last minute decision to go for a paddle and we were getting a late start for a trip that included a five hour round trip drive. The paddle is a little over six miles and takes anywhere from 3 to 5 hours, including a lunch/coffee stop and some fishing/exploring. We didn't get on the road until after noon and wouldn't make it back home until nine or ten, but we didn't feel rushed because the sun wasn't setting until 11:00 PM.

Although it's a beautiful drive I was hoping I wouldn't be too tired to complete it and was wishing we were staying overnight instead. I didn't want to ask my wife to stay over because I knew she had gardening to attend to on Sunday and I didn't want it to impact my planned Memorial Day weekend trip the following week. I had a plan that somehow someway I could turn this trip into an overnighter and avoid the long drive home that evening. I thought I could use some kind of medical emergency to justify staying over and had to think of one that would work without being serious enough to scare my wife. With this in mind I threw a few extras into the ditch kit. The ditch kit was already pretty extensive, with a tent, sleeping bags and pads, chairs, stove, cookware, coffee and some food, so I didn't have to add too much.

We got to our put in about 3:00 PM and headed out with a strong tailwind. We made it to a campsite where we planned to have coffee and lunch in record time. We weren't hungry and didn't want a coffee because we had stopped for one on the drive down. We took a walk, checked things out and then sat down for a break. It was then that the "medical emergency" I was hoping to use popped into my head.

Me, "Wow, my tennis elbow is really acting up"

Wife, "I don't feel like paddling back in this wind"

Me, "We have a tent and sleeing bags"

Wife, "do we have everything we need?"

Me, "Yes, I even have your toothbrush"

Wife, "Ha Ha Ha, I thought you were up to something when I saw you packing oatmeal"

We ended up having a nice night out and had a nice paddle back in calm conditions. Our night out had more to do with the wind than my "tennis elbow" but there was no real emergency. We could have paddled out that evening if we had to but it would have been tough. I was really glad to have such an extensive ditch kit, you never know when you'll need it.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

With this in mind I threw a few extras into the ditch kit. The ditch kit was already pretty extensive, with a tent, sleeping bags and pads, chairs, stove, cookware, coffee and some food, so I didn't have to add too much.

Everything must be bigger in Alaska, including ditches and kits. Regardless, glad you both had a good time. And the drive from Anchorage to the Moose on Kenai is very scenic, assuming no fog or low hanging clouds.