TGP33_at_aol.com wrote: > > Has anyone ever used a plastic garbage bag as an emergency floatation device? > It's already folded, all you have to do is wave it arould until it fills up > enough, squeeze the opening, keep it in front of you and dog paddle to the > shore. I tried it on a lake and it worked fine. It's no substitute for a vest > but it can come in handy. In the old Blue Jacket, the WW II sailor's manual I inherited from my brother, it suggested a sailor use his pants for emergency flotation: take them off, tie off each leg cuff, wave the pants over one's head and then gather the pants as tight as you can around the open waist end. It does work. A couple of years ago a sailor fell overboard from an aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf area. He did the same thing for some 48 hours until rescued by a local fishing boat. You have to keep doing it every 15 minutes or so but it is better than nothing. I know of some swimmers who carry a condom in the small pocket of their bathing suit. It can be blow up and hugged for emergency flotation. I will avoid the obvious wise cracks about other uses leaving that to more childish minds...you know who you are. :-) But I have a question. Why have a plastic bag for such a purpose? Your PFD ain't going to fail if you are wearing it. When do you expect to be separated from your PFD? I can see a large plastic bag as a survival item to help ward off hypothermia or getting chilled while in the water. Get inside the bag and tuck the top in around your chest slipped under your PFD. It would reduce the amount of water that you are warming with your body. If you were wearing shorts and a T-shirt it would greatly reduce heat transfer from your body that is always warmer than the water around you. Not a bad idea for summer time or just on the edges of cold water season when you may be without cold water clothing on you. ralph diaz -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Ralph Diaz . . . Folding Kayaker newsletter PO Box 0754, New York, NY 10024 Tel: 212-724-5069; E-mail: rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com "Where's your sea kayak?"----"It's in the bag." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Wed Aug 25 1999 - 14:56:45 PDT
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