Pack floatation using hootchies

[Kindlling]

Here's a vid for making packs safe for the water using hutchies.

After searching this info seems surprisingly scarce , so wanted to share it .

Good for if the canoe were to tip , and making debri rafts too I imagine.

 

[Blake]

Nice find Kindlling,

I have done this once before using a combination of my pack's rain cover and hoochie, works well. I first saw this in a Bush Tucker Man episode a while back, only short but here is the clip.

 

[Chigger]

Have seen bushwalkers and canyoners do much the same thing as in the army video although not to such a level of sophistication. Just wrapped their pack up in a hoochi, tie the ends up securely with some handy cord and into the water.

Canyon bags which are large heavy duty plastic bags were used as well.

 

[Randall]

Have seen bushwalkers and canyoners do much the same thing as in the army video although not to such a level of sophistication. Just wrapped their pack up in a hoochi, tie the ends up securely with some handy cord and into the water.

Canyon bags which are large heavy duty plastic bags were used as well.

Traditionally walkers bag everything in plastic bags inside the pack. I've done it many times. Swim across with a light tow line, then haul the pack over. The pack protects the plastic bags inside.

 

[Bloffy13]

I have done pack minties many times over the years but not how those guys did it.
When I was green, we used just one hootchie per pack. Pack in the middle, fold the edges up to the top to overlap, then one person would twist clockwise and the other counter clockwise, bring the twisted parts to the top and tie ends together. Then you helped your mate do his. You then swam across with your rifle on the top so you maintained security. At other side, just unwrapped it quickly, duck shoved bit and kept going.
Nothing got wet. Did it once as a training exercise in a pool and tied four minties together and floated it from one end to the other of a 25m pool with a female member on top. She stepped on dry, got off dry, all our gear was dry and it took about two minutes each pack, tops.
Have also just shoved my pack into my bivvy bag, with the sleeping bag still in the bottom, rolled the top down, made sure the roll was at the top and swum that across. Worked a treat. Wiped excess water off with shemagh, duck shoved it and kept going. That was pretty cool.
I have a couple of good pack covers, wonder if you could just make a kind of coracle with them. Might give it a try one day.
Cheers
Bloffy

 

[Randall]

Just looked at the video - lotus flowers mean still or very slow water, but generally not running water. You'd have to make more of an effort than that to cross most rivers Looked at the army one - looks good, but again in fast flowing water, I reckon they're going to lose their packs. OK on the Murray river and the Torrens maybe On faster water, I'd still go with a tow line. You often end up down stream of your pack, but you can haul it over more than fast enough. Pick a spot with an eddie to haul into too if you can.

 

[Kindlling]

I have done pack minties many times over the years but not how those guys did it.
When I was green, we used just one hootchie per pack. Pack in the middle, fold the edges up to the top to overlap, then one person would twist clockwise and the other counter clockwise, bring the twisted parts to the top and tie ends together. Then you helped your mate do his. You then swam across with your rifle on the top so you maintained security. At other side, just unwrapped it quickly, duck shoved bit and kept going.
Nothing got wet. Did it once as a training exercise in a pool and tied four minties together and floated it from one end to the other of a 25m pool with a female member on top. She stepped on dry, got off dry, all our gear was dry and it took about two minutes each pack, tops.
Have also just shoved my pack into my bivvy bag, with the sleeping bag still in the bottom, rolled the top down, made sure the roll was at the top and swum that across. Worked a treat. Wiped excess water off with shemagh, duck shoved it and kept going. That was pretty cool.
I have a couple of good pack covers, wonder if you could just make a kind of coracle with them. Might give it a try one day.
Cheers
Bloffy

I've started carrying 2 hutchies now in my pack.what I'd call a luxury worth its weight. In good weather not having to crawl around like a worm in the shelter when they're clipped together for added height, or having the extra one clipped up for a bivvy bag if the rain is getting in or the cold. Even for groundsheet type configuration etc.

I also got a adf pack liner , with the string around the top, I wouldn't count on that being completely watertight for a long period of time in the water though.

Its good to hear about the female floating on top of 4 packs.

I was wondering how much the maths of buoyancy would be per pack. Considering the weight vs trapped air ratio , that sounds pretty impressive.

 

[Timbo]

Reminds me of the old cadet days traversing rivers. The possibility of a long wet march back was the best incentive to get it right. I still have my OD hoochie and would love to get another of the same size but they seem to have changed a while back to a smaller design.