I was just thinking about my emergency "go bag" and thought I'd mention a strange and basically "free" tip...
Other than flares, both electronic and pyro, I also keep an ACR PLB400 ResQLink, AF- Signal mirror, Handheld Waterproof Marine VHF, Marine Whistle, some paracord, couple quarts of fresh water, ACR Strobe light..... in my go bag which is a vinyl "dry-bag". If the shite hits the fan, everyone knows that the go bag and the ACR EPIRB are what get top priority.... If time permits, I also have two full immersion suits onboard.
But I also keep 4 emergency DYI flotation units in my go bag! For anyone that drinks "box wine" ....like me.....these units are basically free. It's the bladder thats inside the box. Once the wine is gone, you just hold the "valve" open and fill the bladder with water a few times and completely rinse it out. Then drain it completely and then wrap it up to a size that's a bit bigger than a golf ball and wrapped with a rubber band. For emergency flotation, you just press the valve lever and manually blow it up and it creates a solid flotation bladder that has about 15-20 lbs of positive buoyancy. If my Class V vest ever failed then this is my back-up.
I'm telling ya that these bladders are super tough and robust. Once blown up, I can literally stand on top of the inflated bladder and can't pop it...and I weigh 250lbs... In an emergency you can tuck one or two of these under your shirt or jacket and it can make the difference.
And....the Kirland Cab is really pretty darn good!
Anyway.....Happy New Year....and Cheers to all!
Other than flares, both electronic and pyro, I also keep an ACR PLB400 ResQLink, AF- Signal mirror, Handheld Waterproof Marine VHF, Marine Whistle, some paracord, couple quarts of fresh water, ACR Strobe light..... in my go bag which is a vinyl "dry-bag". If the shite hits the fan, everyone knows that the go bag and the ACR EPIRB are what get top priority.... If time permits, I also have two full immersion suits onboard.
But I also keep 4 emergency DYI flotation units in my go bag! For anyone that drinks "box wine" ....like me.....these units are basically free. It's the bladder thats inside the box. Once the wine is gone, you just hold the "valve" open and fill the bladder with water a few times and completely rinse it out. Then drain it completely and then wrap it up to a size that's a bit bigger than a golf ball and wrapped with a rubber band. For emergency flotation, you just press the valve lever and manually blow it up and it creates a solid flotation bladder that has about 15-20 lbs of positive buoyancy. If my Class V vest ever failed then this is my back-up.
I'm telling ya that these bladders are super tough and robust. Once blown up, I can literally stand on top of the inflated bladder and can't pop it...and I weigh 250lbs... In an emergency you can tuck one or two of these under your shirt or jacket and it can make the difference.
And....the Kirland Cab is really pretty darn good!
Anyway.....Happy New Year....and Cheers to all!
