Wading Personal Floatation Devices

[RunnyD]

Yes, I am saying you should stay off the Bow and leave it for drift boats only, you wade and walkers just get in the way and cause unneccesary bank erosion.

 

I have swam with waders on, why would it be any more difficult? just to smarten you up a bit, water in your waders doesn't weigh anymore than water out of your waters..... you will not sink.... it's called physics, I can lend you a text book that will explain it for you if you want.

 

If you are wading deep water and you wear a PFD you are a retard, all the PFD will do is lift you off the bottom and you will loose footing, use your head for more than wood pecker feed. But you must know this with your countless wading experience on salmon and steelhead rivers

 

Breathe before you respond, I wouldn't want you to stroke out at your keyboard

 

 

"Two men enter, one man leaves!!"

[vhawk12]

What the hell guys? Simma down na. I know RB and he knows of a couple guys who almost died wading on the Highwood this summer, I'll let him tell the story if he wants. Anyway, Jayhad is right that you won't sink with full waders, but wrong when he says it's no harder to swim. Water is no more dense in your waders than out, but if your waders are full, essentially they are now part of your body mass and volume and to move/swim in the water is much more laborious.

 

Just like when Jayhad filled his boat with water going over the Harvey passage, it didn't sink, but I bet it was a hell of a lot harder to row, by the way, what PFD were you wearing Jayhad? And forget water, is it harder to swim with *hit in your waders?

 

Grinr, do you have a separate PFD for the frickin handgun you carry with you? Hope you don't tuck it inside your waders, people might get the wrong idea

[Guest Grinr]

Hey Taco, I guess we don't need 420 to get some excitement around here after all.

Awww dammit,ya figgered me out.

Yes gentlemen.....and Jayhad...my sole purpose for existing on this forum is for yer entertainment pleasure and to pick up the slack during 420's abscence.

Don A,if you recall,I preceeded my comment on manual inflates with "if I'm not mistaken?".......apparantley I was?Wutever.....at one time I knew of NO manual inflates that were DOT approved,perhaps that has changed.My comment was merely meant as a heads up for boaters that might be concerned with compliance with boating regs.

 

Jayhad,physics be damned,if you can swim with chest waders in a strong current and heavy insulating clothing then I still want yer autograph,you ARE amazing.

 

FWIW,I don't even wear a PFD of any kind while wading,I merely agreed it's a good idea based on qu Jayhad/"my extensive experience wading salmon and steelhead rivers"/qu.If you ever got out of your boat once in awhile or waded past your knees,you might agree?And I dont GAF what your physics book says,u r FoS,try it in the real world.Seriously,this summer you should wade out to your chest in a nice warm lake,dressed for winter river fishing,chest waders et all,and go for a lil swim,let us all know how easy-breezy it is?Then in the REAL world factor in icy cold water,strong currents,and the panic that comes with being washed away down a river......good luck to ya Phelps.

 

So no,I currently do not wear a PFD while wading although I probly should,but my 10yo son who swims like a kitten that will be moving here next week and joining me on the Bow for many outings this year definately won't be going anywheres near that river without one.

 

As for my imaginary hand cannon,obviously it won't have its own PFD,rather I will use it if I take a dunk wearing my imaginary PFD as a jet prepulsion device,firing it in rapid succession to propel me back to solid ground.Moot point anyhow,because it's only used on small mountain streams that I can wade across to protect my kids from imaginary grizzlies,cougars and wolves.

[Guest Grinr]

Phew.....now that I got that off my chest,maybe I can get back to some much needed,less disturbed sleep?You guys are just so mean,after crying myself to sleep last night ,rest came un-easy until @ 03:30 I

drank a cpl dbls of liquid courage to help me face the bullies and smoked a fatty to honor the fallen comrade 420........sighhhhhh......zzzzzzzzzzz....

[Taco]

Hey Taco, I guess we don't need 420 to get some excitement around here after all.

Me tinks it'd be a helluva smarter on my part to stay outta this'n now that I irramatated the administration 'round here

[Jayhad]

What the hell guys? Simma down na. I know RB and he knows of a couple guys who almost died wading on the Highwood this summer, I'll let him tell the story if he wants. Anyway, Jayhad is right that you won't sink with full waders, but wrong when he says it's no harder to swim. Water is no more dense in your waders than out, but if your waders are full, essentially they are now part of your body mass and volume and to move/swim in the water is much more laborious.

 

Just like when Jayhad filled his boat with water going over the Harvey passage, it didn't sink, but I bet it was a hell of a lot harder to row, by the way, what PFD were you wearing Jayhad? And forget water, is it harder to swim with *hit in your waders?

 

Grinr, do you have a separate PFD for the frickin handgun you carry with you? Hope you don't tuck it inside your waders, people might get the wrong idea

VHawk, you are correct in saying it with be harder to swim with clothes on versus without. I was assuming wearing waders vs wearing full fishing clothes.

I was wearing a mustang auto inflate, but I wasn't under far enough for it to inflate..... luckily, I would have been swept out of the boat. I was wet wading that day so no waders and no *hit, to much anal pucker.

 

 

Jayhad,physics be damned

 

Yes, that crazy stuff called physics....Grinr you probably know it as witchcraft

[reevesr1]

Wow, I should have been keeping up with this one! Nice to have a good old knock down/drag out.

 

At the risk of parroting vhawk, you are neutrally buoyant if your waders fill. If you relax, you legs will come to the surface because the waders themselves (neopreme more than breathables) are lighter than water, so you are actually buoyant if you ever find yourself with a flooded set of waders (which is no damn fun, buoyant or not). But as vhawk said, you suddenly have a LOT more mass to move around (which is why you should keep that belt tight), so swimming is extremely difficult. Best thing I've been told is that if you get swept away, try to relax and position your feet downstream and use your hands to steer, propel toward shore. I you keep your legs still, you won't notice the mass (back to that neutral buoyancy thing again). As long as there are none of those pesky sweepers in your immediate path, the shore will come to you soon enough. I actually had the pleasure of floating down with my son in this fashion when he got swept away from wading too deep when he was like 14 or so and I jumped in after him. It was easier than I would have thought, just relax, drift, and steer yourself to shore. My son was actually trying to pick up the fly boxes falling out of my pockets while we were taking our unplanned e ticket ride.

 

I will say if I had followed jayhads "if you are over your knees, you've failed" advice, it would never have happened! But I can't say that I haven't been over them a few times since, getting to those gravel bars, islands, etc......

[live2play]

For those of you that have fallen in with a PFD, did it provide enought floatation to overcome the force of the water in your waders?

[RedBeard]

So RedBeard, Between opinions and disagreements, hopefully you will get some useful info from this thread.Use a PFD at your own discretion, but one worn is more effective than one on your boat seat or the shore. Have a great 2013 on the Bow. Time for a diff font.

 

 

Yes I did.. got some good information. Thanks to those who replied with their PFD preferences.

[Guest Grinr]

Well I'll be damned.....look what William Joseph came up with,inflatable waders!

 

 

http://wjblog.net/mobile/mobilePack.php?UC=wst-waders

[bcubed]

Nothing like the illogical 'waders make you drown' fear to push sales...

[Pipestoneflyguy]

I am an evolving minimalist so I don't wear a flotation device on rivers. Don't plan on it either. Hell not even wearing a backpack now, just a patagonia sling - love it BTW

 

 

I have been swept down 4 times (that I can recall off the top of my head) - all of them crossing the Bow or Kicking Horse towards the end of the day when water rose. Agree with most of what said, in how it relates to my experiences, but would add the following.

 

 

There are two scenario's that result in two very different experiences in terms of what can happen.

 

 

Scenario 1 - Spill-over or getting swept away. One spill-over / swept happened at the outlet of Hector into the Bow on 93N, it has a huge delta with feeding whities that hang out far enough out that to reach them, (believe it or not !) you have to wade out at least belly-button deep (unless you have a spey rod). I slipped into a hole, and despite a tight draw string and a belt, a couple big air burps and I was pulled into the current. There was still enough air trapped that my legs rose and, just like they teach you in white-water canoeing, and as Rick said, floated feet first, using my hands and arms to steer and keep my head up, and worked my way to the bank - I probably shouldn't say it but that one was kinda fun not to mention cool and refreshing after a long hot day, that said, repeating the same bushwack twice, this time soaking wet (I wore wading boots in so had to put the waders back on for the hike out - can you say "Chafing")was annoying. I often find myself belly and chest deep in the river, rarely fishing, but often Xing to avoid the nastier of two bushwacks. Sometimes on a hot sunny day, the water just rises faster and higher than you expected. Thats life in the mountains. Expect it if you fish up here.

 

 

The other scenario - is the trip and fall, this one scares me. I discovered it falling backwards into our hot tub (yeah, that happened, and I was helped ! LOL) still wearing my wading gear. There was so much air in my waders I had to claw my hands up the side and lift my upper body weight out of the water manually, was almost impossible. A few weeks later I intentionally went ass-over-tea-kettle in waist deep water at the back of Emerald lake, with a friend, just to see if it was as scary as in the tub - yep, it was terrifying! with all that air trapped in my legs it was almost impossible to get my head to air - my friend had to pull me out. The idea of tripping or getting swept over in fast, knee-waist deep water (Often ideal fishing position) is 10 times scarier to me than slower deeper water IMHO. I thought about buying a floatation device but decided that if I get in trouble I will sacrifice my waders and since I already wear a knife on my waist..... I did test it, it is easy to bend over in the water grab the wader fabric just below the knee (puffed up) and slice them open - just would have to be careful not to cut my leg, but with the few swims I have already done, I know I will stay calm, so I'm not worried, about freaking out or whatever.

 

 

BTW all the times I have been swimming, I never lost my rod - I call it "I could never afford another Helios involuntary rod grip theory"

[fishinglibin]

You must always stay calm in any urgent scenario. Sometimes easier said then done, but with enough training and thought it should be there. Thx for sharing the plunges. Hot tub was kind of funny but still serious. If this happens again, may have to change your name to Bob. haha

[darrinhurst]

So, to sum up, in any water over the top, or swimming in waders scenario, the common theme is to Keep Calm & Chive On......

[Guest Grinr]

Nothing like the illogical 'waders make you drown' fear to push sales...

Yea,I guess it's merely fear mongering if your name is Phelps?For the rest of us terrestrial bound mortals,drowning in waders and/or heavy clothes is a legit cause for concern.

Similarily to Pipestone's experience,a cpl buds of mine once retreived retreived an angler that was floating past them upside down,air filled waders in the air after upsetting his canoe 2 miles upstream.I'll bet if he had the chance for a do-over,he'd have opted to wear his PFD?

On the same river,I witnessed my father and our camp neighbour rescue an old feller that had fallen down while trying to cross a crotch deep fast run.His waders filled and he wasn't able to stand up on his own in the heavy water,stuck there on his hands and knees struggling to keep his head above water,and in immediate and imminent danger of being washed down into the deep pool below.Mind you,he was a frail old man of near 80 years,but he'd fished that river and even that very run and pool for 60+,but if he had been alone that day,he'd of slept with the fishes.

Personally speaking,I've had some damn sketchy river crossings,or just as bad,have waded too far swinging wets and streamers,cast/step,cast/step...then had a helluva time getting back.It's easy to get carried away and not realize how heavy the current is until you're trying to wade back upstream.

Other than that,I went overboard off a lobster boat while tying alongside another boat at the wharf.I was a strong swimmer back in the day,but I can tell ya for afact it's no easy task to tread water wearing oil clothes over top of a hoody and insulated Carhart bibs and rubber boots.I was kickin and treading for all I was worth just to keep my head above water,and while I could easily swim a 1/2 mile freestyle in shorts back then,the 15 seconds it took for the boys to toss me a line seemed like an eternity,and I doubt if I could have lasted much more than another 30 seconds,so you storybook physicists and your neutral bouyancy theory might as well use those fairy tale pages to wipe yer arse with for all the good they are,cuz in the real world where I fish,work,and play,it's damn hard to keep yer head above water,I don't care how good you think you are.An athletic young man stands a chance for a brief window of opportunity to save himself,but if your out of shape,overweight,a smoker,elderly,weak swimmer,or any combination thereof......good luck to ya.

[bcubed]

Bring this post up this summer, and I'll volunteer to hop out of my boat mid river wearing waders and shoot a video.

[SanJuanWorm]

Bring this post up this summer, and I'll volunteer to hop out of my boat mid river wearing waders and shoot a video.

To make it more realistic, be drunk first.

[fishinglibin]

I will help you drink, and film. Can this type of volunteering be put on a resume?

[ÜberFly]

Apparently Brent wants to be the next Hank Pattersen !! LoL

 

Seriously though, if you are going to do this Brent, I'll be there with a throw line (12 years in Water Safety) ! I think it would be a great experiment!!

 

P

 

Bring this post up this summer, and I'll volunteer to hop out of my boat mid river wearing waders and shoot a video.

[fishinglibin]

I would be glad to assist in what ever way needed. First Aid and CPR

[Guest Grinr]

I can help you prepare for your plunge with Marine Emergency Duties training and referals to both a good probate lawyer and life insurance agent.

[ÜberFly]

Not that I'm anticipating anything (other then an invite on a float LoL), but better safe then sorry!!

 

Apparently Brent wants to be the next Hank Pattersen !! LoL

Seriously though, if you are going to do this Brent, I'll be there with a throw line (12 years in Water Safety) ! I think it would be a great experiment!!

P

[bcubed]

Yes I am serious... Pete, can do it somewhere easily accessible like fish creek park

[Pipestoneflyguy]

I just described this thread, from a simple question, to it's development into a plan for someone to jump put of a perfectly good boat in the middle of the river wearing waders, to my missus, her response: "Oh my god, you guys need to get off the internet and go fishing".

 

 

I also survived an avalanche back in 95, someone wanna volunteer to try that out too ! Seriously, are we witnessing the evolution of a redneck cautionary tale here ! Face in palm, shake head !

 

 

And yes, of course I am going to come watch this "go down" lol

[Guest Grinr]

How about Mallard Point during runoff?If I'm to sell any amount of hots and hams there has to be at least a decent chance of a drowning to draw an audience.