Do they make flotation bags that double as storage bags.
or do they make a dry bags that fit the bow and stern.
My use would be for camping I could pack my sleep system in the bow and stern They would have to open wide to fit bags and pads. The pads and bags are mostly air anyway.
So I am looking for a triangle shaped dry bag. That fits a Old town Discovery. I did some searching but I am not very good at it because when it comes to internet searching.I am not the sharpest knife in the drawer. after about 30 min. of frustration my head explodes. You know the purple smoke thing. LOL
Sounds like a job for DATAKOLL MAN!
Faster than a speeding fiber optic signal!
able to dodge reoccurring pop ups with a single click!
Its a computer! Its bott. NO its DATAKOLL MAN!
come on datakoll do your magic for me man.
joking
You aren’t looking at paddling sites
Take the tent apart into pieces to make it easier to pack. The material parts are all that need to be protected from water.
You don't need bags that are all both air and storage, a well-packed bulkhead of good, watertight dry bags will end up containing some air just in the the dry bags. Add a proper float bag on top and inflate it after loading so that the rest of the stuff doesn't move. That will give you all the air you should need.
Here are some links -
Triangular shaped dry bags - http://www.cascadedesigns.com/sealline/dry-sacks/kodiak-taper-dry-sack/product
http://www.rei.com/c/roll-top-dry-bags?r=category%3Apaddling%7Cpaddling-bags-and-cases%7Cdry-bags%7Croll-top-dry-bags&ir=category%3Adry-bags
Triangular shaped float bags, I googled "kayak float bags" and got a ton of triangular shaped float bags if you need them. One was here - https://www.austinkayak.com/subcategory/215012/Throw-Bags-Tow-Lines-&-Float-Bags/v/500/
Harmony makes them too. Available various sources.
Someone does make a smaller sized bag that is partially storage and partially float, but I can't find them online quickly.
Float/storage
These are intended for skin boats but can go in any kayak. The Baidarka style is probably what you want, I have a set, they’re nice:
http://shop.skinboats.com/Float-Bags-and-Paddle-Floats_c4.htm
NRS sells a wide range, this one looks the nicest:
http://www.nrs.com/product/42070/nrs-hydrolock-kayak-stow-float
Watershed bags are the best
But they are not cheap.
http://drybags.com/
The Futa and the Salmon are triangular bags with the waterproof closure at the wide end.
If it were me, I would use a pair of conventional short tandem flotation bags in the stems and use larger duffel shaped bags for gear storage like the Watershed Colorado. The larger bags not only store more, they are easier to load and unload. They can be pushed out snug against your end bags. You really don’t want weight all the way out in the stems of the canoe anyway.
Tapered bags
I recently purchased two of these: http://www.cascadedesigns.com/sealline/dry-sacks/kodiak-taper-dry-sack/product
I got the 35 liter Wide (from Amazon) and the 35 liter Tall or Long (from Campmor) and tried them both. I was looking to use them to protect a 0 degree F sleeping bag in a kayak for winter camping. I found that while they both just barely fit the sleeping bag, I thought the closure system was less than desirable.
The conclusion for me was…I returned both tapered drybags and I’ve gone back to using a compression bag, then a plastic bag and then in a basic 20 liter SeatoSummit dry bag. I realize that compressing the sleeping bag is not ideal, but it seems to be the best solution in my case.
Also, at about $55, the 35 liter tapered bags are quite spendy.
For your canoe, they might be just the ticket. But for me, again in a kayak, I rather have a variety of bags in different sizes and colors so I can always know what’s in what bag. Another tip that comes to mind is to use the same color for the bags that contain items that absolutely can not get wet. I my case I use yellow for sleeping bag and the two clothing bags. Everything else is less critical of a little moisture.
I also found the pointy end of the tapered bags to be very difficult to stuff a sleeping bag into.
Good luck!
4r
Flotation versus Storage
I’d recommend the same combination as did Pete. End bags - air bags only - are what would work best for the situation you describe. You will need to rig up a system for securing them to the hull, which basically comes down to some kind of meshwork of lines over the top, and a strap or two between the pointy end of the boat and the floor, so the strap(s) kind of wrap around the fat end of the bag and keep it from slipping out from underneath the meshwork.
It’s best if your gear bags are waterproof too, and there are lots of ways to accomplish that, ranging from the best dry bags and packs to regular packs with heavy-duty plastic liners. In a canoe, one or two packs is far better than multiple bags. If you secure the pack to the floor, in the center part of the boat, it will add quite a bit of flotation. As Pete said, you don’t want extra weight in the ends. Keep the weight more toward the middle. If you solo-paddle a tandem canoe, position the packs as close to center as you can, but so the combination of both you and the gear puts the boat in good trim.
Whoops! Canoe.
Back from a trip, I completely missed that. Agree with the others above, a float bag pointy as needed at each end and more regular dry bags behind. But you still may want to separate some parts of the tent like the poles to lay along the keel.