Hi all, new to kayaking on the Rogue river here in southern Oregon. I recently bought an Airhead Montana, inflated it to where it felt right but after a bit in the cool river it deflated quite a bit. I understand why this happened, but I have questions. Next time should I over inflated it before leaving? Or will I need to bring a pump along to top off when it deflated? Or is there a better way? Thanks in advance for your help. Mark.
Same thing happens with flotation bags in a canoe. A few minutes after putting on a fairly cool river (50 degrees F, say) they will lose 15-20% of volume. Of course, the float bags have top-off valves that can be inflated by mouth.
I usually blow my bags up tight before putting on. But then, if I pull the boat up on shore in sunny weather, I need to let air out. In your case, I would blow the inflatable up tight before putting on, but I think carrying a pump is a good idea with any inflatable. You could find you have a slow leak in a tube.
And a patch kit.