protecting airbags

[brockers]

does anyone use anything to protect their airbags from damage when upsidedowness over rocks prevails?

brockers

[milkman]

A friend of mine has been covering his airbags with a layer of the 1/2" thick foam people use as backpacking sleeping pads. The trick though is you have to keep the airbags fully inflated so that the pad doesn't slip out when the boat goes over and the cold water shrinks the bag.

Another benefit of covering the bag with the foam is it eliminates the bag flap when the canoe is top of your car and you're jetting down the highway.

[sbroam]

I've never suffered damage from rocks in the river, though it is certainly conceivable. I have damaged bags by dropping a boat on the portage trail and having it roll over onto thorns... While I have come up with a way to protect the boats enroute (two sheets of stiff plastic) but I like this sleeping pad foam idea!

[Larry Horne]

i use a C1 to protect my float bags