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Spanish Fly for Overnight Trips

Posted: Thu Sep 17, 2009 2:51 am
by Marc Evans
Anyone done a self supported multiday trip in a Spanish Fly? If so, what is your weight, how much gear did you take, how long were you out and how did it work for you? I love the Sfly, and wonder if it is worth working on a bag/floatation system for a 3 or 4 day trip, or just going with the MR Outrage for my overnight trips.

Marc

Posted: Thu Sep 17, 2009 2:28 pm
by marclamenace
SF for overnight trip 3-4 days? :o

Dude seriously, if you ever find a way to fit all your gears in there you still wouldn't be able to bring beer for sure. Just please don't tell us you wanna go there... :cry:

Posted: Thu Sep 17, 2009 2:42 pm
by sbroam
I thought that was what rafts were for? :o

Posted: Thu Sep 17, 2009 3:18 pm
by jscottl67
Get an inner tube and lash the keg in ;)

Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2009 2:27 am
by Marc Evans
OKAY, OKAY. I thought it was probably a bad idea, but had to ask. The SFly is so much more fun than the my Outrage.

There are several 50 - 100 mile runs in my area that are available to canoes late in the season (Selway, South Fork of the Salmon, Middle Fork of the Salmon, etc.), but not rafts. I was just trying to figure out a way to have fun while going minimalist. I recall that Bearboater and The Great Gonzo have made a few multiday trips in their Finkenmeisters. So, I thought I might be able to get away with it in the SFly. I'll set up the MR Outrage for tripping.

Bye the way, some people seem to be capable of carrying their beer in small boats:

Image

Congratulations on your win Jeremy!

Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2009 3:20 am
by cadster
Overnight trips are why I held onto my Cascade for so long.

I ran the SF Salmon, Jarbidge/Bruneau and Owyhee in it. Deep Creek to Three Forks was the longest trip of at least five nights.

I wouldn't say the Cascade was a lot of fun to paddle, but it had the space for self-contained trips.

Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2009 5:14 am
by philcanoe
just attempted one last month...

a overnighter in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison using a S.Fly.... unfortunately it ended prematurely, due to equipment failure... however it was happening for 2-3 miles with minimal gear ... planned on sleeping in my drysuit, so no sleeping bag... had food, extra dry clothes, sleeping pad, and emergency (space blanket type) shelter just in case... there were three of us boating, so my shared gear was a water filter, another had the stove, and another a first aid kit.... we all had extraction kits (rope, runners, biners, pulley)... in this case you sleep in a overhanging cave (so no tent - that would have been 2much most likely) .. only thing missing was a spare paddle, so it's still hasn't been open boated

just guessing...

but with a Big Agnes blowup pad, and something like a go-lite (pack to nothing) sleeping bag you might gain some much needed extra room; however having just returned from multi day Selway and Middle Fork trips it would be truly roughing it

Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2009 5:43 am
by kslund
You could probably do it if you went no frills. Why not start small with a couple of overnighters and work your way up to 3-4 nights.

Wrt the Black Canyon
only thing missing was a spare paddle, so it's still hasn't been open boated
Somebody open-boated it - there's a pic on the front page of rockymountaincanoeclub.org

were talking to some kayakers at the takeout for that run and they said who that is in the pic - I can only remember the last name since it's the same as mine - Lund. Open boater from montrose I think. Anyone know who it is?

Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2009 12:48 pm
by cadster
I'm pretty sure the RMCC web page photo in the Black Canyon was of Alan Whittern.

I would expect Shawn Lund to have done the run in an OC1, too.

Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2009 3:29 pm
by marclamenace
Last year I was thinking the other way around: I'm using my ME for overnight trips. I can put 3 big barrels in there without using the space under the XL 60 inches bags. So I thought of using the space in the stern to fit a playboat!

So if you have to move with that big thing (which is fun anyways in class 2-3 stuff) you can still play in that wave nearby the camping spot!

I wasn't able to do it yet; my C1 amp is still too big to fit in there but the day I'll be buying one of those little 6 feeter playboat I'm sure it'll work fine.

:wink:

Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2009 5:06 pm
by Open Gate
I've often taken smaller boats on ww trips(for the obvious reasons) using my Esquif Canyon to carry the gear and the small boat of choice. I tie the boat behind me in the Stern, on top of the float bag perpendicular to the Canyon (T shape).

OK it catches in the wind and is not very aesthetic, but it also acts as a back rest, does not interfere running reasonnable WW and you have the small boat handy for all the fun stuff...

Works for me !!!

My $0.02

Posted: Sat Sep 19, 2009 1:29 pm
by philcanoe
kslund wrote:Somebody open-boated it - there's a pic on the front page of rockymountaincanoeclub.org
Thanks, good to know....

...the Durango area boaters I was with had no knowledge and added that 1st-d part, I just wanted to get in there after seeing it.

Posted: Sat Sep 19, 2009 2:54 pm
by cadster
Alan and probably Shawn ran it at least ten years ago, before most of todays kayakers were even in of high school.

Did you talk to any canoeists in Durango?

Posted: Sat Sep 19, 2009 11:09 pm
by philcanoe
never did meet any other local openboaters while there? that would have been nice....


BTW - my sleeping pad in a dry bag, slid really well under the front airbag - via the bulkhead - through a knee opening

Re: Spanish Fly for Overnight Trips

Posted: Sat Nov 10, 2012 3:06 am
by cadster
Here's the Black Canyon photo.