Water Anchors

[Erik B]

There have been some interesting Macgyver-esque thoughts on the forums about water anchors but so far it seems like the agua-anchor and the soon to be water pocket are the only front runners.

Here's the thing...I loath carrying more gear. Has anyone explored using a large drybag protected by 1) the sandtrap or 2) their pack as a water anchor?



In the video I used the 25 Liter Vargo drybag which weighed 45lbs. Given favorable geometry, how much weight do you all estimate is necessary to hold an average size canyoneer (with an additional healthy margin of error)?

...just a thought.

[Mojave Silence]

I think I would use a more rugged dry-bag though, a plastic one like this perhaps:
http://www.seattlesportsco.com/produ...&idcategory=11

How did you rig the release on the above video, does the dry-bag have the standard male/female buckle?

[Erik B]

I think I would use a more rugged dry-bag though, a plastic one like this perhaps:
http://www.seattlesportsco.com/produ...&idcategory=11

How did you rig the release on the above video, does the dry-bag have the standard male/female buckle?

I absolutely agree that a more rugged dry bag (WITHOUT the valve) would be necessary. Even so, I think the dry bag would need to be protected (sand trap? backpack?)

The bag I used does have a male/female buckle but it also has "D" rings near the clips. I tied the D rings with a releasable hitch rather than clipping the bag together.

I'm curious to hear if anyone has explored this avenue.

[Bootboy]

I'm using a similar idea for the closure on the Waterpocket. 2 D-rings laced with a bight of rope to seal the bag. I toyed around with the idea of using 2 dry bags in a sand trap but decided I wanted better weight distribution over the available surface area. A Sand trap actually cradles 2 30L dry bags pretty well. For several reasons, I decided to go with a purpose built proprietary unit. I'm working on a modification to the Waterpocket that will allow you to open either end of the unit for drainage for greater versatility and the ability to get the setup right for the given rock geometry. Unfortunately, a trip to test the improved design isn't on the horizon yet.