Bag vs barrel

[Bob B.]

I switched from barrels to bags a good while ago. For me, I like how bags fit in a canoe. when On a portage, I take my canoe with a tump and a shoulder worn canvas bag ( contains rain gear, lunch, trail food, water in a nalgene ) then on the second trip I tump my much larger canvas sack, like ditty bag, that contains the rest of my gear and food. Once in camp my food in odorless bags are hidden, not hung and always in 2 separate places. Barrels work great, they just are not for me.

Bob.

 

[Bob B.]

Koza2o,

the 2 barrels I own do not have a vent tab and are water tight. Also, 2 fit in my largest canvas bag so I could carry two at one time.

 

[yellowcanoe]

Barrel person here. Mice chewed through my hung pack once in Algonquin.
Since switching to barrels no problem
We sometimes have no trees to hang from or really weak spindly only
I have a couple of Ostrom harnesses and carrying 30 or 60 liter barrels is comfortable.
Ursak is another option but I wonder about squashing

 

[koza2o]

Możesz mi powiedzieć o tym odpowietrzniku na pokrywie beczki?

 

[yellowcanoe]

Możesz mi powiedzieć o tym odpowietrzniku na pokrywie beczki?

Google translate ( the best I can do) Can you tell me about that vent on the barrel lid?

 

[Alan Gage]

Hey everyone . I have an unusual question. I am from Europe - Poland. I want to buy a barrel but it makes no sense to order from Canada or the US if we have the same ones at home. There is one problem. Ours are identical but no one uses canoes because everyone kayaks here. Few people have canoes. Our barrels are used to store food and hazardous materials. These barrels are visually the same as yours. These barrels have a yellow vent piece. The manufacturers do not test them to be waterproof when the barrel falls into the water. They can't promise me. Do your barrels also have this yellow vent? Help!!!

I'm pretty sure I've seen new barrels with the vent. If I remember correctly it was removed before using the barrel. I think the purpose of the vent is only for manufacturing and shipping to keep the barrel from becoming pressurized or de-pressurized.

I once bought a used barrel that was shipping from across the country. It did not have a vent and when I received it the lid was sealed in place and the barrel was completely collapsed from an internal vacuum.

Alan

 

[MrPoling]

These barrels have a yellow vent piece.

I believe Alan Gage is correct - the vent is probably a removable part of the packaging. I bought barrels last year, they came with a vent tab.

I imagine this is an issue for folks traveling by floatplane, but I've not read how it is dealt with.

 

[koza2o]

Dzięki, jestem coraz bliżej zakupu beczki

 

[Bob B.]

powodzenia.

 

[recped]

I imagine this is an issue for folks traveling by floatplane, but I've not read how it is dealt with.

Float planes don't generally fly at an altitude that where this would cause an issue. I've also carried a barrel as aircraft luggage in planes that would be flying at "normal" heights (20 - 30,000 ft) without issue.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

no one uses canoes because everyone kayaks here. Few people have canoes.

I don't recall another member from Poland. I'm curious whether you have a canoe if they are so rare in Poland. If you do have a canoe, what kind of canoe do you have and where did you get it?

The manufacturers do not test them to be waterproof when the barrel falls into the water. They can't promise me.

Most of us use bags, barrels or containers of some sort that may not be 100% waterproof in terms of not leaking after a long period of underwater submersion. It's sufficient if they can keep out rain and bilge water, and can float for a while without allowing the contents to get soaked. A few teaspoons of leakage is tolerable, especially if the items in the bags or barrels are themselves packaged or sorted into semi-waterproof bags or containers.

In any event, you can test a barrel by yourself. Just throw it in your local lake or pool, or spray it with a hose, and see what happens.

 

[Pseudonym]

I bought a new barrel this year from Recreational Barrel Works and it shipped with the same vent tab (mine is red). It'll work fine.

Here's what they say about the tab on their website:

The red-tab is a vacuum/pressure release for the seal in the lid. If a large temperature or pressure change occurs barrels can form a vacuum (often displaying the sides of the barrel sucked inward) or become pressurized. A pressurized barrel can shoot the lid upward when you take the ring off. A vacuum could mean you can’t pull the lid off. This problem doesn’t usually happen during field use unless the barrel is sitting in direct sunlight for an extended period. To install the vacuum release pull-tab (or substitute a cable tie) insert through one of the two available slots in the lid before you close the barrel. Pulling the tab out will temporarily break the vacuum or release the pressure so you can remove the lid.


RBW mostly ships 60L barrels with the red-tab installed and/or the ring not sealing the lid onto the barrel to avoid the barrels becoming pressurized during transportation. The 30L and 20L barrels tend to react less to pressure and temperature changes because of their smaller size.

 

[koza2o]

You've helped me a lot with your recent posts. I'm definitely going to buy a barrel. Kayaks are popular in Poland, not canoes. Prijon is probably the most popular. I use the Old Town Discowery 158 with my sons or by myself. I bought the canoe used from a regional kayaking instructor. He has several canoes and lots of different types of kayaks. He imported these canoes from the States.