Float bag recommendation

Can anyone recommend a set of float bags the will fit the Hemlock SRT? Glenn?

I'm not sure if you are looking for an off-the-shelf or custom bags, but I picked up set of Harmony canoe airbags a couple of years ago and they hold air to the point of just a couple of puffs in the hose every few days will keep them firm.
If you are looking for some really nice custom made bags, try Fall Line Canoes. They are a bit pricy, but have a really good reputation among "hair" whitewater paddlers. They also come in single or double layer bags consisting of a liner and shell.

I remember Glenn mentioning in another thread that he uses 30" bags, made by a maker that's gone out of business but similar to lots of other ones. Something like these, which appear to be the same as Northstar/NRS/etc, just without the branding and the accompanying price hike.

I've been using BPM whitewater 32" bags. Going on year three with them - still going strong. I like how they are covered with a rip stop material to make them a little tougher. Using them in a 16' Old Town thou....

https://bpm-whitewater.com/shop/ols/products/3d-traditional-canoe-airbags-pair

gadabyte said:

I remember Glenn mentioning in another thread that he uses 30" bags, made by a maker that's gone out of business but similar to lots of other ones. Something like these

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Correct, I use 30" nylon 3D bags. And I've only used them when paddling on trips that have whitewater. I use one of the ABS d-rings from Clipper Canoe (which you can buy separately) on the floor about 30" from each nose of the canoe to tie the lashing lines to the floor, and also use the rings for gear tie downs. I string the bag lashing line through the scupper slots of my SRT's slotted inwales.

For size, I guess it also depends on how much volume of the canoe you want to fill and how much open space you want for gear. The more volume you fill with air instead of water, the less kinetic energy the capsized canoe has as it moves downstream. K.E.=1/2 M x (V squared)

My Outrage (12' long) came two 54 " airbags. In my H2Pro (13'2" long) I put a 60" bag in the stern and a 54" in the bow. Or maybe 60" in the bow and 54" in the stern; I forget which.

At 15', the SRT could take some pretty big bags if you wanted to max out the filled volume.

SouthernKevlar said:

For size, I guess it also depends on how much volume of the canoe you want to fill and how much open space you want for gear. The more volume you fill with air instead of water, the less kinetic energy the capsized canoe has as it moves downstream. K.E.=1/2 M x (V squared)

My Outrage (12' long) came two 54 " airbags. In my H2Pro (13'2" long) I put a 60" bag in the stern and a 54" in the bow. Or maybe 60" in the bow and 54" in the stern; I forget which.

At 15', the SRT could take some pretty big bags if you wanted to max out the filled volume.

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Yes, it depends on how much of the boat you want to fill with bags.

The Outrage and H2Pro are dedicated whitewater solos, so the tradition would be to fully bag them. The SRT is not a whitewater canoe; it's a river and lake tripping canoe. You need space for tripping gear.

I wouldn't use the SRT as a whitewater playboat, though it can be maneuvered well enough by a skilled paddler in easy and intermediate rapids. I've never felt the need for full bagging for the kind of day and overnight trips I've done in it. I did install thigh straps in my SRT, which I've used a lot more in lake wind waves that I have in the occasional rapids I've paddled in it.

I can put 60" bags in my RX Yellowstone Solo that I occasionally take on easier whitewater - fills up most of the boat.


A friend of mine does put small end bags in his tripping boat that still leaves room for gear.

I always bought Mohawk float bags - too bad they don't sell them anymore. I'm interested in recommendations as well.

I too have a RX Yellowstone, though technically its a "Wildfire" because it was made during the early production of the RX hulls and before Bell renamed the RX versions as the Yellowstone. It's a project boat I was gifted from a fellow CT.net member (@saltandsky) and I'm in the midst of installing gunnels to ready it for this season.

@eckilson, I'd like to equip mine with similarly sized bags. Are those mohawks or another brand? I'm glad to know that 60" bags seem to fit well.

I have Harmony bags in my Savage River Blackwater flatwater tripping solo. I like the idea of keeping more water out if/when I dump, especially on a big trip. I've got a 54" bag forward and a 48" bag aft. That leaves a space behind the seat that fits my favorite portage pack. The bags are a lot bigger in diameter than is needed, but that doesn't seem to hurt anything but overall weight.

I'm experimenting with a permanent splash cover forward (that stays on, under a transport cover, when car topping), and a removable splash cover aft. The bags are linked to custom pad eyes made from carbon fiber plate and hybrid polyester and Dyneema webbing loops, but that's just backup. The spray covers are intended as the main way that the float bags are secured. I did have to lengthen the inflation tubes.

I might try making some custom float bags later this year, for a better fit, to save some weight, and to (theoretically) make them a bit tougher. diypackrafts.com has good instructions for heat sealing TPU coated fabrics, and makes it sounds simple. Valves are available from NRS.

I was chuffed to find that the Flextail air pump that I use for my sleeping pad also works well on the float bags.