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Webbing Carry Harness for Chair Bag and Tapered Dry Bags

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Last round of custom DIY dry bag production I made some Packcloth bags for the giant ALPS Leisure chairs. I don’t bother bringing the OEM cloth bag that came with then; it’s easier to slip the chair into the more generously dimensioned dry bag.

But the OEM chair bag had a shoulder strap, which was handy for a throne that weighs 13 lbs (plus a couple more for the frou-frou wind block extension and sunbrella). Those giant (heavy) chair bags needed a carry strap.

I also made some custom tapered bags, some to fit the stems of decked canoes and some fatter ones for open boats. Any tapered bag is oddly problematic to carry.

tapered bag would definitely benefit from some kind of harness or shoulder straps

Even the smaller Sealline Kodiak tapered bags are awkward to carry very far; they are long enough they drag on the ground if hand carried by the closure straps, and the shape makes them problematic to shoulder carry while wearing a portage pack.

I needed to design and manufacture several sets of strap harnesses. I thought long and hard about how to best accomplish that. And realized the simplest solution was to get Joel up to the shop, sit him at the bench with rolls of webbing, side release buckles and ladder locks, and turn him loose.

The original JB concept used three pieces of 1 ½” webbing, two as adjustable girth harnesses at either end of a linear chair bag. Gobs of adjustability for shoulder strap length and harness girth, but a little busy with hardware (two 1 ½” buckles and four tri-glides).

P5080024 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr

Works well, and we (Joel) made three chair bag harnesses.

P5070020 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr

We tackled the tapered bag harness next. I filled one of the decked canoe tapers with blankets and pillows, set it in front of Joel and sat down to watch him think.

The stem taper bags, despite the volume, are never heavily loaded, and we were going to run short on 1.5” buckles and tri-glides.

Joel pondered a bit. I sat, and watched, and could see his “Ah ha!” moment. He tried to explain the improved design, but lost me demonstrating how to tie a water knot with webbing. Joel has an amazing design-mind for outdoor products. Get him started on WTF gear and boat design flaws you are in for a wild ride spanning the last 40 years. Fun to discuss though.

About that eye for design; I installed carry handle tubing on the painter loops of a spray covered canoe and proudly thought it a neat job.

P5030012 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr

Joel walked in, glanced at it and said “The loops are too small, it’ll crush your fingers angled on a hill”.

Crap, he was very much correct. Fortunately it’s only a couple feet of line wasted at each end, but I’d been admiring those grab loops for two days and never noticed. Freaking savant.

Strap harness concept #2, for various sized tapered dry bags. Much simpler, 1” webbing harness using a single Dritz double ladder lock parachute buckle to cinch around the wide taper end, and a length of (wider, more comfortable) 1.5” shoulder strap, with a webbing loop tied at the end.

The fold-over buckled closure on the tapered dry bag holds that loop of shoulder strap at one end, eliminating one harness loop and buckle, and the remaining buckle end can be adjusted for different taper bag widths/lengths. Joel was noticeably pleased with this elegant solution. So am I.

P5070022 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr

I had Joel in the shop, which is always a pleasure. Without a boat to occupy our attentions for the first time. I had a crap load of webbing, and enough buckles and tri-glides to keep Joel busy.

We kinda lost count on how many we made. Seven shoulder strap harnesses.

P5080032 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr

Hummm, looks like we made some extra. Maybe someone, somewhere has a giant 13lb Leisure chair dry bag, and a decked canoe taper bag, and could use a couple of carry harnesses, if only for walking into camp hands-free convenience.

They do look kinda like bondage equipment, or sex swings. Or so I’m told. Probably needs a faux mailing label and product description from “SEX SWINGS R US
 
Mike, could you please post a picture of your sex swing for us W/C folk who are more familiar with the traditional way of doing things.:eek:

While I am not a traditionalist in canoe construction, canvas packs or wannigans, I do like a blend of the old and new when it comes to swinging securely.

P5120035 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr

Let’s play a game. ID the manufacturer who used that seat style.
 
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