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Are you totally bagged? Spring 2005 Issue Pack up your troubles in a classy, made-to-order waterproof bag. Bill Layman shows you how – because it’s just no fun to have wet gear. The good old days? No way! Boy! Have we got it good these days. by Bill Layman The morning of my sixth day set in with a chilling northeast wind and pelting rain, which not only saturated my clothing, but also the moss, so that I could make no fire. … The night being dark at this season, it was not possible to travel continuously, so, wet and shivering as I was, I lay down on the rocks in the pelting rain to try and sleep, but this was not to be, for my bed soon became a puddle of water, and I was uncomfortable indeed. ... J.W. Tyrell writing of his overland trek from the Elk-Thelon River confluence to Artillery Lake, mid-August of 1900 The rain soon began to descend in such torrents as to make the river overflow to such a degree as soon to convert our first place of retreat into an open sea, and oblige us in the middle of the night to assemble at the top of an adjacent hill, where the violence of the wind would not permit us to pitch a tent; so that the only shelter we could obtain was to take the tent-cloth about our shoulders, and sit with our backs to the wind; and in this situation we were obliged to remain without the least refreshment, till the morning of the third of June —four days later—. ... Samuel Hearne writing of his return by foot to Fort Prince Of Wales, May 30 – June 03, 1772 This storm continued with fury for two days, and during this time, wet and shivering in the tents, we found our only spark of comfort in the brewing and imbibing of hot chocolate prepared over the spirit lamp. ... After reloading our canoes we sped down with the current at a rate of about eight miles an hour, with the wind beating the cold rain and the spray from the crest of the waves in our faces, our only consolation was that we were making miles on the journey … About twelve miles below Schultz we decided to camp. Tents were pitched, and within them our soaked and shivering party sought comfort. Little, however, was to be found, for the wind, which continued to increase in violence, drove the rain through our shelters, saturating the blankets and making us generally miserable. ... J.W. Tyrell writing of yet another storm-stayed campsite on the Thelon River just below Schultz Lake, 1893 Okay, maybe that’s not the first thing you were thinking the last time you were pinned down by a cold and violent storm, with rain that went on day after day. But it’s true, isn’t it? We’re lucky. With catalogues full of waterproof tents, bags, barrels, Gore-Tex clothing, SealLine dry bags, Pelican cases and the like, it’s rare to end up even one percent as miserable as the Tyrell brothers or Samuel Hearne must have been. But no matter how many catalogues you have, you’re going to end up with some kind of gear that just won’t fit the way you want it to in anything you can find. When was the last time you saw a good waterproof bag that will hold your broken down shot gun or fit your new tent as tight as a glove? Once I travelled with a paddler who couldn’t believe I didn’t want to cram my tent into a barrel. He looked at me as if I was a few bricks short of a load. His logic: he didn’t want a wet tent at night. In my view, he’s over-reacting. The tent is always damp in the morning. Putting it into a barrel just gets everything else moist. Besides, a soaking wet tent will dry in minutes when it is erected in anything but a pouring rain. But what if it IS pouring? For those days when the skies have opened up, here’s a hint. Keep a Mountain Equipment Co-op “Mountain Dry Towel” with your tent to mop out the floor once you have the tent up. When I portage I like to carry a barrel with a day pack strapped on top and the tent piled on the tump-line right behind my head. But that means my tent has to be packed loose in the canoe. My dilemma was where to put my tent so that it didn’t get any wetter than it needed to. And thus began my quest to find the perfect water-resistant bag. I finally gave up, but once I started playing around with a sewing machine, I realized I could make my own. A home-made bag can be almost as water-resistant as a SealLine bag and is easily secured in the canoe with the webbing strap daisy chain tie down. The best part is that the bag is easy and cheap to make and gives you bragging rights when someone asks where you bought it. But be warned, once you’ve made one you’ll want to make more. Instructions follow, and they are idiot simple. But be forewarned: you’re on your own when you sew the “very nifty” detail in Step 10. For some reason I can never remember how to sew these corner seams from bag to bag! Truth is, I have to promise to make supper and do the dishes to get Lynda to show me how to do it for each and every bag I make. Diagram notes: Making a waterproof bag Cut out a rectangle of fabric which, when folded, will produce the exact size of bag you need. Heat seam the raw edges with a propane torch. Sew the bag such that the inside is the waterproof side. Fold and sew a 3/8” seam at the top of the cloth (where the bag will open and close). Detail: Sew 3/4” pieces of velcro as indicated near the top of the bag. First, sew the strip of “male” velcro. Note that it will cover exactly half of the strip of prepared fabric. Fold the top of the fabric down, in 3/4” steps, three times, until the velcro lies flat against the material. This marks where you will sew the 3/4” piece of “female” velcro. Make the tie-down on the bag at about the half-way point: sew a piece of 3/4” webbing tape as shown (at both ends and twice in the middle) to form a tie-down daisy chain. Fold the fabric in half and sew along the lines as indicated. I make a 3/8” seam at the side and bottom of the bag. Silicon all seams. (I use the same stuff that I buy to seam-seal my tent.) Once the bag is sewn, you can add an optional “very nifty detail” in each corner. The nifty detail, which is called a mock-box seam, adds a nice finished touch by creating a bottom in the bag, much like the bottom of a paper grocery bag. You’ll have to ask a seamstress how to do it, though. I forget every time I make a waterproof bag, so there’s no way I could hope to diagram it! Turn the bag inside out and you’re done! With luck, the velcro will be in the correct place, and both pieces will mesh. Bill Layman and Lynda Holland have lived in La Ronge for over 25 years. Look for trip reports at www.out-there.com Write them at PO Box 327, La Ronge, SK S0J 1L0.