not the only one
Posted by: pblanc
on Feb-22-13 10:14 AM (EST)
Mark is not the only person to make such a suggestion. This is an excerpt from "Canoeing: A Trailside Guide" written by Gordon Grant, a former head of whitewater instruction at the Nantahala Outdoor Center.
"What about lashing all those waterproof containers into the canoe in case of a flip? There are two schools of thought on this. In one, all the gear is lashed in tightly so that there is no way it can shift at all. In the other, a single line is laced through the packs' handles attaches them to the canoe at only one point -- usually one of the thwarts. Although it seems to go against common sense, I prefer the second method for lake travel. There is no need for tight lashing as long as the packs fit fairly snugly in the boat. The purpose of the line is to keep your gear from floating away in the event of a flip. The line should be long enough that the packs will float alongside the canoe while you empty it of water. If the packs are securely lashed in, it is very difficult to empty the boat of water without unloading everything. Even in shallow water, lifting a canoe with packs in it is very difficult; having the packs lashed in makes gunwale-over-gunwale rescues improbable indeed."
Note that Gordon only recommends this method for lake travel.