That overheard trail runner at REI gave me a new water crossing trick

I was grabbing some new mole skin last Saturday at the REI in Denver and heard this guy telling his friend to always unbuckle your hip belt before crossing a river. His logic was if you slip and fall, the pack drags you under if it's cinched tight. I'd never thought about that in 8 years of backpacking. I always just crossed slow and hoped for the best. Now I make it a habit to loosen everything before any creek crossing over knee deep. Has anyone else got a simple safety habit they picked up from a random overheard conversation?

2 comments

2 Comments

zarar752d ago

Great, so now I have to add "airline safety briefing" to my river crossing routine. Next thing you know I'll be checking for the nearest exit row and flotation device under my seat. At least this trick is free unlike the $400 ultralight pack they were probably trying to sell him.

mary_schmidt2d ago

Does that mean I should start timing my crossings to see if I can beat the airline's safety demo? In my experience, the more steps you add to a river crossing, the more likely you are to forget something important and end up taking an unexpected swim. I once tried to mentally checklist my way across a fast creek and got so focused on the "check for flotation" part that I forgot to test the depth. Ended up calf-deep in water that was actually waist-deep, and my boots filled up like two little buckets. Your mileage may vary, but I think the best trick is still just watching how the water flows and taking it slow.