Fundamentals of Swimpacking

In this blog I am addressing more frequent questions that people often ask me and later will discuss some ideas that I have how to decrease the drag from a bag. But first: Bag towing update: Recently I have tried a new technique for bag towing that worked much better then the one I suggested before (ankle mount). This time I have tried to tie single rope on a tightening knot to my waste and the other end to the bag. The rope had 3 floaties made out of pool noodle above my heals to prevent the rope tangling in my feet. This setup completely freed up my feet adding a bit of power and prevented rocking of the bag (increased efficiency). I will be using this setup in future. Question: Why does the bag not sink? This was one of the first questions that we wanted to answer when me and Martin first went for a swimpacking day-trip. We stuffed our dry bags  with everything that we would bring to a multi day ...

Swimpacking in Dniester River near Dubosari town Imagine an island or a beach that no roads or trails lead to. It is close enough that you can swim there but too far for a return in the same day. Or imagine a loop that links 3 lakes and a part of the ocean that you would like to swim but it 50 km and you cannot swim this much in one day. A potential solution for both scenarios is to pack everything you need for a normal overnight camping trip in a dry bag, tie it with a rope to yourself and swim on to your destination. You can read more about swimpacking in my  previous blog . Being a newborn sport, swimpacking suffers from technical and technological backwardness. I believe that it is not forever and that swimpacking will eventually get its own specialized equipment, enhanced style of swimming and navigation. In the meanwhile I want to discuss solutions to the challenges using existing gear and knowledge.  How to tie a dry bag to swimmer's body to allow for full...

In search of the most pristine nature that BC can provide, me (Ilya Capralov) and Martin Cermak have discovered a new touring style – Swimpacking. To reach lakes Hobiton and Tsusiat located on the West Coast of Vancouver Island, we tied drybags with food, clothes and camping gear to our backs and swum towards one of the largest and wettest old growths in BC. The hidden jewels of Vancouver Island remained unclaimed, but the lessons learned from the trip have powered further explorations of Swimpacking and may one day help us or someone else to finish our initial goal and add Lakes Tsusiat and Hobiton to the list of conquered peaks, bike trails and ski lines. In these fundamentals I have zealously collected and recorded our experience and lessons that we’ve learned throughout our swimpacking trips in hope that someone will find in swimpacking their new passion (and I won’t have to swim alone again). *** Chapter 1: Genesis Martin Cermak is environmental fundamentalist. When we go...