Float tube carrying rack, or back pack rack...

Float Tube Fishing Float Tubing General
1

…Don’t know what else to call it. My newest project since now I see the need to pack my tube in for some longer distances. My tube is similiar to a kennenbeck accept the foam seat is larger and it has a foam back to the seat as well as foam “spacer” between the rear pontoons. This makes it impossible to fit in a back pack.

My plan is to fabricate a “carrying rack” that I can add straps to or some how incorporate into a back pack. Would look similiar to the frame of a hikers pack and I would attach the tube via bungee cords or some other means. The material would be PVC tubing and the thinest/lightest I can get away with, using a series of T’s and elbows to form a small rectagular frame with 2 support brackets at the lower end.

Has anyone tried this before or have any ideas?

2

Hey there hustler898,

You have but to ask here on the tubin’ board and someone will come along with something.[:)]

I have 100+ ‘sketches to illustration’ and I just happen to have this project in there. Although this unfinished, sketch is pretty general, it’s my take on the tube pack with a great big ol’ twist and a plus.

Within my building instructions, I have made just one comment and that is that there is some plumbing tubing that is strong but thin walled and lighter than PVC and can easily accept a standard straight rod handle (alter for fly rods)

My unfinished sketch is attached.

JapanRon

3

Nice design! I’m going for something simpler though. Just a rectangular frame that can be pulled apart easily and stored in the tubes large rear pocket. Maybe 2 rod holders on the frame for carrying rods in also if thats feasible. I got the material just need to throw it togethe and see how it works.

Any more designs, I would like to see. I find it ver interesting :slight_smile:

4

:sunglasses:How far do you mean by “longer distances”?

If you mean less than a mile, almost any method will work, as long as you have proper weight distribution to keep from straining your back.

If you are thinking high mountain lake pack-ins, then you might wanna think about a lightweight round tube, especially designed for pack in. The mini-pontoon craft are too big, bulky and weighty to make good candidates for long pack trips.

In the middle, you can use a good pack frame to lash the craft in place and trudge it to your destination. You can buy a quality lightweight pack frame, complete with scientifically attached straps and buckles…or you can get out the PVC and cement and go head on til your head hurts.

A couple of the earlier model round tubes I bought came complete with pack straps, etc. My Super Fat Cat has D rings on the underside that are strategically placed to accomodate snaps for pack straps. I don’t use them. I attach a single strap across the widest set of D rings and carry it across my forehead, like a tump line.

If you don’t want to spend a lot of time and money, you might hit a swap meet or some yard sales and look for a good buy on a used backpack. In most cases, you should be be able to adapt it to lashing down your craft. Nylon rope and/or bungee cords should get the job done.

if you need to transport your craft deflated, due to narrow trails and restricted overhead, then I might suggest this. I had thought of trying it myself. Buy or make your frame. Then attach a large chunk of light tarp at the bottom. Roll up the tube and then bring the tarp up over it and secure it at the top. You can haul a pretty good sized load that way, without being restricted by what a pack manufacturer thinks is ample space.

Let us know if you come up with a world beating idea. If you want some more input and discussion, bring it on back. I can send a pic of the “tumpline” strap system I use, or I can diagram the frame and tarp pack system if you can’t translate my ramblings.

5

Hey Pat what you still doing here? I thought we got rid of you???:laughing:. I’m talking around a mile tops. I have Jordenelle in mind. I want to get my tube way up the perimiter trail, lauch and tube back to the exit area. Seems like a good plan because the wind is almost always blowing east. Fishing off a boat has spoiled me! I know of some good spots but they are extremely difficult to fish from shore! I tried once and just snag up alot :(.

I got a frame thrown together out of 1/2" PVC. Seems to be fine just need to attach the straps some how and make some adjustments. The tube is too bulky with the pontoons inflated. Wind or any overhanging branches would be a hindrence. I would carry it in deflated and use good old lung power or a small hand pump to inflate. I thought about wrapping it in a tarp for areodynamic reasons as well as avoiding any potential damage to the tube. Still not shore if the tarp idea would be feasible due to limited amount of space on the tube.

Lets take a look at the “Tump line” setup as well as the tarp pack system. I may give one a try.

6

:sunglasses:Got Rid of me? Can you say “co-moderator”?

Trudging a tube is the way I used to fish the far side of Deer Creek. I drove back in around Midway, parked and then hiked a mile or so up the track to some rock slides. Fished the afternoon breeze back to the end of the rocks and got out to go home.

It can be a hike, but it can also be worth it. Those were the days when I had a round tube and it was not too heavy. Only one rod, no electronics and battery, etc. These days I don’t know if I could make it that far.

I am attaching a pic of the underside of my Fat Cat. The bottom side is the best side to have against your back if you are packing in. And, arrange your gear to rest down against the back rest of the seat, and bungee it down to keep from dropping things.

I don’t have a pic of me fully loaded up with the Super Fat Cat. That might scare off some newcomers. I carry a pretty good load, but if it is properly balanced I can trudge for a long ways. Here’s one of me in my former Kennebec though.

7

I gotcha covered. TubeDad.

Don’t those guys know that you don’t throw away an old Tube. You just patch it and keep on going.:sunglasses: It doesn’t hurt to have a spare as a backup too.

8

:sunglasses:Hey Hustle Man, I remembered how I used to carry a bedroll and “necessities” for short pack-in trips when I was a kid. I don’t remember who showed me how to do it, but it worked.

The basics are to just do a big loose strap and then shove your arms down through the loop and bring the ends up over your shoulder…like I show in the crude hand-drawn illustration.

For hauling a tube, you would need anywhere from five to six feet of strap, with clips or hooks on the ends to attach to D rings on the tube. You could pre hook them or hook them up after getting the strap mostly in place. If you had an assistant along, it would make it easier, but it isn’t tough if you work on it.

Nylon straping material is cheap and you can make an adjustable connector on one end, to allow easy changes if you need them. You can roll it up and stow it in a pocket when not in use, and it is a lot lighter than a bunch of PVC.

9

Thanks for the diagram. Looks like a possible solution. I’ll have to give it a try. I did manage to get a frame together using PVC and shoulder straps. Tied it all down with bungee cords, strapped it on my back and took a little stroll around the house. I see some potential problems. First the pontoons when deflated bunch up in the shell at the bottom making it uncomfortable to carry as they sway when you walk. Second, when I add flippers and booties to the pack it throws the ballance all off. I need to figure out a way to remedie that. Third the straps are thin so they tend to dig in to the shoulders. After a few min. of hiking in I can see how that could become a painfull proposition.

Other than that the wieght is manageable and would be a perfect solution for short distances. Many times I need to carry my gear about 500 yards or so and by the time I get to the water my hand is numb from holding on to the carry strap. With the perimeter trail in mind at Jordenelle, I’m not sure how far I would be able to trudge all that gear. I’m not to familiar with the trail since I follow the trails through the trees and shrubs. I think I need to scout it out first. I’m guessing it’s wide and not too rough. I’m hopeing that it stays near the water so I can get down easily without much time wasted walking a winding road.

If the trail is in decent shape and not to hilly or rocky a better alternative would be to wheel it in. I got one of those small luggage hand trucks that might do the job. I’m determined to get my tube way in there because when I do I know it will be more than worth it.

10

:sunglasses:I wouldn’t recommend carrying your craft in a partially inflated or uninflated mode. Air it up tight and it will provide better balance and rigidity. And, you won’t have to mess with getting the air chambers straight when you are ready to go fishing.

If you use a frame or that strap arrangement, you can carry the tube with either the top or bottom up against your back. I recommend the latter, and use bungee cords to lash down your net, basket and other loose items…as in the pic below. I have a basket of fish covering the home made stretch cord bungees.

Finally, it is a pain carrying everything in your hands. I still carry my rods and fins in my hands, and my battery in a pocket on my fishing vest. TubeBabe doesn’t have the hand strength to carry all that load a long ways, so I rigged up a waist belt for her, using an old skin diving belt I had. She straps the fins and the battery around her waist and carries only her rods in her hands…after getting the Fat Cat balanced on her noggin with the tump line.

Batteries do not usually come with carrying handles. I added one, using nylon rope and the all purpose duct tape. Quack Quack. You don’t have to watch out for acid spills when carrying or using the SLA batteries, so they ride fine hanging on a belt. You could also use a heavy mesh contractors’ belt, or anything else that would hold your gear and ride comfortably.

Still another alternative would be to hang a strap across your chest “bandolier” style, with the fins and battery, etc., hanging off to one side. This is not nearly as comfortable on a long trek.

If nothing else, going through this exercise will make you think carefully about what is vital and what is not absolutely necessary on a tubin’ trip. Those extra six packs don’t look so good when you gotta think about how you are going to carry them…and how much weight is involved.

11

“I wouldn’t recommend carrying your craft in a partially inflated or uninflated mode.”

Do you mean fully inflated? It seems the frame I made fits perfectly around an old backpack I have (empty of course). I think I found the solution[:)]. Fully or partially inflated would mean less work at the launch site. I will try that and see how it feels. From the info I got from Senkonate doesn’t seem like their would be much problems with obstructions on the trail. It will all boil down to how far I can get carrying that weight up and sown hills. I’m not a backpacker/hiker, not used to lugging 30+ pounds on my back (guesstimate). I plan on going lite only one rod no sonar, some senkos hooks and a small assortment of lures. Three bottles of water if I can manage, pliers, tube of insect repellant and maybe an energy snack to keep me going. Should be an adventure once I finally get out there.

12

:sunglasses:**Keeerect. I mean take the sucker fully aired up to the max. Then all you gotta do when you get there is float your boat and start fishing. That’s always how I pack mine down to the water. **

I am probably a bit ahead of you in the backpacking department. I used to live in California and hiked the full length of the Muir trail in the Sierras…over a period of years. But, I did make a lot of pack trips in to little lakes full of golden trout. Also got lots of nice brookies and the occasional rogue brown, as shown in the attached pics.

The key to successful packing is to balance your load and have comfortable pack straps. If everything comes together right, you can carry a lot of weight easily. The wrong setup, however, and even a light load gets heavy in a hurry.

The pack frame sounds like a good deal. Only question I have is what are you going to do with the pack frame while you are fishing?

13

Nice pics, looks like the desert heat melted off a few pounds :face_with_tongue:.

I’m going to pull the frame apart and stuff it in the large rear pocket of the tube. The PVC fits together real tight I don’t think it will come apart over the journey. My original plan was to glue it all together except for the 2 key joints that would allow it to break down into packable pieces. At these joints I would drill a hole and insert a hitch pin to eliminate any chance of coming apart. I may still do that. I used Elbows to make “arms” that I can rotate to hold the tube firm on both top and bottom. Used some pipe insulation to cushion the frame against my back. Works well and I’ll get some pictures up in a few so you can better understand my ramblings. I’m almost finished with it but it’s still a work in progress.

14

Here’s the pictures.

15

:sunglasses:Hey Hustle Man, lookin’ good. Did you have to pay a lot for the lovely model? (No jokes about paying forever)

I like the idea of the “breakdown” rack and the adjustable retainer arms. Cool thinking.

I have copied your pics into the “archives of fame”.

Of course we will be interested in hearing how the shakedown trek goes. Good Luck and have a great weekend.

16

It’s pretty sturdy. I think I’m going to glue some of it together. I would hate for it to come apart prematurely. The Model was free, I think [;)]