Modern Flip Lines and the Clean Line Principle | Ep. 61

Hi Zach. Thanks for heads up on the dyneema flip line. It fits in the extra pocket of my Green Jacket.

I've lost count of how many of these episodes I've watched over the past few months without leaving a comment of appreciation. I whitewater solo canoe however I find many of the topics you discuss on this channel very useful and thought provoking. Just wanted to say thanks for doing this!

I like the idea of it always being in my PFD pocket. I cant count how many times I have forgotten to take my flip line out of my gear bag at the put in, or left it in a raft at the end of the day. Also, it wont be tight around my belly after the winter... Its like all my gear shrinks during the off season. :)

Great meeting you last night! Also thank you for your continued education!! You are very appreciated!!

I'm working on refining what I keep on my PFD and what I leave in my dry bag, and your videos have been super helpful, thanks!

Thanks Zach!

Talking about clean lines. I have sort of have some first hand experience. I flipped in horn in a fully rigged 18' boat. I came up under the boat and it took a while to find the edge of the boat. I tried to haul myself out, but something stopped me under the water. I tried again harder, no dice. For an instant I thought this was it. Then I felt around and realized an oarlock was hooking the sternum of my PFD. Maybe if the pfd had been tighter, or I had been a different design I might have come straight up. But really if I had entered further left and pulled harder it would not have been an issue. I did have an old school flip line and biner in my pocket. It took six of us to unflip that boat.

'Clean line' principle is over 30 years old now. It was the result of a number of documented fatalities. It includes keeping your body clean from anything that may snag and keeping all ropes used for in water rescues free from anything that may snag

A pocket a bit more forward would be cool for this application. There are also snap/Velcro combination rapid opening pouches/pockets/flaps we use in the army that would be handy for this

thank you so much for these awesome videos, I always learn somethin or other. Just a suggestion, when you post links to products, maybe consider posting the link to the actual company instead of Amazon, that way when people take your great advice and buy something off your links, they can help keep a few bucks out of Amazons pocket. Thanks again!

When I started guiding someone had died due to their belt line. So we weren't even taught that method. I like to put my line in the soft pocket on the pfd that doesn't have a zipper because it's easier to deploy

Great episode, Zach. I always learn a lot from you! I have to say that I converted over to this method after taking Nate Ostis's Swiftwater Rescue Course. I love that it takes up such little room and fits easily in a PFD pocket!

Hi Zach, the weak point on the nylon tubular webbing is going to be the knot. The 4000lb breaking strength is for the webbing and doesn't capture the true breaking strenth with the knot. The actual breaking strength will be significantly less. In a worse case scenario, knots can reduce the strength by 50% (ie. the girth hitch). The sewn bar tacked Dyneema is probably stronger than the tubular nylon webbing with a knot. Great idea to use a lighter smaller item that fits into a little pouch. Much better than having something that could snag on a strainer during a swim. Imagine trying to pull yourself up over a log and something snags at the worst possible moment. You have great videos. Keep the drive alive!

Yes. In the pocket is best. I keep mine in the velcro pocket on my throw bag belt.

Hi Zack, love your videos! I wonder what people's thoughts are on using 1/2 inch webbing, or "hoopie". What I like about it is that I can make it any length I like, unlike the pre-made ones from blue water. I also like that I can make it long enough to make a webbing harness with. It's also very affordable, and packs in my PFD well. There's also a couple things I don't like with the 1/2 inch vs the 1 inch. I wonder if the 2,000 lbs breaking strength is okay for an anchor. However, it's no biggie to double it up. I also wonder about the quality of the webbing harness I could make with it, I worry that it will be too tight on my thighs and constrict blood flow, while the 1 inch makes a more comfortable harness. it looks like the line from Blue Water is also 1/2 inch, so I wonder what you think about that. I also like to make a coil of my flip line and clip with with a carabiner around the inner piece of my Green jacket. out of the way, hidden, not adding bulk to the PFD or clutter to the pockets. Let me know what you think!

if you tie a knot in your webbing the strength is reduced 30-40% so the sewn sling is probably stronger in an anchor situation as long as you don't tie a knot in it

Hi Zach, what size would you recommend for the Bluewater Anchor Sling for running a 14ft raft? It looks like the make a 10ft and 12ft. I would use it as a flip line in my pocket like you suggested and want to make sure it is long enough to get leverage while flipping. Thanks!

Astral GreenJacket and i think BlueJacket as well have a small cavity in the chest for their mini throw rope. I keep a classic tubular webbing flip line in this space with a large autolocking carabiner. It's never come out accidentally, is central so you can access with both hands and without thinking, and there is no zipper to open to get to it so quicker access. I prefer tubular because its nicer on the hands than dyneema. In regards to using the rabbit runner as an anchor, it's actually stronger than the tubular depending on how you configure the anchor. Because it has sewn ends it is full strength end to end, if you wrap it around a tree and clip both loops you have a bomber (though not redundant) anchor point. Where as the water knot in tubular will reduce the materials strength by half.

Great Video again, Thanks! What is the length of the runner you use?

Please forgive my ignorance; I'm self-taught. What's wrong with just using a doubled up section of a 550 cord, wrapped around a carabiner? I can't think when I'd need to lift more than 1100lbs with my flip line, and the paracord/carabiner bundle doesn't even take up 1/4 of the pocket I keep it in.