Inflation bag – update

[Jamie]

I’ve been playing around with different materials for a way to secure the inflation bag to a Boston valve. The best material I have found is some plastic from a spiral bound folder. It is flexible but fairly rigid, and virtually in breakable. With the hole cut to the right diameter, it  just pushes over the thread of the Boston valve without having to screw it on, but provides a secure air tight seal. Fix this to a bag of your choice and it’s good to go. Ultralight, simple but it works.

 

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[Bruce]

I installed a schnozzel in the inflation bag that came with my latest V# kit. The idea was suggested by Lyn. It originates from Exped Schnozzel Pump, makers of sleeping air mattresses.

I find the corner installation to be fast and simple. I used 210D fabric for the schnozzel so it wouldn’t twist and shut off during inflation.

To dashion the schnozzel seal a 210F tube on a taper. Glue it onto the tubing, then invert it and gule it again with heavy thread of, in my case, fishing line, and more glue. The fishing line “Frap” holds the fabric onto the tubing under the pressure of inflation. The glue just provides a seal.

Up close.

I’m using clear 5/8″ IC x 7/8/” OD silicone tubing. It is slick and glue will not hold well, but the braided fishing line (Dyneema) holds great.

Stiffness of the 210D fabric prevents it from twisting closed as you inflate your raft.

Great idea, thanks Lyn!

Bruce

Folk School Fairbanks.org

[Bruce]

Lyn,

I wanted to extend my corner tube out several inches to provide more flexibility in the connection, but it required more fabric. It looks to me like Exped is using valves similar to the new red valves now available on DIY, but with an additional smaller connecting link. The 7/8 OD silicone tubing works great, but I don’t think it’s such a firm attachment that one could lay on it?

Here’s a photo of my fitted silicone tubing, with a cork that inserts on the inside to close the bag, similar to Exped’s idea.  I’m using a homemade copper tip on a soldering iron to finish sealing in the corner around the tubing. It is also glued and I added heavy duty thread to tie it off. The thread keeps the glue from peeling back around the tube under air pressure when inflating the raft.

[Bruce]

Using the new 40D ripstop is a fast and simple way to fashion an inflation bag. Took me about two hours. I used 1 meter of 40D fabric, less than 2 meters of 1/2″ thin nylon webbing, a plastic buckle, D ring, and I will insert a 7/8″ Silicon tubing into a bottom corner when it comes in the mail. I intend to plug the tubing with a cork, from the inside. Then I can roll down the top and use it as a fast access drybag, the roll-down handle/buckle will allow it to be quickly clipped in behind the seat.

This is the finished inflation bag, with a piece of grey tubing to illustrate where the silicone tubing will go.

Heat sealing the 1/2″ webbing requires fashioning a small slot and feeding the webbing out, through a buckle, then back into the tube. Easier if done first, provided you are careful and don’t melt the webbing. I placed a small strip of wood under the fabric for better edge accuracy.

Finishing the webbing loop included cutting a small rectangle out of the fabric, turning it inside out and inserting it into the webbing tube. You can see the webbing pulled back into the tube prior to applying heat. I fished the webbing out after completing the side seam.

I will place the silicone tubing into the corner, which seemed simpler to me. The grey tubing is a rigid placeholder that prevents me from going too far with the iron.

I made a smaller inflation bag from Sil nylon, but prefer the larger one fashioned from one meter or fabric, full width. It is folded down one side. I sealed the top edge with webbing, one side, and the bottom, leaving a hole through the corner seal where I will glue in the 7/8″ tubing.

Thanks for stocking such great material!

Bruce

[Lyn St George]

Have you considered adding a spout to it, like the Exped Schnozzel Pump? The schnozzel comes out of the side, not the bottom, so you can rest the bag on the ground away from whatever is being inflated and just “fall” on it. After a hard day when you feel like collapsing rather than inflating your sleeping mat, being able to ‘collapse’ on the pump is brilliant!

[Author]

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