I'll be unbuckling my waist belt on ALL bridge crossings now, thank you...

[TDawg]

Oh s#!t

http://unofficialnetworks.com/2015/10/oh-sht-suspension-bridge-snaps-as-hikers-cross-river

 

[wardsgirl]

Holy crap!

Or at least go single file....?

 

[TJsName]

Weight limit 1 person?

 

[summitseeker]

So true...

It is never a bad idea to have your pack unbuckled when facing a crossing, especially when there are a lot of snags and blowdowns present.

This was a great piece of advice Tim offered me when I attempted Owl's Head a few winters ago when water levels were high.

 

[jniehof]

So true...

It is never a bad idea to have your pack unbuckled when facing a crossing, especially when there are a lot of snags and blowdowns present.

The flip side is that an unbuckled pack is more likely to throw you off balance, and crossings are exactly when you need them. (EDIT: "them"=="balance"...) Plus, the pack can serve as (temporary) flotation and protect your back.

There's no one downside-free approach.

 

[DayTrip]

The flip side is that an unbuckled pack is more likely to throw you off balance, and crossings are exactly when you need them. Plus, the pack can serve as (temporary) flotation and protect your back.

There's no one downside-free approach.

I never agreed with the un-buckle the pack approach for that exact reason. If I were doing a significant ford where I'm in water above the knees or worse I'd do it but for crossings where I'm rock hopping and the downside is falling into 12-18" of water I don't unbuckle. Seems like overkill.

 

[weatherman]

I never agreed with the un-buckle the pack approach for that exact reason. If I were doing a significant ford where I'm in water above the knees or worse I'd do it but for crossings where I'm rock hopping and the downside is falling into 12-18" of water I don't unbuckle. Seems like overkill.

My one experience: Way back in the early 80s when the trails in Franconia Notch were being renovated, my hiking partner and I had to ford the as-yet-unbridged creek at the bottom of the Liberty Spring Trail after bailing on a Pemi traverse backpack. Perhaps a 10 yard rockhop, max, but it was late spring and pouring rain. Water was perhaps 18" deep. I slipped and fell back end first into the creek, my (buckled) pack filled with water in perhaps 5-7 seconds, and I was absolutely pinned. My buddy unbuckled it and within another 20 seconds all was well. But I might still be there otherwise... the belt was so tight (and in the 70s, quick release buckles were not a thing yet) that no way was I getting it loose on my own.

So, I unbuckle.