![]() 05/17/2020 at 16:10 • Filed to: None | ![]() | ![]() |
Normally my compressor runs air tools; today it is running air toys. In years past I’ve always floated the Rio Grande in the cheapest tube I could find at Walmart (they were usually pretty questionable even by pool toy standards), and they’ve worked fine. This year I sprung for an real tube. I’m thinking this will be the best $27 I’ve spent on Amazon in awhile.
I even sprung for a real waterproof box to hold the wallet and keys on the river , and a climbing grade cara biner to hold it on. Being me, I couldn’t help but dummy cord the box and beer cooler.
![]() 05/17/2020 at 16:26 |
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Our river here is a little violent and we use the same tubes. Lots of these pop though since it’s so rocky. If you want to feel invincible buy these https ://www.amazon.com/Bradley-Heavy-River-Compatible-Inflatable/dp/B01DWQPOBS
![]() 05/17/2020 at 16:29 |
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Neat. Fortunately violent isn’t a term that applies to Rio Grande in southern NM. Because there is no kill like overkill, I think I’ll pick one of those up.
![]() 05/17/2020 at 16:45 |
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You call that a real tube? Whatever happened to actual rubber inner tubes?
https://www.amazon.com/Bradley-Truck-Inner-Rafting-10-00-20/dp/B084GY2XC3
![]() 05/17/2020 at 17:06 |
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They cost too much now that so few vehicles use them.
![]() 05/17/2020 at 17:09 |
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But they’re infinitely patchable. A decent rubber tube will last 20 years.
![]() 05/17/2020 at 17:38 |
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I used mine for this since the weather was super nice on my son’s birthday …
![]() 05/17/2020 at 17:42 |
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Patchable doesn’t help me when I’m too drunk to stand on a riverbank. Even if I managed to carry a patch kit and not lose it I'd never manage to reinflate it.
![]() 05/17/2020 at 17:50 |
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Fair enough, I don’t drink so that’s never been a consideration to me
![]() 05/17/2020 at 18:41 |
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My wife and I used to float rivers in tubes all the time and we ended up buying tubes designed to be towed behind boats and they were amazing. Instead of replacing a cheap tube a couple times a season that tube lasted 10 years.
We had an inverter power a low pressure air pump in the car so we could inflate them at the creek. Thought I just bought a Ryobi unit that does both low and high pressure and it’s sweet for this sort of thing.
![]() 05/17/2020 at 21:38 |
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This. It came into play.