[DougB]

I do some canoing and kayaking in lakes and rivers, and often carry a handgun. Especially in rivers, there's always a fair chance of an unplanned swim. I usually carry a handgun buried in a zip lock bag or two, in the bottom of a waterproof river pack that is connected either to me or the boat. This generally keeps it safe, but is not very accessible. I also tend to bring an inexpensive gun that I wouldn't feel TOO bad about losing (like a Makarov - I have several Bulgarians I picked up when they were cheap). I'm planning another river trip in a few weeks, and am thinking that I'd like to find a better way to carry my gun. Anyone know of a waterproof holster or pouch that would work for this? I'm thinking of upgrading to a stainless Taurus Millenium Pro .40 for this purpose. The Safepacker looks interesting, though it doesn't look waterproof. Maybe with a stainless and polymer gun, I should just not worry about it getting wet and just dry it at the end of the day. Suggestions?

Doug

[earplug]

I use A canoe alot and carry A stainless revolver in a pouch on my vest.
Its been dunked more then once, only thing to do is ditch the wet ammo and dry and lube the pistol.
I used to have A lanyard that was fastened to my vest and pistol. Thought it was too dangerous if I got hung up on something underwater.

[lee n. field]

I have a recollection of this being discussed before.

Shoulder holster and lanyard. And early Ruger P90 in stainless. (Mine has a lanyard loop at the base of the grip. Ruger dropped that somewhere along the line.)

[Baba Louie]

Perhaps a Glock with a lanyard in a retention type shoulder rig? Of course, you gotta a synthetic system (as wet leather would be a bad thing) like a Bianchi 4620H tuxedo system.

It's the one handgun I wouldn't really worry too much about an occasional dunking, having read about Mr. Chuck Taylor's tortured G17 which seems to keep on keeping on. Plus, who really cares if a Glock does get a little wear and tear on it? As opposed to a stainless S&W or Colt?

Glocks are pretty easy to detail strip down and clean soon afterward... or not.

[03Shadowbob]

I kayak fish for snook a lot and I carry a water tight sealed "camera" case for my P3AT and ammo. It works just fine and I have taken more than 1 swim with it.

[Geronimo45]

How about one of those drop-leg 'tactical' holsters? The ones that velcro everything up tightly. If you're using any kind of holster, you'll want a retention holster for sure in an environment when you're liable to be upside-down. A lanyard in addition to that would be a great idea.
A fanny pack of some kind couldn't hurt. If it's fastened on you tight enough so that it won't fall off, no problem. Water won't instantly ruin your gun or its ammo. Set your kayak upright, dump the water out of the gun, continue on your way. Disassemble and grease/oil the gun that night if you want to make sure to avoid any rust.

[Sunray]

"...drop-leg 'tactical' holsters..." The inside of a kayak is very small and you wouldn't be able to get at it. There's usually a waterproof closure around the driver.
An SS revolver in a shoulder holster and the lanyard.

[allien5651]

Some of the respondents commented on the problem of what is happening to your ammo. A simple trick Iv'e used for amo intended for powerheads against sharks is to use either nail polish... or varnish if your lady won't let you near the stuff. Paint a seal around the primer and where the projectile protrudes from the case. I used this to depths to 32ft on .303 and .44 mag with very few failures.

[Geronimo45]

The inside of a kayak is very small and you wouldn't be able to get at it
Ah - I see. Thanks for the heads-up. Shoulder holster/fanny pack - and a lanyard - seems to be the way to go.

[DougB]

Thanks all for the suggestions. I think the "watertight sealed camera case" sounds like it might be the way to go - if I can get one that will fit a little larger gun like a compact .40. I'm thinking that maybe a pouch like a Safepacker, or maybe something designed for a camera or rifle magazines, might hold a more rectangular waterproof camera bag with a gun and spare magazine or two (I'm guessing that the waterproof bag isn't going to work in a form-fitting holster - and that it won't be tough by itself to take the abuse). I may be able to strap this to my PFD (life vest), belt, or maybe the boat.

I use "recreational" kayaks that don't have tight cockpits, though I sometimes use a spray skirt on rivers. I do have waterproof storage compartments behind the seats of a couple of my kayaks, but I can't reach them (at least not without a lot of contortions) while seated in the boats.

Anyway, thanks again (and please continue)

Doug

[chris in va]

I paddled with a guy on the Gauley that had a snub in a snap holster bolted under the deck of his kayak. Pull the sprayskirt handle, unsnap the holster and there you go.

BTW I feel a firearm is a good thing to have when out paddling on these more remote streams. We've certainly run into a few interesting characters before. Camping is another activity that comes to mind.

[19112XS]

A J-frame and ammo will fit nicely into an Otterbox (or clone) 3000.

These people:http://fuertecases.com/ have a good selection and are easy to work with.

[chris in va]

Hey here's a related question. Since we're talking about carrying on your person when kayaking...which in my case entailes flipping/rolling under water, does anything need to be done to the ammo to make it impervious to water? I noticed Wolf ammo has the red stuff ringing the bullet and primer...

[snorko]

+1 for the J-frame. I kayak and have found that the velcro closed pocket on my PFD holds a j-frame. Either an airlight .22 or 642-2 .38 spl. I just make sure to clean them when I get home and put the ammo asside for plinking. BTW none of the ammo has ever FTF'd after a run down the river.

[OnDuty]

Perhaps a Glock with a lanyard in a retention type shoulder rig

I would suggest getting the maritime spring cups.

[Geronimo45]

does anything need to be done to the ammo to make it impervious to water?
With modern ammo, it shouldn't be an issue unless you're going deep underwater. A quick dunking should not be a problem.

[ZeSpectre]

On my canoe trips I trust many thousands of dollars of sensitive camera equipment to products by Otterbox (http://www.otterbox.com/) and Pelican (http://www.pelican.com/case_category.php?CaseSize=%&New=%). I'd surely trust them to protect a handgun (or extra ammo).

[Mandirigma]

I handled it a different way. I used a foodsaver vacuum sealer. Sealed it as close as I could.

Also added a few quick opening starter cuts. One near either edge of the bag and one down the center. They start on the end that you manually seal, and go up to about 1/2" away from the seal. This provided a quick way to rip open the sealed bag.

I've done this for the last few times I've been innertubing as well as kayaking.

[30 cal slob]

i haven't found a really satisfactory solution to yak carry.

i fish from a yak in saltwater environments. my first concern is my pfd (personal flotation device), which is a pair of inflatable SOSpenders (C02 cartridge powered). it's difficult to strap any type of holster on top of this setup without intefering with the pfd.

so - i settle for a Glock 26 in a ziploc bag tucked into the center pouch of my splash top.

another option i have tried, which seems to work just as well, is to have same Glock in a ziploc bag in an accessory pouch on a nylon belt. not a holster but a little more durable than your average fanny pouch:

http://www.aquaskinz.com/index.php5?mode=item&cid=2&pid=8&alt=1

[Pork Fat]

How about a paddle holster? (Cue laugh track.) I just kill me.

[DAdams]

Pelican case in a dry float bag.

"Paddle Holster" :banghead: That's a good one. :D

[ARTiger]

I use an Avery blind bag (available most places that sell duck hunting gear)when carrying canoeing with my gun in a ziploc bag inside. Advantage is they're padded w/ closed cell foam and advertised to float up to 4 boxes of shotgun shells (which weigh a lot more than most handguns).

Mandirigma> BTW: Learned something re: the vacuum sealer. I own one and never considered for sealing up pistols - great idea!

[HeedJSU]

+1 on the otterbox. I've had just about anything you can imagine in one. it's all survived, and they usually float.

Justin

[chris in va]

pair of inflatable SOSpenders

I'm sorry, but when I think of stashing a Glock in something like that setup, I keep seeing Chris Farley in Tommy Boy when he inflates the horse collar.

[outofbattery]

I carry a J-frame in the zippered chest pocket of my Extrasport paddle vest.No worries getting it or the ammo a little damp,it's always worked fine after repeated dunkings.

[redbone]

I just paddled this morning with a j-frame tucked into the pocket of my PFD, in a High Noon pocket holster. I've thought a few times about sewing a velcro patch inside the PFD, and using it to attach a nylon holster (positioned in front of my chest), but the pocket works fine.

[DougB]

Guys,
Thanks again for all the comments. I also wear an Extrasport vest with a pocket - I haven't tried to see if my guns (or maybe the new Taurus compact .40 I plan to buy) will fit in the vest pocket, but that's definately worth considering.

Thanks also for the links and suggestions of places to buy waterproof containers (some look very interesting - for the gun and/or other stuff).

Finally, I think its interesting that so many seem to favor revolvers. I would think a stainless semi-auto would be a better choice where a complete dunking is likely (especially in a PFD pocket - I sometimes wind up in the water even if my boat doesn't go over - helping someone else, taking a swim, etc.). While I'm sure the stainless J-frames are very corrosion resistant, it also seems like water would get inside and be difficult to dry out compared with a semi-auto that disassembles so easily. Is this an issue? I have a S&W Scanium .357 J-frame, but haven't taken it on the water before.

Doug