The RollAid BackUP System

August-September 1997

This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.

Backup your self rescue methods

by Howard Stiff

In any capsize situation, self-rescue is the only method you can really rely on, and not falling out of your boat while doing so greatly increases your chances of survival. That is why we learn to roll our kayaks in the first place: the roll is the quickest (and driest) way to become upright and there is no possibility of becoming separated from the boat.

But what if you don't have a "bomb-proof roll"? What if you're still developing those skills or you're recovering from a shoulder injury or you've lost or broken your paddle or the shock of flipping has disoriented you?

Failing a reliable roll, you must become adept at rescuing yourself from outside your boat using one or more rescue devices such as the paddle float, stirrups, sponsons, sea float or sea seat. Regardless of technique, bouncing around in cold, rough seas beside a boat half-full of water greatly increases the danger and difficulty of self-rescue.

Enter the Backup rolling system from Roll-Aid Safety in Vancouver. This ingenious and well-made device acts as a backup system to your rolling skills so that you don't have to wet exit and re-enter your boat.

Essentially a flotation device charged with a replaceable CO2 cartridge for instantaneous inflation, the Backup system folds up into a compact waterproof cannister attached to your deck. Upon capsizing, just grab the Backup unit's large D-ring handle and pull. The Backup slides out of the cannister and immediately inflates, giving you about 80 lbs of buoyancy to lean upon to sit up. It's that easy. If you've ever learned the "Eskimo Rescue", in which you use the side of a pool, a dock or someone's bow to pull yourself upright, then you will have no trouble at all with the Backup system.

For my first test of the product, I attached the cannister to the foredeck. I am right-handed, so I practiced reaching for the handle with my right hand and moving it to my left shoulder so that, once upside down, it would inflate and bob to the surface on the left side of the boat. The Backup performed flawlessly. I was upright in about 3 seconds.

Once upright, the inflated Backup can be attached to your kayak with a built-in tether-and-clip while you paddle to safety. In the event of another capsize, just reach for the tether, detach it from the deck, and pull yourself upright.

By the way, there is also a paddle blade strap on one side of the Backup flotation unit, which, combined with the tether-and-clip, turns the Backup unit into a typical paddle float-yet another level of rescue backup!

Changing the CO2 cartridge and repacking the Backup unit is a simple procedure, clearly detailed in the comprehensive and readable owner's manual. (The flotation device can also be orally inflated in lieu of using CO2 cartridges, which is a great way to practice.)

For my next test, I tried righting myself from my "weak" side. Again, this was no problem, unless I completely ignored my basic rolling skills and tried to force my head and body up before righting the kayak (in which case I could simply use my other hand on the Backup float and power myself up anyway). I found that holding the float further away from the side of the boat also gave me extra leverage, making it even easier to upright.

For my final test, I mounted the cannister on deck behind the cockpit with the D-handle protruding to the left. This required a bit of a stretch, especially with my bulky PFD, to reach the unit with my right hand, but once pulled, it inflated on my "strong" side without further positioning, and the whole process seemed even more natural.

The manual describes using twin Backups in a double kayak. I can't help but think that practicing the Backup method of self-rescue makes more sense for doubles than mastering the intricacies of synchronized rolling procedures!

My one fear about using the Backup is that it may become a substitute for common sense! But as the manual says: the Backup is a tool, not a guarantee. Do not use the safety margin provided by a Backup as an excuse to challenge dangerous sea conditions or to avoid learning a reliable self-rescue technique.

Cost: $150 (Cdn) or $110 (US). Comes with one CO2 cartridge. Extra CO2 cartrides $13 (Cdn) or $10 (US). Contact Roll-Aid Safety Inc for a list of Backup retailers.

For more information, contact Alistair Blachford, Roll-Aid Safety Inc., Box 72005, Vancouver, B.C., Canada V6R 4P2. Ph: 604/224-4010. Fax: 604/224-4045.

Visit the Roll-Aid WWW site for a video clip of the Backup in action at http://www.roll-aid.com.