so what the fxck lets take it all the way.

i/ve seen/read abt exposure bags in hutchinsons book

e've seen/read about using sea socks in usually skin yaks but others too.

i've seen/read about those tunic type spray skirts that greenlanders used

So as still yet another backup, what if the sea sock was also the exposure bag? No reason why not, maybe add a couple of straps on each side down say 6 inches on the outside so is clear of anything inside and is hidden unless pulled out and deployed.

So you've bailed out, cant get back in or on top, so pull out the exposure/sock bag and climb in w/ the straps over. Straight forward no brainer.

BUt what if the exposure/sock was like the drybag analogy above. just an ordinary sock but twice as long and halfway turned inside out so you have now have a double walled sock? and a blow tube.

So say you dump over but manage to climb in the sock as the usual. but the cockpit bag is now full of water. what happens if you don/t attach the skirt, blow up the bag half way and push down w/ yr elbows on the ballooning bag at yr gut. Will water gush out?? water head is prob less that 12in(deckht) so press req'd is less than 1/2psi or so. not much.

So say you're scared shztless, can't paddl so much. so you keep the skirt unsapped as before but blow some more. the excess bag baloons over and around the coaming making like a life ring around your chest. if you tipped sideways, you'd just be horizontal, like a natural resting brace.

So say you just can't get back in, broken arm or screwed shoulder, pulll out the bag/sock, climb in and start blowing(hook the straps over). some water inside but w/ say 1psi lots will come out, the inside water and you are somewhat insulated from the exterior sea. sure be interesting to know how much you could blow up and easily breath and yet insulate. And what if the unrolled zrest pad(like youve been sitting onit) was inside the bag(not where yo are but really inside) could you keep the air up and the zrest down. how insulated could you remain.

even if it had leaks, as long as the holes were pushed under water(which you probably could tell), the air would hold the other folds up and you'd get double insulation from the water inside the closed portion as well as the portion around the feet. In fact it may even work better with water in the bag proper.(not too much as may stay down on wave crests)

-mick