One way to figure "will it even float?" is -- volume minus weight =
buoyancy. Multiply volume in cubic feet by 62.4 lbs of water /cubic foot.
The other way is to throw it overboard and see.

"rick etter" wrote in message
...

"AMG" wrote in message
.. .
Although experienced day-running moderate rivers, I've never done any
canoe
tripping. Which is to say I'm not used to loading down a canoe with
lots
of
gear. Normally, I lash a large dry-bag to the canoe, so that if I
turtle,
the bag won't dissappear downstream. Now I'm wondering what folks do on
open water/lakes. It would seem that lashing gear would
counterproductive,
as it would make the canoe impossible to right. On the other hand, I
don't
really even know if a dry bag with heavy contents (camping gear,
food...)
will even float?!

Headed for Maine ;-)
===============
Ours have always floated. maybe a little low in the water, but thet don't
sink. Even the ammo cans we carry cameras in float.
We prefer things tied into the boats too. Many people don't. The thought
is you'd lose everything if your boat gets trapped, but the idea of having
your boat, but not your gear isn't really very appealing either.