Rigging Avalung Element to Backpack?

**jacob_dbu** · 03-04-2018, 06:13 PM

For anyone who has seen the avalung element in person, how does it attach up to the bd avalung-compatible packs? It looks like some sort of strap or zipper? It seems like it wouldn't take much work to rig it up to work with any backpack with a little bit of sewing skills. Can anyone who has seen one in person chime in.

Since I know someone will post about this...I assume the major safety risk of it not working is if it gets ripped from you or your pack in the event of a slide. I think that can be dealt with in an appropriate enough manner. The sling seems the safest from that perspective, but also by far the most inconvenient.

EDIT: I know that people have done this so I guess the real question that I have is do you buy the sling to rig it up or just element? Seems like the element would be the way to go, but for someone who has seen one I want to make sure it would be easily rig-able.

**riff** · 03-04-2018, 06:33 PM

I bought a stand alone element for mounting on avalung specific packs, and rigged it on my osprey kamber 42. No problem, and I’m sure it could be done with more style. I just put para cord around the pack straps in appropriate spots, and attached the distal end to a compression strap on the bottom corner of the pack.

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**Bud** · 03-04-2018, 06:48 PM

The Element is attached with four velcro straps, three of which are backed up with a small metal hook to reinforce the velcro strap once it goes through the specific webbing loops on the backpack strap. The connection to the BD Avalung-ready packs is rated to take a 3kn force (per the Avalung Element paperwork).

**splat** · 03-04-2018, 07:22 PM

StuntCok did a great tr w/footie of him riding an avy in AK years ago with an avalung/airbag setup, which I'm sure was maggot engineered at the time. In the footie, which I think is in the BCA library these days, it was easy to keep wondering why it took him so long to deploy the air bag. He said he wanted to get his avalung in his mouth first. It was an interesting consideration.

**toast2266** · 03-04-2018, 08:53 PM

I have an old stand alone avalung that I just zip tied to my osprey pack. Works fine. If it's a violent enough slide to rip that thing off, then I figure I'm pretty well fucked anyways.

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**jacob_dbu** · 03-04-2018, 11:13 PM

Word sounds like it'll work just fine.

As for that video if someone has the link to it I'd love to see.

Did he get buried in that avy or no?

**hutash** · 12-18-2019, 02:32 PM

Just got an Avalung element to add to my Dawn Patrol 25. It is super easy to attach/remove from an Element ready pack (Dawn Patrol and Cirque), but would be easy to attach to any pack with little to no modification. There are four points of attachment. Three are Velcro straps that go around the attachment points built into the pack, but could just as easily go around the pack strap. The top attachment point is a Velcro flap that might take a little pack modification, but can likely be tweaked even without any mods.