# Good pack-able pump for float tube



## Bscuderi (Jan 2, 2012)

I have an old school browning round float tube the inflator valve for the main bladder is quite strange I've always blown it up manually :/ quite the workout. Anyway I got looking at it and wondered if I could use a pump if I attached some flexible beverage tubing and fixed the other end to a pump. I have a cool small bike pump i attach to my mt bike just in case it has a presto valve but I can't see a way to set that up to work for my application. On another thought I have a co2 inflator thing that uses the little cartridges that I use to dispense beer out of a keg for home brew and also used for bike tires. Anybody use any of these options or have any recommendations or fixes. I would really like to be able to throw it in a day pack and take the tube off road


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## WaveWolf (Jan 24, 2011)

Would a basketball pump, without the needle screwed on, work?


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## Bscuderi (Jan 2, 2012)

I'll send a picture tomorrow I don't think without some weird attachment that it will work. Unless browning sells something


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## LOAH (Sep 29, 2007)

Yes, show us a photo.

There are some crafty guys on this board that could surely make a suggestion.

I've got a couple of different valves on my tube. One is a bigger valve that requires an opening of about a half inch or more. The other one is like any inflatable water toy.

The pump I use is a cheap-o double action pump I got at Wal*Mart for $12 or something. It came with all the adapters I'd need.


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## Bscuderi (Jan 2, 2012)




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## scott_rn (Sep 11, 2007)

Another thought, your talking a lot of volume and a low psi. look into what they do for packrafting, maybe even look at the alpacka website. Supposedly you can rig a garbage sack and a pipe to fill them up, then top it off with a pump that creates a little more pressure.

I tried to fill my float tube with a bike pump once, after 20 minutes I borrowed a compressor. Last year I went to use my compressor to fill up my whitewater raft and found it was taking longer than an electric pump we use for air mattresses. Maybe I am just a little impatient.


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## Bscuderi (Jan 2, 2012)

I do have an air mattress pump as well I'm just more concerned with how to get anything to fit that weird nozzle?


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Bought my boy a cheap $30 inflatable raft from Big5, it came with a light fast high volume pump that inflated the raft in a really short amount of time. It has valves internally so that it blows air for both directions of the pump. Very useful. Watch KSL for someone unloading one of those cheap rafts for $10 and just keep the pump.


-DallanC


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## Bscuderi (Jan 2, 2012)

What about ideas for fitting that valve the more you guys are telling me I think my battery powered air mattress pumps the ticket but how do I make it work? I think the bike pumps out sounds like more work than blowin it up!  thanks for all the good advice so far guys!


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## americanforkdude (Sep 13, 2007)

I most likely have the same browning tube your talking about. I use a air mattress/water tube pump to blow it up. I just try to make a ceal with my hand around the connections. It won't blow it up firm like a tube designed for a pump but it does do 90% of the air volume and then a quick couple minute manual BJ and we're on our way!


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## Bscuderi (Jan 2, 2012)

americanforkdude said:


> I most likely have the same browning tube your talking about. I use a air mattress/water tube pump to blow it up. I just try to make a ceal with my hand around the connections. It won't blow it up firm like a tube designed for a pump but it does do 90% of the air volume and then a quick couple minute manual BJ and we're on our way!


that sounds entertaining  haha I am going to give that a whirl tonight. Sounds much easier than trying to make a fitting


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## scott_rn (Sep 11, 2007)

If it does not fit, put it together with a little length of tubing, or connect it with electrical tape each time. 
Or do it like afd.


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