So I'm prepping vape supplies for a 7-mile float trip down a lazy river. My Old Black Grand for me, Mini 2.1 for my wife, and a spare Grand tucked away (didn't need it). Things can get a little 'tipsy' on a float trip with a bunch of yahoo's and I had realized a few days prior that that any or all of these mods would sink like a rock if they went into the drink. I tested some adhesive foam from Hobby Lobby which actually looked pretty nice but it ultimately failed the float test. It wasn't buoyant enough to float a REO. I had pretty much resolved to winging it until I spotted a pool noodle in a display while shopping for other supplies the night before. It had about a 3/4" hole through the center, was very buoyant, would be easy to work with, and set me back about two bucks. (There are also some noodles with a much larger i.d. so if you go noodle shopping, be aware of that.)
I'm sure I looked a little odd, closely examining these pool noodles in the store for a few minutes, pondering how I might make it work. But I settled in on a lime green one figuring it would be easy to see in a river. Later that night went to work with my jacknife, fitting it to my Grand first. On that one, I ended up splitting the noodle down the center, cutting the slot for a tight fit, then taping the two halves back together with some packing tape that was handy. Then I cut a squonk hole. I made a second smaller one for the Mini without splitting the noodle. I left about a half inch of the bottom uncut on these (just the original round hole).
Ultimately, since the thing ended up so close to the size of a 12oz can, I chucked them both into foam koozies and they were a nice fit. Again with the jacknife, it didn't take much to make a squonk hole in a koozie.
They worked great all day for protecting the mods as they slid down between coolers and junk in the raft and were actually quite comfortable to hold and vape. They ended up in the bottom of the boat plenty of times but the thickness of all the foam kept them protected, out of the mess, and working 100%. Not a single problem with either one all day.
And these little rigs pass the float test. They will float your metal REO Grand with a battery, full bottle, and igo-w.
The REO's were the perfect mods for this trip and knowing they would float if things got weird helped make for a relaxing and memorable day on the water.
I'm sure I looked a little odd, closely examining these pool noodles in the store for a few minutes, pondering how I might make it work. But I settled in on a lime green one figuring it would be easy to see in a river. Later that night went to work with my jacknife, fitting it to my Grand first. On that one, I ended up splitting the noodle down the center, cutting the slot for a tight fit, then taping the two halves back together with some packing tape that was handy. Then I cut a squonk hole. I made a second smaller one for the Mini without splitting the noodle. I left about a half inch of the bottom uncut on these (just the original round hole).
Ultimately, since the thing ended up so close to the size of a 12oz can, I chucked them both into foam koozies and they were a nice fit. Again with the jacknife, it didn't take much to make a squonk hole in a koozie.
They worked great all day for protecting the mods as they slid down between coolers and junk in the raft and were actually quite comfortable to hold and vape. They ended up in the bottom of the boat plenty of times but the thickness of all the foam kept them protected, out of the mess, and working 100%. Not a single problem with either one all day.
And these little rigs pass the float test. They will float your metal REO Grand with a battery, full bottle, and igo-w.
The REO's were the perfect mods for this trip and knowing they would float if things got weird helped make for a relaxing and memorable day on the water.
