Why Do Sailors Wear Bell Bottom Pants and Can They Be Used As a Flotation Device? 

This museum curator goes above and beyond to educate the public....well done Ryan..well done indeed 👏

In 1960s rural America, in order to get a life-saving certificate (and I think the life-saving merit badge in Boy Scouts) you had to demonstrate the skill of using your pants as flotation devices, just as described here :-). This is a skill that I’ve used exactly 0 times over the intervening half century.

three cheers to you, Ryan, for not being afraid to identify as a "polack." as a person with full Slovak heritage, I'm flattered that others will show deference in using Slovakian, but am quite at ease in saying, "I'm a Slovak." as to your buoyancy, I imagine that is not a salt water pool.

The regulation dungarees of 1968 were stovepipe pants. They measured 11" across when being pressed. This meant they could be pulled off over our boondockers. Most of us would buy Seafarer pants as soon as we could. These were true bells. Because of how tight they were in the thighs, they could not be pulled off over even dress shoes. In WWII, I believe the pants were 13" across. I well remember the training in the pool at NTC SD. Our chambray shirts and dungarees could be used as temporary flotation devices. The question is, would you remember that training in a true emergency.

Original proper bell bottoms were designed in the age of sail when most sailors could not swim but they scrubbed the deck every none storm day with the pants rolled up over the knees and barefoot with their hair tarred. Propper procedure is boots off laces tied and hung around the neck. Feet together arms and hands protecting the groin step off the ship and try to stay vertical, Once, in the water get clear of burning oil and oil slicks if possible and well away from the ship. Find a float/open lattice bottom raft or sometimes a boat. If in a boat, you may need the boots to bail it out. IF stuck in the water pants off tie each leg in a knot hold by the waist and firmly bring it over your head and down into the water trapping air in both legs. I have done this in the Army reserve as a senior NCO when we did a full drown proofing exercise. I have done other variations of improvised floatation devices back in the late fifty's early sixties when I could sink like a stone without something light and floaty.

It all works. That's part of Navy boot camp. You jump in the water with full uniform. And are able to use the pants or the shirt as a floatation device.

I feel that all future museum ship curator candidates should have to do this as part of the interview 😆

When I went through survival training as part of ROTC in 1975, we were taught the pants trick and it works for khakis too. One modification we were taught was to remove our shoes (boondockers), tie them together and hang them around our neck to keep them for walking on the coral later. Made getting the pants off much easier!

Going off the picture, this should be a great video.

I absolutely knew it was going to work, because I had to actually do it in boot camp with my own dungaree pants. Myth CONFIRMED!

My wife's Uncle, an Armed Guard on the City of Flint was rescued after 46 days in a lifeboat after the ship was torpedoed. I doubt any amount of bunker oil would have help, especially when it caught fire. He was torpedoed twice, sailed to Murmansk and final voyage to Okinawa. You didn't want to mess with Uncle Bill!

Ryan, retired USN here (1983 - 2019). Yes, recruits were trained to use their clothes as flotation device. And still are, if I'm not mistaken.

This is one of the most amusing episodes this channel has ever made lmao, love the mix of education and fun

When I was in Boy Scouts there was a merit badge (swimming) in which we had to do basically the same thing here. We had to jump into the lake (waves measured in 1 to 5 inches at best) and unlike Ryan, we had to kick off our shoes, remove our pants to make a buoyancy device like his using our belt to help cinch the waist shut after we trapped the air in it. We also had to try to ditch our shirt (or use it too) I think as well because we were all required to wear button up shirts. Though unlike Ryan when I did it I couldn't reach the bottom as the water was roughly 10 feet deep where we did this. Still great to see this video!

Being Air Force, I had heard of this. I never tried it! A true story though for you. I think 1975 at Griffiss AFB, NY, some one came up with the idea to swim in the deeper part of the base pool, you had to pass a treading water test. While not Polish like Ryan, I too don't float too well. So I asked if there were any rules about how you had to enter the water? The puzzled life guard said, "No." So I dove in feet first from the 3 meter board. This I had learned trapped air inside my Air Force PT shorts I used as swimming trunks. With the trapped air, I passed the test. When he turned away, I reached down and squeezed the air out and quickly swam to the side of the pool.

The bellbottoms came about so that they could be rolled up when swabbing the deck. But you are correct about pants being used as a flotation device. We used our whites when I was in boot camp, so I guess any pair of pants will do. I don't remember having to wear our boondockers when we went through this exercise.

Spoiler Alert - You can use your pants to float... I remember this being a requirement for the Swimming Merit Badge in Boy Scouts back in the day. It's not all that great, but in a pinch I guess it's better than nothing.

I loved watching this video. Ryan floating around holding a pants balloon, talking away like it's just another day at the office, made my day! Through the struggle I kept thinking "you need to do the shirt first!!!" We had to do this as part of my high school swimming course. First buttoning the shirt all the way and breathing into it, which slightly increased our buoyancy, making it a little easier to remove the pants while treading water. Of course I also had it easier because I wasn't wearing shoes! Any jeans will do it, although I learned the hard way that you want WIDE leg pants!

Loved this video. I had done this in both my days in BSA & USN. One thing to remember, yes parents are heavy when wet. But the motivation to stay alive is a powerful force.

I did this training over 25 years ago. If you tie the leg bottoms together instead of individually, after you flip them over your head, you keep the knot behind your neck so it's like a life preserver. Then if you keep the top part of the pants below the water you use one hand to splash water under the opening. The air bubbles will keep refilling the pant legs and keep them inflated with minimal effort. Crazy but it works! Thanks for the demo Ryan!.

My grandfather who served during WWII on the USS Somers said many times that every part of the uniform at that time was there to serve a purpose from tying the pant legs together and using them as a make shift flotation device to the cap used to bales water from a raft! He said you tie the ankles together, put the knot behind your head then repeatedly and rapidly gulp water like you did but only with half the waistband at the waist. Then you loop the legs under your armpits.

I've done the floatation thing with shirt and pants in training. There was a marine who went overboard in the Indian Ocean one night a few years ago. He survived by pulling his pants off and using them as floatation. He wasn't noticed as missing until the next morning when they started back to search for him. The real advantage to wide bottomed pants is that it helps greatly in preventing things from falling into your shoes or boots.

I bought a membership earlier this year but I had no idea that it would also come with a strip down at the pool. 🤣 Very fun content. I had no idea you can use your pants as a floatation device

My uncle was in the navy and told me about flotation pants 👖 was never sure whether he was just kidding or not not. Your timline and demonstration just proves him true.

In boot camp, we had to jump in a pool, take off our jeans, knot the cuffs, and then whip them overhead to trap air, like water wings - but that was back in '67. Things may have changed a bit since then.

I had heard about the pants becoming a flotation device from an old sailor. He also mentioned that the hard sole of the shoes were made to fall off in order to save weight while still leaving enough of the shoe to protect your feet from the rocks/coral. Bucket hat used to catch rain water for drinking. And if you take in all the air your lungs can hold, and just breathe off the top taking small frequent breaths, your own lungs have enough volume to keep you up. And it's a toss up on the fuel oil. Eventually it'll eat your skin, but it may keep you alive long enough to get rescued. Great video. JM2C

Thanks Ryan! Enjoyed the video. In 1974 at Naval Science Institute (NSI) in Newport RI we had to pass a swimming test which included removing our khaki pants and using them as a flotation device. Looked a lot harder with denim pants.

Such dedication Ryan. You braved lots of potential embarrassment to educate us. I did this in Scouts for Lifesaving Merit Badge. We did not have to remove the pants over shoes as we were swimming in a reservoir so no coral for a few thousand miles. We were allowed to just kick them off. Our proper uniform pants worked great. They had tight weave but were quite thin. Not like Levi's which most of us wore being the 70's and a lot of us wore bell bottoms just because. But I tested wearing the uniform pants because they worked so much better.

About 10+ years ago, as a beginner adult swimmer, my swim coach confirmed the validity of using pants as you demonstrated as a flotation device. My swim coach also reminded her students to keep their shoes on if they fall overboard full dressed. She said to resist the urge to kick your shoes off as most shoes will FLOAT so they will help keep your legs up. The protection shoes offers when you have to scramble on rocks or coral reefs is also important.

In my 1961 navy boot camp, we were told that bell bottom trousers enabled a sailor to kick off the trousers over his shoes when bobbing in the sea, tie each leg bottom in a knot, button up and toss the waist into the air filling the legs with air and use as a flotation device. I don't think any current uniforms the navy uses have bell bottoms. They do have uniforms today that are detrimental to the sailor's chances of life if they go overboard.

Ryan, Enjoy all the videos of the New Jersey and life aboard. I did Great Lakes boot camp July 1966. Swim survival training was in full dungarees (bell bottoms). We did the jump in, remove, tie knots in the pant legs and flop over our heads. Also did something with blowing into our buttoned up shirts making an air bubble on the back. Also used the white hat with brim down as an air pocket flotation at the waist just to prove we could float that way. Went aboard the Hanson DD832 July ’68 had the pipe rail bunks canvass and rope stacked 3 high. Keep up the great videos Paul Johnson

I took advanced lifeguarding in high school and the teacher taught us a bunch of this kind of stuff. The easiest one is if you go into the water wearing a t shirt. You just lay back in the water and pull the collar of your shirt over your mouth but leave your nose out. Inhale through your nose and out through your mouth and your shirt will inflate and keep you afloat. It's leaky as hell but your constant breathing keeps it inflated without any extra effort.

Ryan risks his life for our entertainment. Gold.

We had to do that in boot camp when I went through in '77. IIRC, the recommended procedure was to take your boondockers off first, tie them together and hang them from your neck. Then the pants come off easily and you proceed with knotting them and doing the over-the-head sling to fill them with air. You could use your shirt as well though being thinner material, it didn't hold the air as long as the pants. The uniform you were using was referred to as "Seafarers" and was the go-to E-6 and below uniform during my time in the Navy ('77-96).

Ryan, I did boot camp at RTC Great Lakes in 1982. Yes, we had to do this in the deep end where you couldn't touch bottom. We lost a few guys in my company who failed swim time.

I did in scouts and it worked. Using your uniform as a floatation device was part of one of our merit badges.

We learned the flotation with the pants and our jackets when I was in basic training at Fort Leonard Wood. Given that I was stationed in Texas and Colorado and deployed to Iraq, I never had to use that knowledge.

Taught "drown proofing" at one of the bases (Army) I was assigned to in the 90's. At the time, this was the procedure, in order: 1 - Get your bearings and self-assess. Ditch any gear possible to reduce load that is dragging you under. A lot of gear has quick disconnects for a reason. 2 - Remove your boats, tie the laces together. Place the knot at the back of the neck and drape the boots over your shoulders so one boot hangs on each side of the body. 3 - Remove trousers/pants leaving the belt in the loops. 4 - As demonstrated in the video, tie a knot at the end of each leg. Then grasping the waist, from behind your head, lift the trousers up and over your head and back down in front of you as quickly as possible filling the legs with air. 5 - Tighten the belt on the waist to make the opening as small as possible reducing air leakage. 6 - Minimize movement as much as possible (conserve energy) 7 - Repeat step 4 as needed (loosening the belt when performing again) to maintain flotation. 8 - Await rescue. Unless near a shoreline/bank 9 - If near a shoreline, attempt to make headway to the shoreline if possible, being mindful of currents, tides, etc. 10 - If able to make it to a shoreline/sandbar, just before making it to shallow enough water, put boots back on feet to reduce potential injury. Keeps pants off and as a flotation device until safely onshore. Modesty is not required to survive.

The body density issue still pisses me off after 37+ years; I could never pass a boyscout swim test to take a canoe out on my own because I was so damned thin and weighed nothing. I sank instantly like a damned stone. To this day even after gaining 50 pounds I sink like a stone as soon as I stop paddling.

i would never have thought in a million years that the pants flotation device would work, great video keep up the good work

This is one of the better channels on RU-vid, way to go guys

Well, I'm not sure about the other branches, but in the Army we had a class called "drownproofing" starting in the mid 80s and fairly certain that it's still used today. Both the uniform coat (shirt) and trousers could be used as floatation device. In the shirts case you could bring the top collar up and over your mouth, leaving your nose exposed. Pinching the collar around your mouth, you would then blow into the shirt, thus inflating. This worked with both the old style button-fronted coats and the modern zipper/velcro combo one. In the trousers case, you would take your boots off and tie them around you in some fashion. You then take the trousers off, tie both of the legs together, and then have two options of inflating them: 1. You'd put the legs around your neck (the knot being behind your head), hold the open end just below the water with one hand and use your other hand to splash bubbles into the trousers. 2. You do the "fling it over your head method" to collect air and then try to put the legs over your head (but that hardly ever works) and then fill / refill them using method 1. In both cases you'd have to refill the float every couple of minutes. Either method was intended to keep you above the water for only a few hours until rescue arrived. Up until the mid 2000s when I retired, the longest time I'd ever heard of someone staying afloat (in a real-world emergency situation) was somewhere around 18 hours.

we were taught the trousers as a flotation device during swim qual in the marines back in '04. A couple other things, ocean salt water is easier to float in being denser, and we were taught to keep the lungs full of air to aid in floatation.

Awesome video. You always do a great job with these presentations, Ryan. Thanks a bunch.

The white had itself can be used as a flotation device by holding it (with top folded down, Gilligan style) and holding it over your chest, will keep your head out of the water. We were trained to do this in Navy boot camp. We were also trained to use our uniform pants, both will blues and dungarees, as flotation devices, but we put them so that the legs extended behind our heads, which kept our head out of the water while floating on our chest. As John Slaughter below, in 1968, when I was in, dungarees were 11 inch stovepipes, but most people had both their dungarees and blues tailored to be bell bottoms, and the Navy never complained about that.

I was in Navy boot camp in Sept. '82. We spent a few hours in the pool with a pair of issue bell-bottom dungaree pants, filling them with air, and we had to float/swim the length of the pool while laying on the inflated pants, as part of our swim qualification.

I had to do this once a year when I was in the army. We had a "Combat water survival test". We had to do a 20ft? Drop into the pool in bdus, tread water for a few minutes then move to the floatation part, then you get out the pool and then put on equipment and get pushed into the pool and we have to drop our weapon and get our helmet and lbe/lbv/flc (stuff we wear to carry ammo, water, etc) off while still submerged. The floatation portion wasn't too much different but we didn't start with boots on. I think safety was our biggest limiting factor more than anything on that decision. We would perform all the same movements, however. I think that the task is DoD standard though.

Ryan rocks the hanging belt strap. Brings back some feel good 90's vibes. 👍✌

Hey, this is just a ploy to get the viewership from the ladies up! Yet again, Ryan goes above and beyond the call of duty for a museum ship curator. Give that boy a medal.

I still have my dad's old Bluejacket's Manual (He was on the Randolph for her last two cruises before conversion to the testbed Amphib unit), which is a revised edition for the 50s but the same basic book they used through the war. I expected you to be showing off this technique and was not disappointed! Cheers!

Yes. Learned to use the pants in 1987 Sea Cadets Boot Camp at NTC San Diego. Not only can you slap the pants onto the water, you can go underneath the pants and blow bubbles that float into the waist to fill the pants/legs. We were taught to lay in the inseam of the inflated pants; not really hug them. Also, the Dixie cap can be inflated in the same manners as the pants. Just hold the inflated cap to stay afloat.

I was taught the pants flotation trick in high school. One of the requirements to graduate was to pass a basic life saving and drown proof ing class. We all had swimming in our Physical Education classes. I also saw the same training in the Boy Scouts.

When I was in boot camp at Great Lakes in 1980, we were taught to use our bell bottoms as flotation. And Ryan, remember that drownproofing would have made that evolution MUCH easier!

An excellent video. Yes, in the Marines (1972-1992) we learned how to do that in Drown-Proofing class. You're a very strange Curator. Just what we need. Thanks.

Thought this was a synchronized swimming tutorial for a moment )) But seriously 👏 applaud the effort to educate... the giggles in the background were priceless, you truelly have one of the more entertaining channels out there!!

Yep, when I joined the Royal Australian Navy, we had to do exactly that with our pants (use them as a floatation device) after taking them off in the water during our initial Swimming Test!👍

I was in USN from 1968--1972. The working uniform pants were NOT bell-bottoms as issued. They were best described as "stovepipes" and--yes, I was trained to do exactly what Ryan had to except , without his style of boots. We were issued "boondockers" and they went up just above your ankle. However, we ditched them as soon as we could.

I went through boot camp in the mid 80's I did all of these drills to graduate boot camp at Great Lakes. You tie the legs together and put the knot behind your head. You can also use the hat and shirt as flotation devices.

I'm really enjoying this experimental archaeology series. Thanks!

Being a Boy Scout and Eagle Scout. Swimming Merit badge and the Life Saving Merit badge have this technique. If I recall its also in the Scout Handbook too. Make sure you you use the belt to cinch the waist and put your legs thru the belt to help cinch the waist. If you do not take the pants off. If you button up the shirt all the way. And you blow air in the shirt will also help you float too.

I haven’t had a laugh like this in a long time!😂 your a legend Ryan.

Ryan - you should enlist to get firsthand experience in using the uniform for flotation. Your dungarees, hat and blouse are also used as flotation devices. The flotation exercises in the pool at NRTC, San Diego were a go / no go for boots. You missed a critical element, putting your face in the water makes this much easier. If you know how to do this, no need to pinch your nose. You should do a video on going through boot camp survival training. In 1969, boot camp was very much modeled after boot camp in WW2. Best deal, you can get a free haircut, and a bunch of inoculations! Not yet met another vet who claims boot camp was their favorite duty station. All the best!

That's got to be a LOT harder in a pitching sea at night.! Thank you for sharing your efforts, Ryan

Yes I’ve done the pants flotation from the manual you can also use the shirt as well. I was taught both was in the Sea Cadet’s

I did this make-a-flotation-device-out-of-my-pants exercise as part of.a Red Cross Water Safety course when I was in high school. So yes, I know it will work. As for shoes, we practiced taking them off, tieing the laces together and hanging them around our necks while we worked on getting the pant off.

We tied the legs of our pants together and used them as a flotation device in Boy Scouts in the '90s. It worked, but you had the keep ducking your head under them and exhaling to keep them inflated.

I used to practice this as a kid in the pool in the 70s. The trick is to have one leg behind you and one in front, as you sit on it like a saddle. Use your hands to makes bubbles by splashing down and you can refill them to full capacity without doing the over the head nonsense. I would take naps and just practice and I basically lived in the pool. Deadman float is cool too and you can basically float face down forever and expend a tiny amount of energy.

In 1983 (boot camp), we were instructed to tie the legs together, wrap the legs around your neck and then inflate by blowing up the legs through the clenched waist. As it deflated, you could add air by blowing them up again. This was a more effective way of blowing the up instead of pulling them over your head.

We had to do this to pass the swim test at summer camp in NC. As far as I know they still require this test to swim or go on any water oriented trips. After swinging them over your head you also go under and exhale into them to fill them up the rest of the way.

Ryan, great video and as the son of a pollack Navy man I had heard the bell bottom thing. Thanks for proving it. I can attest that pollack sink faster than the Hood bu it was helpful scuba diving as I didn't need much weight!

Yes, in boot camp in 1972 in the deep end of the pool after having passed the swim test, we removed our trousers, knotted the legs, swung them over our heads, caught air and floated... I seem to remember doing it without shoes and found the most difficult part was knotting the legs while treading water... it does work, of course a life jacket would be better. As to the denim bell bottoms, the issue uniform pants was more of a quite loose, straight leg... which would be better for getting over shoes than the "seafarer" bell-bottoms bought in the Navy Exchange... which were more "stylish" being more snug around the upper legs and flared at the cuffs.

Learned the pants trick, along with a number of other water survival techniques in my Marine Corps boot camp Water Survival class at Parris Island in the early 1970's.

Here in the UK I was taught to do the trouser ( pants are underwear in the UK ) thing as part of my Bronze medal swimming survival course at school . Works remarkably well .

Ryan, in the last two videos you look like you are part of Mchale's Navy.😁 As posted below, we did this in the Army (Fort Bragg, NC) once per year.

I remember being taught this in bootcamp, 87’. You missed a few though. Short term you can use your Dixie cup, doesn’t hold a lot of air, but works. You can also button up your shirt while wearing it, including the sleeves, blow into it and it will inflate for a life preserver. Also on the pants, instead of pulling over head you can splash water into them after you have tied them. It will inflate them the same way.

on sat aug 13 i was at a boy scout camp reunion. i was with a couple of buddies hanging out at the swim dock. and of course the conversation turned to swimming and life saving merit badges. AND inflating your scout uniform into a personal flotation device. i did bring up this demonstration durring the converstion... just back and i had to come back and talk about some serendipity today being the 15 of august

Yes my Grandfather, Father and Uncle were all Navy. I remember my Father and Uncle teaching us the pants technique as children. They were big on water safety and survival.

When I went to boot camp in 1976, we had classes on how to use the utility trousers to stay afloat. We weren't issued a Dixie cup hat but rather a ball cap. That too could be used to trap enough air to keep the head out of the water. We did remove our boondockers by slipping them off after entering the water.

Variation for the pant legs: you individually tied each leg shut. You could instead double knot the leg ends together. This creates an opening between the legs to slip your head through like a life preserver. Also for more floatation, button all shirt buttons including the top ones, lean back a bit, left hand pull the front of your shirt away from your abs, right hand cupped above water, slap the water and bubbles into the bottom of your shirt, trap the bubbles in your shirt.

We did this in Drownproofing class at Georgia Tech in 1971, as part of the PT class required for graduation.

Using the uniform as a flotation device was taught in boot camp in 1968. You are not negative Bouyant. As is illustrated by your feet floating. We were also taught that your shirt could be used by opening the top few buttons an blowing air in about the chest, you can creat another floatation device. The bagger the better. Might help if you read the Blue Jackets Manual

Love the effort. As a kid we had to do the pants thing for a lifesaving course. It worked but you had to refill with air every few minutes. Ocean salt water's density is a 102.6% that of fresh water making it a bit easier to float.

We were taught to tuck the dungarees into the tops of our socks, button the top button of the shirt, and wear the dixie cup Gilligan style at battle stations or maybe just DC parties (sorry, it has been almost 40 years). For flotation, unbutton the top button of the shirt, pull the collar over your mouth, and exhale. You can fill the shirt about three breaths of air, and button the top button. The results are better if you can breath inside the tee shirt (it won't leak the air out as quickly). Re-inflate a every few minutes. It adds a ton of flotation, is easy to do, and allows full mobility. Also, it adds some level of thermal insulation. Inflating the shirt was the first priority. Inverted boondockers can also hold a good bubble of air. As will in inverted dixie cup. But they must be held thus restricting movement. If the dungarees' legs are long enough, knot both legs together. Then you can slip them over your head something like a May West. But it was generally considered smarter to keep the dungarees on and tucked into the socks for insulation. In water under 72 degrees, survival time is a day or less. At 50 degrees, that drops to about 3 hours.

Swimming merit badge in the Boy Scouts required us to jump in the water with a pair of pants on and doing this. Im loving his little jokes and digs in these videos by the way.

yes, i know it works, as i was specifically trained to do this exact thing in the pool at RTC Great Lakes. I was among the last few divisions to be issued Dungarees before the Utilities were seabag issue.

I was in the United States Navy from 1976 to 1980. During boot camp we were taught to use our navy dungeries as a flotation device in the event we ended up in the water. There are multiple ways a sailor could end up in the water. A person could be blown off from a jet engine blast, or get swept off in a storm, or just fall off the ship, or evensometime even get trhown off from people that don't like you. I don't ever recall being told to take my dungeries off without taking off my boon dockers (Navy issue shoes). Which you were not wearing in the pool. You were also not wearing a navy issue web belt. Also a factor in your difficulty getting your dungeries off. The web belt if used properly releases instantly.

Another great video from the battleship. Thanks

In boot camp in San Diego October/November 1985 we learned that our pants, shirt and white had could be used to aid in flotation. For the shirt, you do up the top and sleeve buttons and blow air into the shirt. The fabric will hold air for a short period.

Went to boot camp at San Diego in June '73. They actually taught this at the pool. Only difference was that we were issued utilities at that point, not dungarees. Technique still worked though.

pants method was taught (and may still be) to Royal Canadian Sea Cadets also a way to lace the boots so all the laces went across to make it easier to cut laces to remove boots in water

We were taught in the pool, basic training at RTC San Diego, how to use your dungarees and cap as a floatation device…of course. Many knuckleheads couldn’t get it…not hard following instructions but, that is what marching party was for. 😉

This is easily the finest program this channel has ever featured. What other museum channel has the curator jumping into a pool and stripping to his skivvies in a Donald Duck hat just to prove a historical point? Also... @ 3:36 "they are quite tight around the waist". Mother of mercy, I could have taken your word on it. Put that booty away, sir, this is a family channel! You're riling up the womenfolk! 🤣🤣

We had to do the inflate -the-clothes trick for lifeguard training. The trick was to let yourself submerge slightly when you swung the pants over your head. A t-shirt was even better as a flotation device, but required more regular re-inflation. The problem with bunker oil sunscreen is that it gets in your mouth and nose and causes your lungs to shutdown. Basically, petroleum pneumonia. Great stuff for ship fuel, but lousy for other purposes.

Yes, I had heard of this trick when I was a kid. In fact, me and a couple of friends fooled around with trapping air in our blue jeans and jackets. Both worked for holding air. We did it only for a few minutes then moved on to something else as kids do. Using a jacket or shirt was pretty easy in you could be wearing them and just create an air pocket in the loose fabric. Also, the sailor had also had another use. You could cup it and use it for catching rain water. Or as a paddle blade to move water. It also worked as a bail bucket for a boat I was in. You can also use your belt as a safety or tie strap to lash yourself to something or to lash supplies to your flotation device or tie things together. And you can use any combination of all your shoes, socks or boots to create a number of tools or structures as needed. There is a lot of McGyver stuff you can do with what ever you have available.

Yes. This was part of boot camp training when I was in boot camp in 1971.

Joined the USN in 1973. Part of the water training was using the pants as a flotation device. Don’t recall whether we did it with boots on - probably not though! The Dixie cup cap an also be used as a flotation device, similar to the pants. Except you float on your back with the Dixie cup trapping air. The Dixie cup is held over your groin area. And there are numerous jokes to be made about that! Never used this info in real life, but had to do it at boot camp to pass the water training / swim part.

Yep, had to learn this in Boot Camp in 82. We tied the legs together then put our head betwenn the legs, also with the type of buckle we had at the time we cinched the top of the pants closed

via my wifes Facebook I went through basic at San Diego in 1959. We had to do pant flotation during the swimming phase of basic training in the Navy at that time July 1959.

wow! youve accomplished something that looks even MOAR like may west!!! did not see that one coming!!!

I remember having to do that in Navy Boot Camp, and YMCA/Red Cross Life Saving course, and the BSA Live Saving Course.