While most of us are just resigned to the fact that potato chip bags contain more air than snack, some South Korean college students decided it was time to show manufacturers that consumers were well aware of the fact, and were not too thrilled about it.
However, instead of staging a protest like most people would have done, they decided to demonstrate it, by binding together 160 unopened chip bags and creating a floatation device. After ensuring that is was safe, on September 28th, two of the students climbed aboard and rowed across the 0.80-mile width of the Han River in eastern Seoul. The only unfortunate part is that while the students took pictures of this fun excursion, the only video they recorded, was when they were testing the prototype. (first video)
Fortunately, they are not the first ones to demonstrate the buoyancy of chip bags. A group of U.S. adventurers did the same experiment in 2011, and recorded it from start to finish. Except in this case they did not paddle across a tame river, but went all out, on dangerous fast flowing rapids. However, these adventurers that appeared to be sponsored by the chip manufacturer, were not complaining about the sparsity of the snack. They were just showing off the super strength of the chip bags.
Whether the demonstrations will shame snack manufacturers into adding more food to the packets, remains to be seen. However, it does prove that chips are the perfect survival food - Not only do they keep us happy, but also, double up as flotation devices, if needed. The best part? They remain fresh and crunchy even after the soggiest of adventures!