what to look for when buying a dry bag

Dry bags are getting quite popular these days but not that long ago they were almost unknown.  Non many people outside the circles where dry bags are unavoidable knew about them. Kayakers, sailors, cave explorers etc… they were using them for a some time now. But for the residual, dry bags were pretty much a mystery. The proper name itself implies that a dry handbag is something that stays dry out inside, and then information technology must be waterproof. Unfortunately the term waterproof can today mean so many different things. Ordinarily things labeled waterproof are not really waterproof. If you are non familiar with dry out numberless it is difficult to imagine that a dry bag really is waterproof in the true sense of the word. You can driblet it into the sea and things within stay dry. Even though dry bags are getting more than and more popular there are still some misconceptions what dry numberless really are and what they can exercise. This is why nosotros fabricated this ultimate guide to dry bags.

In this guide yous will acquire:

• what are dry bags and why are they waterproof,
• 32 different uses for a dry out handbag (and then far),
• how to properly shut the dry out purse,
• how to buy the perfect dry bag for your need:
  • what is your intended use,
  • which materials are best,
  • how to option the right size,
  • what actress features are there,
  • why are well-nigh dry bags ugly,
• dry bags care and maintenance.

What is a Dry Pocketbook?

Three different size dry out bags (5L, 15L, 30L)

Dry pocketbook is a proper noun for differently sized numberless that are constructed in such a way that absolutely no water can get inside. How is this achieved? There are two chief factors that brand a dry bag completely waterproof.

Starting time, dry bags are made out of 100% waterproof cloth. A material that tin can be left lying in the water for a month and not a single drop will get through. These are non "waterproof" materials that breathe (GoreTex etc..) because even the best breathable waterproof material can only stop water for a while and under sure conditions. A existent waterproof material has absolutely no holes and information technology does not exhale. Completely closing all the holes in the fabric is usually achieved by laminating information technology with pvc. Premium dry numberless usually use heavy duty, robust and easy to maintain 500D Lined PVC Tarpaulin. Thin lightweight dry bags normally use Nylon textile. Nylon dry bags will merely end water for a while as this material soaks up water. These thin bags are more often than not used for added protection inside your backpacks, duffel numberless etc… and non for stand alone use.

And second, dry out bag construction. Dry bags must be "sewn" together without making holes into the cloth. This is achieved either by:

• sewing the numberless together and then taping the seams or covering the whole inside of the bag with a waterproof coating (unremarkably used with thinner bags, this method is not very durable nor reliable).
• gluing the purse together (more reliable method).
• welding the materials together and creating a completely waterproof bond. This is the well-nigh reliable and durable method.

Making waterproof bags, backpacks, duffel numberless etc… using waterproof materials and welding is non easy. Material and structure method put all sorts of limitations on how the bags tin be produced. Limitations that don't exist in regular bags that are simply sewn together.

Dry bags can float on the h2o surface if enough air is left within.

Why and Where Are Dry Bags Used?

Information technology is no wonder dry bags are becoming more common. There are just so many dissimilar situations where a dry handbag tin salvage your things from getting wet. More often than not speaking there are 2 basic reasons for using dry bags:

• to keep your things dry out inside the dry bag when things go wet or
• to put your wet things inside a dry out bag then they don't drip all over your other dry things.

Here is a huge list of all the sports and situations where you tin use a dry handbag:

• kayaking (inside of the kayak tin can get wet, you tin too put dry out numberless on top of the kayak),
• stand up up paddling,
• boat rides,
• sailing,
• boating,
• rafting,
• canyoning,
• skiing and snowboarding,
• cavern exploration,
• diving (storing wet gear),
• snorkeling (storing wet gear),
• traveling (peculiarly to rainy and wet corners of the Earth),
• going to the beach (dry out bags also protect from sand),
• hiking,
• motor cycle travel,
• going outdoors (walking up rivers, under waterfalls…),
• fishing (keep your gear dry),
• hunting (proceed your gear dry out),
• hunting and line-fishing (shop your catch in a dry purse then blood and guts don't go all over your other things),
• surfing (for keeping things dry out when on the beach, boat trips, tropical island travels…),
• storing moisture wetsuits so they don't drip all over your motorcar (surfing, diving, rafting, pond-triathlon…),
• storing wet smelly apparel after working out,
• laundry pocketbook (aforementioned reason),
• windsurfing,
• kite surfing,
• protecting your gear in dry, dust, deserts…miles away from the sea (dust and sand can be even more harmful to electronics than water!),
• camping (things in tents tend to get humid, store your clean clothes and your sleeping bag in a dry out bag when you lot don't need them),
• emergency pillow (the dry bags with air and put information technology under your caput),
• working out (fill it with water),
• washing clothes (you tin use a dry bag as a simple saucepan),
• protecting your phone, photographic camera, drone and other electronics from humidity and dust,
• etc…

Can you think of any other uses? Let united states know! The most original use might get a advantage :)!

Closing a Dry Bag

When a dry out pocketbook is properly constructed it volition merely have ane pigsty – the acme opening that you use to put your things inside the bag. Everything else is sealed and waterproof. This leaves us with the large question – how to close a dry bag and then it does not leak?

There are three options that are used these days:

• Roll downward meridian
• Ziplock seal (similar to ziplock freezer bags for your food etc)
• Waterproof zipper

All three accept their pros and cons, lets take a expect.

Roll Down Top

Roll down meridian it the most pop way to close a dry bag. If we only count dry bags (without other types of waterproof packs and luggage) I would say 99% of the dry out bags use this closing system. Why?

Roll down top PROs:

• It is easy to use and it works.
• Information technology tin can not break downwards.
• Needs no maintenance.
• It's inexpensive.
• It creates a handle that can be used to carry a dry bag or tie information technology to other bags etc…

Roll down top CONs:

• Not suitable for submersion. No matter what some brands, shops etc… claim, a roll down top will slowly leak if the bag is pushed underwater.

How To Properly Close a Dry Bag?

Although leaking in case of submerging a dry bag is unavoidable, the amount of leaking depends on how advisedly you close the pocketbook. This is how you properly close a dry bag:

Dry Bags Endmost Instructions

1. Align the acme edges of the purse and clasp them together.
2. Tightly roll down the top of the pocketbook at least 3 times (it is better to curl it downwardly all the way until yous reach the content of your bag, this puts more tension on the closure and makes the seal meliorate).
3. Bend the ends in the opposite direction towards the back, away from the side where you rolled the top down (again this puts more tension on the fold and makes a better seal).
4. Buckle the ends together and you are done.

Extra Tips

When yous close a dry bag there will be air trapped inside. This makes all dry bags float on the surface of the water which is very useful. If for some reason you lot want to brand the dry bag smaller, similar when you are packing, then clasp the air out before closing the bag.

Ziplock Seal

Another way for closing dry bags is ziplock seal. You know, the kind of zippo seal you find in plastic bags that you use for putting your food into the freezer etc. This type of seal is very pop with really small bags, "bags" that are simply meant to protect your phone etc… Here is why.

Zip seal PROs:

• Simple to employ
• It'due south inexpensive.
• 100% waterproof.

Naught seal CONs:

• Works for extra pocket-sized bags. With bigger bags the nix seal would have to exist so strong it would be really hard to close and open or information technology would open up by itself. To solve this some bag employ ziplock type seal together with coil down top. This way the ziplock stays closed even if you pull on the bag.
• Sand and dirt can break the seal.
• Usually needs some maintenance (lubrication).

Waterproof Zipper

Recently special waterproof zippers also became available. Here are their pros and cons.

Waterproof zipper PROs:

• Simple to use
• Can exist 100% waterproof, just exist careful, real waterproof zippers that tin can also survive submersion are very expensive and non very common. There are notwithstanding lots of different cheaper types of zippers that are many times also called "waterproof". Some are actually bad and will leak correct abroad, some are very good and will withstand everything only submersion.

Waterproof zipper CONs:

• Expensive.
• Can break downwards.

How To Choose and Buy a Dry out Pocketbook?

At that place are a couple of things that influence what kind of purse do y'all desire and need.

How Much Gear Do I Have and What Dry out Pocketbook Size Do I Need?

Obviously, longer trips and more gear crave more space in your dry bags. But bigger dry bags are not always improve. Ideally you want merely the right sized dry bag, so that it is well-nigh total. This way the whorl down works better. But that is not the simply reason…

Near Useful Dry Bag Sizes

Dry out bags come in unlike sizes usually ranging from modest 2 liter bags to huge fifty, 60 or fifty-fifty 90 liter numberless. In my feel the most useful bag sizes are between 5 and 50 liters. Bigger bags are very useful when yous demand to booty huge amounts of gear, but numberless this big will exist heavy and clumsy when they are full. Use these bags for transport etc… when the gear just sits inside a huge dry bag on the back of the pickup truck or similar. Not for carrying around. It is also easier to handle and pack 2 30L bags than ane 60L.

Gear Organization

Some other downside of huge numberless is that things go lost inside them. Use huge bags for large gear. Like, if you demand to throw 4 moisture wetsuits within your automobile, you can put them inside one huge 90L pocketbook. Merely when packing clothes, towels, snacks… smaller bags piece of work better. With a huge purse you will be constantly fishing inside the bag for some small-scale item that e'er miraculously ends up somewhere at the bottom of the bag. So think about how many things you lot need to shop inside your bag and consider using more differently sized bags instead of 1 huge handbag. Finding things will be much easier.

How Much Room Is At that place For Dry Bags?

Smaller bags will fit into tighter spaces. In some cases this is a big consequence. For case if you will exist using your dry numberless for kayaking, you will want smaller and too a scrap narrower numberless. They will hands fit within kayaks narrow hull. Also, with multiple smaller numberless you lot can weight your gunkhole more evenly.

Examples: What Different Sized Dry Bags Tin can Fit?

Here is what some of the popular dry bag sizes will fit (take this with a grain of salt off course, one persons clothes for a week could be another persons clothes for a day :), then it'due south the flavor and temperatures etc..):

• v liter dry bag will fit all your smaller personal items (phone, wallet, keys, snacks, starting time aid…) or likewise a DSLR camera with two lenses or a Mavic Pro sized drone. v liter pocketbook can be pushed under the bungee cords on your kayak. It is also perfect to use with bigger numberless for system.
• 15 liter dry bag volition fit for instance 1 thick winter wetsuit, gloves and booties. It will fit a pocket-sized sleeping bag and some clothes. Or nutrient for the weekend.
• 30 liter dry out bag volition fit two thick wetsuits or a wetsuit and a poncho/towel and some apparel. This would be IMHO the perfect size for 24-hour interval trips on and around the water. If you simply pack it with clothes it fits plenty clothes for a week long trip for ane person or for a weekend trip for 2 people.
• l liter dry purse volition fit three wet wetsuits, or all your food for a few day kayak trip together with a minor camping gas stove and some dishes.

Production Quality

Materials and production process are standard these days. This means that an boilerplate dry out bag that you buy will work alright. A couple of things to keep in mind:

• If you lot want a durable dry out pocketbook get one fabricated out of heavy duty materials and put together using welded seams.
• Thin Nylon dry bag are meant to be used inside other bags/backpacks for added protection and not as a stand alone numberless.

Dry Bags Extra Features

POCKETS

Internal and external pockets. Internal pocket lets you lot organize things within the pocketbook which is great. If you want to have some things close and ready so look for external pocket. There are two types of external pockets. Normally dry bags don't accept waterproof external pockets since they are more expensive and you can ever just store the things that can not get wet inside your dry bag.

On the other hand, things that you lot usually desire to keep close and ready are your phone, wallet, maybe your car keys. Things that can not get wet. So a waterproof external pocket can be a big plus. Not many bags take them though (check the 30L Whale dry bag from DryTide).

MESH POCKETS

Some dry numberless also have external mesh pockets for property water bottles.

Carrying STRAPS

If you think there is a gamble you will carry your dry bags around more than but from your automobile to your gunkhole, then become bags with shoulder straps. Get straps that y'all can remove when you don't demand them. If y'all will carry a heavier dry pocketbook around a lot (dry out numberless 30L and more) get i with double shoulder straps, then it can exist carried as a backpack. For smaller bags 1 strap is plenty. More on conveying a flake further downwards.

EXTERNAL LOOPS, D RINGS, HANDLES ETC…

Nearly dry bags volition have ane or more D rings on them. Look for solid D rings, preferably plastic ones then salt water doesn't damage them. Y'all tin can apply them to attach the bag to boats, kayaks, stand up paddle boards, motorbikes etc…

External loop allow you lot to tie things to the bag or prune things on with carabiners.

Additional external handles are useful with bigger bags. A full xc liter handbag tin be a heavy creature, so just the roll down top handle might not be enough.

EXTERNAL NET OR BUNGEE CORD

External net or bungee cord can exist used to secure your wet gear on the outside of the dry pocketbook while your dry out things are safety inside the bag. Unremarkably people only use two carve up dry out bags. This way the wet gear doesn't baste all over the place.

Cogitating PRINT

In some cases you will also want your bag to exist visible at night or to help yous be more visible. In this case look for dry bags with reflective print on the exterior.

Blueprint

I don't know why, but most of the dry out bags don't put much effort into looking skilful. 1 of the reasons is that you desire the bags to be visible if you drop them into the ocean. This is why ugly bright neon colors are often used. We decided to go another way and tried to take the design a step further with our Seagull, Bear and Whale bags.

Intended Apply

Y'all also demand to ask your cocky where and why will you use the bag the nigh? I will assume that for a outset, yous want to protect your things from getting wet. Merely autonomously from that, ask yourself a couple of questions:

How Much Conveying of Dry Numberless Will I Be Doing?

• No conveying. A regular style dry pocketbook without shoulder straps will do fine.
• A trivial carrying and/or smaller sized bag. Make sure the bag has at to the lowest degree one shoulder strap, this fashion y'all can carry it effectually and go along your hands free.
• Some carrying and mid sized numberless. Dry purse should have 2 simple shoulder straps.
• Lots of carrying. Using dry bag for longer hiking trips and travelling. Medium amount of gear. In this case get either a handbag with ii shoulder straps (padded shoulder straps if possible) or even better, get a small waterproof backpack. Information technology is much more than comfortable to behave than a dry out bag.
• Lots of conveying. Using dry bag for longer hiking trips and travelling. Big amount of gear. – In this example get a big waterproof backpack. It is much more than comfortable to comport than a dry bag. Go i that has padded shoulder straps, padded back, hip belt and a sternum strap.

Are At that place Any Sport/Type of Use Specific Requirements?

I take already listed well-nigh of the dry out bag features. Now lets wait when they are necessary.

Kayaking and Similar

Get for smaller sized bags, I would say upwards to thirty liters and don't get ones that are really wide. Smaller and narrower bags will fit ameliorate within the kayak.

Attaching Dry out Numberless To Kayaks, Canoes, Rafts, Motorbikes, Car Rooftops, Boats etc…

If there is a need to attach the dry bag so it does not autumn off, then you lot will need a dry bag that has multiple D rings.  D rings that are there for attaching shoulder straps piece of work great to. In any case, you will desire to secure them with a bungee cords so they stay put.

Motorbikes and Wheel Travel

You lot will desire dry numberless that have some reflective surfaces on them. This mode you are meliorate visible at night.

Farthermost Utilize With High Chance of Submersion (Wild Rivers…)

If you will use the bags on wild rivers, as a flotation device when swimming or if at that place is a chance that the dry bag will exist pushed underwater during use, then get a dry pocketbook that uses either expensive waterproof zipper or ziplock + ringlet downward elevation closing system. A cheaper alternative is as well using a smaller dry bag inside a bigger dry bag. Put your DSLR in 5 liter bag and put your 5 liter purse within a 30 liter bag and your are adept.

What Kind of Gear Are You Packing?

This also influences what kind of bag should you become.

Clothes, Sleeping Bags, Jackets, Towels

These things can non intermission down and they can non damage the bag. So pretty much whatsoever handbag volition do.

Food and Cooking Gear

Nutrient, gas stoves, pans, plates, knifes and other cooking gear is harder and pointier. Practise not use thin nylon bags, use regular, thicker and more durable bags. No matter the purse, wrap really abrupt and pointy things like knifes into a kitchen towel or put them in an extra box. Yous don't want holes in your bag.

Various Other Equipment

Once more, if your gear is not soft and circular get a durable dry out bag and again, if something is actually precipitous and pointy, wrap it.

Electronics and Highly Sensitive Gear

Cameras, laptops, and other electronics are likely the nearly sensitive gear you'll bring along. So make sure you get a durable dry bag, use things as camera cubes (or combine with towels) to protect your electronics when things get rough and if your finances let it, get a bag that uses either expensive waterproof zipper or ziplock + roll down top closing organization. A cheaper alternative is likewise using a smaller dry out bag inside a bigger dry handbag. Put your DSLR in 5 liter bag and put your 5 liter bag within a 30 liter bag and your are good.

Dry Bag Intendance and Maintenance

Dry bags are pretty depression maintenance items. They tin can not break down, specially if they use the fold down closure. But there are a few things that you can do to make them last longer:

1. Don't drag them over sharp objects, don't put them on thorns etc… Fifty-fifty the most durable and tear proof materials can be punctured and so it is bye bye h2o protection. Check the dry pocketbook before use.
2. Rinse them with fresh water and hang them to dry if they were used in sea and/or are moisture. If y'all need to wash them you can use soap. Don't put them into a washing motorcar.
3. Go on them away from farthermost oestrus like fire etc…
4. Go along them away from solvents and insect repellents. If y'all spill them over the pocketbook rinse the pocketbook as soon equally possible.

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Source: https://drytidegear.com/ultimate-guide-to-buying-dry-bags/#:~:text=Make%20sure%20the%20bag%20has,Lots%20of%20carrying.

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