Dry Bags

Dry bags from Ortlieb, AIRE, Innova, NRS, and other manufacturers are found in this section. There are a bnch of new duffel style drybags for this update.

How fancy you get keeping things dry depends on what you are keeping dry, how many days you'll be paddling, and what type of boating you do. Day trips across a lake may only merit a large plastic bag, but expedition boaters running heavy seas or tough whitewater should invest a little more - especially if their gear includes down sleeping bags, tents, cameras, and the lone set of dry clothes. Regardless of how much you spend on dry storage, we urge you to use a "back-up" system. Most drybags leak eventually and they rarely do it at a convenient time. By using garbage bags for liners you need not worry about pinholes or the one rookie in the group who couldn't quite get the part about rolling down the closure.

As a general rule of thumb, "lock-top" style drybags won't be as leak proof as dry bags with multiple closure straps, and any drybag requiring rolling and straps to be cinched won't be as foolproof as something with waterproof zippers. The caveat with zippers -be it a drybag or a drysuit - is that they must be kept clean and they must be fully closed. Some folks will tend to not want to pull the zippers the last 1/8" at the "cul-de-sac" termination because it takes some extra tugging, but without doing so you in essence have a small opening where water can enter.