“Before even considering the use of a waterproof bag a question arises: how much stuff do you really need to take with you that must absolutely stay dry? ” If you’re surfing or paddling for a few hours, for example, you can leave most of your belongings in the car.
A dry bag, or waterproof dry bag, is essential for water sports. Water tightness and durability are paramount when camping on a canoe-kayak descent. This kind of bag is usually made of a very durable fabric, which can withstand being taken down rapids or dragged over rocks. Its weight tends to be secondary, since it is not carried on the back. Some have a grippy surface to be less slippery and easier to grab in the water.
A dry sack allows you to compartmentalize the equipment inside a waterproof bag or a package. Of a lighter material, it does not increase the load and its flexibility allows it to slip more easily among other items in a bundle. Our expert Katherine Finnegan even uses it to preserve foods, like flour, when she goes on long journeys.
Less traditional uses of Travel Bags:
- We can sit on it when it’s raining,
- You can store kitchen ingredients there,
- We can transport water with it,
- We can fill them with leaves to make a pillow,
- You can put your dirty, damp or smelly laundry in it after sports,
- You can store food in it and hang them up high to avoid attracting animals: waterproof, the bag smothers any tantalizing aroma that might entice bears or raccoons, and it is not likely to tear against the branches when you do so.
For the best results, we tested the waterproof bags in the pathogen infested waters of the Charles River in Boston. Do you know the song ” Dirty Water ” by Standells? Literally the title means “dirty water”. This is where we were. We paddled for a while in muddy, muddy water, and submerged each of the bags. As for the waterproof pouches that are not designed for such tests, we simply dipped them in a bathtub.
