Need help on what size dry bag......

[B.B.M]

Hi guys, just ordered a Pathfinder haversack (12x14) and was wondering what size sealline dry bag would best fit inside it? also what would be the best size for a large alice pack? I have no experience whatsoever with dry bags I have heard a lot about sealline so i take it they are quality? any info you guys can give me would be appreciated

 

[OwenM]

You might look at waterproof pack liners, instead of dry bags. Dry bags typically aren't shaped like backpacks are, and while more durable, are a lot heavier.
You could luck up with a 30L fitting that Pathfinder, but my 30L Sealine weighs ~20oz. vs. 3.3 oz. for my 45L OR waterproof pack liner.

 

[B.B.M]

You might look at waterproof pack liners, instead of dry bags. Dry bags typically aren't shaped like backpacks are, and while more durable, are a lot heavier.
You could luck up with a 30L fitting that Pathfinder, but my 30L Sealine weighs ~20oz. vs. 3.3 oz. for my 45L OR waterproof pack liner.

The pack liners look like a better option for the alice pack i have never saw those before, what's a good brand? I want something that is quality and will last.
However i do want a dry bag for the Haversack, Dave showed one on a video and said it could be used to hold water and gather things.

 

[PayetteRucker]

Dry bags are way too pricy to plan on using for that kind of stuff-and once you get water in, you will never get it out. The bag will be so humid for the next 3 seasons all your dry stuff will be rancid when it comes out. Get a disposable water bag and a pocket backpack, don't ruin your 60-100 dollar dry bag over it. Watershed seems to be the top of the top of the line here in Idaho, and the serious river rats here spend 90 days a year on the water. Very durable, shaped convenient for packing on rafts and people like the closure system alot better. I have a NRS Bill's Bag, which can be a pain in the butt sometimes and other times I'm incredibly thankful for it's durability, reliable waterproofing and backpack straps. Often I pack my Mountainsmith Maverick full and outfitted, as I would carry it on a backpacking trip, and then stuff it into my Bill's Bag, so that if SHTF in a 7,000 foot deep gorge 300 miles away from the nearest hospital, I have some semblance of hope in getting myself out alive. They're really bombproof and get the job done, the watershed zipper is just alot more convenient than trying to manipulate welded PVC into folding along an even plane.

Dry bags are expensive, and they are designed to do one thing: Keep stuff dry. They are good at it, but you don't just go rucking around camp with sharp slivery pieces of firewood stuck in there for convenient tramping. When you're on the water you'll realize just how important it is to have gear that is 100% dry, and if you get any kind of dirt, moisture or whatever in there, all of your possessions will rot by the time you get to the takeout.

I've seen Watershed and NRS bags stuck in washing machine keeper holes for an hour at a time, and when they come out the contents are bone dry.

 

[Codger_64]

Dry bags are way too pricy to plan on using for that kind of stuff-and once you get water in, you will never get it out. The bag will be so humid for the next 3 seasons all your dry stuff will be rancid when it comes out. Get a disposable water bag and a pocket backpack, don't ruin your 60-100 dollar dry bag over it. Watershed seems to be the top of the top of the line here in Idaho, and the serious river rats here spend 90 days a year on the water. Very durable, shaped convenient for packing on rafts and people like the closure system alot better. I have a NRS Bill's Bag, which can be a pain in the butt sometimes and other times I'm incredibly thankful for it's durability, reliable waterproofing and backpack straps. Often I pack my Mountainsmith Maverick full and outfitted, as I would carry it on a backpacking trip, and then stuff it into my Bill's Bag, so that if SHTF in a 7,000 foot deep gorge 300 miles away from the nearest hospital, I have some semblance of hope in getting myself out alive. They're really bombproof and get the job done, the watershed zipper is just alot more convenient than trying to manipulate welded PVC into folding along an even plane.

Dry bags are expensive, and they are designed to do one thing: Keep stuff dry. They are good at it, but you don't just go rucking around camp with sharp slivery pieces of firewood stuck in there for convenient tramping. When you're on the water you'll realize just how important it is to have gear that is 100% dry, and if you get any kind of dirt, moisture or whatever in there, all of your possessions will rot by the time you get to the takeout.

I've seen Watershed and NRS bags stuck in washing machine keeper holes for an hour at a time, and when they come out the contents are bone dry.

I don't know why you say they never dry out. I wash mine with dish soap and a wash cloth, towel dry the outside, invert them and repeat with the inside. Then I let them air dry, then roll them up for the next outing. The Seal Line bags are not lined with an absorbant lining. And the last 40L I bought was around $30 more or less. I agree that they are not pack shaped, more or less cylindrical. And they are for immersion protection, not for lining packs. A pack raincover may be what is needed plus a few lightweight oversize ziplocks. Or purpose made pack liners.

 

[PayetteRucker]

Do you go through that process while on the water? If so, I'd find it a waste of time and resources compared to just not getting the inside wet in the first place. My Bills Bag isn't lined either, but there's no breathing. Once moisture gets in it's just impossible to get out-even a drop or two wedged under a wrinkled plastic bottom will be enough to make your gear reek for an entire trip. Why go through it if you can just keep it dry in the first place? Sea Line is a good product but not half as durable as a whitewater bag needs to be. With all the river abuse, they would get chundered. I'd rather invest the extra 20 dollars in my drybag to make sure that my lifeline, and thousands of dollars worth of kit, don't get ruined.

http://drybags.com/recreational-products.html Watershed makes them in a variety of sizes, but none of them square. I think a backpack shaped one will be most efficient-I believe my Bill's bag is a bit wider than it is long. Get the next size bigger than what you need and compress it down-most quality drybags have compression straps and can cinch down or roll down so they don't take up extra volume. A good drybag packer gets a majority of the air out so that the bag is more or less shrinkwrapped to the shape of its contents anyway. Always go larger-you don't want to force a sharp cornered piece of gear in a PVC bag and then compress it down.

 

[Codger_64]

I never let my gear rot in a wet bag for three seasons. Do you? A few drops of water would be dispursed over all of the contents, but all told, it wouldn't be more moisture than closing the bag on a humid summer day in Tennessee. I don't chunder my bags either. In fact, I don't abuse any of my gear, even though it isn't as expensive as yours. I certainly wouldn't put sharp objects in the bag at any rate. Nor would I use it as a compression bag. A positive air pressure inside helps floatation as well as keeps water out. Forcing the air out created a suction.

 

[mewolf1]

Do you go through that process while on the water? If so, I'd find it a waste of time and resources compared to just not getting the inside wet in the first place. My Bills Bag isn't lined either, but there's no breathing. Once moisture gets in it's just impossible to get out-even a drop or two wedged under a wrinkled plastic bottom will be enough to make your gear reek for an entire trip. Why go through it if you can just keep it dry in the first place? Sea Line is a good product but not half as durable as a whitewater bag needs to be. With all the river abuse, they would get chundered. I'd rather invest the extra 20 dollars in my drybag to make sure that my lifeline, and thousands of dollars worth of kit, don't get ruined.

http://drybags.com/recreational-products.html Watershed makes them in a variety of sizes, but none of them square. I think a backpack shaped one will be most efficient-I believe my Bill's bag is a bit wider than it is long. Get the next size bigger than what you need and compress it down-most quality drybags have compression straps and can cinch down or roll down so they don't take up extra volume. A good drybag packer gets a majority of the air out so that the bag is more or less shrinkwrapped to the shape of its contents anyway. Always go larger-you don't want to force a sharp cornered piece of gear in a PVC bag and then compress it down.

A dry bag saved my buddys life! Tipped his boat over here in Mn in January. I pulled him out before he went down stream and had a fire goin in no time flat.
DRY CLOTHES in the DRY bag and a hot fire kept him from getting Hypothermic.
If you can't keep water out of your dry bag, get anew one, there is a hole in it. They are worth the money.
My fly fishin waders dry out in no time.Just turn'em inside out,as I do with a dry bag after they get damp.:thumbup:

 

[mewolf1]

Hi guys, just ordered a Pathfinder haversack (12x14) and was wondering what size sealline dry bag would best fit inside it? also what would be the best size for a large alice pack? I have no experience whatsoever with dry bags I have heard a lot about sealline so i take it they are quality? any info you guys can give me would be appreciated

I googled Alabama outdoor stores and found dry bags of various sizes. At 39 bucks you can't just be guessing, but a trip to check them out first hand would give you the best idea of what will fit your needs. If travel or distance from the outdoor stores are out of the Q, check the specs that are on line against the measurements of your gear.
You'll at least be close.:thumbup:

 

[PayetteRucker]

no, I don't let my gear rot at all. I put the wet or dirty stuff in a mesh bag and keep the clean and dry in the drybag until I get to the takeout. From there the pack comes out. It takes a LOT of work and time for that rancid stuff to go away. Ask me how I know... I've got some old military issue watershed drybags from my days at Eglin when 90% of the time we were working on the beach or in a swamp. They still freaking reek from back in 2007, and that's with bleach, vinegar, all sorts of crap. I spent more time than they were worth trying to get them useable again. Again-it's worth the effort to make sure that they STAY dry than to try to recover one that's been holding mildewy gear for a few days.

Mewolf, if it's quality PVC and you know where the leak is, you can patch it with the same tape you'd use for an emergency raft tube patch. It's some kind of self-fusing material, handy as hell. I was on a boat that someone dropped a glass bottle in going down China Slide on the Lower Salmon. The bottle got sandwiched between the floor of the raft and a drybox and shattered. Before we knew it 3 of the 4 tubes were blown and it was another 5 miles to camp. The poor guy that was running the raft did everything he could just to point the thing in the right direction. We wound up patching all three tubes with one patch kit in about 45 minutes. a little 3x3 square is all you'd need to patch a puncture, and if you were really concerned you could put one on the inside, too.

Forcing the air out creates suction that helps keep the lips of the drybag sealed. That's why they are so effective. Even when they are compressed the air content is more than enough to keep them floating-in fact they're even easier to use as a floatation device because they ride low in the water where it is easier to hang on.

 

[Codger_64]

They (mil dry bags) may have changed since back in the day, but then they were rubberized canvas and very prone to mildew. The Seal Line bags are made with 19 oz. vinyl sides and a heavy-duty 30 oz. vinyl welded bottom. There are no wrinkles to trap moisture. That said, I don't put a wet tent or rainfly in the same bag with other gear. Yes, keep your gear dry. And clean the bags thoroughly and dry them after an outing.

The bag will be so humid for the next 3 seasons all your dry stuff will be rancid when it comes out.

If yours reek, you have other problems not related to the bags. Next three seasons? Vinyl is inert. It generally doesn't hold odors.

 

[BA_Colt]

double post

 

[BA_Colt]

Sealine are good,as are West Marine. I own both. I has a Seadoo backpack once, which was great, but I bought it too big and gave it away. I mostly kayak and sail on salt water and the PVC bags hold up well. They clean out easy, and keep things dry even when they fall over board or sitting in the water of my open cockpit sailboat.

The PVC ones are dishwasher safe.

 

[OwenM]

The pack liners look like a better option for the alice pack i have never saw those before, what's a good brand? I want something that is quality and will last.

My pack liner is by OR(Outdoor Research). I bought the particular one I have after reading a review saying it was an excellent fit for the exact pack I use. Sea to Summit also has pack liners, and I'm sure there are others that I'm just not familiar with. A lot of backpackers are using trash compactor bags.

 

[B.B.M]

Thanks for the info guys Can the sealine really be to tall? can you roll them up as small as you want?

 

[OwenM]

Talking about for your Pathfinder? I said 30L earlier, because the first specs I saw online after googling it said 19" long, and I figured it would roll down easily to 14".
Ignore that. I just got out my 30L and measured it, and it's 30.5" long
My small drybag is a 5L, so I can't give you actual measurements on the in-between sizes...

 

[Codger_64]

Thanks for the info guys Can the sealine really be to tall? can you roll them up as small as you want?

As you can see in the pic I posted, they come in several sizes. I do think they would be overkill for lining a hiking pack. Waterproof pack liners are much lighter and while not as submersion proofed, combined with a pack raincover will keep contents dry in most hiking conditions. Heights are adjustable in the roll top bags. My 40L adjusts from 17" tall down to 10" tall by 12" diameter. It might even be capable of being 18" - 8".

 

[neeman]

What is a Pathfinder haversack?

Garbage bags work really well for lining the inside of a pack against rain.
Well they have worked for me for many years

The price is right

 

[fmajor007]

BBM - it would be really helpful to clarify your intended use for your haversack/dry-bag.

There are many *very* experienced and highly trained Folks here who have and are willing to help you out - give 'em some guidance and i believe you'll get a very professional answer.

 

[B.B.M]

What is a Pathfinder haversack?

Garbage bags work really well for lining the inside of a pack against rain.
Well they have worked for me for many years

The price is right

BBM - it would be really helpful to clarify your intended use for your haversack/dry-bag.

There are many *very* experienced and highly trained Folks here who have and are willing to help you out - give 'em some guidance and i believe you'll get a very professional answer.

Here's a pic of my Haversack with a Bacho laplander for size comparison,

I'm planning on going to the everglades for a survival course this spring and I'm wanting to waterproof my gear. the Haversack will be with me and either a large or medium alice pack, just wanting to make sure my gear will be dry.