Codger_64
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- Joined
- Oct 8, 2004
- Messages
- 62,324
I've had a pair of these heavy river dry bags for quite some time and use them on every canoe camping trip.Using a bit of caution in packing and some common sense in handling, I've not had one tear or puncture yet. For the most part, their dryness hasn't been tested with more than some bilge water and a bit of paddle slop. But this weekend, they stood up to hour upon hour of unrelenting downpour that repeatedly had me bailing water 4" deep in the stern of my canoe. Unloading gear and cleaning the bags at home today, the interiors of both and all gear was as dry as when packed. I've not submerged them yet (thank goodness), but suspect they would do their job well enough in the short term.
These bags aren't cheap and aren't light weight like a pack liner. The sides are made of sonic welded 20 oz. PVC, heavy duty 30 oz. scrim-reinforced vinyl bottoms. They have reinforced roll-down closure and Fastex buckles with a d-ring for attachment to the canoe. This forms a convenient handle to lift and carry them. The 40 liter size I have weighs 1 1/2# each. Not a hinderence by any means for a decent sized tripping canoe and, even filled with gear, not a problem to portage short distances when required. For folks that do real portages frequently, they also make the SealLine Boundary Pack 115L which has a backpack like carry strap system.
I have the 40 liter size, but have seen them in 5L, 10L, 20L, 30, 40L and 55L sizes. I will be looking to buy a couple more in smaller sizes to better divide my gear and supplies. I found it to be a bother to remember what gear was in each identical bag. Particularly when I wanted to cook or retrieve snacks but not camp. And I am pretty sure that had I had a canoeing partner along, the capacity of these two would not have been enough for the added gear, particularly bulky items like another sleeping bag, clothes bag, sleeping pad, etc. Mine are yellw because that is what the outfitter had in stock, but they are offered in blue, red, green and yellow. They have another line which use clear vinyl, but I can see those becoming scratched and damaged in short order. And I don't exactly like the idea of having their contents on display.
"Back in the day", I had one manufactured dry bag, yellow poly with a clear vinyl liner and a ley-rod closure. It worked well enough for years, but I don't think they are made anymore. I also used mil-surp pack liners, rubber coated nylon, lined with a trash bag. They also worked well for a while. But I feel they cylendrical shaped Baja bags are a leap foreward in materials and design.
These bags aren't cheap and aren't light weight like a pack liner. The sides are made of sonic welded 20 oz. PVC, heavy duty 30 oz. scrim-reinforced vinyl bottoms. They have reinforced roll-down closure and Fastex buckles with a d-ring for attachment to the canoe. This forms a convenient handle to lift and carry them. The 40 liter size I have weighs 1 1/2# each. Not a hinderence by any means for a decent sized tripping canoe and, even filled with gear, not a problem to portage short distances when required. For folks that do real portages frequently, they also make the SealLine Boundary Pack 115L which has a backpack like carry strap system.
I have the 40 liter size, but have seen them in 5L, 10L, 20L, 30, 40L and 55L sizes. I will be looking to buy a couple more in smaller sizes to better divide my gear and supplies. I found it to be a bother to remember what gear was in each identical bag. Particularly when I wanted to cook or retrieve snacks but not camp. And I am pretty sure that had I had a canoeing partner along, the capacity of these two would not have been enough for the added gear, particularly bulky items like another sleeping bag, clothes bag, sleeping pad, etc. Mine are yellw because that is what the outfitter had in stock, but they are offered in blue, red, green and yellow. They have another line which use clear vinyl, but I can see those becoming scratched and damaged in short order. And I don't exactly like the idea of having their contents on display.
"Back in the day", I had one manufactured dry bag, yellow poly with a clear vinyl liner and a ley-rod closure. It worked well enough for years, but I don't think they are made anymore. I also used mil-surp pack liners, rubber coated nylon, lined with a trash bag. They also worked well for a while. But I feel they cylendrical shaped Baja bags are a leap foreward in materials and design.
