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< March April 2002
	Gear
The Traveler’s Drybag Review Max Young

Imagine travelling to Nepal for a nine-day paddling and 10-day trekking adventure. Along the way this single piece of luggage will face the perils of the airline ramp crew, snoopy customs officials, bus drivers from hell, angry porters and pack animals, not to mention the rugged Himalayas and frigid whitewater. Does your bag have what it takes to get your gear there and the spoils of your adventure back home in one piece? We brought nine of the best drybags on the market on our trip this fall and noted their performance in normal travel conditions, as well as in our own more-rigorous tests. We noted durability, packability, dragged them across the sand fully loaded, submerged them in water under conditions that would make even Diver Dan spring a leak. Here’s what we found.

Jack’s Plastic Welding MED Round Bottom Outfitter ($91.75, 85 liters)

The Outfitter is a top loader with one hoist handle and optional shoulder strap. This bag is one of the beefiest available and, of all the top-loaders tested, performed second best for keeping gear dry while submerged. The bag was easy to load, as the rigid material held the mouth open. Having only a single hoist handle makes this bag difficult and awkward to carry over any distance, and the shoulder strap provides little help. The thick PVC-coated polyester makes this a bag for the long run, and it will last for years.

Info: www.jpwinc.com, (800) 742-1904

NRS 3.8 HD Bill’s Bag ($66.95, 108 liters)

The Bill’s Bag is the least expensive of the bags we tested—an advantage with these pricey items. It’s a top-loader with shoulder straps and no hip belt. The top corners of the bag (where it seals) have been stitch-reinforced in a design (Storm Flap) that is supposed to keep out more water than the average roll-down seal. However, this same design constricts the opening of the bag and makes it much more difficult to load bulky items. The shoulder straps make for an easier long distance carry, and the centrally located handle makes for easy hoisting to your back. The material of this bag accumulated the most cosmetic wear, but took a lot of abuse. The closure system allowed some water into the bag during our underwater test—about middle of the pack for top-loaders—but under normal use kept its contents dry.

Info: www.nrsweb.com, (800) 635-5202

Ortlieb Xtremer XL ($95, 109 liters)

The Xtremer XL is a top-loader with shoulder straps and no hip belt. Possibly the easiest of the top loaders to close, having only one Fastex buckle, the Xtremer XL unfortunately also performed the worst in our underwater test. The shoulder straps make for an easier long distance carry, and the two D-rings on either side of the closure buckles mean that you can lock this bag for a modicum of extra security. This bag was hard to load due to its narrow opening. The material showed the second most wear out of all the bags tested.

Info: www.ortliebusa.com, (800) 649-1763

Pacific Outdoor Equipment Gobi ($104, 84 liters)

The best bag for carrying, the Gobi has a completely removable harness consisting of shoulder straps, a padded hip belt, and back pads. It also has a hoist handle and two suitcase handles on the sides. The rectangular design of the bag helps it stay secure on your back and allows for relatively easy loading. A top-loader with a moderate opening, this bag also needs to be filled to minimum capacity in order to ensure an adequate seal, though it was easy to close. Even with the bag loaded properly it still has a significant amount of leakage while under water. Very durable.

Info: (310) 549-9748

Salamander Big Pig ($178.75, 129 liters)

The Big Pig is the most expensive bag we tested, but for good reason. It is completely waterproof, has great access to gear as a duffel loader and has a very easy and comfortable strap system for carrying. Made of 500 Denier PVC fabric, the Big Pig showed the least amount of wear from all the tests and travel we put it through. A waterproof zipper running the length of the bag provides for easy access and the roomy interior easily fit our standard load. One drawback to the zipper is that it can fail when closing a full bag. With a little effort we were always able to fix it, however. Keep the zipper free of sand as this can cause failure over time. Compression straps allow for the bag to carry large or small loads comfortably, and when combined with the optional shoulder straps makes for a much easier carry over long distances.

Info: www.salamanderpaddlegear.com, (303) 581-0518

Seal-Line Pro Pack ($120, 115 liters)

Easily removable, adjustable shoulder straps, hoist handle and padded hip belt make this bag a pleasure to carry. As with all the top loaders, this bag needs to be filled to minimum capacity to ensure an adequate seal. This bag has the largest opening out of all the top-loaders we tested, and is also the deepest, making it moderately easy to load. This bag is BIG and is harder to carry for smaller people due to its size. The Pro Pack performed the best out of all the top-loaders tested for minimizing leakage in the underwater test, and was significantly more waterproof once broken in.

Info: www.cascadedesigns.com, (800) 531-9531

Voyageur River Tripper ($110, 92 liters)

The River Tripper is a duffel-loader with padded shoulder straps and hip belt. Easy access through the Fastex/roll-down closure system, along with a large-range compression system, made it a group favorite as it keeps both small and large amounts of gear sealed against water. The exterior material absorbs water, but does not leak through to the inside. The cushy shoulder straps and hip belt are non-detachable, and hold water; the bag isn’t comfortable to carry when the straps are wet. A centrally located handle allows the pack to be eased onto your back. Once the bag is loaded and closed, the remaining air can be released through a plastic valve, though the valve isn’t easy to operate at cold temperatures—a problem because that release is essential to the bag’s impermeability. The long roll-down seal means a higher leak rate when submerged. Very easy to load and close.

Info: www.voyageur-gear.com, (800) 311-7245 x186

Watershed Colorado ($140, 105 liters)

The Colorado is also a duffel loader, and one of the two bags available for this review that is completely waterproof. The material held up very well through the abuse. As with the other duffel-loaders, the Colorado allows easy access to your gear, but it didn’t seem as large as the manufacturer’s listed 105-liter capacity. The zip-lock style seal of the bag keeps the water out—period. Make sure to carry extra seal lubricant (provided with the bag) as the seal can become difficult to close without it. The bag is relatively long and narrow, and only comes with two duffel handles, thus it can be cumbersome and tiring to carry even over short distances. The best thing about the Colorado is its dryness; no matter how much or little you pack into it, you can count on it being dry when you get to camp. Very durable.

Info: www.drybags.com, (800) 811-8607

Wildwasser Storm ($69.95, 75 liters)

A duffel-loader, the Storm was easy to use, and the accessibility of gear within the bag was excellent due to the large opening. The material holds up well and stays flexible even at cold temperatures, making the bag easy to close. Plastic tubing on the adjustable-length handles makes for comfortable carrying (easy on the hands), although not for long distances and not if you have a lot of weight. As with all the duffel loaders tested, space was an issue. The bag only seals out the water when loaded at or near capacity, and is somewhat small for your one and only gear bag. One drawback: when the bag is not loaded within the range of the compression straps, there isn’t enough pressure on the seal to make it functional.

Info: www.wildnet.com, (303) 444-2336

—Note: None of the bags leaked during rain and snow conditions on the trek, nor when subject to the big volume rapids of the Sun Kosi River.