DIY drybags?

[forrestdweller]

as already mentioned in several posts before: i'm located in a tropical rainforest (or rather what's left of it). lately it has been ways more rainy than average and our river has been up to over my nether regions for one week.... . keeping stuff dry during river crossings is important, but small (or any size) dry bags aren't available here, so i'm toying with the idea to make my own (due to limited funds and lack of available materials (= i watched a clip on YouTube of someone using tyvek, but that's non-existent here) i'm thinking along the lines of MacGuyver or Pappilon -- making small bags from fabric and then somehow waterproofing them...)
has anyone gone down this route?

 

[hughtrimble]

Sounds like quite the challenge! What do the locals do? Or if few original dwellers still around to be able to learn from, what do societies in similar environments do?

I can imagine being able to use silicone and soaking the material in that, but if you're not able to get a dry bag delivered to you, I doubt you'll be able to get a hefty quantity of silicone to you either. Does submerging in wax and repeated caking achieve anything?

Any animal bladders around you can repurpose?

 

[Toddy]

Honestly ? your best bet is probably to source plastic bags. I loathe them, but they're useful, especially to keep stuff dry..
I think @hughtrimble is right though; what do the locals use ?

If you really want to DIY stuff, then dry bags are effectively made from waxed cotton. Keep your seams tight, wax them really well, try to minimise the amount of rubbing that the fabric gets, try to keep them up out of the water, but it does work.
If you're not looking for huge, then a gathered circle means no seams, just you have to be careful not to let water into the gathered opening....and you can sew a flap over that to keep the worst of the water out.

Other than that the tubular type of sailor's seabag or ditty bag is probably your best bet. Flat felled seams take wax well.

This is a really simple one, but do-able.

https://www.mazuresortwear.com/blogs/news/the-history-of-the-ditty-bag?srsltid=AfmBOootRV5Aq5aY092inaBrdyzYcKqYK5tcmqAPCXKnPjzyvgU96hj0

 

[forrestdweller]

the locals use plastic bags, but they (usually) don't last very long and for some reason (don't ask me why) staff at our local national park insists on dipping their snouts into visitor's luggage as plastic bags are not allowed...

animal bladders would probably go funky in no time, but Toddy's idea might work

 

[hughtrimble]

animal bladders would probably go funky in no time

Very long history of their use as drink carriers, but yes, there are steps you need to do to make them.