Dry bags?

[phaserrifle]

I'm looking for peoples recommendations on dry bags.
My old exped ones have just given up the ghost, and my couple of newer alpkit ones don't seem to be available at the moment.

Can anyone suggest what options I have for decent quality, preferably fairly lightweight, drysacks, in a variety of sizes?

 

[Squidders]

ortlieb are my preferred dry bag... I have a few of the incredibly thick ones which must be 10 years old and still going strong. I have one of two of their ultralight ones too which aren't ultralight but far less bulky than the thick ones.

 

[Nohoval_Turrets]

I use the Exped ones all the time, and I'd go for those again. Not cheap but the quality and dependability is there. But quite thin and lightweight, so definitely not for use outside the pack.

What sort of sizes are you looking for? For larger sizes, snugpak do some good ones, and in a nice bushcrafty forest green. I use them for larger items like the carpet for my tent.

If it's for kayak/canoe, I have some SealLine ones that I've been hauling in and out of kayaks for 15 years, and they're still spot-on.

 

[petrochemicals]

Exped do such a pack which are good quality and light weight (if a little on the smaller side when I purchaced) sea to summits are incredibly thin but seem tough. Ortleeb heavy duty are very heavy duty. Alpkits heavy duty are thinner than ortleeb but like you say out of stock. I know vango do a pack but have never tried them.

 

[wicca]

Builders Merchants..rubble sacks. You won't have such a wide range of sizes but you'll get 10 on a roll for the price of one Gucci Dry Bag.

 

[Hibrion]

I use exped since they're always inside a heavy canvas pack so don't need to be heavy duty.

 

[phaserrifle]

....What sort of sizes are you looking for? ......

If it's for kayak/canoe, I have some SealLine ones that I've been hauling in and out of kayaks for 15 years, and they're still spot-on.

The exped I'm replacing is a small, probably around 2-3 liter mark. but then, I'm also thinking I could do with a couple of bigger ones, maybe up to the 15 - 20 liter bracket, for keeping full changes of clothes, or my sleeping bag.

I'm mostly intending them to be used inside a pack, or removed from the pack purely to acess whatever's in them.

 

[marra33]

sports direct, karrimore, really cheap, and they are pretty good bags too, I have loads of them now, from the small first aid kit size, to a rucksack lineing whopper, no snags with any of them

 

[C_Claycomb]

I too have one of the Ortileb heavy duty bags, had it for something like 12 years, still good. For inside my pack bags though I have a collection of Exped which I have been very happy with on the basis of weight vs water proofness. If you are just after something for rain resistance, rubble sacks might be fine. Not as convenient and no smaller sizes for organisation, but cheap. They are not however suitable for protecting gear if you are canoeing, in which case you want the roll top bags.

Exped is good quality, but they do not last forever, even if they are not used and just stored in a dark cupboard the waterproof layer will eventually fail. The first two that I bought are about as waterproof now as cotton pillow cases despite most of their life being very quiet. It took at least seven years though, so cannot complain.

Not convinced by the sil-nylon sacks, I know there are different grades and weights, but I have had things get wet while in sil-nylon bags when the pack they have been in has been sat in a puddle for some hours. Much prefer urethane and taped seams.

 

[Amy Turner]

Been using the exped one for long they are durable and good

 

[Tiley]

I use a big Ortlieb one with a valve on it as a pack liner; otherwise, for the smaller sizes, I almost always use Exped ones. That said, Sea to Summit make very good lightweight dry bags in a decent range of sizes; however, what they lack in weight, they also lack in strength. If you're after something that'll take a bashing, Exped or Ortlieb are better.

 

[Tonyuk]

Ortlieb for the main bag, split everything down into individual exped bags inside the main one. They come colour coded so easy to find kit. Means if something drops out at night its still waterproofed.

Tonysco

 

[Lithril]

Depends somewhat on whether you want lightweight or heavy duty, I have several of the silnylong exped ones and they really are good. I have just bought a couple by Osprey to try as well. My favourite at the moment are the Seallines, much heavier but really robust.

 

[Big G]

Rubble sack as a pack liner.. I use a mixture of Exped and Karrimor dry bags in side the pack.

For the money the Karrimor dry bags seem to be holding up well.

 

[Janne]

Large Bin liner. Cheap, water proof.
Replace for every trip, and carry a spare.
If the Weather Gods get angry I use one as a poncho.

 

[dodgerdog]

I can second the karrimor ones for sports direct, dirt cheap but decent quality. I've been using 2 for over 12 months now with no issues so far.

 

[phaserrifle]

Thanks everyone!
So, I went for a few karrimor ones for now, since of the options they seemed like the best bang for my buck in my use case.
Although I'm keeping my eye out for good deals on the heavy duty Ortlieb bags, since a couple of big ones for stand-alone use might be nice in future.