Dry Bags and Keeping Things Dry

This is a short page because it is a simple product, and the main thing worth saying is that most people buy the wrong size and then roll it wrong.

Top pick — Keeping the phone, keys and a dry layer dry

Pelican ExoDry 20L Dry Bag

Twenty liters is the size that takes a dry layer, a towel, a phone and a lunch -- which is the actual list, rather than the 5 L that only takes a phone.

What the listing publishes

20 L, roll-top closure, shoulder straps, 1.2 lb

Roll-top closure is the whole mechanism. Three folds and a clip, and it is watertight; two folds and it is a bag with a hole in it. Roll it properly.

20 L is the useful size for a day. 5 L bags are for a phone and a wallet, and 30 L bags do not fit through a kayak hatch.

It floats when it is sealed and mostly full of soft goods, which is a genuine safety feature the day something goes over the side.

What it does well

• 20 L is the size that actually holds a day's kit
• Roll-top and clip, so there is no zip to fail
• Shoulder straps for the walk from the car

What it costs you

• Roll-tops are only waterproof if you roll them three times
• Wide bags can be awkward through a small kayak hatch
• No structure, so hard objects poke through against your back

Skip this if you only need to keep a phone dry. A 5 L bag or a phone case is a fraction of the price and easier to stow.

Check price on Amazon

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Why 20 liters

Dry bags are sold from 2 to 40 liters and the useful range for a day on the water is narrow.

The 30 liter point is worth noting because it catches people. Kayak hatch openings are small, and a wide 30 liter bag that is full will not go through one — which turns your dry storage into deck storage, which is exposed.

How a roll-top actually works

The closure is a fold, not a seal. You fold the open top over on itself and the pressure of the folded material against itself is what keeps water out. That means the number of folds is the mechanism.

1. **Push the air out** before you start rolling, but leave a little in — a bag with some air floats.
2. **Line the two sides of the opening up flat** against each other. A twisted opening does not seal.
3. **Fold it over three times.** Not once, not twice. Three is where roll-tops become genuinely waterproof.
4. **Clip the buckle across.** The clip holds the roll in place; it is not itself the seal.

What not to spend money on

• **Submersible-rated bags.** A day bag needs to survive rain, splash and being dropped in the water for a minute. Full submersion rating is for diving and costs several times as much.
• **Clear window panels.** Useful in a shop, and one more thing to fail.
• **Dry bags with zips.** The whole point of a roll-top is that there is no zip to fail. A zip is a mechanism; a fold is not.
• **Branded kayak-specific bags at a premium.** A dry bag is a dry bag.

What is worth having

• **Shoulder straps.** For the walk from the car, which is the part of the day the bag actually gets carried.
• **A light color or a reflective panel.** A black bag in the bottom of a black hull is genuinely hard to find.
• **A D-ring or attachment point.** So the bag can be clipped to the boat, which matters the day the boat goes over.

It floats, which is a real safety feature

A properly rolled dry bag with some air in it and soft goods inside floats. That is not marketing — the day something goes over the side, a floating bag is one you can recover and a sinking one is not.

It is also worth clipping to the boat rather than leaving it loose. A bag that floats away is a bag that floats away from you.