Pelican ExoDry 20L: The Size That Actually Holds a Day

We have not tested this bag. What follows is what its published specification means, including one line most buyers skim past, plus a direct account of who it does not suit.

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.

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The sentence that changes how you pack

Pelican's own listing says the bag is not intended for submersion. That is an unusually honest thing to print on a product called a dry bag, and it is the single most useful fact about it.

What it means in practice: the bag will keep rain, spray, a wet deck and an accidental dunk off your gear. It is not rated to be held underwater, so if the boat goes over and the bag spends five minutes submerged, you should expect water to find its way in. That is true of most roll-top bags in this class and most of them do not say so.

Twenty liters is the size people should buy

Dry bags are sold from about 5 liters to 30 and above, and the common mistake is buying small. A 5 liter bag takes a phone and a wallet, which sounds sufficient until the first cold afternoon when you want the dry fleece you did not bring.

Twenty liters is the size that takes the actual list: a spare layer, a small towel, lunch, sunscreen, a first-aid kit and the small valuables pouch. It is also close to the practical ceiling for a kayak, because a 30 liter bag packed full will not fit through most recreational hatches and will not sit sensibly in a tank well either.

One thing to measure before ordering: at 23.6 by 14.2 inches this is a tall, wide bag. That is a virtue on an open sit-on-top deck and it can be a problem at the mouth of a small oval hatch. More on sizing your storage.

Roll-tops only work if you roll them

The closure is the whole mechanism and it is the part people get wrong. A roll-top seals because the folded material presses against itself and the buckle holds the tension. One fold is a bag with a hole in it. Three folds, pressed flat and clipped firmly, is a seal.

Two related habits are worth building. Squeeze the air out before rolling, or the bag inflates into a drum that is awkward to stow. And do not fill it to the very top — you need several inches of slack material to make the folds, and a bag packed to the brim cannot be closed properly no matter how hard you pull the buckle.

The translucent panel is a better feature than it sounds

Pelican make the central section of the bag translucent. On a product where the alternative is a black tube you have to unroll and empty to find anything, being able to see roughly where the sunscreen is genuinely saves unrolling the seal three times a trip — and every unroll is another chance to close it badly.

What about the exterior pocket

There is a zippered pocket on the outside, and Pelican describe it as water-resistant rather than waterproof. Believe the wording. It is the right place for a snack bar, a map or a spare strap, and the wrong place for anything electronic.

The integrated loops matter more. Clip the bag to a deck D-ring with a carabiner and it stays with the boat in a capsize — an unclipped dry bag floats away downwind at exactly the moment you have other problems.

It floats, and that is a real safety feature

Sealed properly with air trapped inside and packed with soft goods, a roll-top dry bag floats. That is worth knowing twice over: it means the bag is findable if it does go over the side, and it means a couple of sealed bags add a little buoyancy to a swamped boat. Neither is a reason to skip a life jacket, and both are free.

Who should buy it

• **Anyone paddling a sit-on-top**, where everything on deck is getting wet and there is no enclosed hatch to hide things in.
• **Anyone who has already bought a 5 liter bag** and discovered it holds a phone and nothing else.
• **Paddlers with a walk from the car.** Removable shoulder straps make it a bag rather than a sack.
• **Anyone who packs a spare layer**, which should be everyone paddling outside high summer. The first-trip list.

Who should not

• **Anyone who needs genuine submersion protection.** Pelican say plainly that this is not that product; a hard waterproof case is.
• **Anyone with a small oval hatch** who has not measured it against 23.6 by 14.2 inches.
• **Anyone who only needs a phone kept dry.** A pouch or a small case is a fraction of the price and easier to stow.
• **Weight-counting backpackers.** 500D PVC is tough and it is heavier than a lightweight nylon roll-top.