Where to Get Dry Bags?

P

Pat Anderson

New member
Have seen dry bags on Halcyon lashed down in the cockpit, a good way to carry more clothing and gear than will fit in the cabin - but for the life of me, I have not seen anything similar for sale. When I Googled it, I got little tiny dry bags for kayakers. Surely this must be a standard sailboat item, right? Does anyone know where these puppies come from?
 
Pat,

There are many, many types of dry bags on the market. REI carries a good supply in all sizes/colors - they are not necessarily the cheapest ones, but they are high quality. I like the ones from Outdoor Research and have many of those. The cheapest place in Seattle (that i know of) to get such things is either Outdoor Emporium (on 4 just S of I-90) or Outdoor and More - on West Lake, 1 block south of Mercer. If you tell me what size(s)/colors you want, I can check Outdoor and More for prices and availability. My office is around the corner from them. I will be at both the Cathlamet and the Lopez CBGT's so I could drop them off if you decide to go that route.

A few other things - one "color" option is clear - that lets you see what's inside. Another option on at least the nylon/rubber lined ones are compression straps - these are three nylon straps that run down the long side of the bags in triangular arrangement. The straps each run through a cinching buckle. These let you fill the bag with compressible items (like clothes or a sleeping bag) and then pull on the straps to compress the contents. I use these all the time when backpacking. Reduces the volume of a good down sleeping bag by many fold.

Roger
 
Pat,

Check out the Cabela's site before buying elsewhere, at least for reference. They have dry duffle bags that are up to 36" long (if I remember correctly) that are zippered, as opposed to the roll-top variety.

Years ago I took two of the large ones cross country on a roof rack and they never leaked, even in Wyoming summer snow and rain storms at over 8,000 feet. They also kept heavy dust out of our gear while on safari in South Africa last summer.

They give very easy access to gear, which the roll-tops don't.

Nick
"Valkyrie"
 
Nick,

Thanks for the info on the Cabelas bags. We have several of the roll type style and I agree with you that they are not as easy to acess the stuff. I really like them for things we want to stay completely dry but may not have to access as much. I think we may pick up one of the Cabelas duffel style. They seem to be reasonably priced.

Julie
 
If you or Patty are feeling industrious and want to save a few bucks, you can easily make the roll up style of dry bags yourselves.

Seattle Fabrics in North Seattle, has all of the materials you need to construct these bags yourselves. Fabric, webbing, clasps and thread along with a common sewing machine is all you need.

I'm sure they are on the internet, but I'd suggest going to their store as they have one stop shopping for materials to make just about any sewing related outdoor garment or gear you may want to make.
 
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