For any outdoor activity where you need to keep your gear dry, there are now lots of totally sealed and safe dry bags. I've picked a few that are moderately similar in quality, and the ones below are my favourites.
Best Dry Bag (Top Picks)
Best Overall
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Most Innovative
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Best Lightweight
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Top Dry Bags (Detailed Reviews)
I reviewed over 14 dry bags for this article. Here are my top 5.
- Earth Pak Premium Dry Bag - Best Overall
- Unigear Dry Bag - Best Lightweight
- HEETA Dry Bag
- MARCHWAY Dry Sack
- KastKing Dry Bag - Most Innovative
Read our complete buyers guide for dry bags.
Best Overall Dry Bags
1. Earth Pak Roll Top Dry Compression Sack
If you are seeking reliability, durability and versatility, then we recommend the Earth Pak, featured by acclaimed New York Times Bestseller and entrepreneur Tim Ferris.
It comes in a variety of sizes, suitable for any outdoor adventure.
With the added feature of an IPX8 certified waterproof phone case that fits almost any size phone, and equipped with comfortable shoulder straps and sternum straps, this dry bag is an excellent choice for beginners or enthusiasts.
Main Features
What We Like
What We Dislike
Key Takeaway
Earth Pak is recommended if you are looking for a small and portable waterproof bag to protect your phone, camera, car keys and trail map on a short bike trail or afternoon canoe trip where there is no need to carry an entire bag with you.
2. Unigear Dry Bag
Coming in a considerable amount lighter than the competition means that the Unigear Dry Bag scores our Best Lightweight award.
It is made from durable industrial grade PVC and is completely waterproof, scratch, tear, and puncture resistant. The smaller dry bag comes with an adjustable sling shoulder strap, whilst the larger ones have removable padded shoulder straps and the 40L bag also features a top handle for extra portability.
Main Features
What We Like
What We Dislike
Key Takeaway
The Unigear Dry Bag is best used as a lightweight all-rounder when you do not expect it to be submerged in water for too long. Stick your phone, camera, dry clothes and map in it for a day hike and do not be afraid to splash through that stream with your lightweight dry bag.
3. HEETA Dry Bag
Coming in a considerable amount lighter than the competition means that the HEETA Dry Bag scores our Best Lightweight award.
It is made from durable industrial grade PVC and is completely waterproof, scratch, tear, and puncture resistant. The smaller dry bag comes with an adjustable sling shoulder strap, whilst the larger ones have removable padded shoulder straps and the 40L bag also features a top handle for extra portability.
Main Features
What We Like
What We Dislike
Key Takeaway
The HEETA Dry Bag is best used as a lightweight all-rounder when you do not expect it to be submerged in water for too long. Stick your phone, camera, dry clothes and map in it for a day hike and do not be afraid to splash through that stream with your lightweight dry bag.
4. MARCHWAY Floating Waterproof Roll Top Sack
The MARCHWAY Floating Waterproof Roll Top Sack is an affordable and versatile dry bag and can be used for a variety of outdoor activities. It's lightweight, compact and durable and very simple to use. Perfect for almost any extreme adventure you imagine.
Being easy to clean and easy to use makes this perfect for beginner outdoor adventurers, and its versatility makes it perfect for enthusiasts. It also comes in a 10L and 20L sizes which meet your demands for different occasions.
Main Features
What We Like
What We Dislike
Key Takeaway
The MARCHWAY sack is great for keeping your gear dry in general use applications such as exploring a city or cycling to work, and it is perfect for kayaking and water sports. It will also work well in a hiking environment but does not have all the compartments and pockets that some hikers prefer.
5. KastKing Dry Bag
The KastKing Dry Bag is the winner of our Most Innovative award as it sports a plastic see-through panel which makes it slightly different from the other dry bags in this review.
We found the opaque panel handy when trying to locate the one elusive item that inevitably ends up lost in the bottom as it means you can see what you are sifting through in the bag. We also like that the plastic panel is BPA free!
Main Features
What We Like
What We Dislike
Key Takeaway
The KastKing Dry Bag is a good all-rounder with a nifty see-through panel that helps you to locate specific items in your gear. It is best suited to the campsite or for a quick walk to the beach where you do not have to carry it for a long period of time.
Dry Bag Buyer's Guide (Key Features)
There are different features on a dry bag that make it more suited to certain types of activities than to others. Take a moment to consider what purpose you would like your dry bag to fulfil before making a purchase.
Are you camping, hiking, canoeing, boating, trail running, trail riding, going to the beach, exploring a city on foot, or looking for a good all-rounder that will protect your gear from water and dust as well as act as a pillow or cold drinks holder?
What size does it need to be? Do you need to be able to carry it on your back, over your shoulder, or hold a top handle as you would a shopping bag?
All of these are questions that you should ask yourself before making your purchase. Take a look at our buyer's guide below for some of the main features to consider when making your selection.
Material Type
The material that your dry bag is made from will have an effect on its durability, flexibility and weight. Dry bags are generally made from one of two types of material, either vinyl or nylon, and are sometimes coated with a specific solution which adds to their waterproof or durability qualities.
Vinyl is heavy duty, highly durable, tear resistant and offers better long-term water submersion protection for your gear. Nylon offers better flexibility and is more lightweight. It is not quite as durable as vinyl and can only withstand shorter water submersion.
Except for the Unigear dry bag, all the dry bags in this review are made from vinyl based materials. This stands testament to their durability and longer-term submersion capabilities.
The Unigear dry bag true to its nylon fabrication is lightweight, has a good resistance to water spray but can only withstand shorter submersion times. The Duc-Kit Pro Premium dry bag is made from vinyl (PVC tarpaulin) and is coated in nylon, thereby combining the best of both.
How Waterproof Is It
By definition dry bags are waterproof but exactly how waterproof they generally depend on the material they are made from or the coating on the material.
For example, some dry bags are geared to withstand periods of submersion whilst others are designed to withstand degrees of water spray. As a general rule vinyl bags are better with submersion whilst nylon bags are spray resistant.
If a dry bag carries an IP rating this means that it has undergone testing to measure its waterproof and dust resistance capabilities and is accepted to be of a benchmarked standard.
Carry Type
The type of outdoor activity that you do will determine how you carry your dry bag. Most of the smaller bags come with a single shoulder sling strap, whilst the medium sized dry bags come with two detachable shoulder straps, and sometimes the larger dry bags even have padded shoulder straps and a chest and waist strap, as well as an extra top carry handle.
A single shoulder strap might be adequate to carry your camera, towel and some water down to the beach but if you are going on an overnight hike and are carrying a sleeping bag and some food supplies then two adjustable shoulder straps would be much more practical.
Dry bags often sport D-rings which are handy if you need to fasten them onto something else, for example, to secure your dry bag to your canoe with rope and carabiner so that it does not float away if your boat tips.
Size
The size of dry bag you require is determined by your specific activity goals. Most manufacturers offer a 10L, 20L and 30L dry bag for standards, and smaller and larger sizes are offered on either side of those.
As a general guideline:
- 5L will fit your cell phone, sun cream, lip balm and a towel
- 10L is suitable for a simple weekend trip including a change of clothing, a few snacks and the odd toiletry
- 20L will accommodate a sleeping bag, your camera and some clothing
- 30L is ample for a week-long trip
- 40L has enough space to carry the gear you require for a long trip
Roll Top vs Zip Top
Roll top dry bags are generally considered to be more watertight and synonymous with the heavy duty bags. As the name suggests the dry bag is sealed by pressing together and then folding or rolling the fabric down at least three times to ensure that it is watertight. The ends then clip in together to form a handle of sorts.
Zip tops are less common than roll tops but are sometimes used on the lighter-weight dry bags as they allow quick access to the contents of the bag. The top seals together in a similar fashion to that of a ziplock bag.
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