Dry Bags - The Boat Galley

If your boat is anchored or on a mooring and you’re dinghying to shore. dry bags are nearly essential. Remember, you’ll be taking groceries, laundry and electronics to and from shore.

When You Need Dry Bags

Sure, if it’s a calm day a garbage bag may do just fine. And the plastic grocery bags might keep your flour, sugar and oatmeal dry.

But most dinghies end up with a least a few drops of water in them. And once it gets blowing over about 10 knots, there will be some spray. At 20 knots, a lot of spray. And you can’t always wait for a nice day!

When I’ve just spent $20 bucks to do laundry, I don’t want it soaked with salt water. Groceries are expensive enough, let alone the time involved in walking a mile to the store. Wet toilet paper is pretty much useless. And let’s not even talk about the consequences of getting salt water in a laptop or tablet.

True dry bags aren’t cheap to buy but they protect so much better than trash bags. No doubt about it, they have saved me a lot of money over the long haul.

What is A Dry Bag

Basically, dry bags are made of a heavy-duty vinyl with welded seams (no needle holes to let water in). The top is reinforced. Fold the top over a minimum of three times and clip the two side together to form a circle. Bottoms are usually made from a heavier material than the sides. The regular bags fold flat for storage; backpack-style ones also collapse but do take up more room.

Note: there are also some bags marketed as “lightweight dry bags” that are made from a much lighter nylon fabric. They are not nearly as waterproof as the heavyweight bags but are cheaper. I have a few small ones of these. I used to use one as a purse until I got a much better bag from Travelling Accessories Online. If you’re really tight on a budget, the lightweight bags are tempting. But realize that they’re not nearly as waterproof or tough as the true dry bags.

I have six good-sized heavyweight bags and three smaller ones. Most I’ve had for close to 20 years – most good dry bags just don’t wear out.

My Favorite Dry Bags for Cruisers

My favorites are the SealLine brand. They’re super-tough and yet the fabric is pliable, with bottoms that are even thicker than the sides. The one I have that is made by a different company of a much stiffer fabric is much harder to get it rolled down compactly. I use my bags multiple times a week. Basically I grab one whenever I’m taking anything to or from shore . My SealLine bags have taken a ton of abuse. Some other brands look similar to SealLine . . . but I don’t know if they’re really as tough.

My favorite all-around bag is the 55 liter size. It holds a lot but I can still handle it. Laid flat, it measures 13” x 25” (Amazon calls it 3” x 6” x 22” – I can only think that it’s folded up). SealLine’s “Baja” line is just a simple, straightforward bag. The Baja bag has no outside pockets or anything fancy – that works well for laundry, groceries and electronics. In general, I’ve found that the fewer the bells and whistles on bags, they longer they last. Shoulder straps seem to pull out after a while. And that’s why none of the bags that I still have, have straps.

I also have a 30 liter bag (11” x 19”) that is a good size for my laptop. I wrap a towel around it for padding. This size doesn’t work nearly as well for groceries as it’s just sort of small.

Dry bags are almost essential gear in my book. We've never had water damage anything in the dinghy!

A couple of notes on the measurements: that’s with the bag laid flat. When stood up, the diameter of the bag will be less. And you have to turn the top down at least three times to keep water out. Allow about 6 inches for that.

Other Dry Bag Options

You can also get backpack-style dry bags. These are great if you have to carry laundry or groceries any distance. We don’t have one but I’ve looked at them in outdoor stores. If you’re going to get one, I suggest SealLine’s top of the line ones. Especially if you think you’ll be using it heavily. The straps and attachment points are extremely strong – that’s the weak point on most backpack style bags. The 115 liter size is good but admittedly pricey. They do have a less expensive “Boundary Pack” but it’s not nearly as tough as the Pro Pack that I listed below. Knowing the way I abuse my dry bags, I’d opt for the Pro Pack. The tougher construction should make the bag last far longer and it’d be money well spent.

You can buy SealLine bags on Amazon: