Gear Review: Sea-to-Summit 8L Dry Bag

The Sea-to-Summit 8L Dry Bag

It says it's waterproof, but it isn't

Is anything completely waterproof?  This bag isn't, but it's not bad either.

I'm grateful to Sea to Summit for sending me the item at no cost to me in exchange for an honest review of the item.  So I decide to put it through some tough testing.  I'm really curious about the claim of being "waterproof" that is so prominent on the label.

I started with two very tough tests on this bag:  I filled the bag full of wadded up paper and some socks, then sealed it up and sunk it in a sink and let it sit overnight.  The next morning I checked it out and the paper had beome somewhat wet.

The second test I stuffed it completely full of paper and sealed it up agaain.  After I put it in the sink, I could squeze air out of it--which tells me if air can get out, then water can probably get in.  I let it sit for several hours and came back.  All of the paper was soaked and there was about a cup of water inside the bag.

Maybe I'm expecting too much from the product.  Maybe I'm not sealing it properly.  Both are possibilities.

On the sealing up of the bag:  I was disappointed that the instructions were on the reverse side needed to follow them easily.  If the instructions were on the other side of the bag, then the picture in the instructions would match the bag as you hold it--but it's not that way.  The picture is on the opposite side so you have to look at the picture in the bag and then reverse it in your mind to seal it up right.

For a third test, I decided to fill the bag up with water and seal it up, then put it in a large bowl (upside down) and let it sit for 1 hour.  I would then see how much water leaked out.  If it's going to keep water out, it also needs to keep water in.  As I had feared, after one hour there was a good amount of leakage--nearly 1/2 a cup (100 ml) had drained out.  Which means it could also drain in.

I consider the possiblity that I'm doing it wrong--that's always something to consider!  So I watch a few online videos.  One recommends putting five to six folds in the top, another recommends putting your gear inside a plastic garbage bag and then putting that bag inside the dry bag.  A third video doesn't tell me anything.

So for my next test, I stuff with paper again, squeeze the air out, and put six rolls in the top.  I toss it in the shower for 15 minutes to simulate a rainstorm.  After 15 minutes I pull it out and the paper is wet--not soaked completely, but plainly wet.  Certainly "dryer" than if I had put the paper in the shower without the bag at all--but the stuff's still very wet.  It's at this point I think to myself that if I had actually paid for this product I'd take it back for a refund.

I set up one final test:  A bag in a bag.  I get a common household garbage bag and stuff it in the dry bag, then stuff the garbage bag with paper.  I then tie the garbage bag to stuff in the dry bag, and seal the dry bag as instructed.  I then place it in a vessel of water to see how it performs.

Immedaitely I find out that there is a good amount of air trapped in the garbage bag that I can't really "press out" easily and it is clumsy to work through.  I do my best, but a good amount of air is trapped in the dry bag.  I also wonder what happens in the field when I want to get at my gear in the bag and then re-close the bag--does the garbage bag survive being opened and closed multiple times.

The final results of this test were that after two hours the inner garbage bag tied up DID keep everything inside of it dry, but the material between the garbabge bag and the dry bag had a good amount of moisture.

I did not complete any tests on the strenght of the dry bag, but it does appear to be sturdy and durable.  It certainly stands up to basic use without tearing, unlike a garbage bag alone.

Good points:

1. It collapses down very small and makes for a very nice container for water.  I'm pretty good at bushcraft, but it's kind of hard to make a "bucket" out in the field.
2. It keeps stuff "mostly dry" -- better than nothing at all.
3. It is easy to open and close.
4. It is easy to pack and unpack.
5. Because air tends to get trapped in the bag, most of the time as regular pack of gear will float in water.
6. If a buckle breaks, it can be replaced -- although I not test that feature.

Not-so-good points:

1. It isn't waterproof.
2. It can trap air and become bulky to pack (although this leads to good point #5 above).
3. The buckling system of rolling then buckling is awkward and takes up space in the pack.

Conclusions

It's better than nothing, and coupled with a secondary bag such as a garbage bag, it can be a useful tool on trips where you expect the peril of extreme water--kayak, canoe, or rainforest hiking.  I wouldn't trust it alone to keep gear dry--especially electornics gear.  However, I'll use it on such trips because that coupled with a secondary bag is really just about the only hope you have--alternatives are just not available.

I'm not saying I wouldn't use it--I am saying that I wouldn't use it by itself and expect it to keep the contents completely dry.

PLUS:  A number of the reviews online are showing total success in keeping gear dry, and that is consistent with reviews on other websites.  There may be tips and tricks that I have missed.

Unfortunately, Sea to Summit removed my analysis from their website.  They provided the following information:

"Sea to Summit goes far beyond industry standard practice in explaining to consumers that a dry bag/dry sack is not suitable for submersion use and that water can seep through a roll-top closure (both of which are true for dry bags/dry sacks from all brands).

 

An advisory stating this is printed on the packaging, and repeated on the label inside each Dry Sack. Additionally, our FAQ’s page contains more in-depth explanations."

 

I replied to them that it is wrong to clearly state something is "waterproof" on the front label of the package but then have disclaimers in small print that it isn't really waterproof.  No reply.