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Water and electronics rarely play well together. Thank goodness for companies like SealLine who create products like dry bags, dry sacks, and protective cases that allow water sports enthusiasts to play in the water worry free. Throughout the years, as an avid fisherman, paddle boarder, and kayaker I have water damaged more gear than I would care to admit. This spring I jumped at the chance to review the new SealLine Discovery Deck Dry Bag to see how it would fair in wet spring conditions. Over the past month I have had a chance to take to the water with a 20 liter SealLine Discovery Bag.
Initial Thoughts on SealLine Discovery Deck Dry Bag
The SealLine Discovery Deck Dry Bag is a unique dry bag that is adapted for many uses and activities. Unlike the typical dry bag, there are many features that add to its versatility. One of the most noticeable features is a circular purge valve on the front of the bag. The purge valve is thick foam like disc that allows the bag to be further compressed when it is sealed. Traditional dry bags must be purged of air before being sealed.
SealLine Discovery Deck Dry Bag Purge Valve
The sides of the Dry Bag have thick integrated straps and loops. The straps allow for the bag to be strapped down to deck to prevent sliding off. Each strap has been sewn to create two small loops and one large loop. The ends of each strap have a loop for additional attachment locations. Connected to one of the loop pairs is an adjustable shoulder strap. The shoulder strap allows the Bag to be worn like a sling pack.
Side Straps
The SealLine Discovery Deck Dry Bag is made from a thick pvc free rubbery material that keeps water out. The construction seems very durable and I would guess this bag would last for many years. The Dry Bag seals by folding down the opening and snapping it together with the clips. The bottom of the bag is flat so that it can stand up.
Closing Clip
Flat Bottom
The bag comes in seven different color combinations which is a bonus if you want this to match your favorite water sport gear. The inside of the bag is white. The light color was intentional to allow contrast when looking for your gear when rummaging through the bag.
Field Testing the SealLine Discovery Deck Dry Bag
Spring has just sprung here in the mountains of Colorado and the snow is starting to melt. That being said this has been the perfect time to hit the water and field test the Dry Bag.
First and foremost this bag has kept everything inside it dry. On all of my rafting trips I have used the dry bag to keep extra clothes and layers. It was imperative that everything stay dry as the conditions on all of my floats so far have been less than favorable. On one particular trip a warm sunny day became a white out blizzard and layering with dry clothes was essential.
Digging out dry clothes out of the SealLine Discovery Deck Dry Bag
The 20 liter dry bag has been the perfect size for me. This particular bag easily fits a raincoat, an underlayer, and a small puffy with much room to spare. There are options of a 50 liter and 30 liter as well but for the activities like kayaking, fishing, and stand up paddle boarding this size is fantastic.
I definitely enjoyed having all of the different features of the SealLine Discovery. Starting with the purge valve, I can say that I have never had an easier time compressing down a dry bag. With the SealLine Discovery Deck Dry Bag it is not imperative to get out every last bit of air as the purge valve makes this incredibly easy to pack down.
Another feature that came in handy were the side loops. I could easily hook a carabiner to them and clip them to my raft. It was nice not to worry about the SealLine Discovery Deck Dry Bag falling off and floating away to the next county. The side loops make it so much easier to safely secure the dry bag on the back of the paddle board. Often I leave extra clothing back in the car when paddle boarding as I had no great way to store them. This will be a game changer for the upcoming paddle board season.
The last feature that I really liked was light colored bag interior. Although I was using the bag primarily for clothing I did keep a few fishing items in there as well. Some of these items were rather small and it was very easy to see them. I am sure that in limited light such as mornings or evenings having this color contrast would be huge.
Specs
- Purge Air Equipped
- Light Colored Interior
- Durable Construction
- Adaptable with Straps
- Easily Sealed
Final Thoughts
If you are in need of a dry bag for the upcoming paddle season look no further than the SealLine Discovery Deck Dry Bag. In addition to be a great waterproof dry bag there are additional feature such as a purge valve, incorporated straps, and color contrast interior that make this bag versatile for many different water sports. As someone who uses a dry bag for many different outings I have enjoyed all of the features that the SealLine Discovery Deck Dry Bag has to offer. For more info visit seallinegear.com or amazon.com/sealine.