Sam Loves….My Karana Ocean Pack Dry Bag – Probably the Best Dry Bag in the World?

Iain with my dry bag in Hillsborough, Carriacou

I’ve had my bright yellow 15 litre Ocean Pack dry bag for about 3 years now, I use it every day, it gets chucked around recklessly and it still looks as good and performs as well as the first day I bought it to carry my purse & pack lunch on the Koh Samui Regatta Sports Boat!  So when I decided to feature a “Sam Loves…” section in the newsletter, it was the first thing that came to mind.

Living on the water, it’s inevitable that things get wet!  They fall in, get splashed, get rained on, or end up sitting in a puddle for a variety of reasons.  I don’t mean everywhere on board is wet; Ibis cabins and cupboards (and bilges for that matter) are lovely and dry; but things that you regularly use outside, or take ashore have an increased risk of waterlog and malfunction!

The Ocean Pack isn’t the first dry bag I’ve bought, but the others have been relegated to the back of a cupboard somewhere, so I’m taking a long hard look at this bag to identify the factors that make my one soooo good…

Dry Bag Users & Usage Environment

I don’t see an awful lot of fellow cruisers carrying a dry bag as an everyday item, which surprises me!  And looking at the websites selling dry bags, it seems they are most popular with kayakers and hikers.  The only review I’ve found on the internet for the Karana Ocean Pack is here, written by an adventuring couple who used several different sizes of dry bags to carry all of their water sensitive gear.  It’s interesting to note also that the factors which keep the water out also apply to keeping water in, and the couple has filled their bags with water and detergent for washing clothes whilst travelling….top idea!

I reckon dry bags would also be perfect for fishermen (shore or boat), whitewater rafting trips, divers and snorkellers, jetskiers, waterskiers or anyone involved with an outdoors or watersports activity.  I would also suggest that they make perfect school duffle bags for children!

Sizes & Capacities

I have the 15 litre version for my everyday duffle bag.  It’s tube shaped and approximately 40cm tall (when sealed) and 20cm in diameter, making it ideal for carrying essentials to shore.  It can handle a few groceries, a light jacket or jumper, but it’s not big enough to serve as holdall for carrying your clothes and toiletries for a weekend trip or longer.  Karana do a 30 litre and 40 litre version with backpack style straps which will obviously carry more, and other brands sell dry bags of 70 litres capacity and possibly more.   At 5’3” and 55 kilos I can’t see myself carrying anything this size any time soon!

Karana also do a 5 litre – great as a handbag or camera bag - size, a 10 litre – good as a kiddie’s duffle - and 20 litre  - man sized duffle.

Colours

The Karana bags come in black, blue, yellow, red and green as shown, but you can buy other brands in different colours including a camouflage option and transparent.  As a traveller, I will never subscribe to the transparent bag idea….why on earth would you want to advertise the contents of your bag to potential thieves?!!  Some brands have transparent windows which are a compromise I guess, but again, these aren’t for me.

As a boater, I’m always conscious of the chance that things are going to fall in the sea, and to improve your chance of finding it and recovering it I favour the bright colours, hence my choice of yellow although red would be good too.  I also like the idea that if someone was to pinch the whole bag, I could easily identify him as he ran off with it!

Different users will have other priorities when it comes to colour, for instance backwoods hikers or hunters will probably prefer the camouflage versions, and if you don’t have security concerns, you might like the transparent ones so you can more easily find items inside.

Fabric & Durability

Now we’re getting to the crux of what makes the Karana the best on the market!  The bags are made from a heavy duty, plasticised tarpaulin type material which manages to be both flexible and robust.  My bag’s been through the mill, it’s gone as hold luggage on aircraft many times, been thrown on rocks and on the ground and often carried sharp objects every day for the last 3 years.  It’s still completely waterproof.

The bottom panel is made of slightly heavier weight material which I think is important, and the carry straps and edge seals use some sort of glue or welding type fixing similar to that used on drysuits or inflatable boats.
One of the other dry bags I bought as a holdall – nice looking bag with a fabric type outer shell - failed on its first trip in an aircraft hold when it got punctured and suffered some serious scuffs.  Dry bags are also available in transparent vinyl and ripstop nylon, but I would have similar concerns about packing anything sharp and their overall quality retention with time.

Carryability & Ease of Use

My Karana 15 litre, like all the sizes from 20 litre down, has a single, adjustable and removable 35mm webbing shoulder strap that makes it easy to carry strapped across you to prevent a quick snatch by passing motor bikers.  The larger bags – 30 & 40 litre sizes – have detachable shoulder straps similar to a backpack.  I’ve not used these sizes yet so I don’t know how comfortable they are to carry on a long trip.

The Ocean Packs are not the lightest dry bags on the market and this may become an issue if you plan on carrying your bags a long distance; but they’re also not the heaviest on the market either and I feel that the weight is overshadowed by their durability and other factors mentioned here.

The ripstop nylon bags are obviously the lightest around and the fabric is so thin that you can scrunch one like a handkerchief and stuff it into your pocket!  But the drawstring carry strap & closure make them impractical for carrying bulky or heavy items and they might best be considered as a liner for a more conventional backpack.  They are well designed for this type of use.

The roll down seal on the bag is easy to use; a single roll strip goes across the width of the bag and the ends clip together with a robust plastic fitting.  You roll the opening 3 or 4 times, pressing out most of the air after the first turn, and close the clip.  Once sealed, the bag can be carried by the loop that’s formed without using the shoulder strap.  It takes a few moments to seal the bag and you can leave some of the air trapped inside to improve buoyancy should it fall in the water.

So there you have it!  That’s why I love my Ocean Pack dry bag.  If you’re interested in buying one, they’re not easy to come by outside of Thailand, but I’m arranging a shipment into the UK and the US for onward distribution.  Drop me a line and I’ll let you know when they arrive, and the prices.

I'd also love to add your thoughts & opinions on dry bags below, so please leave your comments.

Yacht Ibis offers adventure sailing holidays and yacht charter in the Caribbean, for which the Karana Ocean Pack dry bags make a perfect personal duffle bag.