What’s the best way to end a day of kayaking, canoeing or stand up paddleboarding? With gear that’s still dry and on board. Find the waterproof bag that’s right for you with these three simple questions:
1. WHAT SIZE AND SHAPE WORKS?
The right size and shape for you will vary with your trip length and your boat. For an afternoon on a paddleboard, a compact sling like the MEC Aegir Sling Pack will fit the bill and will look great at the beachside patio.
If you’re camping, rectangular packs or large cylindrical duffle bags fill the middle of a canoe or the cargo-well of a sit-on-top kayak efficiently.
For touring in decked kayaks, tapered drybags are the way to go for the bow and stern tips. They fill stretched triangular spaces best. Plus, you won’t spend half your trip on your knees, poking with a paddle in a futile attempt to dislodge a tiny stuff sack wedged into the boat’s end.
2. HOW WATERPROOF DO YOU NEED IT?
For canoeing on calm waters, simply splashproof could be fine. If the bag’s riding on the exposed deck of a SUP or sit-on-top kayak as it shovels through big waves, you’ll need something more impenetrable.
Also consider the contents of your bag. A fleece jacket can be wrung out and dried with body heat, so a leak won’t be a trip-ender. But stuff that would be permanently damaged by water (DSLRs, tablets) or that’s mission-critical (your down sleeping bag) needs bomber protection.
Strictly speaking, regular roll-top packs provide great protection, but aren’t designed to stay waterproof through indefinite submersion (though our members do tell tales of the MEC Slogg Deluxe dry packs surviving extended swims down rapids). At the next level of protection, the MEC Scully duffles combine strapped-down roll-tops with zippered protective lids. For the ultimate security in soft-sided packs, Watershed bags have lipped zip closures that stay waterproof to 90 metres down.
3. HOW FAR WILL YOU CARRY IT?
If you’re just toting your stuff from the boat to a waterside camp, any waterproof bag with grab handles will work.
Trotting a few hundred metres along an easy portage to the next lake? Plain shoulder straps as found on the MEC Scully duffles are great.
Going a bit further? Time for padded hipbelts as seen on our basic MEC Slogg bags. If you’re hauling major weight over serious distances or rough terrain, treat yourself to the full-on frame found in our MEC Slogg Deluxe 115 Dry Pack. It puts the load firmly on your hips, so your shoulders are rested when you pick up your paddle again.
To see the full fleet of options of bags for paddlers, take a look at all our waterproof packs.