It’s starting to feel like a needle in the haystack, I tell you.
So we have a plain old duffel bag from REI. Pretty sure I got it on a prodeal, which accounts for the horrible color scheme. At 84 liters (5100 cubic inches) it’s plenty big enough for all our clothes on a 10-day trip.
But it’s not waterproof. Now, I know we could just get ourselves a drybag, like kayakers use. But I want a duffel. When you put your clothes into a sack (which is what a drybag looks like), it always seems like whatever you want is on the bottom. You have to take everything out just to get that one pair of socks. So – duffel it is.
Now, when we’re on the road the REI duffel lives in the basket above the topper, so we had to make some adaptations in case of inclement weather.
It’s not the best image, but the green blob behind Michael’s bike is our tarp-covered duffel.
And yeah, it works. But it’s a bit of a PITA. Wouldn’t it be easier if we could just throw something up there and forget it? Not have to worry about the tarp?
Sure it would. But I’m finding that waterproof duffel bags have a lot in common with bicycles. See, there’s a saying in the bicycle world: bikes can be lightweight, inexpensive, durable. Pick two, and we’re all good.
With the waterproof duffel I am finding something oddly similar. If a duffel is reasonably priced, then it’s only “water resistant.” And even then it’s not cheap. Case in point:
This is the Patagonia Black Hole Duffel. At 90L (that’s liters, which translates to 5,492 cubic inches), this bag is roughly the size we want. It’s made of waterproof material. The Black Hole Duffel consistently gets rave reviews. But the seams aren’t sealed, and the zippers aren’t waterproof. So… it’s not really waterproof. And it costs $150. (Although I did find it on Backcountry.com for $104)
The problem I’m finding is that other bags, ones that are actually listed as waterproof, tend to have not-so-good reviews. Not on the waterproofness – on the durability. Seams tearing, handles tearing out, that kind of thing. This Patagonia bag seems to be the king. But if it’s not really waterproof, then what’s the point? We already have a not-waterproof bag.
We might just give one of the lesser bags a try… Both REI and Backcountry.com have excellent return policies.