Years ago, I was a river rat.

My friends and I would get together for a New Years Eve party and while at the party, we would pass out applications for the various rivers around the West that we thought we would like to run. Since obtaining river permits was a lottery system. Our logic was that the more of us that sent in applications, the better our chances were that we would draw at least one, if not two river trips each season.

We were successful in getting permits on the Yampa River, Gates of Lodore and Desolation Canyon on the Green, West Water and Cataract Canyon on the Colorado River. The Salmon and Hells Canyon up in Idaho. In traveling to and floating down each of these rivers, I learned about dry bags and their benefits. A waterproof dry bag gives protection from water. It keeps your clothes, and sleeping bags dry. They work when floating down the river, and they work when your bags are stored in the back of a pickup truck.

So what is a dry bag?

Dry bags come in various sizes. Large bags to hold sleeping bags or tents. Smaller bags to hold cell phones, cameras, car keys and other electronics we don’t want to get wet. Bags should be made from high-quality materials and tough construction. Laminated layers of heavy-duty fabrics. Bags need to tolerate being thrown around while being loaded into outdoor adventures. Whether it’s a raft floating the Grand Canyon, a pickup truck for the drive to the river, or a helicopter/plane flying you into a remote location. They need to be cold-resistant fabrics that stay flexible in cold temps and well as strong when exposed to hot sun. Above all else, They need to offer easy access to your belongings and still seal tightly enough to prevent water from entering the bag.

 Bags need to tolerate being submerged on a river trip or withstand 70 mph driving rain in the back of a pickup on the drive to your adventure. Bags can either be sealed with a zipper-sealed design or a Roll-Top Design. Zipper-Sealed Option offer more convenience. It’s easy and fast to Un-Zip a bag to reach in and grab what you need. But zippers need more care to stay waterproof. They are not as good at blocking water and usually cost more. Roll-Top Bags are a simpler design. Less likely to break or get damaged, have a tighter seal and are cheaper. But they take more time to open and get items out.

You want to look for bags that have no stitching. Traditional sewn seams rely on a needle puncturing the fabric thousands of times. Even with the seams taped, wind, wear and tear and time can cause the tape to peel and allow the bags to leak. A better seam is a heat-welding seam where bags use electromagnetic energy or high heat to weld or fuse the layers of fabric together. You want to make sure the bags are made from fabric that can withstand abrasive use. Sliding around in a truck bed, or in the bottom of a raft that has water and sand. You want a bag made from materials that are UV-resistant or have a resistant coating. You don’t want to have to buy new bags each year, because last year’s bag became brittle in the sun.

Take care of your bags.

Rinse them off after use. Crusted salt or sand can wear and abrade a bag in storage. Dry the bags out after use, So mold and mildew don’t damage the bags. I still havedry bags I bought in the early 80’s and made trips down those rivers I used to run as white water adventure trips.

-Uncle Jon

Disclaimer: Uncle Jon is a seasoned trail hound and grease-monkey, not a doctor, certified paramedic, or licensed engineer. The advice shared here comes from decades of getting stuck, breaking stuff, and making mistakes so you don't have to. Take everything you read with a grain of salt, a heavy dose of common sense, and a solid backup plan—because if you take medical or rigging advice strictly from an internet blog without doing your own homework, that’s on you!