Pro tip: stop buying those expensive dry bags after a buddy told me to just use contractor trash bags instead

I spent $60 on a name-brand dry bag for my canoe trip on the Current River last fall, and my friend laughed and handed me a 3-mil contractor bag that kept my sleeping bag bone-dry through a whole afternoon of Class II rapids - has anyone else tried this hack and found it works just as good?

2 comments

2 Comments

cameronf884d ago

Contractor bags work fine but they tear way easier than dry bags on sharp rocks.

sarah_hart4d ago

Start by saying I've actually had the opposite luck with contractor bags and sharp rocks. @cameronf88, I've dragged a heavy-duty contractor bag full of gear over limestone scree and river cobble without a single tear, while my fancy dry bag got a pinhole from a sharp edge on a granite boulder. The trick is double-bagging with the heavy mil ones and avoiding the thin blue cheapos. I think a lot depends on the specific rock type and how you load the bag - smooth rocks and a tight pack make a big difference. I'd rather trust a $5 contractor bag for most short trips than spend $50 on a dry bag that might still fail on the wrong edge.