The difference a dry bag made on my last river trip

I did a 4 day canoe trip down the Buffalo River in Arkansas last spring and I learned a hard lesson about gear storage. I had all my stuff in a regular backpack that I thought was waterproof enough with a liner. By day two, my sleeping bag felt damp and my change of clothes were pretty much wet. My buddy had all his stuff in a $40 dry bag from a brand I hadn't heard of, and his gear stayed bone dry the whole time. I mean, it was a stupid mistake on my part, not wanting to spend the money. I ended up buying a good dry bag for my next trip and it made such a huge difference. Has anyone else had a similar experience where a simple gear upgrade like that saved your whole trip?

2 comments

2 Comments

wendy_bell8323d ago

Man the Buffalo is beautiful but yeah cheap gear will get you every time.

coran6322d agoMost Upvoted

Figure having damp clothes really ruined your whole trip though. Sleeping bags dry out fast if you hang them in the sun for an hour. Seems like a mild inconvenience more than a lesson that saved your life or anything.