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5 May 2013
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Dry Bag choice and sizing
I'm looking to get a dry bag to store part of my gear in for this year's tour in Europe. In the past I used a normal travel bag I use for shipping my riding gear in by aircraft.
I've seen a brand called 'Ortlieb' and I think there's another called 'Lewis'. The Ortlieb looks to be very good.
The size I am thinking of would be around the 70 litre mark.
What do others use and what size for the bag that sits behind you each day?
I would like to organise to purchase it somewhere in Europe and have it posted to where my bike is in storage before I arrive back there at end of June.
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Paul
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5 May 2013
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Ortlieb = made in Germany
I use an Ortlieb which is probably about 1/2 of your proposed size; according to the label it's "article number" K32 of PD350 material and it is very, very waterproof + I have never managed to puncture it.
The size suits me; flung over the back of the bike and hanging in there with just a bungy, it carries the tent and sleeping mat easily, with a bit of space to spare. It's the first thing off the bike when camping and the last thing to go back on.
There is a loop arrangement at the closure end and another, less obvious, one at the closed end for fixing with bungies. 
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5 May 2013
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Ortlib is the brand, probably the best on the market.
I have a 70l which I use for my tent, mat, sleeping bag, and a few other small camping items (it is very snug).
They are close to being unbreakable, and actually not that expensive.
Casper
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5 May 2013
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I have been using a brand for the past few at work and on my bike, I have found it to be very well made and well designed, with an exceptional price.
LOMO
Wetsuit, drysuits and dry bags - Lomo Watersport UK. Kid's & adult wetsuits
Dry bags for kayak, sailing & motorcycle use.
They initially made stuff for the proffesional diving sector,sailing and kayaking before being asked by quite a few bikers who started using their gear, to design bike specific equipment.
40L Motorcycle Drybag
IS the 40 litre bag ....Price is £11.50
40L Motorbike Drybags - YouTube
They also do a 30 litre daysack that has a Ride magazine best buy rating for £ 25.....which OXFORD bike gear seems to have made a clone copy of, and charged you and extra £50 for the same product.
Drybag daysack
http://youtu.be/Pt1kynPMiAU
And they do a really useful collection of small, tough rollover bags that are ideal for fitting inside panniers or to seperate items out in a bigger bag.
Their 10 litre first aid bag goes for £5.00
First Aid Kit Dry Bags
I have used them for years, and reckon they are top notch and affordable in the extreme.
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6 May 2013
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Thanks chaps for the info, I do appreciate it.
BaldBaBoon, thank you for the links.
I looked at ewetsuits.com site and watched the LOMO 40l dry bag specifically for motorbike use. Their video was worthwhile to watch, even the background tune, a catchy little bongo number.
Looking at it, for me, the 40 litre would be too small, if they had 60 or 70 litre I would look more closely.
I'm not after anything that can be used as a day pack as I take a separate more specific pack for when I hit the mountains or streets on foot.
I like the idea of the loop holes to allow you to tie it down with straps.
Overall, the folks at ewetsuits.com do a good range of dry bags as you pointed out.
casperghst42 wrote:
Quote:
Ortlib is the brand, probably the best on the market.
I have a 70l which I use for my tent, mat, sleeping bag, and a few other small camping items (it is very snug).
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That is exactly what I need to put in. Like I mentioned, I used a normal 'Balck Wolf 100l' duffel bag, not waterproof, and a tad on the large side, always needing to pull up the ends so it wasn't looking daggy on the bike. There were a number of times I got caught in heavy rain, and while I was fine, I thought, oh sh**, if only I had a dry bag. I went into some bike shops in France, but wasn't really impressed with what they had. I rode with a German chap who was on, yep, you guessed it, a BMW, who had an Ortlieb. I thought, right, that's what I need, just couldn't find anywhere on my travels in France last year to buy one.
I would also put in other items that wouldn't fit or squeeze in anywhere else, such as sandles, extra rope, tripod, oh and that day pack I talked about etc.
Walkabout wrote:
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It's the first thing off the bike when camping and the last thing to go back on.
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Yep, can agree with that. Panniers filled up first, top case done, key in the ignition, sunnies on, oops, better make sure I strapped the big bag on. 
On ebay I found this here one, a 79 litre from an ebay store called alterego Ortlieb 79L. Seems reasonable, I will contact them with a question or two.
_____
Paul
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6 May 2013
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rockwallaby
casperghst42 wrote:
That is exactly what I need to put in. Like I mentioned, I used a normal 'Balck Wolf 100l' duffel bag, not waterproof, and a tad on the large side, always needing to pull up the ends so it wasn't looking daggy on the bike. There were a number of times I got caught in heavy rain, and while I was fine, I thought, oh sh**, if only I had a dry bag. I went into some bike shops in France, but wasn't really impressed with what they had. I rode with a German chap who was on, yep, you guessed it, a BMW, who had an Ortlieb. I thought, right, that's what I need, just couldn't find anywhere on my travels in France last year to buy one.
I would also put in other items that wouldn't fit or squeeze in anywhere else, such as sandles, extra rope, tripod, oh and that day pack I talked about etc.
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My local outdoor shop had the 107l Ortlib again, last time I was there.
This one: ORTLIEB Produkt-Details
Which I might get for my self, as the 70l is very very snug, and it would be nice to have space for a few extra things.
Casper
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6 May 2013
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I've got several sizes of the Sea To Summit - Adventure, Outdoor, Camping, Hiking, Gear and Accessories, Perth, Australia, Sea To Summit USA bags. Love them.
They were a bit more expensive, but seemed to hold together better than a couple of others my friends had. We used them on an Africa trip and worked keeping out water and dust.
Not sure how they are priced outside of the US, but my 20L was about $15 or so.
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7 May 2013
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I initially bought the Sea to Summit waterproof bags and at first they worked fine. I could roll the top down and it would stay compressed all day.
BUT after just 3 months use they refused to stay compressed longer than 10 minutes - and if air is getting in, it means that water can get in.
I replaced them with Event bags which have the straps on the side and stay compressed.
I don't worry about my outer bags or panniers being 100% waterproof.
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7 May 2013
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casperghst42 wrote:
Quote:
My local outdoor shop had the 107l Ortlib again, last time I was there.
This one: ORTLIEB Produkt-Details
Which I might get for my self, as the 70l is very very snug, and it would be nice to have space for a few extra things.
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Thank you Casper, I am just looking at that site now. It is a well designed site where I can easily compare the different size or style bags. Their prices are good too.
I´ll need to measure up what I have here to make sure the 79 litre will be the one I need. Wow, you think 70 (79) litre is a bit on the snug side, I wonder what else you put in there. The tent I put in is a standard 3 person dome style, which is roomy but large´ish and heavy. I´ll be replacing that with a better 2 - 3 person tent when I find something I like.
Which part of the Netherlands are you in Casper?
Scootergal wrote:
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I replaced them with Event bags which have the straps on the side and stay compressed.
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Compression straps, that´s a great idea, I will look at doing that even if I go with Ortlieb. I think it will help make it look better and maybe even discourage curious people from thinking about opening the end of the bag as it remain out of sight. Like you, I don´t worry too much about my side panniers getting wet. Although I do store my sleeping bag in one of them, always in it´s own weather proof bag.
Thanks for taking the time to post some photos too.
Just peeking at your blog, ¨Scooter Therapy¨, you´ve been some places and I like how you have written up your stories. I wonder when your next big adventure will be?
I am happy with all the ideas everyone is bringing here, it really helps. Usually I try to nut things out myself, thinking I can or should know everything about what I want or need.
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Paul
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8 May 2013
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I have used my Ortlieb 80l (?) rollbag for over 10 years. It has been used on and off the bike and for both camping and family holidays. Over the last 5 years it has been used almost every weekend. It has been tossed into the boot of the car and through many an airport terminal. It is still waterproof and all the straps are still in good condition.
Well worth the expense.
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8 May 2013
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Scootergal
I initially bought the Sea to Summit waterproof bags and at first they worked fine. I could roll the top down and it would stay compressed all day.
BUT after just 3 months use they refused to stay compressed longer than 10 minutes - and if air is getting in, it means that water can get in.
I replaced them with Event bags which have the straps on the side and stay compressed.
I don't worry about my outer bags or panniers being 100% waterproof.
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Maybe I have been lucky? or you were just unlucky? All of the sizes I had worked quite well in dust, sand, water, etc. I definitely recommend them. They even made it on a whitewater raft down the Zambezi...after 5 months of use in desert areas. That was enough to sell me 
I'll definitely check out Event though. Always looking for better equipment!
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9 May 2013
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jpyrek wrote:
Quote:
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They even made it on a whitewater raft down the Zambezi...after 5 months of use in desert areas. That was enough to sell me
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Yes, can agree with you there. Sounds like you had a good run with them. I don't think I'll be squeezing this size bag into my kayak, a couple of smaller bags would.
From the photos of Scootergal, the Sea to Summit appear to be a lighter material than the Ortlieb, which really do look like they can take a fair amount of abuse. I'll check Sea to Summit out when I'm next in the city here.
I need to get compression straps too then, a larger one for the dry bag, one for my sleeping bag. Because I have soft panniers, having a compression strap for the sleeping bag will help, as it always a quick, 'get it in and zip up affair' as the sleeping bag starts to puff up.
electric_monk, sounds like you've had a very good run with your Ortlieb, thanks for sharing.
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Paul
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16 May 2013
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stevedo, yep, I've seen them advertised and wondered about them.
I haven't seen a lot of photos of it, I guess the zip runs down the length of the bag?
Maybe when you get it you can report back.
I haven't bought anything yet, and need to hop on to it pretty fast now.
PS, what sort of bike are you putting this on?
40cm round seems good, don't want it any bigger in that dimension so it pushes up against you leaving little room to move and to re-adjust if you know what I mean 
_____
Paul
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16 May 2013
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Overboard is another make to look out for. Cheaper than Ortlieb, more expensive than Lomo, but personally I reckon better than either as the fabric used is a Cordura like weave bonded in the manufacture to a vinyl waterproof material.
I use their 70l rolltop waterproof duffle. It's got handy loops on the outside to help strapping it on a couple of useful mesh pockets inside for bits and pieces, and overall a sturdy, quality feel.
Their full range is here: Waterproof Bag – Waterproof Case – Waterproof Bags – Dry Bag | OverBoard
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