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Reviews > Stuff Sacks > Dry Bags > Sea to Summit Ultra Sil View Dry Sack > Test Report by Katie Montovan
I have been backpacking, climbing, kayaking, canoeing and winter camping for over 10 years. My excursions are mostly weekend and occasionally weeklong backpacking and kayaking trips in the wooded and often wet, rolling terrain of western New York. I usually tarp camp with a small to large group and love to cook fun and delicious foods on my trips. In general, I strive for a compact and light pack but value well-made and durable gear over ultralight items.
INITIAL REPORT
PRODUCT INFORMATION & SPECIFICATIONS
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
The Ultra-Sil View Dry Sack is a
lightweight dry bag with a clear window and a round base that is
intended for wet conditions where the bag will not be submerged. It is
made out of a light weight waterproof fabric and is sealed shut by a
roll top closure that is held in place by a buckle. The seams are
double stitched and seam sealed. The clear window covers about a
quarter of the bags circumference and most of the usable length. The
clear window is fused to the cordura fabric in a way that looks secure
and durable. INITIAL IMPRESSIONS
Overall these dry bags are exactly what I had expected from the
pictures and descriptions on the manufacturer's website. The only thing
that is worth commenting on is that when I hear that something is made
out of "siliconized [...] nylon fabric" I always expect that the fabric
will be sticky, regardless of the fact that I know from experience that
siliconized fabrics are usually slick and sheer. The fabric for these
bags is a nice, lightweight, medium weave fabric that is almost see
through. It is slick and not at all sticky. The fabric is light but
seems sturdy and durable for the weight. The purple is also a nice
vibrant, but not-too-bright color. READING THE INSTRUCTIONS
The manufacturer instructs me to avoid putting the bags in contact with
abrasive surfaces or sharp objects. Also, when necessary, the bags
should be hand washed in warm water. If these dry bags are used to
protect sensitive electronics, the manufacturer recommends that two dry
bags be used for additional protection. Also, the bags are not meant to
be submerged and at least three rolls of the closure are needed to
ensure a good seal. BATHTUB TESTS
To determine the level of water protection of these bags I ran a few
controlled bathtub tests. I filled each dry sack with a towel wrapped
in newspaper. I then tested the water tightness in a couple different
ways. I sprayed the bags lightly with water for 15 minutes (emulating a
heavy rain shower) and found that the water beaded up and rolled right
off of these dry bags. The contents remained dry and I could not detect
any moisture in the bags, which was especially noteworthy along the
seams and at the opening. I then let them sit in the bathtub in 2
inches (5 cm) of water for 2 hours (as might happen if these were used
for boating). I found that after two hours the towel and newsprint were
completely dry in both bags, but noticed a small amount of moisture in
the top few inches where the top was rolled to create the seal (both on
the outside and the inside of the bag). I made sure that I only rolled
the top three times for this test, so in the field, if I expect the dry
sacks to be sitting in standing water I will probably roll the top
additional times. Over all I was impressed at the ability of these dry
sacks to keep my gear dry. SUMMARY
I am looking forward to using these on my trips this summer. The sizes
look like they will work well for packing my backpacking clothing and
soft gear. I will report on how well these fit into my backpack, their
durability, and their ability to keep my gear dry. I will also pay
careful attention to how the windows affect the use of this dry sack.
FIELD CONDITIONS Trip 1: 5-night canoe camping trip in the boundary waters near Ely, Minnesota. Temperatures ranged from 70 F (21 C) to 95F (35C) and weather covered most options including high wind, beautiful sunny days, drizzly rain, and sudden downpours.Trip 2: 2-night car camping trip to Stillwater Reservoir, near Lowville, New York. Weather was sunny and 75 - 85 F (24 - 29 C). Trip 3: Solo 2-night backpacking trip along the Finger Lakes Trail, near Ithaca, New York. It was sunny and humid for the whole trip and temperatures ranged from 57 - 88 F (14 - 31 C). Elevation ranged from 400 - 1700 ft (120 - 520 m). Trip 4: 2-night sea kayaking trip to Cranberry Lake in the Adirondack Park, New York. It was very windy, rainy, and temperatures were between 65 - 75 F (18 - 24 C). In addition to these trips, I used the dry bags on day-long canoes trips, afternoon kayaking excursions, and day hikes in the rain. FIELD REPORT These dry bags performed very well in general. On my backpacking trip they were light, easy to pack into my backpack, and the window made it easy to see what was inside. I was careful to avoid placing the dry bags in contact with sharp objects or near abrasive surfaces and they remained waterproof throughout the test. They protected my gear from both rain and standing water and were easy to use.Packability: The windows in these dry bags made them very easy to pack so that the contents were easy to find later. I found that I preferred the 8 L size over the 13 L size because I generally like to pack my gear in smaller, easier to organize packages, and the 8L bags were easier to pack into my backpack and kayak. I found myself reaching for the 8L view over all of my other dry bags for these two reasons. I think that the usefulness of the window is worth the extra weight compared to non-windowed drybags made out of the same material. Water Protection: The last trip that I tested these dry bags on was a sea kayaking trip in the biggest waves I have ever kayaked in. At one point I had to rescue another boat and ended up with a lot of water in my boat and both hatches. Some of my older dry bags were not watertight and had cups of water in them when I pulled them out of my hatches. These dry bags did not leak at all and kept my gear dry and protected even after traveling for hours in deep standing water. I was careful when packing them into the hatch to avoid abrasions on the boat hardware within the hatch. SUMMARY I really liked these dry bags and was impressed by their durability, weight, and usefulness for backpacking. The windows were amazing and held up beautifully throughout the test. I will continue to use these drybags for packing my clothing so that I can find what I need easily and have confidence that they will be dry no matter what conditions I encounter.LIKES
DISLIKES
Thank you to Sea to Summit and BackpackGearTest.org for the opportunity to test the Ultra-Sil View dry sacks. Read more reviews of Sea to Summit gear Read more gear reviews by Katie Montovan Reviews > Stuff Sacks > Dry Bags > Sea to Summit Ultra Sil View Dry Sack > Test Report by Katie Montovan |