Reviews > Stuff Sacks > Dry Bags > Pacific Outdoor Equip Pneumo LTW Dry Bag > Kathryn Doiron > Field Report

Pacific Outdoor Equipment 15 Liter Pneumo LTW - Field Report

Product Information

In preparing for a long weekend hike, I decided that the Pneumo drybag would be used to contain my sleeping bag, a Western Mountaineering Pod 30, which packs down to the size of a football or rugby ball. It was also to contain a medium weight long sleeved shirt, lightweight thermal underwear, extra banadana and extra socks. Everything fit nicely with plenty of room leftover. The smooth interior finish does help slide things into the drybag and the air valve has been very handy as demonstrated when I forgot to open it once. I opened up the air valve, rolled down the top as much as I could and clipped it closed. I then kneeled onto the drybag to press out as much air as possible and closed the valve as much as possible with one hand. I further tightened it with both hands. I did have a little trouble fitting the flattened drybag into my Granite Gear Vapour Trail pack. After pressing it into a slightly rounder shape, it slipped in easier and left room for the rest of my gear. My set up allowed me to place the drybag to one side of my pack with a large tent on the otherside, everything else I needed fit on top of the half filled drybag.

As the weather was mostly nice when I took the drybag camping, I have not been able to test its waterfastness. I did try using it as a pillow but found it rather stiff when all the air was pressed out. On the second night out with the drybag, I had a great opportunity to use the dry bag as a cushion to soften the rocks around camp. I once again found that when the air is pressed out, it is almost as hard as the rocks are. I finally let in some air and found it was a vast improvement. I noticed after awhile that the air slowly leaked out when the bag was under pressure. This leads me to worry about how the bag would perform under wet or watery conditions. The bag did handle being a seat pad very nicely and I can easily see myself using it again. The rock was relatively smooth so as to avoid the possibility of punctures. I checked the drybag afterwards for any signs of wear or for abrasions. As I did not remember which side I sat on, I checked and compared both surfaces and I noticed no abrasions or wear on either surface.

I had at first assumed that the long narrow shape of the drybag would be a problem, or at least an inconvenience. I have since found that the shape works well with my packing style and allowed me to contain the drybag to one side of my pack with a tent on the other side and everything was nicely contained. I have also found that while the 915 cu in (15 L) size is a little large and somewhat daunting to see at first, I have simply rolled down the top until all the extra, unfilled drybag was neatly contained.

For further testing, I will be taking this on several planned kayaking daytrips and most likely tossing it in the water if I don't capsize first. I will also continue using the drybag as a rock cushion when given a chance as it had good potential. I would also like to use it for storage of food while hanging from an animal line, especially in an overnight rain. I want to know if long term exposure to rain will eventually cause seepage either with the rolled edge up or down.

Field Conditions:

I took this bag with me on a couple of long weekend hikes. Both trips included three days and two nights in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Total elevation gain was 1400 ft (426.7 m). There was light intermittent showers the first day, temperature that night dipped to about 40 F (4.5 C). The next day was sunny and clear with temperatures peaking around 68 F (20 C). The second night dropped to between 45 and 50 F (7-10 C). The last day was clear and sunny with temperatures pushing 77 F (25 C). Conditions for both trips were about the same in temperature and precipitation, or lack thereof.

Pros:

- Air valve allows easy and near total air removal, also allows for easy air addition

- Long and narrow size

- Does not seem to hold air when drybag is under pressure

Reviews > Stuff Sacks > Dry Bags > Pacific Outdoor Equip Pneumo LTW Dry Bag > Kathryn Doiron > Field Report