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

Pacific Outdoor Equipment 15 Liter Pneumo LTW - Long Term Report

Product Information

The POE Pneumo dry bag is a long narrow bag made of bright orange ripstop and with black fabric tape stitched over the welded seams. The opening of the bag seems to have some stiffening tape under the black fabric tape making the opening a little stiffer for easier rolling. There is a clip on either side of the opening to clip the bag closed once rolled down.

I have had a fun time using this dry bag both while hiking and while kayaking. I have had not issues with durability. The fabric has held up nicely to repeated stuffing's of gear, being used as a seating pad, for use as a food storage sack in the trees and while sitting in the bottom of my kayak. I have tried to use this in as many ways as possible. I enjoyed using it as a sitting mat as the material is water fast and I could add padding and air for comfort. The dry bag also works nicely to hold water for use at camp. This is not a use I did more than once as I wanted to keep the inside of the bag dry for clothes and gear but it is nice to know if is possible to abuse it in this manner and have the dry bag perform admirably. I did not completely fill the dry bag as I did not require that much water nor did I want to lug around that much water.

Taking the dry bag kayaking with me was a good way to test how well the dry bag would hold up when sitting in water for a long period of time. As I do not have a spray skirt, any water dripping off the paddles (of which there is a lot) would end up in my lap and eventually in the hold of the kayak. I tend to accumulate about an inch or two (2.5 to 5 cm) of water in the bottom. The dry bag showed not signs of leakage nor did the ripstop fabric show any dark patches of slow leakage. I was very happy to have a dry towel and shirt after my paddling.

I really enjoyed using the dry bag to hang food in. Mostly it was due to the bright orange colour. In the morning I had no problems locating my food. Even at dusk the dry bag stood out nicely in the forest. The top loop created when the clips are closed made it very easy to clip the bag to an existing loop in my bear line. This means no fighting with water logged knots the next morning when it rained that night. Nothing like a little water and food weight to tighten up the loosest of knots.

Things I have enjoyed about the dry bag are the bright colour, and the shape. I was a little surprised I would like the shape but the shape has worked quite well with my packing style in my backpack. Due to the long narrow shape, I can push the stuffed dry bag to one side of my pack and have a tent on the other side. I have still found that the dry bag tends to leak air when under pressure. As there has been no water leakage I have not been concerned. I have really only noticed it when using the dry bag as a seating mat. A little air makes for a more comfortable seat. I have not tried to determine where the air is leaking from but I may not have tightened the valve completely.

Field Conditions:

Most of my overnight camping will take place in the White Mountains in New Hampshire. I have a few trips planned that will include an extended trip to the top of Mt. Washington, at 6000 ft (1829 m). Expected temperatures can be anywhere from 10 to 70 F (-12 to 20 C) depending on season and elevation. Weather on Mount Washington is very unpredictable. Expected weather conditions in the White Mountains in the spring can be from wintry to spring like, rainy or snowy, with driving winds depending on elevation. Depending on the trail I chose, it may be relatively easy or steep and rocky.

On my Sunday day trips to a local park, my elevation gain is minimal but I did manage to get in a good rain hike. Temperatures were around 52 F (11 C). The rain was not hard but was more than a drizzle. Rainfall was mostly constant over the course of the hour long hike. AS the dry bag was contained in my day pack, really did not experience much rain.

For kayaking, I generally frequent nearby ponds or lakes. Water temperatures have generally been about the same as body temperature, give or take. I have been out on at least three kayaking trips thus far with the dry bag. The pond and lake have both had fine sandy beaches that I put in at.


Pros:

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

- Long and narrow size

- Bright orange colour

- Does not seem to hold air when dry bag is under pressure

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