Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil Dry Sack
Long Term Report – September 14, 2006
Tester Information:
Name: Jason Boyle
Age: 29
Gender: Male
Height: 5' 6"/ 1.68 m
Weight: 170 lb/ 77 kg
Email address: c4jc "at" hotmail "dot" com
City, State, Country: Snoqualmie, Washington, U. S.
Backpacking Background:
I have been camping and backpacking for about 18 years. My introduction to the outdoors started with the Boy Scouts of America and has continued as an adult. I have hiked mostly in the Southeastern and Northeastern United States. I am generally a lightweight hiker, but will carry extras to keep me comfortable. I have recently relocated to the Pacific Northwest and spend most of my time hiking and backpacking in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, but I can be found exploring the other wild areas of Washington!
Product Information:
Manufacturer: Sea to Summit
Model: Ultra Sil Dry Sack
Size: 13 L/ 793 cu in
Color: Lime Green (received), also available in blue or red
Year of Manufacture: 2006
URL:www.seatosummit.com
Listed weight: 1.4 oz/40 g
Measured weight 1 oz/ 28 g
**Disclaimer: the closest my scale will measure is in whole ounces**
Listed Dimensions: 21” x 12”/53 cm x 31 cm with a round base.
Measured Dimensions: 20 ¼” x 7 ¾”/51 cm x 20 cm. I measured the round bottom seam and the bag seam length. I am not sure why my dimensions don't match Sea to Summit's. See pictures below.
Fabric Content: Siliconised Cordura
MSRP: Not listed on manufacturer’s website
Country of Manufacture: Made in China to Sea to Summit standards.
Product Description:
The Ultra Sil Dry Sack is a dry sack with the following features:
Roll Top Buckle Closure
Fully Taped Interior Seams
Waterproof Coating
For more information please see my initial and field reports.
Summary:
Though summer weather has been uncooperative for testing, I am happy with the performance of the dry sack. I have used it to carry all types of gear over the last four months and nothing has gotten wet. It is a silnylon sack and needs to be treated as such or the sack could be damaged.
Field Conditions:
I have used the sack an additional 10 nights since my field report. My trips included an overnight and a 4 night/3 day backpacking trip in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness in the Mt. Baker – Snoqualmie National Forest and a 5 night/6 day trip in Yosemite National Park in California. Elevation ranged from sea level to 10000 feet (3048 m) and precipitation encountered was zero. |
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Long Term Results:
As I said in my summary the weather did not cooperate for testing items that required rain. We had one day of measurable rain here in the Seattle region since June. So my last two months of testing focused on how I could make the best use of the bag.
On my Yosemite trip, I used the sil sack to carry my summer weight sleeping bag and clothing. Since the trip was in Yosemite, I was required to carry a bear canister. Since I was using a smaller backpack something had to go on the outside. The bear canister would not fit under the straps on the outside of my pack, so I placed it inside and placed my clothing and sleeping bag filled Sea to Summit Ultra Sil dry sack on the outside of my pack.
This set up worked out very well for most of the trip. I enjoyed the quick access to my clothing and liked being able to wait until the very last minute to take off my outer layers in the morning. However not all was perfect. My second to last day on the trail included an off trail hike/scramble over ridge that consisted of mostly of granite. Granite and silnylon are not friends. I was being super careful, but there were several times where I had to sit and slide over ledges to continue hiking. All this scrambling caused a small tear near the top of the sack. I repaired this with some repair tape once I returned home and it seems to be holding.
During my 4 night trip in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, I used the sack as my food storage sack and carried it inside of my backpack. This worked ok, and did not seem to cause any extra wear on the sack, but I don’t think I will use it this way any longer. In my opinion there are too many potential issues using it to carry food; such as sharp edges from food bags puncturing the sack or spilled food inside of the sack, and I like having an extra layer of waterproof protection for my sleeping bag and clothing.
The durability of the sack has been good except for the granite incident. That tear was not the sacks fault but user error on my part. The outer seams appear to be holding up ok, although there is an area where two stitches have come undone. I am not sure when this happened. The inside taped seams are just doing ok. The tape is beginning to detach from the inside of the bag on the sides of the seams. It appears to still remain attached over the seam which is the area that needs to be taped. I will continue to watch this area and will add an addendum should this area become a problem.
I also figured out a new way to get the air out of the bag. I roll the top of the bag over once, then I fold the excess fabric over. Then, I am able to press all of the air out and since I have already begun to roll it over I don’t gain any of the air back. It is a nifty trick.
Improvements:
A handle sewed on the bottom of the sack would be a welcome addition.
Test Plan:
I evaluated the Ultra Sil Dry Sack on the following characteristics over the past two months. My answers are in blue.
Durable:
- How durable is the Siliconized Cordura® fabric? It has been good when used as advertised.
- Can I stuff multiple things in the bag and not bust it? Yes, I have been able to stuff a three season down sleeping bag and an extra set of clothes or multiple days worth of food without any problems.
- How strong are the double stitched and taped seams? So far they seem to have done pretty well. Like I said some of the tape is detaching from the sides of the bag, but not on the seams.
- Can I toss it into my pack or on the ground when I get to camp not worry about punctures? Into my pack yes, I am more careful when laying it on the ground or attaching it to the outside of my pack.
- How durable are the mechanics of the bag, such as the closure? I have had no problems with this feature.
- Sea to Summit recommends avoiding abrasion, does this mean inside of my pack too? I have not had any abrasion problems with the sack in my pack. On the outside of my pack it was a different story.
Usefulness:
- What can I get into the bag? Anything! I currently use it as a storage sack for my sleeping bag and extra clothing, but have also used it as storage for multiple days of food and as a bear bag.
- I plan on putting at the very least my down sleeping bag in the sack; can I stuff more into the bag? Yes.
- I have never used a dry bag, how easy is it to compress? It is very tricky to get all of the air out of the sack; however, I learned a new trick which I detailed above that made it easier.
- Is the sack actually waterproof? Yes, see my field report for more details.
Thank to Backpackgeartest.org and Sea to Summit for allowing me to participate in this test.
Read more reviews of Sea to Summit gear
Read more gear reviews by Jason Boyle
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