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EXPED UL DRY BAG MULTI-PACK

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Used exclusively and extensively across the world.

 

For rain protection, many UL backpackers/hikers opt for a budget bin-liner or a single pack-liner dry bag.

Often a piece of gear many would consider leaving at home, certainly not an absolute fundamental. However, I have found the benefits of taking these bags earns them their place in weight.

I use the range of bags not only to keep their contents dry but well organised and easily accessible. The fold dry closure works as you would expect but at a fraction of the weight penalty of other bags on the market. The stiffened-buckle closure really is all the weight on the bag, as the 15D Nylon is super thin.

The silicone coated exterior gives the bags a silky touch whilst making them easy to slide into the gaps in your pack. The bright translucent colours make organising your pack a joy

and allow you to see their contents.

I mainly use mine for electricals (most needed), clothes and to separate my waterproofs. I do tend to go beyond organised when it comes to dividing up my systems.

There isn't a grab handle at the base but this minimises unnecessary weight.

The 13l can comfortably take my North Face Blue Kazoo and the 9l my Rab Neutrino 200.

 

As with most ultralight gear; the bags do have to be treated with care as being 15D they are very delicate. Given enough abrasion against a sharp object in your pack and the bag will puncture. The trick is not to have sharp objects loose in your pack. It's better to realise this early on than learn the hard (expensive) way. However, Exped have excellent customer service and have replaced two of my bags whilst on an excursion in Norway with no questions asked.

 

The new bags were sent to a supplier in the closest city to where I was hiking and from where I could collect them. I kept the existing bags without even having to show them or explain what had happened. Fantastic customer aftercare.

I put one damaged bag down to absolute user error and the other perhaps a genuine fault.

User error: at the time I was packing my Thermarest in the red dry bag (9l) attached to the base straps on the outside of my pack (where the pack has most contact with the ground and needs most reinforcement). In hindsight I feel extremely fortunate to have a bag replaced due to this as it didn't warrant it.

The second bag (blue 13l) was damaged where the nylon meets the closure. Here you have to be very gentle when inserting larger items such as a sleeping bag, making sure not to force too much tension between the closure and the material.

You can see detailed pictures of this in the link above.

Fortunately a horizontal tear here has no affect on the bags ability to keep out water as the closure must be rolled at least three times anyhow.

 

TIP: Hold the nylon after the fold closure to allow more tension on the bag.

Don't think because they're individually light you should find a use for a whole four pack.

The weight still adds up!

These really are outstanding bags if you can find them for a reasonable price (expect to pay more than for standard weight 30D dry bags). Superb for compressing clothing. Be gentle with them and they will serve you for many lightweight adventures.