suggestions take advice
I’ve paddled 40+ years take my advice.
Don’t buy those all clear bags…different fabric which makes the stitching on the closure buckles WEAK! Doubt you would get a week without the buckle ripping off and or leaking.
When you carry a closed dry bag, DON’T use the looped buckle as the handle! Big mistake for sure. The buckle is the weakest link and therefore you should not be using that as the handle. Instead use the folded dry bag fabric just below the buckle loop. That way you eliminate stress on the weak part and can get 15-20 years use out of a dry bag.
Good advice!
– Last Updated: Mar-15-16 5:26 PM EST –
A friend of mine had some clear bags, and though they lasted a few years, they did eventually fall apart, exactly as you describe. Meanwhile, my standard vinyl bags are still in like-new condition after more than 10 years.
When carrying a bag by the loop, the buckle ends up being stressed in the same way as when you wish to break a stick. Those buckles can tolerate an amazing amount of tension, but asking it to avoid breaking like a stick is asking too much. I have a nifty way of repairing buckles broken in that manner though, because I've already broken one. I learned about this the hard way!
Oh, here's the trick, for those that might have a use for it. Wrap the "frame" portion of the female buckle with steel wire, and twist it tight so the split frame is scrunched back together. Rough-up that part of the buckle surface ahead of time, so that you can coat the wire with epoxy and have it become part of the buckle frame. Presto! Brand-new buckle.
interesting I dont think I have ever
seen all clear bags. Nor broken a buckle. I have some old PVC bags from the early 90s.
They are colored
The fabric coated ones have failed due to the interior coating coming off. Thats the only sort of dry bag failure I have had