Drybag with submersible zipper

Advice
#1

After 20+ years my good ole drybag is coming apart. While looking for a new one I ran across the Waterproof Store which has a drybag called the Mad Water which they claim has a submersible zipper known as the YKK. Now, I don’t have to tell anyone here that this would be far easier than the rolltop bags.
Has anyone here ever seen this or better used it? Please let me know how it worked out, because they are more pricey than most.
Pag

#2

YKK is a well-known manufacturer of top-quality zippers, many of which are designed for the outdoor industry. Their waterproof zippers are used on many products and I wouldn’t hesitate to trust them, but they do add to the price. In this case, you get what you pay for.

#3

Thanks for the info. Do you have personal experience with them?
Pag

#4

Have you a link? Seems interesting. Lowe Pro do camera bags that use a zip, but are industrial quality.

#5

I also would like to see a link to the product. Most of the dry bags I have seen that have an added seal to roll top use more of a ziplok type press closure or a clamp closure (Aquapac uses a lot of these). Can’t recall having seen one with a zipper.

YKK is a Japanese company specializing in zippers. They are the largest manufacturer of zippers in the world, and I think they may have been the inventor of the zipper.

They make different level zippers, including probably waterproof ones. But not all YKK zippers are waterproof.

Waterproof zippers are used on dry suits, so we know they can work just fine.

#6

Here is one retailer that has these bags: https://www.thewaterproofstore.com/bags.html

#7

I’ve got a YETI Panga 50 with a waterproof zipper and it’s definitely waterproof. The one criticism it gets is that it’s not that comfy to wear as a backpack…looks like the Mad Water ones would be similar like they are meant to be carried as a duffel. The one other question you might ask yourself is whether you’d ever fully trust a zipper or end up putting some things inside waterproof containers inside of the duffel which kind of defeats the purpose. I like my Yeti a lot as a big roomy day bag (mostly for cool/cold weather) but I should confess that I have one small roll top bag inside with an emergency change of clothes purely for peace of mind since I’m sometimes on my own pretty far from any help.

#8

Good point, I agree. With the top loading roll up bags, desiring an item near the bottom requires one to stop paddling, unroll the bag, download gear to the deck, retrieve the item, and re-roll the bag. Not having a paddle in the water decreases control and the retrieval time increases exposure to tipping. So, I end up second- bagging vulnerable gear anyhow. A duffel style zipper bag eliminates a lot of these problems although items like cell phone or camera gets doubled anyhow.

#9

Thanks for the link. Look like interesting bags, but not something I would use in sea kayaking, as even the 30 liter version (smallest I see with zipper) twould be too large to fit well in a kayak.