A self-bailing packraft keeps you afloat. It does not keep your gear dry. Water sloshes over the tubes, spray comes off the paddle, and anything sitting loose on the floor gets wet. Dry bags are how your sleeping bag, your phone and your spare warm layer arrive at camp the way they left home.
Pick the sizes
One huge dry bag sounds simple and turns into a sack you empty on the bank to find your snacks. A few bags in different sizes, each with a job, works far better.
| Feature | What goes in it | Where it rides |
|---|---|---|
| Small, around 2 to 5 L | Phone, keys, car key, wallet, first aid basics | Clipped inside the packraft or in a PFD pocket |
| Medium, around 10 to 20 L | Warm layer, rain shell, lunch, snacks | Behind the seat or between your legs |
| Large, around 30 L and up | Sleeping bag, tent, clothes, food for the trip | Strapped to the bow |
| Pack liner | The whole contents of your backpack | Inside the pack, strapped to the bow |
Litre sizes are a guide. Match them to your own pack and trip.
Different colours for different jobs saves time. Red for the warm kit, blue for food, whatever you like. You reach for the right one without opening three.
Roll-tops, done properly
Most dry bags close with a roll-top. It works well when you do it right and leaks when you do it lazily.
- Squeeze out the air before you close it. A bag full of air is bulky and pops open under a strap.
- Flatten the top edge and fold it over at least three times.
- Clip the buckle and pull it snug.
- Keep the rolled top facing up or sideways on the bow, not buried in water on the floor.
A roll-top is splash-proof and survives a capsize. It is not built to sit underwater for an hour. For kit that must stay bone dry, like a down sleeping bag, use two bags, one inside the other.
What goes on the bow
On an overnight or multi-day trip, the bow is where your big load lives. Strapping a pack or a large dry bag across the front tube keeps the hull clear for your legs, and the extra weight forward helps the packraft track straighter.
The simplest setup is your backpack with a pack liner inside it, strapped straight onto the bow. Everything you carried on the walk in goes onto the water in one move. If your pack is not waterproof, the liner is what keeps its contents dry.
Keep the load low and centred. A tall stack on the bow catches wind and sits heavy when you lean. Wide and flat rides better than high and narrow.
Securing it to the bow
A bow load needs to stay put when you hit a wave, bump a rock or capsize. Loose gear in the water is lost gear.
- Use two straps, not one, through the lash points or loops on the bow.
- Cross them over the load or run them either side of the top so the bag cannot twist out.
- Pull them tight, then check again after ten minutes of paddling as the load settles.
- Tuck away loose strap tails. Long tails and loose cord are entanglement hazards in a swim.
Check that you can still reach and use the grab handles with the load on. You want them clear if you need to flip the packraft back upright or tow it.
What to keep dry
Some things get wet and it does not matter. Others make or break a trip. Prioritise these:
- Sleeping bag and sleeping clothes. Double-bag them.
- A dry warm layer and a beanie, reachable while paddling.
- Phone, a personal locator beacon or satellite messenger, and spare batteries.
- First aid kit and your packraft repair kit.
- Food, especially anything in paper packaging.
- Maps, permits and anything paper.
Your PLB or messenger should live on you, in a PFD pocket or clipped to your vest, not in a bag on the bow. If you and the packraft part ways, it needs to stay with you.
Keep what you need close
The kit you use while paddling rides in a small bag within reach. Sunscreen, snacks, a water bottle, a hat. Pulling in to the bank and unstrapping the bow load for a muesli bar gets old fast.
A small dry bag clipped to the seat or a loop inside the hull does the job. Clip it on a short tether so it cannot float away and cannot tangle around your legs.
Look after them
Rinse dry bags after salt water or muddy rivers and let them dry open before storing them. Grit in the roll-top is what wears the seal. Check them for pinholes at the start of each season by filling one with air, closing it and squeezing.
Pack sharp items, like tent pegs and a stove, away from the fabric of both your dry bags and your packraft. Then load up, strap on and go paddle.
Every Seeka self-bails and carries a two-year warranty on materials and welding. Or hire one for a weekend first.