Dry Bags

[DownEaster]

What range of dry bag sizes do you folks use for a through-hike? Do you fuss over matching the sizes to your gear, or just grab whatever is big enough to do the job?

With the exception of a few items (butt pad, cathole trowel, tent stakes, rain suit, bottles) it seems I have a reason to keep everything I carry dry on the AT. I got a few dry bags, and then just this week added a set of 3 more (so my online order would qualify for free shipping). Now I have a semi-random bunch of bags:

2.1 L
3.0 L
4.1 L
5.0 L
8.0 L (x2)
10.0 L
10.6 L

My sleeping bag goes in the bottom of the 3 mil contractor-grade trash bag lining my backpack, and my tent has its own stuff sacks. Electronics and first aid will fit in the smallest two bags, with room left over. Is it worth looking for smaller bags for a better fit? Puffy jacket takes up the 5L bag, though 6L would probably be a better match (and bigger improvised pillow ;)). Other clothing will fit in the 8L bags (one for clean, one for dirty/washing in the bag). Is this assortment going to cover all the other bases? I've seen others use a 13L bag for food. Do I need a bigger food sack, or will hanging food in two bags work OK? Do I need a dry bag for TP, or is a Ziploc bag good enough? (Note that soaked TP means no TP, which is a highly undesirable situation.)

This all goes in/on a Granite Gear Crown 2 (65 L with the lid, which I'll probably leave in place to start the Trail as it makes for convenient access to rain gear and winter layers).

[Deacon]

What range of dry bag sizes do you folks use for a through-hike? Do you fuss over matching the sizes to your gear, or just grab whatever is big enough to do the job?

With the exception of a few items (butt pad, cathole trowel, tent stakes, rain suit, bottles) it seems I have a reason to keep everything I carry dry on the AT. I got a few dry bags, and then just this week added a set of 3 more (so my online order would qualify for free shipping). Now I have a semi-random bunch of bags:

2.1 L
3.0 L
4.1 L
5.0 L
8.0 L (x2)
10.0 L
10.6 L

My sleeping bag goes in the bottom of the 3 mil contractor-grade trash bag lining my backpack, and my tent has its own stuff sacks. Electronics and first aid will fit in the smallest two bags, with room left over. Is it worth looking for smaller bags for a better fit? Puffy jacket takes up the 5L bag, though 6L would probably be a better match (and bigger improvised pillow ;)). Other clothing will fit in the 8L bags (one for clean, one for dirty/washing in the bag). Is this assortment going to cover all the other bases? I've seen others use a 13L bag for food. Do I need a bigger food sack, or will hanging food in two bags work OK? Do I need a dry bag for TP, or is a Ziploc bag good enough? (Note that soaked TP means no TP, which is a highly undesirable situation.)

This all goes in/on a Granite Gear Crown 2 (65 L with the lid, which I'll probably leave in place to start the Trail as it makes for convenient access to rain gear and winter layers).

I would say don't over think the use of dry bags. It looks like you have a good selection on hand, so just use what makes sense. There's no "proper" way to use them.

For the small items use ziploc freezer bags. They're easily replaced. For your dirty clothes, I would use a mesh bag to prevent mildew. Toilet paper fits in a quart ziploc.

For the food bag, I use an 18L Granite Gear CFT3 bag with eVent bottom to squeeze out air. Totally waterproof at 0.7 oz. (but will cost $53.00). I use identical bag for clean clothes.

From your description you've already got a good start.

[Last Call]

Pro Tip: Go for the 3-pack of Dry bags at Wal-Mart for $9.98....3 sizes, 1 each of yellow, red, & blue....save your Sea-to-Summit bags for your sleeping bag & and dry socks/clothes....

[DownEaster]

Pro Tip: Go for the 3-pack of Dry bags at Wal-Mart for $9.98
Already done. That's what put me over the necessary purchase to get free shipping from Walmart.com. I didn't want to pay shipping for a couple of Hanes Cool Dri Performance Tees.

[Ethesis]

Already done. That's what put me over the necessary purchase to get free shipping from Walmart.com. I didn't want to pay shipping for a couple of Hanes Cool Dri Performance Tees.
Made me smile.

Dry bags were the one thing I had to quit buying.

This week. For certain.

[DownEaster]

Dry bags were the one thing I had to quit buying.

This week. For certain.
Not this week for me. I just ordered a big (20L) bag on eBay so I can have all my food in one bag.

[Turtle-2013]

My two cents for what they probably aren't worth...
First, the only way you will figure out what works for you is by using options and seeing what is too big, too small, or un-necessary and making the appropriate adjustments. What that means is that if you are preparing for a thru, you will either need to do enough shakedown hikes to figure it out ... or you will figure it out while on the Trail.

That said ... in case it is useful ... here are some comments.

First, while you will want to keep your tent/tarp/tarptent dry, much of the time it will be wet or damp. So you will want to put it "outside" the dry space in your pack .... mine always goes in the very bottom, but that has to do with the kind of pack I use.

Second, Your pack should either be waterproof, or you should have a lightweight cover for it ... so the bags in the pack should be secondary ... hence things like dirty clothes should not need to be in a dry bag since they are probably damp or wet already. The pack should be enough protection for them.

Third, I use OPSAK for food, so if I was going to put it in another bag (I don't) I wouldn't use a waterproof bag since the OPSAK is waterproof.

Fourth, Other than keeping sleeping gear and clothing dry, everything else fits in very light plastic bags, some ziplock, some not.

Summary, I use one waterproof bag for clothes, one OPSAK for food, a plastic bag for sleeping gear when I can't roll up in tarp-tent because the tarp-tent is too wet, and a few small plastic bags for incidentals (TP, electonics, guide, etc.) .... and I use a couple more non-waterproof bags for cook gear and other stuff than can get wet ... and my pack is waterproof ... that's about it....

[KDogg]

I used one dry bag for my food (I think it is 30L). I had a z-packs arc blast (waterproof) with a waterproof liner. I also had a z-packs pillow dry bag but only because it was a great pillow, not for the dry capability. Everything but my food went into my tent so separate dry bags not necessary. I did have some granite gear zipsacks for organization.

[HooKooDooKu]

I guess you could say that I use three dry bags:
1. Food
2. Pack Liner (ACE Hardware scent free trash compactor bags)
3. Garbage bag to toss wet cloths in (optional)

Things like sleeping bag and cloths go inside the pack liner. Thinks like stove, tent, water treatment, etc are either on the outside of the pack or on top of the pack liner.
On a thru hike, I generally won't have wet cloths inside my pack. They will either be on me trying to dry, or in the mesh pocket of my pack trying to dry.
On a weekend hike (generally in GSMNP where once something gets wet, it stays wet unless you wear it til it dries) I'll take an extra kitchen garbage bag to put wet cloths in keep then separate from dry cloths.

[DownEaster]

Here's my thinking about the use of dry bags:

My pack isn't waterproof.
A pack cover only offers partial protection, so it's not worth carrying.
I'm lining my pack with 3 mil plastic, but accessing the interior in prolonged rain means water is going to get inside. I want to protect the contents (puffy jacket, clean clothes, food, TP, first aid, electronics, ...) against that moisture incursion.
Plastic Ziploc bags are only moderately durable. At home I use a gallon freezer bag to hold ice cubes after dumping the ice trays, and just being accessed a couple times a day wears a bag out in 2-3 months. I'm going to use plenty of Ziploc bags, but they'll be used for additional organization inside the dry bags which provide primary protection.
I need a sturdy bag for hanging my food anyway, so it might as well be a dry bag (holding odorproof bags, in turn holding Ziploc bags).

[theinfamousj]

I have a 20 L blue dry bag for food whenever I don't just use a turkey roasting oven bag.


I have a super small red dry bag for first aid and fire starting.

I have a big red pack liner dry bag for my camp clothes (puffy), sleeping clothes, and sleeping stuff, which I close up after all that is sorted at the bottom of my pack, and then I add everything on top of it.

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