djcheburashka
Contributor
It is very hard to find a good drysuit bag. My friends and I have discussed this on several occasions recently. Many of the existing products are just not very good.
I'm posting this in the hopes that Akona, which makes a lot of bags, will consider making a specialty bag.
A good drysuit bag needs to have the following:
1. A large "wet" compartment big enough to hold a folded-over wet drysuit. It must have at least some mesh drainage -- grommets will not suffice -- but also offer basic puncture and scratch protection sufficient to protect the drysuit when travelling by car.
2. Does not need to be built to hold up to airport baggage handling.
3. A "dry" compartment sized to hold drysuit undergarments, a t-shirt, and a pair of pants.
4. A compartment with drainage (again, grommets just don't cut it) to hold the drysuit boots.
5. A dry compartment, which does not need drainage, large enough to hold the various sundry items that go along with a drysuit, like zipper wax, condom catheters, relief valve quick disconnect, etc. And, while in the water, personal items like a wallet and cell phone and keys.
6. It needs to be carryable as a backpack, and as small as it can possibly be.
The various products currently on the market are all pretty deficient.
The standard DUI bag doesn't really have pockets, or drainage, so everything inside just comes home really wet and dirty. Plus it doesn't hold undergarments.
Many people use Akona's or others' mesh bags, but you're always running the risk of damaging a seal or puncturing the suit, and the mesh bags don't really do anything about the need for pockets, to hold undergarments, etc.
The Whites backpack isn't terrible, but the dry pocket for undergarments isn't very accessible. If you have put material into the dry pocket, then its hard to get at the drysuit itself in the wet pocket. The front boot-pocket is much larger than it needs to be, and really should be split into separate wet-boot/dry-everything else compartments. Plus its just not a very ergonomic or attractive bag.
Thanks very much.
I'm posting this in the hopes that Akona, which makes a lot of bags, will consider making a specialty bag.
A good drysuit bag needs to have the following:
1. A large "wet" compartment big enough to hold a folded-over wet drysuit. It must have at least some mesh drainage -- grommets will not suffice -- but also offer basic puncture and scratch protection sufficient to protect the drysuit when travelling by car.
2. Does not need to be built to hold up to airport baggage handling.
3. A "dry" compartment sized to hold drysuit undergarments, a t-shirt, and a pair of pants.
4. A compartment with drainage (again, grommets just don't cut it) to hold the drysuit boots.
5. A dry compartment, which does not need drainage, large enough to hold the various sundry items that go along with a drysuit, like zipper wax, condom catheters, relief valve quick disconnect, etc. And, while in the water, personal items like a wallet and cell phone and keys.
6. It needs to be carryable as a backpack, and as small as it can possibly be.
The various products currently on the market are all pretty deficient.
The standard DUI bag doesn't really have pockets, or drainage, so everything inside just comes home really wet and dirty. Plus it doesn't hold undergarments.
Many people use Akona's or others' mesh bags, but you're always running the risk of damaging a seal or puncturing the suit, and the mesh bags don't really do anything about the need for pockets, to hold undergarments, etc.
The Whites backpack isn't terrible, but the dry pocket for undergarments isn't very accessible. If you have put material into the dry pocket, then its hard to get at the drysuit itself in the wet pocket. The front boot-pocket is much larger than it needs to be, and really should be split into separate wet-boot/dry-everything else compartments. Plus its just not a very ergonomic or attractive bag.
Thanks very much.
