Bluefin Dri-Tide 22L Deck Bag review: A dry bag built for SUP and wild swimming adventures

I’ve been testing several roll-top dry bags recently and, while I like the flexible sizing and excellent waterproofing they possess, it made a refreshing change to use a dry bag that didn’t require me to unroll the top to get into it. Instead, the top on the Dri-Tide bag simply zips off around its semi-circular side, and hinges open at the back flat edge, making it very easy to get items in and out, and the inside holds its shape well. Bluefin provides a rigid inner to insert in the bag so that it completely keeps its shape, but you don’t have to use this if you don’t want to.

My main use for dry bags is hauling around wild swimming gear, but this one has a specific purpose - it’s built by paddle board specialists Bluefin and is designed to clip directly onto your board's cargo loops so you can keep all your belongings safe on your latest SUP adventure. That doesn’t mean it’s not suitable for other pursuits though, and I've been using it for my wild swimming gear, as it’s a great size for my wetsuit, water shoes, and other swimming kit.

So how did it measure up against the best dry bags? 

Waterproofing

The Bluefin Dri-Tide Deck Bag has a waterproof zip and is made of thick nylon TPU with welded seams. On test the waterproofing held up completely, both when the bag was filled with wet kit, and when I submerged it in water. It has two larger outer mesh pockets that work well for water bottles and anything else you don’t mind getting wet. 

Obviously the outer mesh pockets aren’t waterproof, and what I felt this bag could really use is an internal or external waterproof pocket for small valuables. The hinge top design means you can really fill this bag to the brim without having to worry about folding it down like most dry bags. It also comes with a bungee system and webbing loops, so there is extra space for more items if you can’t fit everything you need in, although of course anything going on the outside can still get wet. 

 Harness and handles 

The main harness comprises some seriously wide straps, with a reasonable amount of padding, and separate webbing loops that you can use to hang smaller items off. The padding appears to be made of the kind of neoprene you would see on a surfing wetsuit and felt comfortable against the body, although it lacks the breathability you would find with a mesh backing and I did find my back got sweaty using it fairly quickly.

I’m always a fan of a chest strap, even on smaller bags like this, to help spread the load, particularly when carrying heavy items such as a sodden wetsuit. Unfortunately the Dri-Tide bag doesn’t have a chest strap and, given the weight of what you could be carrying in it if you’re using it for wild swimming, this felt like an oversight.

However, the bag does have two large top grab handles made from padding webbing, which are comfortable to hold and don’t cut into your hands, even when carrying a heavy load.

Design

This bag is designed to strap to a paddleboard deck - a job made easy by the short straps top and bottom on each side that clip and unclip with carabiner-style fastenings. As long as you have cargo loops fixed to your paddle board you can clip the bag on using this system. 

Unlike many other dry bags, which are usually a simple rectangle or backpack design, the Dri-Tide bag in shaped somewhat ergonomically, similar to the shape of the front of a paddle board. The wider end of the bag is at the top, which makes it a breeze to get kit in and out of it. However, this also makes it a little top heavy when it’s being worn as a backpack, something I noticed when carting heavy kit down steep steps to one of my favorite beachy wild swimming spots.

If you bear that in mind when you’re loading it, and put your heaviest things at the bottom, then it shouldn't be an issue, but if, like me, you chucked a few beers into the top last minute then you may notice a slight sense of being off balance.

This bag is only 22L, but its large top opening makes it feel surprisingly capacious. Roll top dry bags are very effective at keeping things dry, but can feel hard to get into and finding things buried in the bottom of them can be tricky. The hinge style opening on the Blufin Dri-Tide 22L bag is a useful innovation that means you can pack the bag with more care and really use up every scrap of available space.

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