Sea To Summit eVAC Dry Sack

This is the second evac dry sac I have purchased - they are awesome! I like that it is lightweight and compressible. It is a better alternative to non-compressible dry bags made of heavier material.

I’ll preface this review with my cut and paste statement that I work as a backcountry backpacking guide in Yosemite National Park. Nearly all of the products I take the time to review have seen at least a half a season, if not more, of use... and I’m committed to not bothering to write a review until I feel like I’ve really gotten to know a product. I never thought I’d bother to write reviews, but I’ve recently decided that since I’ve spent so much time over these last many years reading reviews, and finding a tremendous amount of value in articulate and well-informed opinions, that I wanted to give back to the community. So, with that being said, here we go...

(If you don't want to read this next part just jump down to the last two paragraphs.) So, a quick story. I was reluctant to be converted to using down bags and jackets after having spent so much time living in the south. I had just moved back to California to work in the Sierras, and my mentor really tried to get it through my thick, caveman brain that down is the way to go in the Sierras, as its generally very dry. Well, needless to say, my mentor was right. I saved some weight and space in my pack, which I really appreciated.

However, this little paranoid voice kept whispering in my ear, 'What if you take a dive during a creek crossing? What if something happens?' So, to indulge my fear I bought a couple of these for my down bags. Sure, I could use a trash bag, but these make great watertight compression sacks for down bags... keeping it dry and packed down tight.

Well, my last trip of last season, was in the middle of September. Summer's drawn to a close, and the weather is a little less predictable in Yosemite by this time. Sure enough, it rained almost the entire trip. We had people ready for rain... pack covers on, jackets and bags wrapped in trash bags, etc. Well, we arrive at camp on day three. It had been pouring for over five hours, so it wasn't a huge surprise to find some folks with damp sleeping bags once we got to camp and unpacked. Luckily, the rain had stopped, so we made a fire and got some things dried a bit... dry enough that the night wasn't too miserable.

Well, my fellow guide (who was leading the trip) and I had been so busy getting things settled that it wasn't till after dinner that I was able to empty my pack and get my tent up. Well, my pack was soaked. My pack cover had done little in the way of keeping the torrent out. However, in the pool in the bottom of my pack was this faithful dry sack, with my perfectly dry, crisp Western Mountaineering bag just waiting for me. I felt like I was unpacking Claire Forlani to curl up with that evening. That dry bag was the most welcome sight I had seen in a while. And what had provided me such a warm, fuzzy, pleasant night...? A $20 dry sack.

Would you pay $20 to not have to sleep in a wet bag? This may sound funny, and it could have been... but such a situation can be potentially life-threatening. I will never pack a down bag in anything but one of these dry sacks. Ever.

Now, with that story out of the way... I will also add that these bags are incredibly durable. I've beaten the hell out of mine and the stitching, seams, fabric, roll-top all look brand new. And, keep in mind, that's with me placing this dry sac on some nice abrasive granite and mashing my sleeping bag into it like the Samsonite gorilla. I suspect I could make one of these last a decade with some care.

So, in short... is it worth approximately $20 to $40 to you to have something as important as your sleeping bag, clothing, jacket, or food stay perfectly dry despite an accident or adverse conditions? Mmmhmm... thought so.

Dry sacks are something I generally take for granted, but even with that said, this is so much better than anything else I've used it's incredible. The eVent bottom means that compression straps are now pointless, as by creating a vacuum, you can squeeze out just as much air as you could with the straps. As an added bonus, because there are no straps, you can "mold" the bag into different shapes, instead of just a round ball. As an example of how sweet the vacuuming is on this bag, I managed to compress my First Ascent Downlight sweater down to around a liter inside this thing. As a warning, because you can compress clothing so much, especially down, it's possible to push feathers through the fabric because of the added pressure.

The work really well as compression shacks and they are watertight all they way but after only a 4 day trip in the white mountains last week one of the sacks i bought was already starting to have a wear hole so i'm not sure how durable these are.

Use this as my food/bear bag. Keeps my food dry whether it's in my pack hiking in the rain, or hanging away from da bears. The actual bears!

I only have one of these that I use to keep my down jacket in. I wanted to make sure that it was not going to get damp or damaged in my pack and this bag is a peace of mind to me. I have the 8L and that works fine for Patagonia down sweater.

Got the 5L bag to use as a dry sac for my summer sleeping bag and couldn't be happier. This thing holds my bag with plenty of room to spare and the breathable bottom is great for smashing the bag down to nearly nothing and getting all of the air out (and not letting it back in). Did the bathtub test and let water rain down on it for damn near an hour. My sleeping bag stayed bone dry. BUY THIS!

Awesome bags! I bought this 60 miles into my thru-hike of the AT and never looked for another bag to keep my camp clothes and sleeping bag dry. I bought this because my rain coat was made out of the same Event fabric and loved its air flow quality...makes getting air out of those sacks so much less of a technique. Very light weight and durable still using it!

Great concept here. No more stuffing my sleeping bag in and rolling the top loose to squish out the excess air. Stuff it, roll it, pack it and forget about it.

My dream drybag is here in the Sea To Summit eVac Dry Sack. It is light-weight and highly compressible. The bottom panel easily expells the air inside the bag (and keeps it out!) and the light-weight material the sack is made out of allows the bag to compress very tightly almost eliminating the need for a compression bag. The bags come in various sizes so keeping my winter mountaineering down sleeping bag dry or my lunch in the day hatch of my kayak dry has never been easier or more assuredly DRY.

Awesome bag! Used it 3 weeks ago for a backpacking trip. Air flows out of it quite easily, just great compression! Kept my clothes nice and dry!

I own several Granite Gear dry sacks which vent when rolled up like this one. The Sea to Summit is every bit as good, but slightly heavier. Granite Gear unfortunately is not making theirs anymore. Very good bag that compresses well while keeping any water out. Like most stuff sacks this one is overpriced terribly. It would be great if they would come down in price.

Awesome breathable stuff sack, air flows out really freely through the mesh in the bottom...very well designed. Kept everything completely dry on a fairly damp hike through the Smokies. Obviously, because there are no compression straps, you're not going to be able to pack it down as small as physically possible if you're looking for something to compress a down sleeping bag or something along those lines...works great for a food/gear bag.

Used it for my sleeping bag over a backpacking trip. I managed to get my sleeping bag, and all my clothes into this "stuff sack". It's a bit hard to get stuff on the bottom squished enough, so when you are packing the sack be sure to stuff the bottom while packing. Backpacked through a bit of rain and everything stayed nice and dry.

As mentioned in other reviews, the ability to squeeze air out after it is sealed is incredibly helpful. As far as waterproofness, it kept stuff dry while hanging from a tree in a downpour overnight. Somewhere on it's package it said "do not submerge" so I'm not sure if it will be adequate to protect stuff on kayaking trips, but PU coated bags have done me well before and this one is top-of-the line, so I think it will be good.

Ordered one in the 3L size hoping it would hold my 800 fill XL down jacket. I went on live chat and they told me that it would fit. It does not. I don't think it is worth spending 8 dollars on shipping to get the correct size though. Also the color that came was blue and not like pictured. The eVent fabric on it works but not quite to the extent that all the hype made me think it would. 4 stars just because of the things mentioned above. I am sure in the correct size it would be better.

sea to summit' eVAC' are the cutting edge in dry bags,completely waterproof while allowing air to escape creating the smallest compressed bag possible.