Now there are many dry bags on the market these days at varying costs for different needs. Some people will want a bag for chucking cheap gear into on the water and others will want to carry more expensive items. In my opinion buying a cheap drybag is asking for trouble. Buy something you trust to hold your gear.
Having owned many dry bags over the years, both cheap and expensive, I’ve always had a Palm drybag in my range. Palm’s latest range is both stylish and more environmentally friendly.
I have the Palm Downstream 25L to test and review and I’m impressed. First impressions is the new materials looks incredible, rich colouring, with a real shine to the 420 Denier fabric means this bag is not only tough and durable but it looks great. A clear window in the front is also a nice touch, as I’ve spent many minutes on the water ferreting around looking for car keys or a particular item that’s somewhere in the bottom.
The Downstream is a roll top drybag, which isn’t huge if wanting to carry kit to and from the river, but a great size to take onboard a kayak, canoe or SUP. It’s the perfect bag to throw some extra clothes, wallet, keys and a camera on the water. It’s also a perfect size to carry around when portaging or taking a well deserved trip to the pub after. If you want a larger bag check out the Downstream 35L.
I’ve already mentioned the material however lets talk construction, rather than using the more commonly used PVC in drybag construction, Palm have opted to use Polyurethane to coat the 420D fabric and weld the bag rather than with traditional glueing methods to keep weight down and reduce the impact environmentally. Polyurethane is one of the better plastics to use and is starting to be replace PVC, which traditionally gives off toxins during manufacture, use and disposal.
The Downstream 25L features strong, good quality buckles and fixings, a sturdy, comfortable, good quality adjustable carry strap, which clips onto the top roll top and a D-ring towards the bottom of the bag. There’s also a separate anchor point on the base of the bag if you wanted to add another mounting point.
If you are after a new dry bag its certainly worth checking out Palm’s latest offerings as these not only look good but are good sized, built well and use materials with less environmental impact.
Available at https://palmequipmenteurope.com/product/downstream-25-l for £34.95
