Review on 🎒 Vitchelo 30L Waterproof Dry Bag Backpack - Ultimate Floating Storage for Travel, Hiking, Boating, Kayaking, Camping & Beach - Includes Waterproof Phone Case - Lightweight & Tear-Free - Lifetime Kayak Bag by Dave Russell

Vitchelo's main claim for this stuff sack is that it is 100% waterproof and keeps gear dry. To test that claim, I stuffed the pack with a 14-pound bag of baking soda to make it heavier, as well as a toilet paper roll (if it's leaking, it'll be obvious as soon as I pull the TP out). I went to my pool to do a proper dive stress test (to simulate kayak failure) which you can see in the video I posted. That. Although the bag was quite heavy, it was actually incredibly buoyant due to the size and the air trapped inside, and I had to make an effort to actually submerge it in water. You may be able to squeeze out some air when you close and seal the bag, but I wanted to test this the way I normally use my stuff sacks. Air isn't heavy and a very buoyant dry bag can make it easier to locate if it falls in the water, not to mention it can help you swim in an emergency (if you've had trouble swimming). - for shock or injury). I submerged the bag, rolled it over and pushed it under water upside down to test the area where I thought the likelihood of rejection would be greatest. When I opened it, the inside was completely dry except for a few drops that had clearly got into the bag during the opening process (and not by bad luck). Having completed this test I am confident I can count on it when taking it on a real kayak trip in the future. It seems very likely that transporting it across a body of water would be fairly easy (if you had to fall out of the canoe and swim to shore). Aside from the fact that the bag is really waterproof, I really like the padded shoulder. Belt. I have another dry bag without straps and it's inconvenient to carry around. This bag can act as a real backpack if needed. The padded shoulder straps are very comfortable and there is a strap that connects across the chest for better weight distribution. If you roll up the internal storage properly to make it submersible, you have to sacrifice some internal storage. However, if you're not taking it with you on a boat but are on land and basically just want to protect your gear from the rain, there's an alternative way to close it to maximize storage space inside (you'll probably sacrifice one too, really good seal when fully submerged, but still protects interior from rain). The final claim is that the bag is made of "tough, unbreakable material with double stitched, taped seams and linen-backed vinyl. Bottom for maximum waterproofness. While I can't verify what the material is made of, upon closer inspection it appears to be extremely durable and passed my underwater stress test with ease. This bag looks and feels sturdy and when I hit a bush with it (nothing thorny, just a regular bush to simulate hiking) there was no damage. I will update this review in the future as I regularly post product updates after using it for a long time. The only negative is that there was a very strong chemical smell upon arrival. I kept it on the patio for a week thinking it might gas up. A week later it still smelled so bad that when I brought it into my living room for a few hours to inspect and pack up, the smell spread throughout the room and I had to open the windows and air it out. Even walking with him on my back, the smell bothered me, albeit less. I put the bag outside for more ventilation. Knowing that PVC products (I'm not sure if this bag is PVC but it's vinyl) take about a month to fully outgas, I'll upgrade my rating from 4 to 5 stars if the smell disappears in the next few weeks because odorless is a 5 star product. I also have to say that I'm quite sensitive to smells, which may not bother other people, especially since it's intended for outdoor use. If you found this review helpful, please click Yes below. UPDATE 10/01/16: After sitting in my glassed-in patio for 5 weeks, the smell has almost completely disappeared, which is definitely good news! I've noticed that several reviews I've written on items purchased through Revain have incorrectly removed "Confirmed Purchase" and are therefore no longer visible, which probably happens to other people as well. When reading reviews remember to sort them by "All Reviews" as there is clearly a bug in the system and many helpful and detailed reviews are now hidden.