The Miracle of Dry Bags!

I hate it when my stuff gets wet!  Growing up driving a jeep every day, it was inevitable.  I always kept a rain jacket jammed under my front seat, a trash bag where my books and stuff would go (we didn't have laptops back then), and a towel to wipe the rain off the inside of my windshield that blew in from behind.  It sounds miserable now, but when I was in my teens, it was heaven.  Over the years, the rain jacket has improved with breathable fabrics, taped seams, and waterproof zippers that make it all the more comfortable to wear on those warm, wet, muggy days we seem to have down in the panhandle of Florida and the red hills of South Georgia.  Much better than the rubber jackets I grew up with that made you sweat just looking at them.

In addition to the jeep and the rubber rain jacket, I have also retired the trash bags as my only source of keeping things dry.  When dry bags first came out, 30 years ago, I was very skeptical as I had never owned anything that kept the things I need to stay …. dry.  On cold mornings standing in a wood duck hole, water would find that pinhole in my old Hodgman waders and turn my toes to ice cubes.  Last year while fishing, I put my phone in the waterproof chest pocket of my waders, only to find it full of moisture and trashed when I got home.  

But I'm happy to say the outdoor gear geeks have finally figured out the dry bag.  I use these dry bags for everything outdoors.  They are perfect for the boat. On our trip to the Abacos this summer we stuck all our wallets, cash, keys, and phones in the bag and rolled up the top and securely clipped it to the rail on the console knowing all is safe.  Yep, these bags have been tested out on the waters of the Bahamas by yours truly.   From now on, I'll put my phone and wallet in one, push all the air out and stuff it down in my waders in case I need to pull it out for that pic of that 22" brown trout that alludes me while fishing up in North Carolina.

So whether you are floating down the river on a warm, sunny day with it hooked to your tube or cooler or sitting on the dock peacefully while your are friends doing cannonballs into the lake to see how wet they can get you, these bags are the thing you need.   If you are around the water, you are going to get wet, so it's always a good idea to keep that old towel around as well, although not necessarily for wiping off the windshield.  Nothing has changed with those good ole towels over the years; they are still cotton terry cloth and seem to work as well as they ever did.  At least some things stay the same. It's a small victory, but I will take it.  As for our new WLS dry bags, you need them....it's really that simple.