Kegs Vs Dry Bags

[Chanobelli]

Just wanted to get your input on what you prefer Kegs or Dry Bags and if its Dry Bags which brand? I have never used a Keg but currently use 2 or 3 dry bags and I've had a few leak. This also brings me to another questions do you put your keg/ dry bag on the bottom or top of your pack, Just trying to see if maybe that could be why my bag may have leaked.

As always thanks,

[canyonexplorer]

I used two dry bags to protect my cell phone on a recent trip. My outer bag got a small hole in it and became useless. The other bag held it's own for the rest of the trip until the final long swim where water leaked in and killed my phone. Granted this was my own fault that I didn't properly seal the bag before the final swim. Needless to say I now have a Keg and use that for my electronics and my dry bags for things that wouldn't be the end of them if they got wet (clothes).

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

[canyonexplorer]

This also brings me to another questions do you put your keg/ dry bag on the bottom or top of your pack

Placement should be at the top. Less likely to be punctured and higher up in the water; less water pressure means less chance of water making it's way in.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

[oldno7]

I used two dry bags to protect my cell phone on a recent trip. My outer bag got a small hole in it and became useless. The other bag held it's own for the rest of the trip until the final long swim where water leaked in and killed my phone. Granted this was my own fault that I didn't properly seal the bag before the final swim. Needless to say I now have a Keg and use that for my electronics and my dry bags for things that wouldn't be the end of them if they got wet (clothes).

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

Get in the habit of putting some sort of absorbent cloth in your keg, just prior to closing at the top.
Then if you get a slight leak, your cloth will absorb it vs. more spendy things getting wet.

I like kegs in wide open, wet canyons, dry bags in tight wet canyons, ymmv.

[Iceaxe]

Get in the habit of putting some sort of absorbent cloth in your keg, just prior to closing at the top.
Then if you get a slight leak, your cloth will absorb it vs. more spendy things getting wet.

^^^This is good advice^^^

I'm a dry bag guy. I only use SealLine Black Canyon Dry Bags, they cost 2 or 3 times what the cheap dry bags cost but they are pretty much indestructible. I have some that are 10 years old and been through hundreds of canyons and finally had my first leak, I knew it was time to replace them but was to cheap.

I tried kegs for a while but I hate them. I've seen the lids on kegs split several different times. Kegs wear holes in your pack where they slide against the rock, and kegs don't squeeze down when needed to get your pack through the skinnies.

I usually place a bandana at the top of my dry bag.


YMMV

[Scott P]

I have both and both work for me. Kegs aren't for tight canyons though; you will rip apart your pack. A good drybag shouldn't leak. Don't get those cheap low quality ones.

PS, why would you want to take a cell phone through a canyon?

[tjdowling]

I take my cell phone, wallet and keys with me if I'm spotting a car and know I won't get back to it for a while - ie a canyon in Zion that started out east and ended in the Narrows. It was nice to have my cell so I could check in with my emer contact and my wallet so I could pay for my dinner... and everyone else who forgot theirs. I have a small pelican case that goes in the top of my bag that works well.

I like the a keg because I bring a lot of food and got tired of it all getting smashed together. Of course an easy fix for that is to not bring bananas and sandwiches. My bag has taken an extra beating from having a keg, though. I still carry a dry bag to keep closes dry that I have taken off.

Tim


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[CanyonFreak]

Never had a Keg leak on me but need to keep an eye on the o ring and make sure you screw the lid on very tight. Keep at top.

Can't think of a good reason to ever bring keys with you, leave em at the car.

[Brian in SLC]

PS, why would you want to take a cell phone through a canyon?

So make a phone call...and, in case that phone call is for an emergency.

Edit to add:

Also, my cell phone takes great photo's...and...when I get a cell signal, I can immediately update my status on Facebook. Ha!

[Chanobelli]

Has anyone used the dry bags that have a valve in them so you can push out the excess air in them?

[MrAdam]

Has anyone used the dry bags that have a valve in them so you can push out the excess air in them?

I have used the Vargo bags with the valve that Tom sells on his website. The valve feature is nice, but I found that the material the bags are made of is fairly weak and punctures easily. I had to retire the bag much earlier than other bags.

Im with Ice, the Black Canyon drybags are bomber.

[Chanobelli]

I have used the Vargo bags with the valve that Tom sells on his website. The valve feature is nice, but I found that the material the bags are made of is fairly weak and punctures easily. I had to retire the bag much earlier than other bags.

Im with Ice, the Black Canyon drybags are bomber.

Thanks for the advice.

[Taylor]

After losing my truck key on a trail a few years ago ($300 mistake), they always stay in the bumper now. Last thing everyone hears when we start hiking: "If I die in the canyon today, here is where you find the keys..."

[jman]

Hmm...free cars with free keys in the bumpers....sweet!! I'll remember for that next time...

[skunkteeth]

I do the same thing with my keys when I go shore diving. Lock the keys in the trunk and carry a simple key (no chip) that only opens the trunk/doors. Locksmith can make one for $10.

Everything else goes in a dry bag, double bag for cell phone/wallet, but a pelican case is tempting.

[Canyonater]

Not leaving keys to an Audi A6 at the car....I'm taking them with me....

[2065toyota]

I don't care which my cars or trucks we take. They will always stay at car, hidden somewhere on or near the car. If you really want any of my vehicles then take them. It's just a car and I can get another one

[Bootboy]

Pay a little extra for a nice drybag and they last significantly longer.

I've had great experience with the Sealine black canyon bags.

For things that need crush resistance, pelican micro cases IN the drybag.


LNT

[Bootboy]

Has anyone used the dry bags that have a valve in them so you can push out the excess air in them?

Just push the air out well before you seal it. You don't want too much negative pressure in the bag. Any net negative pressure will help water find it's way in. A little air left in the bag offers a little insurance.


LNT

[whansen]

Leave the keys hidden at the ride. Then if you don't make it back everyone else in your group has a chance.

[Iceaxe]

[QUOTE=Kelly Campbell;557812]I

[Bootboy]

If you are worried about items piercing your dry bag or having to handle them carefully you are using cheap dry bags and need to step up to the Black Canyon dry bags. I abuse the crap out of my dry bags and never worry about handling them carefully and they never leak.

Tap'n on my Galaxy G3



+50


LNT

[Canyonater]

The Black Canyon bags are currently 50% off at Backcountry.com. 5L $11.98, 10L $13.48, 20L $16.48, 30L $19.98....free shipping after $50...http://www.backcountry.com/sealline-black-canyon-dry-bag?ti=U2VhcmNoIFJlc3VsdHM6YmxhY2sgY2FueW9uOjE6ODp ibGFjayBjYW55b24&skid=CAS0573-BL-S10L

[Bootboy]

Deal of the century


LNT

[Mountaineer]

I paid extra for an eVent dry bag. Love it. Put all your stuff in, seal, and squeeze all the air out. Easy purge. I haven't had any leaks, and it has gone through tons of canyons.

[spinesnaper]

I have a vented eVent bag for my sleeping bag when I mix water and backpacking. But I do not harbor any delusions about these bags-they are delicate. I agree with Shane. I have migrated to the black canyon bags which are light years tougher than the other dry bags. There is the weight penalty but in comparison, the other bags just don't stand up in the canyons. For my car keys, credit card, cash (the stuff I am not leaving in the car) I use a small otter box that I clip into the pack-great solution provided you don't lose your pack or the top pocket off your pack:crazy:. When I carry the leica, it lives in a doubled black canyon bag. My canon S90 goes in a dive case. However, the dive cases turn out to be a disposable item that are destroyed after a couple of canyons-makes for expensive canyon pictures. I am always scouring ebay for dive cases.

Ken

[Iceaxe]

The Black Canyon bags are currently 50% off at Backcountry.com. 5L $11.98, 10L $13.48, 20L $16.48, 30L $19.98....free shipping after $50...http://www.backcountry.com/sealline-black-canyon-dry-bag?ti=U2VhcmNoIFJlc3VsdHM6YmxhY2sgY2FueW9uOjE6ODp ibGFjayBjYW55b24&skid=CAS0573-BL-S10L

Thanks for this heads-up. I just ordered two 5L and two 10L which came to a total of $50.88 and qualified for free shipping.

If these last as long as my last Black Canyon Dry Bags I have just bought the last dry bags of my lifetime as I don't figure to be canyoneering hardcore when I'm 75.... err.... unless my body will still let me and than I'm all in.

:2thumbs:

FWIW: For those new to dry bags I prefer to use two smaller bags over one large bag for a variety of reasons. If you pack in an orderly fashion two bags makes your life much easier.

:soapbox:

[ratagonia]

I have a vented eVent bag for my sleeping bag when I mix water and backpacking. But I do not harbor any delusions about these bags-they are delicate. I agree with Shane. I have migrated to the black canyon bags which are light years tougher than the other dry bags. There is the weight penalty but in comparison, the other bags just don't stand up in the canyons. For my car keys, credit card, cash (the stuff I am not leaving in the car) I use a small otter box that I clip into the pack-great solution provided you don't lose your pack or the top pocket off your pack:crazy:. When I carry the leica, it lives in a doubled black canyon bag. My canon S90 goes in a dive case. However, the dive cases turn out to be a disposable item that are destroyed after a couple of canyons-makes for expensive canyon pictures. I am always scouring ebay for dive cases.

Ken

Are you doing canyons that have 7-11's in the middle? Perhaps Big Tujunga Canyon? Why do you bring your car keys, wallet, phone, etc.??? You will not need them until you return to your car.

Tom

[jman]

Are you doing canyons that have 7-11's in the middle? Perhaps Big Tujunga Canyon? Why do you bring your car keys, wallet, phone, etc.??? You will not need them until you return to your car.

Tom

I can't answer for Ken, but after a car breakin (window smashed) that happened to my friend in the north wash back in 2005, one does not leave keys, wallet, social security card, and birth certificate, family photos, resume, in ones car. Thankfully, he didn't.

This isn't the Utah that we use to know...unfortunately... And People seem a little more desperate and poorer these days. Anything for easy cash.

Another example, I went rock climbing with my buddy Jeff and we were maybe 200ft away from his car at the crag, and when we get back to vehicle 2 hours later his side window was smashed and his wallet and laptop were stolen. 200feet away! Granted, this was big cottonwood canyon which sees a lot of traffic but dem dar canyonz are getting a little crowded too these days.

And leaving keys and wallet in a car doesn't seem like wise advise from Moses. :bootyshake:

I could see a cell-phone....maybe....being left in a car...maybe...but that's it.

[Scott Card]

Yeah, I take my wallet with me in the canyon after leaving all the extra cards/junk usually in my wallet at home. My key is usually well hidden in the vicinity of the truck.

[spinesnaper]

Are you doing canyons that have 7-11's in the middle? Perhaps Big Tujunga Canyon? Why do you bring your car keys, wallet, phone, etc.??? You will not need them until you return to your car.

Tom

No but if I ran into a 7-11 in Big Tujunga Canyon and did not bring cash, I'd feel like an idiot.

Generally, I take the folding cash, car key,credit card, health insurance card, emergency data card, and driver's license with me because a car is only as secure as the car window and there are plenty of rocks around (BMW-break my window). No phone but I do carry a PLB.

A few years ago I was set to solo hike Buckskin to Lee's Ferry. My car was parked at the Lee's Ferry long term parking lot and I was shuttled to the trail head for wire pass. I got to the confluence with a bum knee. I was not better the next morning and to boot, I busted a tent pole setting up the tent in the wind, and managed to slice open my 2 liter Platypus water bladder at dinner. Don't ask. The next morning, the knee was no better. Rather than head down river another 32 miles, it seemed prudent to hike 12 miles out to White House, which I did. It was a good thing to have the folding cash because I needed to pay for a car shuttle from White house back to my car parked at Lee's Ferry (First thing Betty asked for was if I had cash-$120). Just an example that you never know when you might need your folding cash in this case for self-rescue.

Ken

[Iceaxe]

FWIW: I had my keys stolen from where I hide them last year when doing the Subway. Nothing in the truck was touched but it was a real pain in the ass and cost me $300 to get a new key and fob and have them coded. Not to mention I had to have someone from SLC drive a spare key down to Zion. In the good old days you would just hide a $2 spare key on your truck, but a spare key these days costs a couple hundred dollars.

So right now I'm kinda trying to decide what to do with valuables like wallets and keys at trailheads. I have been hiding keys for 40 years and this was my first problem. But I also know a few horror stories of cars being broken into at trailheads, particularly at trailheads that are remote where they know you will be gone for a long time or overnight (example: Neon/Choprock).

So....... I'm open to any good suggestions.

[skunkteeth]

Hey Iceaxe did you see my tip above? Parking at Southern California trail heads (lots of theft) I always take my blank, no chip key with me (that can get wet!), and leave the actual keys in the trunk. Locksmiths cut a blank key with no chip for about $10.

If I am going to Tujunga, no valuables get left in the car and the doors remain unlocked.

[hank moon]

there are hacks for making cheap transponder keys (at least for some makes and models)

you buy a blank transponder key online, get it cut and program it yourself using online info.

YMMV, etc.

hank

[ratagonia]

drive an old car that looks like crap, don't lock it, don't leave your laptop in plain sight.

decoy wallet under the seat with 20$ and not much else.

I hide my real wallet, when worried, and my ipod (only valuable) back somewhere they would have to tear the car apart to find.

But really, just having a crap car makes it a much less desirable target. works for me.

T

[Canyonater]

Hey Iceaxe did you see my tip above? Parking at Southern California trail heads (lots of theft) I always take my blank, no chip key with me (that can get wet!), and leave the actual keys in the trunk. Locksmiths cut a blank key with no chip for about $10.

If I am going to Tujunga, no valuables get left in the car and the doors remain unlocked.

Thats a great idea, unfortunately some of us cant do that because the key fob IS the car key. Its all electronic and wireless. we dont even have an ignition switch to put a key in.

[skunkteeth]

Thats a great idea, unfortunately some of us cant do that because the key fob IS the car key. Its all electronic and wireless. we dont even have an ignition switch to put a key in.
Bring a slim jim :haha:

[spinesnaper]

Bring a slim jim :haha:

They worked great on my 72 Dodge dart I drove in medical school (actually a wire coat hanger worked great on the big door locks). Ask a locksmith about using a slim jim on a new Mercedes or BMW. Apparently these are pretty tough to get into. A lot of cars can be opened electronically by satellite such as my Mercedes ML350. Of course that does not help if you have locked your cell phone in your car and you are standing at the Egypt Trail Head.:haha:



But really, just having a crap car makes it a much less desirable target. works for me.
T
I was thinking an oversized, anatomically correct rubber rattlesnake on the car seat might discourage thieves more than a bunch of empty big gulps and burrito wrappers.:twisted:

74095

Ken

[Iceaxe]

Thats a great idea, unfortunately some of us cant do that because the key fob IS the car key. Its all electronic and wireless. we dont even have an ignition switch to put a key in.

That's how my Mitsubishi EVO is. So long as the proximity fob in in your pocket the car is unlocked and starting is flip a switch.

Tap'n on my Galaxy G3

[Brian in SLC]

I was thinking an oversized, anatomically correct rubber rattlesnake on the car seat might discourage thieves more than a bunch of empty big gulps and burrito wrappers.

Actually, if you spread the contents of that bean burrito onto some toilet paper on the seat inside the car...well...that was enough for an OCD travel companion of mine to drive a rental car many miles back to the rental place and trade the car in for a new one. "But, Bob, its not poop! Its a bean burrito." Didn't help. Wouldn't listen. Cost us a couple of hours. New car smell and all.

I, uhh, recently locked my keys in the car outside the climbing gym. Raining, and, decided to leave my jacket in the car, keys in the pocket. Ugh. Locksmith didn't use a slim jim. Hilarious. Had one of those little inflatable thin bags he slipped into the door frame then used a long metal rod with a pokey hook thing on the end to snag the door handle on the inside. I convinced him hitting the autolock on the inside was faster than fiddling with it. Into the car in a jiffy.

So...I went to my local hardware store to have a key made. I have a Nissan Xterra. They cut me a key. I note that it turns the car over but doesn't start. Ahh...that feature in those spendy keys. Also not cut well enough to actually open my door. Back to said hardware store to have them try again. They look horrified to see the cut key, as, cutting a car key for my make/model is illegal and they just got sued over doing it. Heavy sigh.

[spinesnaper]

Actually, if you spread the contents of that bean burrito onto some toilet paper on the seat inside the car...well...that was enough for an OCD travel companion of mine to drive a rental car many miles back to the rental place and trade the car in for a new one. "But, Bob, its not poop! Its a bean burrito." Didn't help. Wouldn't listen. Cost us a couple of hours. New car smell and all.
I like it but does this mean that in addition to being worried that my car might be broken into, I need to worry that my plan won't work if my robber is not OCD. Just a question, in the State of Utah, if I cause my robber to suffer emotional distress from scatologic hysteria, could I be held financially liable under Palsgraf v. Long Island Railroad (risked to be perceived defines the duty to be obeyed)? :facepalm1: