The Dry Bag Review - Dry Bag Elite is Put to the Test

This week we hit up Spot-on Wakeboard park in Warwickshire to test out The Dry Bag Elite Wetsuit Bag. 

The Dry Bag Elite, part of the Dry Bag range from new watersports accessories brand The Dry Company, is a new concept in wetsuit dry bags. Instead of the usual watertight drawstring bag that you stuff your suit into after a surf and forget about until you next pull up at the spot, Dry Bag Elite (and the other Pro bags in the range) looks more like a traditional suit bag (think Moss Bros, M&S suits etc). Dry Bag claim that their Elite and Pro bags will reduce drying time on your wettie by around 30%, so we set out to put them to the test and see if they really do work. 

With a decent wetsuit costing as much as they do, a bag to protect it to extend its life is always going to be appealing to surfers, but the real draw of these bags is their ability to dry your wetsuit much quicker than if left in a normal bag or hanging in your van. One of the worst feelings in surfing, especially in winter, is having to put on a damp, cold wetsuit. To have your suit drying whilst you grab some lunch between sessions is a massive bonus and makes you much more inclined to jump into your suit and back in the water.

After the time spent on the water we wrapped one of our wetsuits up in the Dry Bag and left another (similar spec suit) hanging out to dry naturally. Dry Bag Elite and Dry Bag Pro both have mesh vents to allow air to circulate around the suits inside the bags and thus improving the drying time. Using an ergonomically designed hanger, wetsuits are folded over in two which again aids in the reduction of drying time (the science being that water has less distance to travel to leave the suit!). As an added bonus, the bottom of the bag has a water reservoir to collect the water that drips form the suit, making it ideal to dry wetsuits either in your car or van on the way home, or inside your house. The water collected in the reservoir can then be released from the bag with the bladder valve when the bag is dry. We found that this valve is quite stiff (teeth were needed when hands were cold and wet!) on opening but Dry Bag have told us that this is to ensure the water tightness of the bag. 

The suits were hung up just before quarter to 11 and after another session on the water, we returned just under 45 minutes later to check on the state of the suits. We were impressed to find that the suit in the Dry Bag was almost completely dry to the touch on the inside of the suit. The suit that was left to dry naturally was still damp in areas and had significantly more water retained in the ankle-area neoprene panels. It was another 30 minutes to get to the same levels of desiccation, proving Dry Bags claims of reducing drying times by a third. The suit was ready to get back out for another session!

In addition to its drying capabilities, the Dry Bag Elite and Pro are made from shower proof fabric and have a waterproof zip for easy access and to keep your dry suits dry! They offer your suit full UV protection which is a great feature as we all know suits will be damaged and not last as long when left in the sun. 

Overall, we were really impressed with the Dry Bag Elite wet suit drying bag and could clearly see the benefits when compared with a traditional dry bag. Dry Bag Elite and Pro are available from tvsc.co now from £54.95 with free delivery. 

Thanks to Pete and the boys at Spot-on for a rad day on the water. Sick spot with some wicked shredding going down! Yewwwww!