New on the waterproof bag market, the GroundTruth 25l Roll Top Dry Backpack was created to be truly sustainable and submersible – even picking up an endorsement from the Professional Association of Diving Instructors
This waterproof bag is made from recycled ocean waste: GroundTruth 25L Roll Top Dry Backpack review
Here at Yachting World, we’ve tested waterproof bags for all types of watersports needs over the years and usually we are looking at the same manufacturers, who have been producing the best waterproof backpacks for many, many years. So, I jumped at the chance to test out the new the 25L Roll Top Dry Backpack from newly launched brand GroundTruth.
This bag hits all of my waterproof backpack preferences, with soft comfy straps, padded back panels, roll-top drybag closure to keep things dry and is just the right size to fit everything I need for a day of paddleboarding without being unwieldy.
The backpack has even been created in collaboration with PADI (the Professional Association of Diving Instructors) so it’s waterproof levels (IP67 rating – essentially a very high level of water protection) can be trusted. That waterproofing level is particularly handy for those of us who feel the threat of our electronics getting wet while on the water hanging over us like the sword of Damocles.
I’d be lying if I told you these features made the GroundTruth Backpack unique in any particular way. There are hundreds of waterproof backpacks on the market that all offer these features. Indeed, my backpack of choice is the 30l Red Adventure Waterproof Backpack, which has all these features too. But two things really appealed to me when GroundTruth got in touch about the launch of this waterproof backpack:
The removable tote bag is a good feature
Sustainable waterproof backpack
As is always the case with manufacturers, there’s a great deal of marketing spiel to wade through about why this or that product is new and innovative, but in the case of GroundTruth, there is a reasonable amount of merit to their explainers.
The company have created their own zip type to try to reduce manufacturing emissions (the material is nattily called: GT-OCO-CO2 and has won awards). The zip material is almost irrelevant other than the fact that is shows what appear to be genuine efforts to create a product that is not harmful to the environment. They have created their own material to produce the backpack made using 100% recycled plastics recovered from the oceans, including post-consumer waste and ghost fishing nets.
From what I’ve seen of the company and their information this all appears to be a genuine effort and is over and above some of the green washing efforts you see from other manufacturers – though it has to be said the majority of brands are doing better now than even 5 years ago.
All that being said, I do have a minor – as yet not proven – concern. Longevity. I’ve only used this bag a handful of times and I’ve been really pleased with how well it carries weight and the waterproofing (and much of the rest of its performance).
However, there does need to be an element of buyer beware when talking about new companies. The backpack does feel sturdy and well-made but until I’ve used it for a couple of years I cant vouch for it’s longevity in the same way that I could for a product from an established manufacturer.
That’s not to say there will be any problems, but I could recommend a new Red product knowing what I know about their build quality in a way that I simply can’t here. I’ll keep using it and update this page with some longer term testing thoughts in time.
Inside the tote bag there are spaces for a laptop, canteen etc.
Tote bag inside in a waterproof bag
The GroundTruth has a neat little trick, an internal padded tote bag that can be removed and used separately. Although the tote is handy to pull out and use at the beach I think the benefits are slightly broader. Many roll top type backpacks suffer a certain floppyness when they are not full, but with the tote insert added the GroundTruth backpack feels really sturdy.
Of course there are waterproof backpacks out there that have padding allowing them to be sturdy, but that then makes them impossible to pack down into a small space and adds to the weight. Leave the tote portion at home and you’ve got a very big, very light waterproof backpack. Take it with you and you have a sturdy bag that can carry your laptop, canteen and other bits and bobs with plenty of protection.
It’s a really neat solution and does give the backpack something of a 2-in-1 vibe that is really appealing. Can I honestly see myself wandering around the beach with just the tote in hand? No. But for me, that’s rather beside the point.
As GroundTruth are fairly new to the waterproof backpack market, purchasing options are limited so you can currently really only buy the GroundTruth 25L Roll Top Dry Backpack direct fromGroundTruth, but i’m told they are working on their network of suppliers.
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