I've been testing this bright orange RUX tote bag for over a year. It's the type of bag you'll keep as your go-to bag every day.
RUX Waterproof Adventure Bag Review, The Kit Bag That Never Leaves My Side
Some gear quietly and without fanfare becomes part of your daily kit. You stop thinking about it, because it just… works. That’s exactly what happened with my orange RUX Waterproof adventure travel bag. It’s been on every dinghy trip, every RIB ride, and every wet, salty, wind-blown transfer from shore to boat. And it still looks brand new.
Specifications
Volume: 25L
Material: TPU-coated, RF-welded 840D Nylon
Closure: Roll-top with strong side clips
Strap: Adjustable shoulder sling
Dimensions: 28 x 19 x 44 cm
Weight: Approx. 600g
Volume: 25L+
Empty weight: 19.4oz / 550g
Dimensions (W x L x H): 14.2 x 9.1 x 14.2 inches / 36 x 23 x 36 cm
A tote bag?
Rux were keen for me to try it, I wasn’t sure. I mean, it’s just a bag right? Like, ya know, a tote bag but with a roll top. I have a lot of bags.
The Rux waterproof adventure travel bag arrived in blaze orange. Unmissable. Dang it. Orange is one of my favourite colours. We started off on the good foot then. As I looked at the bag to see what’s it’s made or and the quality of construction, it’s apparent that the roll top feature has been nicely thought through, because that roll top part tucks neatly and imperceptibly into the bag like it’s not even there. It looks like a liner. But pull it up and out and ta-da, you’ve got a neat roll top system.
It was the simplicity of this waterproof bag that really won me over, not just the colour. No flappy pockets. No fiddly zips. Just a beautifully made, tough-as-nails, roll-top dry bag that’s utterly brilliant. It quickly became my dump stuff and go bag. It has sat in the soaking wet tender, with waves breaking and spraying all over us. The contents have remained dry. (though you do have to be careful unrolling the top if you’ve taken some goffers and it’s drenched, as you’ll need to avoid accidentally allowing water into the bag if you aren’t careful to keep that skirt part upturned.)
It’s big enough for a change of clothes, my laptop, food shopping, and a few tools and sometimes I carry an Ecoflow portable lithium power bank in it, though I can’t fit much else in it when I’ve got that loaded up. The shoulder strap makes it easy to sling across your back if you’re climbing from the dock to boat or shlepping it a bit of a distance from carpark to dinghy park, though I don’t use it all that much and it tends to just swing around and end up under the bag out of the way. The welded seams and roll-top closure have never let in a drop, even when it’s been sat in a puddle in the bottom of my dinghy or bouncing through spray at speed in the RIB.
Still looking great after a year
What really surprised me is how good it still looks. I’ve had it over a year, chucked in the back of my work van or camper van, dumped on the floor of my rib, sat on by my small dog daily as it gives her a better viewing position in the big rib, it’s been dragged across pontoons, and the material hasn’t faded or worn through. The structured design means it’s easier to pack and unpack than a floppier dry bag, and it doesn’t collapse into itself when empty. Right now it’s loaded up with some overnight clothes, some energy drinks and pastries my partner thoughtfully packed me away with to visit my parents. But tomorrow it will have my light weight foul weather gear in it, some deck shoes and a bunch of safety gear as I head off to skipper a boat at the weekend. The following week, it will be back to rub duties and carrying my laptop, plus a bunch of tools for my project boat in Southampton.
Final Thoughts
If you want a waterproof bag that shrugs off weather, salt, and rough handling—and does it in style—the RUX Waterproof Bag is as good as it gets. It’s not left my side in over a year, and frankly, I’d be lost without it.
It’s the bag I didn’t know I needed, and now I wouldn’t head to the boat or out in my camper van without it.