The Spinlock Explorer 35L roll top dry bag and ruck sack

There’s a lot of choice when it comes to dry bags, but not many combine proper waterproofing with practical rucksack comfort. Spinlock are known for producing aesthetically pleasing, but equally really practical and functional gear. This rucksack came in directly from Spinlock for me to test. It didn’t quite arrive in time for our big group bag test but that doesn’t matter, we are always looking for new products on the market and any gear from Spinlock gets our attention as 9.9 times out of 10 it’s excellent kit.

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Specifications:
Capacity: 35L
Material: Tough, non-PVC, waterproof fabric
Closure: Roll-top
Extras: Side stretch mesh pockets, padded shoulder straps & back, reinforced grab handle
Colour: Team blue (unofficially Unicef approved)

The Spinlock Explorer 35L roll-top dry bag gets it right. I handed this vivid blue bag over to Guy Waites, yes, that Guy Waites, now skippering the Unicef Clipper Race yacht, before he got his official blue team kit. So it’s a happy coincidence that the bag’s colour almost matches Unicef blue. Stylish or serendipitous? Either way, this bag has been seeing action ever since.

First Impressions
It’s light without feeling flimsy, thanks to a tough non-PVC construction that’s properly abrasion-resistant. The padded back panel and shoulder straps are comfortable even when fully loaded. The side stretch mesh pockets are far more generous than most; they swallowed a 1L bottle and a spare pair of gloves without complaint. But they’re still tight enough to hold a mobile phone.

Real-World Use
Guy’s been using this daily and it’s holding up nicely. The roll-top closure is reliable and easy to handle with cold or wet hands. And at 35 litres, it strikes a good balance for carrying everything from a set of spare clothes to a laptop and lunchbox. Guy carries

The back section has padding so any hard items inside the bag don’t dig into your back. The chest clips allow for a bit more support if the bag is fully loaded and you’re off for a longer walk.

The bag will withstand water ingress from all angles and is waterproof in the essence that it can sit in a puddle of water or get rained on and it won’t let water in. If you leave it rolled up and clipped closed on a very wet boat, or a bunk in amongst wet sails or wet weather clothes, the contents will remain dry. It’s ideal  for carrying a dry set of clothes to a boat that you want to get changed into later after a wild time on the water.

If you try to take this for a swim though and submerge it, it’s not designed to be totally water impermeable, like most bags of this design, that roll top stops most water in most, but not all, conditions from getting in. The welded construction means that there’s total waterproofing at the seams. The outer pocket is just a simple mesh though and isn’t designed in any way to be waterproof. The zip pocket has a water resistant design, but it’s completely waterproof, but it does a good job of keeping water out.

The material has a nice feel too. It’s not sticky feeling like some PVC made bags are. This one is made form NON PVC material, so it feels smoother and nicer to touch.

Both Guy and I found the outer bungee to be a bit useless for most purposes, but if you are hiking on land, you might want to stash a sweaty layer of clothing in there, or a light weight waterproof. I suppose, if I was doing the shopping over on the Isle of Scilly or Alderney for example and I’ve had to dinghy ashore with my lightweight lifejacket or Alto belt pack, that could be fastened into the bungee for easier hands free carrying.

overall, we really like this Spinlock Explorer 35l roll top dry bag.

I and my team of fellow sailors and journalists have tested a whole load of bags throughout our professional careers on the water. Here’s a load of other waterproof back packs and waterproof duffels for sailing we’ve tested along the way. There’s also roll top tube bags, so if you don’t want to go hiking but need something to stash in a bunk to keep your kit dry then we tested a load of the best roll top dry bags too.