Waterproof Bags

Bags built to keep rain and damp off your kit: roll-top packs, dry bags, holdalls and coated rucksacks. Protection varies a great deal across this range, so the first thing to establish on any product page is how the bag closes and how its seams are made. Those two details decide everything.

Water-resistant or fully sealed?

A roll-top folds over on itself several times and clips, leaving no opening for water to find. A zip, even a coated one, is a line of interlocking teeth: it slows water down and does not stop it. Welded seams fuse two panels together with no needle holes; sewn seams join them with a row of holes, and the fabric can be perfectly waterproof while water still works through the stitching under pressure.

So a bag with a roll-top and welded seams really does keep water out. A bag with a roll-top and sewn seams keeps it out at the opening and can seep at the stitch line in sustained rain. A zipped bag is water-resistant: fine for a shower, not for a downpour or immersion. All three are in this collection, and each product page says which one it is.

About IP ratings

You will see IPX figures quoted across this category and they are useful when a manufacturer publishes one. Almost none of ours do. Rather than borrow a rating from another brand or imply one we cannot support, we describe the construction: closure type, seam type, fabric and coating where the maker gives them. On this range that tells you more than a number with no test behind it.

For the same reason, we do not describe any bag here as submersible. None of these is sold with an immersion rating, so treat none of them as safe underwater, however well it closes.

Matching the bag to the job

Cycling and commuting: a roll-top pack keeps road spray off a laptop and spare clothes. Water sports and boats: a dry bag, and pack it expecting splashes rather than submersion. Hillwalking: most walkers use an ordinary rucksack with a dry bag inside for the sleeping bag and spare layers, which is cheaper and more reliable than trusting one shell. Vehicle and site work: a coated holdall handles mud and rain, and wipes clean.

Related collections

See dry bags for liners and roll-top sacks, waterproof backpacks for sealed packs, and military bags for the wider range of shapes.

Free UK delivery and 30-day returns

All orders ship free to UK addresses, fully tracked. Orders are processed within 3 to 5 business days and delivered within 10 to 20 business days, and that timeline is stated here rather than promised short and missed. Returns or exchange within 30 days of delivery, unused and in original condition, approved before being sent back, with the refund issued within 7 days of return acceptance.