Exped Shrink Bag WB 5L

Test Review by Sophie Pearson

Edited by Ken Bigelow

Last Updated on December 6, 2009

Review Status: Complete

Product Information

Manufacturer: Exped

Website: www.exped.com

MSRP: Not listed

Capacity: 5 L

Color: Yellow

	Listed	Measured
Dimensions	50 x 25 cm (19.7 x 9.8 in)	20.1 x 10.2 in (51.1 x 25.9 cm)
Weight	105 g (3.7 oz)	3.5 oz (99 g)

The dimensions are when lying flat with the top folded down but unrolled.

Product Description

The Exped Shrink bag is a 100% waterproof dry bag with a purge valve to allow air out. It is flat and fairly long and skinny. It is made of TPU film laminated 210 D nylon fabric that has a glossy, shiny interior. It has a roll and snap closure at the top. The roll and snap closure is composed of a flap that folds over, with a stiffener behind it that is alternating grey and black. At each end of the stiffener there is a plastic loop and a buckle for clipping the bag closed. Printed on the yellow of the flap are instructions on closing the bag – flip flap over stiffener three times and close buckle.

Toward the bottom of the bag there is a large rubber plug that lies flat in line with the bag. This is similar to the ones used on air mattresses, and provides the ability to compress the sack. The bottom corners are reinforced and sealed to each other making the bag slightly narrower at the bottom, and each corner has one round and one long thin hole for attaching the bag to something. Printed into the bag near the bottom is the Exped logo and symbol, and the words Shrink Bag WB 5.

The bag arrived rolled in a piece of cardboard that lists the sizes, features of the bag, and its intended use. The information is in English and German (the company is Swiss). The Shrink bag is available in 5 sizes, each of which has a different color. They are 50 L (green), 25 L (blue), 15 L (red), 5 L (yellow) and 2 L (orange). According to the manufacturer the flat shape and numerous attachment points make the bags ideal for watersport activities, although they are also great as a waterproof sleeping bag compression sack. They are not submersible and come with a 5 year warranty.

Initial Impressions

This seems like a really sturdy dry bag. I have a habit of making holes in dry bags, but this one has a silky sheen to it that feels like it would have less friction, and the material feels thicker than other bags I have used. It does not have any give to it, which I think will help to avoid punctures, although it will make it slightly harder to pack.

The compression valve is such a simple idea – I just pull the stopper out, push all the air out, and then push the stopper back in. I don’t think it would get all the air out, but it would definitely help considerably. At the moment the stopper is a snug fit and I don’t see any danger of it leaking. It is attached to the bag so it can’t be lost. It sits in line with the bag which I like – some other bags have valves which stick out and I have always worried that I would break them.

I really like the design of the roll and snap closure. By having a flap of material after the stiffener, it is being folded onto itself twice as often. I would have thought that would make it less likely to leak. Inside the bag there are two strips of grey material which show where the top should be rolled to before it will be watertight. Simple and efficient! Otherwise the roll and snap closure is pretty standard.

There are numerous attachment points on this bag. I like having a loop on the buckle to clip the dry bag onto things, although I’m not sure I would need two that sit so close together (if they were further apart they would stop the bag swinging, although that is unlikely to be a serious problem.) The reinforced holes at the bottom corners are a mixed blessing for me. The slit ones can be used for a strap, but I can’t think of a situation where I would want to do that. The circular holes could be used for a bungee or a carabiner, which could definitely be more useful for me, but I think I would be more likely to use the top plastic loops attached to the buckle. I guess if the bag was lying flat on the deck of my kayak they would work better though. The only reason I am in two minds is because the holes decrease the size of the bag, and make it narrower at the bottom. This means that it is much better for something softer. I don’t think it is big enough or the right shape for my sleeping bag (which has to be compressed with compression straps to get small), but I think it will be great for my clothing and other smaller gear I don’t want to get wet.

Overall I have been impressed with this dry bag. It seems sturdy and well thought-out. A quick river test outside my apartment shows that it keeps a towel dry. I am hoping that that situation does not change after time in the kayak.

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Field Conditions

I used the Exped Shrink bag on a couple of my day and evening kayaking trips around central Florida, where temperatures ranged between 50 and 95 F (10 and 35 C). Humidity was often above 80% but I did not go out in the rain as it generally comes with lightning! I also took the dry bag on a 3-day trip on the Suwannee River in northern Florida. We paddled 67 miles, hit some minor rapids and had some rain in the evenings (although not while we were on the water). Temperatures were similar to those in central Florida. The dry bag has also accompanied me on a round-the-world trip taking in New York, California, England, numerous places in Italy, New Zealand, Portland, and finishing back in Tampa. The trip lasted five weeks with temperatures ranging from 40 to 95 F (4 to 35 C). There was occasional rain but no time for watersports (sadly).

Review

This dry bag has lasted fantastically. It looks as good as new, certainly not as though it had been around the world in my backpack, sitting on the rough bottom of my Kevlar kayak, and frequently overstuffed with clothes!

I have found that the size of the bag is good for clothes for an overnight trip, or one type of clothes (e.g. shirts) on an extended trip. As the bag is so flat it cannot fit large amounts of things and is not as easy to stuff as a more cylindrical bag, but I still think it works well as a waterproof stuff sack when traveling. It is nice to know that if I get caught in a downpour on the way to the airport, or my bag gets left in the rain when being loaded onto the plane, I will have at least one dry set of clothes!

During my kayaking trips the bag would sit in the very end of my kayak on the bottom, often in a puddle. Because it is quite small it could go really far into the end (although next time I am going to attach some string to it first so I can actually get it out again!) It didn’t seem to suffer any ill effects from being pushed to the end quite roughly, and there were no signs of moisture inside it despite it sitting in water for several hours in the base of my kayak. Basically it worked great!

The purge valve definitely works to get the air out, but I think calling it a shrink bag is a bit of a stretch as there are no compression straps. With the valve open I can push a fair amount of the air out, but generally some remains trapped at the top. Pushing the plug back in will often let a bit of air back in too. If it had a flat bottom rather than flat sides I think it would be easier to push the air out, but the reinforced sides and lack of a bottom make it harder to squash, meaning that I generally just give up after having got the worst out. It definitely does make a difference though, and so far the valve has stayed in really well. I still like the flat-lying valve too as it is less likely to get broken off.

I don’t find the roll and snap closure the easiest ever because the material of the bag is quite stiff. If the bag is full I have to open the purge valve and really squash the contents to get it to roll three times. It’s not a problem if the bag is only 3/4 full though and for me it is worth the trade-off of the strength and durability of the bag.

To be honest I haven’t really needed any of the attachment points. I did clip the buckle to a bungee once, but other than that I only used the buckles for carrying it to and from my kayak, and haven’t used any of the slits in the bottom. They don’t add to the weight though so it’s nice to have the options.

I have mixed feelings about the flatness of this dry bag. It is easier to store and to put in the kayak as it doesn’t roll around and can fit in narrow spaces, but a more cylindrical bag is easier to stuff and to do up the roll and snap closure. One advantage of the shape, that I discovered in Portland, is that it fits my netbook really well. As it rains so much and the color runs on the cover for my netbook (as well as not wanting the laptop to get wet of course!), I am really finding peace of mind being able to keep the netbook in the dry bag. I’m sure people think I’m a bit crazy when I pull a laptop out of a dry bag out of my purse, but I’ll be the last one laughing in these downpours!!!

Overall I have been really impressed with the Exped Shrink WB dry bag. Although the 5 L isn’t a huge capacity and the stiff material makes it slightly harder to pack, it has proved very durable and so far has not let even a drop of moisture in. Fingers crossed that continues for the rest of the testing period!

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Further Field Testing

I have continued to use the Exped Shrink Bag on a number of day and overnight kayaking trips. These were all around Florida. Temperatures ranged from 45 to 80 F (13 to 27 C). Once again we managed to avoid rain. I used the bag on one overnight and one two-night camping-kayaking trips to eastern Florida, one 2-night car-camping kayaking trip in the Everglades, one overnight backpacking trip in central Florida, and two kayaking day trips. Therefore it saw 12 more days of use in generally temperate, humid weather, over about 120 miles (193 km).

Final Impressions

Over the last few months this bag has seen much use, and I continue to really like it. As the temperatures have dropped having warm, dry clothes has become more important, and I have really trusted this bag to keep either my fleece, hat and gloves, or a spare long-sleeve shirt, pants, underwear and socks dry. Although the bag is not extremely light, I still felt that it was a good enough trade-off to take it on a backpacking trip with my spare clothes in when rain was forecast (the rain didn’t hit until I was safely in my hammock with my stuff under a tarp though). Although the bag has frequently sat in a puddle in my kayak and has been submerged a couple of times, it has never leaked. The bag is not showing any signs of wear, and even the dirt has washed off pretty well!

I still find the flatness of this bag makes it harder to pack, but I have now discovered that it works great under my knees to give my legs some support. On one paddle we had 15 miles (24 km) when we couldn’t get out of the kayak, and I was the least uncomfortable of everyone. The bag got really wet and dirty sitting there, especially as it was deep mud where we launched, but my clothes all remained totally dry and clean and the bag washed off fine. It also works as a fairly flat pillow if it is wrapped in something. I think this is therefore an extremely useful and versatile bag, but I would like a larger one, and possibly one with a flat bottom too, to complement it. I will probably buy a bigger and a cylindrical version of this bag, as it has done me proud!

Summary

The Exped Shrink Bag WB 5L is a durable, well-made dry bag with a plug to let the air out. It is the only dry bag that I have owned that has lasted 4 months of my use (although its smaller capacity probably helps here too!), and in fact is looking as good as new. It has never leaked at all. The flat shape makes it a good knee-rest or laptop container as well as a dry bag, but does make it harder to fit things inside. I found that the 5L capacity fits a fleece, hat and gloves or one complete change of clothes the best. Overall I have been really impressed with this bag and will return to this company for larger bags to complete my dry bag arsenal!

Likes
Keeps all water out
Durable
Plug easily lets air out
Plug lies flat with bag
Grey strip inside shows when it has been rolled enough
Doubled-over top reduces likelihood of leaking
Flat shape is versatile and fits in awkward places
Plenty of attachment points

Dislikes
Flat bag is harder to stuff
Over-abundance of attachment points
Shape of bag reduces capacity


This concludes my report. Many thanks to Exped and to kayakgearreviews.org for the opportunity to test the Exped Shrink Bag WB.

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Paddler’s Bio

Name: Sophie Pearson

Age: 27

Gender: Female

Height: 5′ 8” (1.71 cm)

Weight: 180 lb (82 kg)

Location: Tampa, Florida

Email: sophiep3 at gmail dot com

Paddling style: I first got really hooked on kayaking in January 2008. I paddle a 36-year-old 13.5′ (4.1 m) sit-in kevlar kayak. I do flatwater kayaking on oceans and rivers year round. I prefer to do long-weekend paddles covering 50+ miles (80+ km), but also do many relaxed day trips, the odd race or two and some week-long paddles.

Read more posts by Sophie.

This entry was posted on Monday, August 31st, 2009 and is filed under Dry Bags.