Gear Review: (Un)Earthly Dry Bag

The campfire light seems to have brought out a peculiar black marking in the bag. Something else to add to the list of faults

This Dry Bag was in the discount bin of my local outdoors store for a price I couldn't pass up. "Is this a new European brand?" I asked the cashier (who seemed more interested in getting me out the door than answering my question) "I've never heard of (Un)Earthly". Just as I left, I glanced at the receipt, and I noticed the cashier also hastily scrawled "No returns!!!" and when I turned around to ask, she had already locked the door, and turned out the lights.

I admit, a lot of our reviews for outdoors gear are positive, but I'm not afraid to call out faults in products and frankly, I should have left the bag in the discount bin. First of all, the box mentioned that this is a 10 litre bag, but I can barely stuff more than a pair of socks in it. Maybe it is something to do with the stitching? It just seems smaller on the inside.

Much to my dismay, on a recent camping trip I reached into this bag to pull out the single glove I had stowed away in it (I guess I should have bought a second bag to store my other glove) and when I tugged on it, out poured an infestation of creepy crawly insects! The floor of my tent was covered in them which forced me to sleep outside that night.

Word to the wise.. don't store matches in this bag. Despite holding two full boxes of matches, when ever you pull the box out, it is dripping wet! 

I give the (Un)Earthly Dry Bag a 1 out of 5. The only benefit I can see is when you hang it in a tree to store your single package of oatmeal for breakfast the next morning, that every bear for 20 kilometres around comes to investigate. At least it keeps them out of my campsite and I can get a good night's rest.