The Sea to Summit Evac Lightweight Dry Bag is a 5 litre roll-top dry bag with a trick in its base: a fabric that lets air out but keeps water from getting in. Roll it shut, squeeze it, and it packs down small around your clothes or sleeping gear. We bought it together with the Ultra-Sil Dry Bag, and it’s the sturdier of the two. I paid $35 for it.
What’s in the box
A grey roll-top dry bag with a yellow base, a black buckle that clips the rolled top shut, and a white inside. It holds 5 litres, stands about 32 cm tall rolled, has an oval base of 16.8 cm, and weighed 53 g on our scale.
What we like
- Air squeezes out through the base
- White inside, easy to find things
- Sturdier base, feels secure
- Taped seams, roll-top closure
- 53 g on our scale
What we don’t
- Pricier than a plain dry bag
- Air creeps back in if left loose
Quick Specs
| Spec | Details |
|---|---|
| Brand | Sea to Summit |
| Capacity | 5 L |
| Material | Recycled nylonEvac fabric base |
| Colour | Belugagrey with a yellow base |
| Weight | 53 g |
| Size | 32 cm rolled16.8 cm oval base |
| Features | Air-expelling baseWhite interiorTaped seams |
Squeezing the air out
The yellow base is the clever part. It’s made of a fabric that lets air through but not water, so once you’ve rolled the top shut you can press down on the bag and the air escapes through the bottom. There’s no valve to open or lose, and a bag of clothes ends up a lot smaller than it started, which helps when the back of the car or a pack is already full. The base works both ways, though: leave the bag loose and air slowly finds its way back in, so pack it straight into a tight spot. The oval shape helps there too, because it doesn’t roll around.
White inside
Open it up and the inside is white, which makes a real difference when you’re digging for something small. Socks, a beanie or a charging cable stand out against it, where in a dark bag they’d disappear into the bottom. The closing steps and care instructions are printed right on the lining, so they’re there when you need them.
Build and weight
The fabric is a little thicker than the Ultra-Sil’s and the base is noticeably sturdier, which gives the bag a more secure feel, the one you’d trust with a sleeping bag or warm clothes. The seams are double-stitched and fully taped, and the roll-top closes with Sea to Summit’s Field Repair Buckle, which you can replace with a Phillips screwdriver if it breaks. It weighed 53 g on our scale, just over the 50 g on the box.
Which Sea to Summit Dry Bag?
We’ve tested four main Sea to Summit dry bags, and they suit different jobs. This Evac is the one with a base that lets the air out, for squeezing soft gear down; the Big River is the heavy-duty one in 420D nylon, with lash points to strap it to a rack or a kayak, the Lightweight Dry Bag is the light everyday one with a white inside, and the Ultra-Sil is the lightest per litre, in thin 30D nylon. Our dry bags guide compares them with other brands too.
This one Evac Lightweight 5L | Heavy duty Big River 13L | Everyday Lightweight 1.5L | Lightest Ultra-Sil 8L | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lash points | No | Yes | No | No |
| Fabric | Recycled nylon | 420D nylon | 70D nylon | Ultra-Sil 30D nylon |
| Base | Air-expelling Evac base | Oval, triple-coated | Oval | Plain fabric |
| Inside | White | White | White | Same colour as outside |
| Size tested | 5 L | 13 L | 1.5 L | 8 L |
| Weight | 53 g | 189 g | 35 g | 42 g |
| Price paid | $35 | $75 | $18 | $24 |
| Our score | 9.0 | 9.3 | 9.0 | 8.8 |
Conclusion: Sea to Summit Evac Lightweight Dry BagConclusion
The Sea to Summit Evac Lightweight Dry Bag is a 5 litre dry bag that also compresses: the base lets the air out, so it packs down small around clothes or sleeping gear. The white inside makes it easy to find things, the sturdier base and fabric give it a secure feel, and it weighed 53 g on our scale. It costs more than a plain dry bag, and it’s for rain and splashes rather than going under, but for $35 it’s a great bag for anything you want to keep dry and small. It’s the bag for compressing in our dry bags guide.
A dry bag that squeezes your gear small and keeps it dry.
The air-expelling base lets you roll it shut and press the air out, the white inside makes it easy to find things, and the base and fabric feel sturdier than the Ultra-Sil’s. It costs more than a plain dry bag.
- Hikers
- Backpackers
- 4WD tourers
Yes, for clothes and sleeping gear. I paid $35 for a 5 litre bag that squeezes small, keeps everything dry and lets you see what’s inside.
