The Earth Pak Original is made out of 500D PVC and has a 20-liter volume. Its cylindrical shape and flat bottom make it simple to pack with the essentials. It's hardy enough for your kids to drag across the beach or to squeeze through a slot canyon and offers moderate protection from water.
Performance Comparison
The Earth Pak is an inexpensive model best suited for times when full submersion is not expected.
Waterproofness
This model performs unimpressively when exposed to any serious amount of water. While it served to keep our stuff sufficiently dry when subjected to splashes on the front of a paddleboard, our towel was moderately wet after it was submerged, and lots of air bubbles escaped. Dragging it behind the board resulted in an internal compartment full of water and a very wet towel.
While the majority of our towel remained dry after testing, large spots were soaked through.
That said, one of our testers was rappelling through waterfalls while canyoneering, and a member of the crew used this bag and phone case with zero problems. As long as full submersion isn't on the docket, the Earth Pak can handle quite a lot.
Ease of Use
The general shape of the Earth Pak is that of a standard cylindrical bag. However, the flat bottom allows it to stand upright on its own, which greatly facilitates packing and finding contents inside it during activity. The removable over the shoulder carrying strap is useful for transporting it from the car to the water, but unfortunately, ours broke on the first day of testing.
The flat bottom allows this model to stand unsuported.
Features
While we love the idea of a simple, removable crossbody carry strap to help move the Earth Pak from point A to point B, we are disappointed that the plastic attachment broke during the first day of use. On another note, the dry bag comes with an included separate waterproof phone case with a lanyard. The phone case is big enough for an iPhone 8, but the case is too thick to read most people's finger through the cover. As most phones anymore rely on the tiny amount of electricity produced by your finger, instead of the pressure caused by pushing down on the screen, this case is no longer as useful as it was with older phones. But if you still have an older phone (that also likely isn't waterproof), this may be a perk you'll love.
The Earth Pak features a standard roll-top closure system. It has three plastic D-rings held on by webbing — two at the roll-top, one on the bottom side of the back.
This model features a crossbody strap that unfortunately broke on the first day of testing.
Durability
The main compartment of this model is made of very sturdy material. It's thick and resistant to scratches and abrasions. The plastic D-rings and clips, on the other hand, are made of thin plastic. The plastic attachment of the crossbody strap broke clean off during the first day of testing with no exceptional force.
The main compartment is durable enough to withstand being dragged over rocks.
Other Sizes and Colors
Earth Pak makes the same model in both 10 liter and 20-liter sizes. Both sizes are available in a wide variety of bright and neutral colors.
Value
The low price of the Earth Pak is hard to beat on that criterion alone, especially with the bonus smartphone case. While this may be the perfect level of investment to keep your towel and clothes dry, don't gamble more expensive hydrophobic equipment with this model.
This inexpensive product is great for the casual paddle board session where you don't plan to get in the water.
Conclusion
This inexpensive model includes a (possibly) handy phone case but has components that aren't the most durable. It will protect against casual-to-moderate splashes, and the fabric of the bag itself is quite burly. We think it's best suited for recreational users, kids, and casual days with minimal water exposure.
