Even car keys are electronics these days, so you’ll still want a compact dry option for dinghy rides to keep your valuables dry. We’ve tried the expensive brands, but found there are plenty of cheaper options.

Observations

Forget your dry bags? We keep a few extra-heavy yard bags on the boat, such as the Husky 42 gallon, 3-mil Contractor Clean-Up Bags. These heavy-duty bags are far more tear-resistant than the common 1-mil yard bags.

You can also make your own liners. The Plano and Pelican mini dry boxes come with rubber liners to provide padding. These can trap water. Instead, cut a two-layer liner from a non-skid placemat. It fits snugly enough to stay in place, will dry with the lid open.

Check the seals. In our experiences, all dry boxes eventually fail when the O-ring becomes stiff or compressed.

Prices. We like to buy from locally owned stores (scuba shops, surf shops fishing stores, river sports shops, etc.), but you may save a few bones buying them online or from big box retailers.

Scuba Dry cannister

A plastic cylinder, with an O-ring seal and beefy threads, these are made by most scuba gear accessory companies and are basically identical. Typically rated for 40 meters submersion, they are absolutely watertight and bullet-proof durable. The problem is that most are too small for sailor use, suitable only for car keys and not cell phones.

We were lucky enough to find an unusually large canister from Scuba Pro 20 years ago, measuring 80 mm x 140 mm inside, as compared to the common 65 mm diameter canisters now available. As long as the O-ring is greased and the threads sprayed with wax every few years, these are virtually leak-proof. Different from dry boxes, the seal area is smaller and under strong compression, whereas dry boxes can begin to leak once the O-ring takes a compression set and sealing pressure declines.  While every survey of dry boxes admits some leaks in kayak use, canisters only leak very deep under water. The 85 mm size holds smaller iPhones, while the 65 mm size is only suitable for keys and flip phones. The round canisters feel awkward because they do not sit flat, but they are just as fast to open and close as most catch systems. Maybe you can find a bigger one.  $9-20.

Bottom line: Recommended for rough kayaking, paddle boarding, and other activities where you know you are going to get wet.

Sistema Klip 1-Liter

We grabbed these from the galley on a whim 5 years ago, just something to throw our phones and cameras in for the ride to the beach. We dropped them, rolled kayaks in white water, and left them in the water at the bottom of a kayak hundreds of times.

We never experienced a leak and it easily holds a smaller iPhone, camera, and keys. You don’t ordinarily think of leftovers containers as being durable, but these have held up well.  We wouldn’t rate them as waterproof because of the light duty construction, but they are certainly very water repellent.

Perhaps you will only use these inside dry bags, where they will require far less space than a conventional dry box. We wouldn’t trust the larger sizes, a category better served by boxes from Pelican or equivalent brand. A box measuring 2.75” x 3.75” x 6” cost $12.

Bottom line: This is our Budget Buy. Raid the kitchen or check local retailers for something sturdy.

Plano 3500 Field Box

We felt the need to upgrade, perhaps just out of paranoia about the cost of phones, cameras, and electronic car keys, or just a feeling that we’d stretched our luck with food containers.  We liked this better than the Plano box because of the over center latch and slightly increased size. After one season we’re quite pleased.

Bottom Line: Recommended.

See also “Dry Boxes,” Practical Sailor, April 2002. 

Pelican Mini-1050

This is the benchmark brand for this product line, and pricier than plain plastic storage boxes. Our only concern is the plastic hinge with a metal pin. We’ve had the plastic part crack, but it is wide and redundant—and covered by warranty.

Bottom line: Recommended.