"Waterproof" on a product listing can mean anything from a coated fabric to a sealed, pressure-tested compartment. We use three levels on every product page, and this is what each one does and does not promise.
Water-resistant
The fabric or its coating sheds light rain and splashes. Water still finds the zippers, seams and openings under steady rain or if the bag sits in a puddle. Most travel backpacks, packing cubes and toiletry bags are in this group. Treat it as "survives a shower on the way to the station", not "survives a kayak".
Waterproof when closed
The main compartment is made from a welded or sealed material with a roll-top or similar closure. Rolled down the specified number of times and clipped, it keeps water out. The protection depends entirely on closing it correctly, and outer pockets are usually not sealed at all. A phone in the outer pocket of a roll-top bag is a phone in a water-resistant pocket.
Submersible (rated)
The maker publishes an ingress-protection rating, such as IPX8, for the main closure, which means the compartment was tested under immersion to the depth and time in that rating. We show this level only when the maker lists the rating, and we say which closure it applies to; a front pouch on the same bag may be water resistant only.
Three questions before you trust a bag with electronics
- Which compartment is the protection claimed for, and is that where the phone will be?
- What does the maker say about closing it (number of rolls, buckle position, magnetic strip alignment)?
- Is the bag a flotation aid? Some dry bags float when sealed with air inside. None of the bags we sell is a life jacket or personal flotation device.
The two dry bags in our range, and the level we give each, are on the Gear Guide.