Dry Bag Accessories

Why have a dry bag and what should you take in it? At first a dry bag might seem like something you don’t need, but you’ll find there’s plenty of things you could end up needing to take with you paddle boarding.

Paddle boards usually have elasticated areas where you can place accessories under but they can easily fall off from these. But more importantly, as you’ll likely want to place your accessories at the front of the board so you can reach them easily, you’ll find they get soaked from the water as you move the paddle over the front of the board.

In this excellent video, She SUP go through some of the things you may not have thought of taking. Some things are focused on the female paddle boarder, but there are useful tips for anybody paddle boarding who’s not sure what to take in a dry bag.

What to Take in a Dry Bag

1. Water Bottle

You certainly want to think about taking a water bottle with you paddle boarding, especially if you are going to be out for at least an hour or more and in hot weather. Putting it in a dry back keeps it out the way.

2. Phone

For sure you’ll want to take a phone in case you get into any trouble and in case you want to take pictures. A dry bag is a must for this (if you don’t have a waterproof phone holder) to ensure it doesn’t get wet.

3. Sunglasses

Again a must if the sun is out as the glare on water, especially on the sea, can really hurt your eyes. But you may not need to be wearing them all the time so it’s handy to have somewhere to keep them.

As She SUP note, you might want to consider polarised lenses as they provide greater protection for your eyes but also make sure you can see vivid colours through them, a must if you are wanting to spot fish as you paddle.

4. Watch

This might be an extra accessory you don’t feel you need, but She SUP suggest you might want an extra analogue waterproof watch. If you are bad at remembering to charge things, you might find your phone and chargeable watch (if this is the type you have) runs out. The extra watch will ensure you always have access to the time if this is important!

It may be though that you have another normal watch with you that you’d prefer to keep in a bag rather than have it on your wrist.

5. Lunch or Snacks

It’s really nice to stop somewhere and have lunch, but those sandwiches are going to get wet if you leave them on front of your paddle board! A decent sized dry bag will fit a few things to eat in there. You may also want to take some snacks to keep you going, such as healthy energy bars or chocolate.

6. Lip Balm

Again, if you are looking at very sunny weather, a dry bag can be somewhere to store lip balm, particularly if you are out on the sea. Look for one with good SPF protection.

7. Sunscreen

Like the lip balm, you’ll want this if you are looking at sun exposure over a period of time. It’s best to apply it before you go out in the water and try to wash your hands after otherwise it can make holding the paddle very slippery. You may then want to take the sunscreen with you in case you need to top up and especially if you might go swimming or be out for a very long time.

8. Hand Sanitiser

There could be several uses for a small bottle of hand sanitiser when paddle boarding. If you injure yourself, perhaps a cut from a rock or anything in the sea, you will want to know you have clean hands to treat yourself. Or you may want to make sure you have clean hands before you eat anything you’ve bought with you.

9. First Aid Items

If you are on a very long paddle boarding trip you might take a whole first aid kit, but otherwise a dry bag can be useful to hold some general items such as plasters or paracetamol.

10. Tissues

The uses of tissues don’t need further explanation but for sure you’ll want to make sure they are kept dry, so a dry bag is a must for these.

11. Buff or Microfibre Towel

A buff or microfibre towel can be a useful addition to your dry bag as you might want to dry your hands before you use your camera for instance, to avoid getting water and salt over it. If you are stopping to walk anywhere on route you might also need to dry your feet, so it’s something particularly useful for a longer trip.

12. Whistle

If there are any reasons to be concerned about safety and you could need to call for help then you may want to take a whistle when you paddle board. There are certain universally understood whistle signals, so you might want to learn them first.

13. Silent Air Remover

Paddle boards can be very noisy when you deflate them and an air remover will reduce the sound. It’s a perk and you might not need it, but your dry bag can be a useful place to store this if you have one or intend to buy one.

14. Screwdriver

This might seem an odd one but it’s a must for some paddle boarders! Your paddle has screws on it and if they become loose your paddle could shorten as you paddle which you don’t want. If this happens mid-paddle then you can tighten the screws if needed.

A screwdriver is also useful for your fin if you have a screw version, though these can be fixed on and taken off without one.

15. Sunglasses Strap

This is a useful piece of kit in order to hold your sunglasses on your head so you can take them on and off, and also of course if you fall in there’s more chance you’ll not lose them. This is something you may want to keep in your dry bag when paddle boarding.

16. Electrolyte Tablets

Electrolyte tablets that you can add to water are something you may want for your dry bag if you are going on a longer paddle board trip. These can make sure you body is getting enough hydration during a paddle, which can be important if you are sweating a lot as plain water may not do the trick.

The Bottom Line

If you are not sure what you might need a dry bag for when paddle boarding, hopefully you’ve now got an idea of the many types of things that you might want take with you. Of course you might not want all of these things but you’ll certainly find a dry bag is a good investment for your paddle boarding.