We have taken the time to review Ronstan Dry Roll 55L Bag. This bag is lightweight, ultra durable, super weatherproof, and an all around very versatile bag for those needing some weather and water protection for their adventures.
About Ronstan | About The Bags | Our Review | Summary
Our Testing
We took this bag everywhere across Colorado. We took it on weekend trips hiking up Colorado 14ers, backcountry ski days, long fishing days, through it in the car, dragged it on the ground, got it wet, and filled it to the brim with some heavy, and really important gear. From clothes, to laptops, to expensive cameras, and batteries, we’ve put this bag to the test.
Where To Purchase
You can purchase Ronstan bags and other items on their website: Ronstan Site.
Bags can also be purchased at Fishing Sun, West Marine and other online retailers.
About Ronstan & Other Retailers
Ronstan is an extremely well known brand in the sailboat space. Most known for the manufacturing, design, and distribution of sailboat hardware, they also have a line of products that fit boaters, and outdoor adventurers alike. Started in 1953, Ronstans has built a reputable organization out of Australia that has expanded its customer base internationally. Their expansion and success has been due to adherance to high quality, well designed, and well thought out products for their customer base.
You can read more about Ronstan here.
Fishing Sun
Fishing sun is a marine products store that sells premium products at discount prices. We are pointing out this retailer as it is selling these bags at the lowest cost compared to other retailers. Read more about them here.
About The Bags
Ronstan has various bags available to consumers. Each has similar features, but the different sizes and designs fit different needs. For the purpose of this review, we focus a lot on common features that are applicable to many of the Ronstan bags available.
Four Bag Types:
Dry Roll-Top 10L Bag
Dry Roll-Top 30L Backpack
Dry Roll-Top 55L Backpack
Dry Roll-Top 55L Crew Bag
Each of these bags are made out of the same material, have similar properties, but the different sizes and orientations are best for different uses. Backpacks for portability, crew bags for ease of packing, 55l for lots of room, 30L for middle sizes, and 10L for a little bit of extra carrying capacity.
Technical Specs
| Dimensions | H300mm x W800mm x D350mm (H12” x W31 1/2” x D14”). |
| Water Resistance | TPU fabric (light and durable), welded construction with water resistant zipper and reliable fold and clip closure keeps gear dry. |
| Straps | Over the shoulder removable straps as well as padded carry handles. |
| Pockets | 2 small outside zippered pockets, and one large main container with zipper and roll up clip. |
Standard Shipping
Ronstan offers standard ground shipping via UPS as well as UPS 2 day area. You can read about that pricing here.
Returns & Warranty
Returns are accepted within 30 days as long as the product remains in a re-salable condition with the original packaging. You can read more on the return policy and instructions here.
Our Review
Functionality
Overall, this bag functions fantastic.
Carrying Straps
The carrying straps are extremely durable, and we anticipate that they will last quite a long time. This is the case for both the regular carrying straps, and the removable shoulder straps. The shoulder straps are fantastic for carrying long distances. It is worth noting that the shoulder straps can be removed if you don’t like them.
One downside to the shoulder straps is that they are a little short for a larger person. When packing the back to complete capacity, the gap for the shoulder straps is a little small. With that being said, this would fit a smaller than average person perfectly, and even large individuals can use the shoulder straps effectively when the bag is completely full.
Zippers
The zippers are clearly made extremely durable. They don’t get caught, they won’t be breaking anytime soon, and are made with watertight seals. This is a great feature on these bags.
Roll Up Top & Clips
The roll up top is a really great feature. A user can zip the top, then roll it, and clip it to ensure an ultra water tight seal as well as compress the items within the bag for better packing, or just keeping them in the right place. This dual closure option is unique for most bags, but highly effective and adds versatility to this item. All plastic clips are made durably and quite well.
Durability
The durability on this bag is extremely high. The materials of the bag and the design of the zippers and clips ensures you really can’t get a more durable bag without adding a ton of weight. We dragged the bag through the dirt, tossed it around, yanked on the straps, zipped back and forth, and didn’t cause any damage. We would rate this as one of the top features of this bag.
Water Resistance
While this bag isn’t toted as a completely waterproof bag, we gave it some testing in the shower to see how well it could hold up. When you close the zippers fully, and clip shut the items, this bag we would rate as highly water resistant. After extended time in the shower with some tossing and turning, we weren’t able to get even small amounts of water inside. We therefore trust this bag through pretty solid rain, or even a quick dunk in a body of water. This is a great way to protect gear that may need to avoid any water while traveling.
Looks
You can’t go wrong with a solid black bag, and a modest good looking logo! Overall, this is a great looking bag. While this isn’t the style back you take around town, you certainly aren’t going to look out of place tossing it in a trunk, heading on a boat, or traveling on a plane. It looks, and functions good!
Value
Quality design, durable materials, and durable construction make for a high end bag. This bag is meant for function, and is priced in a mid level price point for bags of this nature. Cheaper bags exist, but you likely will be missing out on durability and water resistance. More expensive bags also exist that may be completely waterproof, or have a few more features. This bag sits in the middle of most bags of this size in terms of price point, but sits definitely above the middle in terms of quality. Because of this, we believe this bag is fairly priced and is a solid value.
Recommendation And Overall Thoughts:
Overall, we definitely recommend the Ronstan bags. To recap what we love:
- Durable materials and design
- Great closure system
- Love the water resistance capabilities
We expect to be able to utilize this bag for all types of trips and adventures for many years to come due to its durability.
Additional Photos
Max DesMarais is the founder of hikingandfishing.com. He has a passion for the outdoors and making outdoor education and adventure more accessible. Max is a published author for various outdoor adventure, travel, and marketing websites. He is an experienced hiker, backpacker, fly fisherman, backcountry skier, trail runner, and spends his free time in the outdoors. These adventures allow him to test gear, learn new skills, and experience new places so that he can educate others. Max grew up hiking all around New Hampshire and New England. He became obsessed with the New Hampshire mountains, and the NH 48, where he guided hikes and trail runs in the White Mountains. Since moving out west, Max has continued climbed all of the Colorado 14ers, is always testing gear, learning skills, gaining experience, and building his endurance for outdoor sports. You can read more about his experience here: hikingandfishing/about