Here is another in a series of helpful hints for hikers that will make life safer and more comfy in New Zealand's outdoors.
Plastic bags and dry bags are important kit for keeping your gear dry when you cross a river or it rains. But it’s hard to tell by looking at it whether your plastic bag or dry bag is waterproof. Here are two techniques:
1. Simply turn the bag inside out, semi-fill with water, and look for leaks. Turn it back the right way and you can use it straight away if needed. We never remember to check our bags until we are actually packing our pack so this last trick is a good one so your stuff doesn’t get rammed into a wet bag! Don’t fill the bag with water as that’s a lot of stress on a bag – you might bugger it!
2. Fill the bag with air, seal off, and then squeeze the heck out of it. If it's quiet and theres no wind rustling in your ears you can both hear and feel any air coming out. Run your open mouth back and forth a few centimetres from the bag surface - like some sort of demented lizard - and you will feel any escaping air on your lips and tongue. Weird we know, but it works!
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