Heat and cold both change how a PVC laminate dry bag behaves. A hot car can leave it soft, creased, or tacky, and a cold garage can leave it stiff enough that rolling it stresses the material. Keep it out of parked cars and unheated sheds, and let it reach room temperature before you roll it.
Most dry bag care advice stops at rinse and dry. It skips the two places a bag spends most of its off hours: the back of a parked car in summer and a corner of the garage in winter. Same bag, opposite problems.
What does a hot car do to a dry bag?
Our main body is a PVC laminate, 80% PVC and 20% polyester. PVC is a plastic that gets softer as it gets warmer, and a closed car in the sun gets a lot warmer than the air outside it. A bag left in there can come out soft, with creases that stay where it was folded, and with a surface that feels slightly tacky. If that last one sounds familiar, we wrote a separate post on the sticky surface.
The easy fix is boring. Do not leave the bag in a parked car. If it has to ride along while you run errands, put it in the footwell or under a seat, out of direct sun, and take it inside with you when you can. Skip the tight roll in a hot car too. A bag rolled up small and left to bake can hold that fold.
What does cold do to a dry bag?
Cold has the opposite effect. PVC stiffens as it cools, and flexing stiff plastic is how it cracks. A bag that has spent a night in an unheated garage should not go straight from shelf to tight roll. Bring it inside and give it time to come up to room temperature first.
On a cold launch, the same idea applies in smaller form. If the bag feels stiff, warm it in the car with the heat on for the drive over, and roll it once it has loosened up. Our cold water post covers what to pack for those days.
How should you store a dry bag between trips?
Rinse it, then air dry it fully open. No machine wash, and no dryer. Once it is dry, store it loose in a cool, dry spot out of direct sun, with the top unrolled and the buckle undone so the inside can air out. Do not stack heavy gear on it. The full routine is in our care and maintenance post.
One honest note. We do not publish a temperature rating for these bags, because we do not have one we can stand behind. What we can tell you is what the material is and how that kind of material behaves, and that treating it kindly is cheap.
Built to be left alone in a closet
A bag that gets stored well lasts longer, whichever size you carry. If you are still choosing, the 10L collection is the one most people end up using for day trips.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I leave my dry bag in a hot car?
No, not if you can avoid it. A closed car gets far hotter than the air outside, and PVC laminate softens with heat, which can leave creases and a tacky surface. If it has to stay, keep it shaded and unrolled.
Does cold weather damage a dry bag?
It can if you flex the bag while it is stiff. PVC stiffens as it cools, so let a bag that has been in a cold garage warm to room temperature before you roll it.
What is the best way to store a dry bag?
Rinse it, air dry it fully open, then store it loose in a cool, dry place out of direct sun with the top unrolled and the buckle undone. Do not machine wash it or put it in a dryer.
Do Wild Currents dry bags have a temperature rating?
No. We do not publish one because we do not have a rating we can stand behind. The main body is an 80% PVC, 20% polyester laminate, and this post describes how that kind of material generally behaves.
Should I roll my dry bag up for storage?
No. Store it loose and unrolled. A tight roll held for months, especially somewhere warm, can leave a fold that stays.