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Sep 8th REVIEW – SealLine ILBE Sack 56L Assault Pack Liner

ITEM: ILBE Sack 56L Assault Pack Liner

MANUFACTURER: SealLiner

DESCRIPTION:

A heavy duty dry bag made of to keep clothing and equipment dry.

Apparently these pack liners are on issue to the US Marines, since they spend a great deal of time crossing surf zones.

REVIEW NOTES:

The SealLine ILBE Pack Liner is kindly supplied by Crossfire Australia.

I have received no financial compensation for the review of this item. I have done the review (like many with supplied equipment) with the proviso that I will be painfully honest in my assessment of this item.

SPECIFICATIONS:

MATERIALS

210 Denier polyurethane nylon

Fastex buckle

Pressure release valve

DIMENSIONS

Weight – 357g (approx. 12.6 oz)

Capacity – 56L (approx. 3478 cu in)

LAYOUT:

Construction of the Assault Pack Liner is very high quality, using a rubberised nylon material, that is a low-sheen olive drab/green colour on the outside, and a very high sheen bright orange on the inside.

Halfway up the dry sack is a valve to allow trapped air to escape when packing equipment.

The opening of the dry-sack is of rolltop type with fastex buckle closure.

PERSONAL ASSESSMENT:

My luck or karma is such that most of the time I head out into the wild blue yonder to chase another beautiful sunset, it rains, or I fall into a creek line thereby nearly drowning.

I’ve been a big fan of pack liners and dry bags for many years – using them to waterproof my load of clothing and moisture sensitive equipment. My experience has been to utilise several smaller dry bags to break up the load into similar use items. Using different colours and styles, provides a means identifying the contents when time is at a premium. So, in my pack right this very moment, is a green coloured dry bag for my sleeping bag and other accessories such as silk sleeping bag liner and mosquito net. A red dry bag is used for spare clothing, such as thermal underwear and socks. A yellow dry bag contains all my “street” accessories such as mobile phone, car keys, wallet, and essential admin paperwork (park permits, bus timetables) for the trip.

I’ve been fortunate in being able to use this pack liner on my last trip along the Overland Track last year, (as reported HERE). No surprises from this item, it worked well, keeping my gear dry in some really heavy rain. The release valve was a particularly welcome feature, since I’m more than a little bit clumsy at the best of times and keep rolling up dry bags in a hurry catching too much air in them, thereby taking up too much space in my pack.

PROS –

A very heavy duty item that will withstand most abuses found during service use.

I really like the relief valve, which makes compressing the dry sack to better fit the rucksack much easier and more convenient.

The internal hi-viz coloration is a great feature. It provides some contrast when scrabbling through the dry bag searching for the requisite equipment, and acts as a secondary marker panel when needed. A very well thought out feature.

CONS –

The major problem I have with this dry bag is the size. I prefer breaking my load into several smaller dry bags, which gives me some redundancy should a dry bag become punctured or not sealed up properly due to real life circumstances.

Whilst a single large pack dry bag is very convenient for some, again, I find several smaller bags more convenient for locating several common usage items together.

Having said that though, there is a need for such a large dry bag for some end-users who get saddled with carrying large, bulky items that can’t be broken down any further.

SUMMARY:

A really useful and well thought out piece of gear for those heading into the wet parts of the wilderness.