I've had some enclosed sponges but they got dirty quickly and looked like mildew. Their rougher exterior was sometimes helpful in cleaning canoe and kayaks, but I can almost do the same with these NRS boat sponges. I liked the old ones' compactness and ease of clipping onto the rigging with a carabiner, but apparently you can do the same with the NRS "deluxe" model that looks like it encloses this sponge is a nice blue wrapping. But, I didn't like that the old ones stayed dirty and took forever to dry out. Those would take days (3+ when last tested) and they still weren't completely dry. Not so with these -- they dry overnight (and probably much quicker had I left them in the sun). Now, these are the ones that we throw in the front of the kayaks.
