During my sea kayaking in the past 30 plus years, I had never tried a deck bag that I've liked, and as a result I have had only a pump and a paddle float on deck, while most of the few other things that I keep nearby are stowed in the cockpit. I have recently purchased the first deck bag that I've liked, the Gearlab Deck Pod, to enable me to keep a few other things at hand without having them scattered all over my deck. At first sight, I liked its compactness and rather minimalist design. This avoids the problem of most deck bags having too many features and/or too much volume and ending up looking like ugly camel humps atop the boat and presenting more "sail area" for the winds to play with; they encourage people to carry too much stuff on deck and even interfere with the path of the paddle. I also have no problem with the Gearlab not incorporating a dry bag within it. I assume that anything I carry on deck will get wet (surprisingly enough, I expect kayaking to be a wet sport), but if I have something that has to stay dry, it will be in a dry bag inside the Gearlab. As to the quality of the workmanship and materials, it is quite high. The fabric, the mesh, zipper, buckles, etc. should be good for many years. Nowadays I have the following items inside or strapped to this bag: paddle float, pump, 32 ounce bottle, a sandwich or snack, a length of dacron line, LED headlamp, small multi-tool thing and boat repair kit, a Pelican case for car keys and wallet. Other survival gear such as a whistle, hand compass, etc., are stuffed in my PFD pockets. I rather like the way that the Gearlab bag is strapped to the deck lines with four YKK buckles. I've found that it takes only a minute to remove them when I want to switch the bag to another boat, and I dislike leaving the little straps on the boat when I leave the bag at home, or just going for a short creek paddle in the vicinity. All in all, I am very happy with the way that this bag works for me, and can recommend it highly.
