Review of Seattle Sports Deluxe Deck Bag

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Seattle Sports Deluxe Deck Bag
By: Seattle Sports Average Rating: 3.0 Total Reviews: 2
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Not good for regular use. Several Problems.

On: 2010-05-01

I have had three of these bags. I needed a larger style deck bag to accommodate a dSLR and smaller items. These seemed to be the ticket, but did not last one season.

I generally paddle in the neighborhood of 200-400 miles per season in Southeast Alaska. The conditions are wet and camping out can get a little rudimentary, so the equipment does see more use than it would for an average day paddler.

I had the following problems:

1. The first bag. After less than a season of use, the bungie cord setup on the top of the bag popped loose. The welding on one the vinyl/rubber loops failed. No easy way to fix this problem.

2. The second bag. Did not last through the very first use. The welding for one of the deck mounting straps popped off before I had it mounted to the deck rigging.

3. The third bag. The zipper failed after one season and trying to lube it with zipper lube does nothing. It hangs and is difficult at best to use. After it started sticking, it failed altogether.

The zippers on the other two bags never left me with a lot of confidence that theyd really keep out much water, especially in heavy rain or chop, and they all are somewhat sticky. I dont like fighting equipment when I am photographing animals or in remote areas where getting a flare or another tool out of a bag becomes more critical for safety, etc.

These bags are probably fine for the casual user. The welding on the loops that hold the rigging and deck fastening system is not reliable. I do not recommend these bags for anyone. They are going to fail at some point. The material used to build them seems like it would hold up, but quality control is lacking in the strapping and welding process.

I finally just gave up, pulled the former sheets out of each bag, bought another brand of oval shaped bags in a 20 liter size and rigged a more positive deck mount strap system. With a roll top, it isnt as quick as the zipper should be, in theory, but it is waterproof and with the former in it, it works better than anything I have found that is big enough to hold a dSLR sized camera and protect it from the elements.

If you dont need a big piece of camera equipment in your bag, but want waterproof assurance and a well made bag with a positive deck mount system, look at Wildwasser roll front bags. These will hold up to a lot of use and abuse and will keep anything inside dry.

Exactly what I expected

On: 2009-06-28

I was very happy with this deck bag, it seems to be top quality, and has performed perfectly. It is easy to attach and remove, and stays put even with water washing over it. It solves the cluttered cockpit syndrome.

It Held Up When I Needed It!!

On: 2009-03-16

I bought this bag at a local shop on the Florida east coast, on my way out to launch near Mosquito Lagoon. The days plans were to do some shallow water coastal exploration for a few hours, and then turn around and head to the Haulover Canal to watch the NASA launch of STS-119 Discovery from the water.

The problem was that for this day I had decided to take a risk and bring out the big guns for this shoot: my Canon EOS 5D Mark II w/24-105 f/4L and Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L. I didnt have a waterproof bag that would allow me easy access to the camera, while still allowing me to change settings, etc. (I own a Ewa-Marine underwater housing which works great, but severely limits the ability to change settings, zoom in and out, etc.)

So I decided to let the camera go "naked" and sit in a waterproof bag, and Id only take it out as needed, immediately putting it away after each shot. Well, at the local shop that I went to (the only one in the area open on Sunday), this bag was the only one in stock that even remotely satisfied my needs. But nowhere on the packaging did it state that it was waterproof!

Well its not, I imagine. While most of the bag seems well sealed and most likely would float if dropped in the water, the zipper is exposed (though water resistant). So if forced under, Im sure it would leak.

But that was my only option, so after a lot of under-the-breath pleading and praying, I put in as scheduled with my new deck bag holding a camera thats worth more than my life. Oh, but I left the second lens in the car - it would have been too tight of a fit to be easily accessible.

Over the course of the day, the wind and chop picked up quite a bit, and the bag showed its relative resilience by staying dry inside the whole time, though the exterior was routinely being soaked. When we finally dropped anchor at our viewing site for the launch at the end of the day, everything was still in great shape. Now, I wouldnt recommend doing this: if I had rolled, the camera would have gotten wet and I would have freaked out. But as a photographer, its hard for me to justify bringing a "lesser" camera to the places where youll encounter the best photographic opportunities, just because youre afraid of ruining the good one. These are the situations where you want the best! I wont do it again without additional protection for the camera gear. But the point is, this bag held up in a pinch, and Im very happy with it.

The deck bag lashes to the deck with four adjustable corner clips. When clipped to my Necky Looksha 14s deck rigging, it does float back and forth a small amount, even with the straps tightened down as far as possible. But its not much, and is an extremely minor issue. It stays on very well. It includes an additional four straps up top that you could conceivably use to further secure it, but I use them to hold the holsters for my flashlight, knife, etc. I like to put my GPS receivers external antenna under the bungee straps on top, to keep it in place. There are also 8 or 10 nylon loops on the sides that are perfect for attaching carabiners or various clips. Again, these could also be used for further securing to the deck, if thats your thing.

Finally, it includes a place to feed a strap on the back (facing the bow), used to secure a lamp when youre out at night. And the bow-facing side is also extremely reflective, a nice added security feature.

One last thing, a minor gripe -- I sometimes find myself fighting with the zipper, which has a tendency to catch on itself a lot. But I can forgive that because of its weather-resistant nature.

The final word: an excellent bag. Not waterproof, but water resistant, so be sure to further protect sensitive equipment inside. Get one, youll love it!

Photos of mine in action are forthcoming, and will be added to the user images in the next day or two.

Great deck bag!

On: 2008-08-11

This is a great deck bag. I have one on each of my kayaks so I dont have to keep taking one off on on...also like to be color coordinated! Large enough to hold all gear I want at my fingertips.....snacks, drinks, raingear, hats, glasses, sunscreen, camera etc.....in an upright position it is waterproof! But I always keep camera, cell phone etc in waterproof containers.....