What Bags for Weekend Cruising?

[alec]

Over a period of years, one gradually fathoms this cruising lark out with regard to efficiency, comfort and order aboard.

A particular problem that I still seem to have trouble with is what type of bags, suitcases etc to use to lug all the gear.

I have a particular problem as I use a tender/swinging mooring setup, athough I have seen many marina dwellers struggle also in this department.

The main problems seem to be how big, how strong, how waterproof and how much ( money).

I would be interested to know how fellow forumites tackle this problem.


Regards,


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[l'escargot]

For a weekend cruise - what bags?

You wear your clothes, your toothbrush and, if you're sailing with women, clean pants go in your pocket. Tescos and Oddbins put all the other essentials in bags for you.

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[LadyInBed]

A small to medium waterproof stuff or grip bag.

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[paulrossall]

I used a canvas-type bag approx 2ft long 1ft wide and 18inch high. My sailing pals, and family, always laugh at me becasue I wrap the contents of the bag in a number of individual plastic bags. I am also on a swinging mooring and late last year we ended up with some (8 inches) water in the bottom of the dinghy and I was the only one with totally dry clothing! I would not buy one of these posey proper sailing bags as they are much too big to store on a yacht, better get down the Oxfam shop and then you do not worry too much about the bag getting slung about. IMHO. Paul

<hr width=100% size=1>" there is nothing-absolutely nothing-half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats".

 

[supermalc]

I was a little perplexed by your question at first.....however after a little thought, this a very relevant question, that can help ease this 'boating 'lark'.

As I think most now know, I have had an 18ft Norman on the Witham and tributaries for the last 2 years, and now have not 'moved up' as much as sideways.

Either in a Marina, Keyside or having to use a tender.....you do see a lot of people humping bags, of all sorts, shapes and sizes before taking their boat out for a few days.

I have a cheap rucksack, which contains a change of clothes, simple first aid kit, boat keys (I have arrived without them 2 or 3 times the first year) and room for camera, hand held gps if necessary, plus small sundries.

Whenever I go out, either on the boat, or for day trip, I now take this. Everything I need, and it makes life simple.

For a weekend away, even with my simple tastes, I take an extra bag, a holdall type that I found. Someone had just left it when moving house. Carries all my spare clothes. Maybe put this in a bin liner to protect from water on trip in tender.

If you have greater needs, how about a shopping trolley (no...not from Tesco). Light, stores all your needs, and you have a lightweight trolley to carry the petrol, beer etc. at your overnight destination.

<hr width=100% size=1>Malcolm.
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Take a look at my boating pages.

 

[Robin]

It is easier since we moved into a marina berth, though protection from rain is still needed. We used to be on a swinging mooring in Poole exposed to SW and anything F4 and above meant you often started a weekend with everything getting very wet. Our solution was a waterproof PVC holdall bag (Plastimo) and also the PVC 'dry' bags with the rollover top seals, neither of these were over expensive. Food goes out in a rigid coldbox (used on board for vegetable stowage once the contents are in the fridge) plus also if required one of those square plastic bags designed to fit supermarket trollies, everything could be wiped dry and stowed in as small a place as possible. Other options over the years involved huge thick polybags found at the plastic box stand in the entrance hall at Soton Boatshow.

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[Joe_Cole]

I have a small bag which I throw the essentials in. SWMBO has a bag for essentials, a bag for inessentials, a spare bag for extras, a bag for emergency, a bag for sunbathing, a bag for...........

We find those bags from Ikea very useful when we need even more bags!

Joe

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[Robin]

Sounds just like mine! I cannot understand either why the weight of the food bags and coldbox doesn't seem much lower from Friday to Sunday. As a normal logical male I would take what was required only, SWMBO takes the full pack (inc potatoes etc) and takes back what is left over, some of our foodstuff is very well travelled!

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[Laurin]

We went to Ikea to find a plastic box for the anchor and came back with 2 or 3 of their bags.... 50p each I think!

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[VicMallows]

If you're off for a long cruise, and you (or SWMBO) insist on taking 'smart stuff just in case' consider the vacuum bags (available from Argos) where you suck the air out with a vacuum cleaner. They really do reduce the volume considerably and are totally waterproof by definition. Also useful for transporting bulky sleeping bags etc to the boat. The dingy pump will do the job of re-deflating them again.

Vic

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[colvic987]

to joe and robin, our swmbo's must have gone to the same finishing school, if i take everything, i won't need anything else, we seem to bring home more than we take, to many bags , i need the qm2 just to get to the mooring safely, it is just enough to start the weekend off, once i have carted that lot on board, that's me for the weekend....

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[Robin]

Basic Instinct

They didn't learn to do this at all!

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[dulcibella]

Re: Basic Instinct

Just take a manservant. He can carry your kit, stow it and do your watches if it's raining.

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[Jools_of_Top_Cat]

Thought I would give my 2p.

We are not a pair for travelling light, so good bags which can be stowed once aboard are essential for us. I have a bad back and need comfort when carrying any of the bags too.

We have recently upgraded to two Musto hold alls which I hope to suppliment with a third soon. I did not buy them as they were saily, but they have some useful features which makes life a little easier.

1. The end pocket is very deep, an inner bag that means as you use your clothes this becomes your dirty laundry basket, or it will hold wet clothes away from dry.

2. Large carry straps which are comfortable to wear, also you can clip the handles together to prevent them flopping to the sides of the bag.

3. Strong handles on the ends of the bag, this is a fabulous feature for lifting the bags aboard from the tender.

4. Easy and large opening, for a weekend sail it means you do not have to unpack and can live out of the bag. Also good as we remove all our instruments, makes putting the laptop in much simpler.

5. They roll remarkably flat when empty, although we generally store them under the guest matress when not in use.

We also carry a Tescos cold bag which costs around £3.00 I think, they seem to last about 4 months with boaty abuse. But they work, the cold packs are still frozen after 3 to 4 hours after they were packed at home. The bag also rolls flat.

<hr width=100% size=1>Julian

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