Hip packs are great, allowing you to keep a bunch of small gear within easy reach without weighing you down, making it a great alternative to backpacks and other bigger bags while engaging in various activities. The Patagonia Guidewater Hip Pack 9L does the same thing, all while being completely waterproof, so you can wear it when going on water-based adventures.
Want to use it to hold your lures, line, and other angling supplies while fishing? That will work. How about some snacks and a couple bottles of your favorite IPA while kayaking along a scenic coast? Yes, it should work well for that, too. Need a bag that can keep your camera, phone, and other small electronics safe during inclement weather in both city and backcountry alike? Not a problem with this thing in your stash.
The Patagonia Guidewater Hip Pack 9L is a fully-submersible hip pack with an IPX7 waterproof rating (three feet depth immersion up to 30 minutes), so you can wear it while crossing a deep river, fixing a boat motor in the water, or diving after a knife you dropped while paddling without any water seeping through the bag. Sure, it will be dripping once you’re out of the water, but anything you stashed inside will stay completely dry. Additionally, the bag’s back panel is hydrophobic, so it will stay dry even when all your clothes are wet.
Inside, it comes with a spacious main compartment that’s large enough to fit a tackle kit, a tablet, or few pieces of clothing, along with an organizer pocket for separating smaller items. That organizer pocket is removable, too, allowing you to take it out to either make more room inside or attach it to external lash points for easier access without having to go through the zippered closure.
The Patagonia Guidewater Hip Pack 9L has two pockets sized to hold water bottles on the left and right sides, along with multiple lash points for hanging a good load of gear on the exterior. Specifically, you get five lash points out front, another four on the sides, and one each above the water bottle pockets, allowing you to look like you’ve got a veritable Christmas tree on your waist with all the stuff you can hang on it. Seriously, it expands the bag’s ability to carry stuff in a lot of ways. Dimensions are 13 x 9 x 9 inches (width x height x depth), which is pretty big for the category, so this isn’t your standard hip pack that can only fit a minimal amount of gear.
It comes with a detachable sling strap that you can use to carry the bag across the torso, instead of as a hip pack, which could be useful during those times you’re carrying heavier gear. Construction is 14.4-ounce recycled nylon with a PU coating on the exterior and a TPU coating in the back, which is lined with a 3-ounce 200-denier recycled polyster with a PU coating. The hydrophobic back panel, by the way, is cut in 4.5-ounce polyester monomesh.
The Patagonia Guidewater Hip Pack 9L is available in blue and black, priced at $229.