Sage DXL Typhoon Boat Bag Review

Sage has recently released a new line of bags and packs they call their ‘DXL Typhoon’ series. We’ve written up their large waist pack in the past – we liked it.

The past couple of weeks we’ve gotten a chance to play with the DXL Typhoon Boat Bag, and we think it’s pretty darned cool.

The DXL Typhoon Boat Bag is similar in some ways to a number of others on the market in that it’s got semi-rigid padded sides, a waterproof main body and movable organizers on the inside of the main compartment. This construction is popular because it keeps gear protected, organized and dry.

This bag has a few pretty unique features though, and we think the most significant is how is closes.

Closure

The closure on this bag is designed in a really unique way, and it’s our favorite feature. Here’s what we like about it.

The outer walls of the bag are darted in on top, so if you just drop the lid of the bag closed, it falls over the outside of the main bag compartment and keeps out rain. Translation: you don’t have to fiddle with the lid and the zipper to keep rain out.
The large flap on the front of the bag folds over and then under a slot on the front of the bag, which provides a really quick, easy way to close the top and keep gear secured without closing the zipper. During a day of fishing, this is probably going to be all the ‘seal’ you need – again, no playing with the zipper (and waterproof zippers can be fussy).

Other Nice Features

The top strap is easily adjustable to be a bag handle or a shoulder strap. It’s mounted to a couple of plastic loops on the sides of the bag, making it simple to slide it back and get access inside the bag.
A big fly patch and a tool dock attach using velcro to either the top of the bag or inside one of the small side pockets. This provides quick access to your stuff during the fishing day, but gives you an easy way to keep it safe and sound (zipped inside the pocket) when you’re not on the water.

Drawbacks

This is a pretty short list.

It’s a big bag – over legal carry-on size – so traveling with it means packing it in a big piece of luggage like a rolling duffel.

If a big, feature-packed boat bag with a really convenient closure system sounds interesting, you should wander down to your local fly shop and check out the Sage DXL Typhoon Boat Bag.