YETI is expanding the Panga line into a second colorway, a sharp and sophisticated Tan that looks as good in the field as it does in the city. The Panga has been a beast of a product over the last several years but the grey colorway was not for everyone. I am excited to see it in tan and I am hopeful that YETI will launch this line up in a few more colors over the coming years. I am already yearning for a Panga 50 Duffel as an outstanding carry on bag for day-to-day quick trips.
The Waterproof Panga Line
The Panga keeps your gear dry and excels at offering a product for those who really need to have dry gear no matter what. YETI warrants the bag as being 100% dry after being submersed for 30 minutes at under a meter of water. I have never seen this leak water and I have had it bouncing around the back of my pickup truck in torrential situations. I do not hesitate to put everything in this bag, from my camera and audio gear to my hunting electronics, that I do not want damaged. As well, the Panga 50 makes the perfect carry on bag on short quick flights.
The material is easy to keep clean with a little bit of Dawn dish soap and some elbow grease. I have no problem pulling it out of the back of the truck and dropping it onto the ground even in muddy conditions because I know that I can just hose it off. This bag is the ultimate duffel and the ultimate dry pack regardless of where you are traveling in the world.
The Panga does not have a locking zipper which I miss. The reality is that anyone with a serious knife could just cut a locking zipper open, but I would still love to have a locking zipper to discourage anyone from attempting to break in and for general security on international trips. Of course, these bags are not really built for international travel but instead are built for everything from the rafting trip down the Colorado River to the top of a kayak to a hunt into the backcountry. The Panga line excels anywhere you have gear and clothes that you need to keep dry and protected.
The Hydralok Zipper works easily and once you pull it closed, it will stay closed. I use this pack with small packing cubes for gear, clothes and the tools that I need. Pro tip: I generally color code my packing cubes so I know that my orange bag holds my camera and my yellow one is my ditty bag, etc. so I can quickly reach in and grab the gear that I need. The two internal zippered mesh pockets are great for holding keys and other smaller objects. The duffels in 50, 75 and 100 have removable backpack straps for easy carrying. There are lash down points all over the bags which makes it easy to strap in to a boat or on a plane. It also makes it easy to connect things like water bottles and other gear to the side of the bag to keep your hands free.
The durability of these dry bags like the duffel and the backpack make them the ultimate bag to use on trips where you know you are going to get wet, dirty or both. These bags are tough and can handle anything you throw at them. I like the tan colorway; it looks sharp and I know I can walk into a high end hotel with this bag and not look completely out of place.
These bags are on the expensive side, but you get what you pay for in durability. I do hope YETI adds some sort of locking zipper on future bags. In the short term, I will happily continue to use the Panga on serious adventures.
