Backpack with wet and dry compartments?

I'm sure there are bags just for swimmers, but triathlon transition bags work very nicely for this purpose. I have one from Blue Seventy that is really well-made. It has pockets for wet gear as well as protective pockets for electronics and even a special loop to hold a bike helmet. The "wet" area can hold a full wetsuit and pair of yucky race shoes. I bought it at a race expo--as I recall, they were also selling a smaller bag intended for swim workouts rather than a full-on triathlon. I've actually traveled six weeks in Europe, mostly on two bike tours (with a shortie wetsuit) with just this bag and a day pack.

If you google "triathlon transition packs" you can find lots of similar products. Reputable brands like TYR and 2XU should also be okay-my experience in this area is you get what you pay for--cheap knock-offs will have issues with seam tears, zippers, etc. There are plenty on the shopping area of the Ironman website as well. My bag from World Championships is from a company called Ogio--not sure where they are based, but the bag is pretty well-designed, and even has a laptop sleeve. Really nice as a carry-on en route to destination races, as well as for busy work days with a swim (or just sweaty) workout involved. If most of your swims involve a wetsuit, the TYR pack has a bit more room for that and I think total capacity is a bit bigger. Both packs have the flexible barrier between wet and dry sections.

https://www.swimoutlet.com/p/blueseventy-transition-bag-20-32729/

Others on this page such as TYR and Zoot are probably similar.

http://www.ogio.com/backpacks/x-train-2-backpack/spr4710129.html

Similar to my Worlds bag (which was custom-made for the event); has the laptop sleeve.


Edited by Hot Runner 2017-05-26 8:19 PM

Thanks for the advice. Searching for "triathlon transition pack" was the key. I ended up buying the SLS3 backpack, which is a little smaller than your Blueseventy, but I think just right for my needs.

I'm sad to say the SLS3 triathlon backpack didn't cut it. When it arrived, I inspected it carefully and found that the "waterproof" compartment was not sealed against the dry compartment. The barrier between the two compartments was installed in a way that left gaps clearly big enough for water to leak through in the corners. I judged that if I filled the wet compartment with wet stuff, my dry stuff would probably get damp, especially if the backpack were ever put on its side. Upon discovering this flaw, I immediately re-boxed the backpack and returned it to the vendor.

I don't think the waterproofing failure was a manufacturing defect; I think it was a design flaw. The backpack simply wasn't designed in a way to properly isolate the wet and dry compartments.

Still recommend the BlueSeventy. I have not had this problem with it, and racing in the tropics, a lot of wet, disgusting stuff ends up in that compartment!