Stahlsac Bonaire Mesh Backpack: Big 142L size, ideal for dive gear, dry pockets

I bought this for a beach trip with concerns about lugging all our gear. This thing rocks! 5 beach towels, two life jackets and endless toys while your hands are free. Love the built in dry bag. Do it!

Prostough materialsdurable constructionappear and feel similar to the original of 15 years agomesh design good for airing and draining wet gearside zipper opens the bag widely eases filling compared to just top loadingcoated PVC bottom is extra tough for rough surfaces; I would use this bag to sit on bare sharp rocks and limestonelarge sack shape conforms to any shape such as cameras and strobesdoesn't stink, because it airs itselfeasy to clean, worse case, you can turn the bag inside out and wash itConsThe 'shapeless' bag can make gear poke you if not arranged properly. We put fins on the dry bag end, towards the shoulder straps. This provides a firm protective flat surface for your back, and you can backpack this bag for miles easily.The bag stretches when wet, and can be large for some people; it will hit my thighs when carried as a backpack and loaded. To shorten the straps loop straps through the carry handle, and this pulls the bag up, then I put my towel and dry bag, underneath the straps when I wear it, and provides more stretch and padding for long marches.When heavily loaded, the weight of the bag pulls the front pocket velcro tab open, but the pressure of all the gear in the sack hold most anything in the front pocket from falling outWhen heavily loaded, the drawstring lock can pull open: I loop the drawstring around the top carry handle, pull tight and tie a shoelace knot, and this locks the drawstring lockNotes on DurabilityWhile I've had this bag for just a month, its workmanship and materials are very similar to the original. We'll see how it survives over the coming year.I've used the smaller original size of this bag  Stahlsac Panama Mesh Backpack  for 15 straight years and 2000+ dives. During early 2000, I tried similar mesh bags and destroyed them all in weeks, until I got my Stahlsac. The acid test of mesh bags was the water dunk tank soak, very common after ocean dives. You take a bag full of gear and submerge it in a fresh water tub, and after soaking for a while, pull it out. Nylon weakens a touch when wet and will stretch, so it has to be built extra tough. When you pull the bag out of the tub, it carries the weight of your gear and the water its sponged up, and this often tears lesser webbing, handles, or rips the bottom of the bag. Many times we'd soak the bag overnight. All bags I've and my buddies have destroyed died often during the dunk tank test.In 15 years of not just 1000+ dunks, but loaded with 50-70# of gear including lead weights, then carried dripping wet for miles+ after shore dives the bag never tore. About its 10th year, the stitches on the front pocket gave way, so I stitched it back. The 'dry bag' eventually wore out, it leaked but I could keep stuff in the "dry" compartment by wrapping it a ziplock bag. The mesh would snag on carts, boats, and vehicles, tearing holes in the mesh in places but never critical to cause gear to fall out or loose the bag's integrity as a bag. Easy to repair with nylon line like you would a fishing net.Finally in the past 2 years, the mesh tore too easily in many places and the frequency of my repairs increased to most every trip. So my original bag is now being retired.As expected, fellow divers and my dive buddy of 15+ years also uses an identical model Stahlsac bag, and his bag too started to fall apart at the same time. He has as many dives as I have, and treats the bag similarly. It says the toughness of this bag is not just an accident, and its expected lifespan is similar.

On a recent dive trip to Key Largo everyone on the boat add this bag. I was so impressed that I ended up getting one as soon as I got home. Good bag… Well made with lots of pockets. The dry pocket is roomy and so far has worked well to keep all my important things protected. Not sure if the other deep pocket was intended for Finz but it fits my atomic split fins just perfectly. Hi dive in New Hampshire so we were heavy wet suits all your long. This mesh bag provides plenty of room for oh my what gear plus my BCD. I’ve only had it for a few weeks but so far it’s held up great. Assuming they didn’t fall apart on me after one season I would definitely purchase this dive bag again in the future.I have been so impressed so far that I have convinced my local Dive Shop to carry them.It packs well into my travel bag. Definitely useful when embarking on dove boats

This replaced my last one. My last stahl sack lasted 25 plus years. This one will probably outlast me.

My husband and I were looking to replace our old bag after many years and had heard good things about this brand. The bag itself is sturdy and the dry bag component is a nice plus however the grommets all rusted after only a few uses. The bag still works, but it gets rust stains on anything in the bottom of the bag or that touches it when it gets set down. I'm not sure the 3 grommets will last (2 on bottom of the bag, 1 at the draw string) as it's only been a few months and they have rusted significantly. We rinse and dry everything after each dive and don't store anything in it ... We never had this problem with our old bag which was considerably cheaper.

Only taken on 2 dive trips so far, but I like what I see. Two aspects of this bag stand out: convenience and durability. The front pocket (which is not waterproof) is very handy for smaller items like your dive computer, gloves, and compass. The included mesh bag is great for your miscellaneous gear (dive light, slate, knife, safety sausage). I have not used the rear dry bag, but it's huge. This bag was an upgrade over a basic mesh duffel, and what a difference it has made!Now, durability. Dive buddies commented on how it's made out of really thick mesh. Seems built to last. (Will find out!)

A great Mesh Backpack scuba gear bag. I purchased this bag for a scuba trip with my son and daughter-in-law to Ambergris Caye. We used the bag for most of our equipment on a daily basis, we did have another bag but this was our primary daily bag. It held our gear with No Issues, the two drain holes in the bottom helped to get rid of water. The padded shoulder straps and side entry zipper worked great for easy carry and retrieving equipment. The integrated Dry Bag along the back worked great, we put flattened towels inside to help keep equipment from poking you in the back when carrying it. It is Plenty Big for our use.Would definitely buy again, Would definitely Recommend.

JUST LOVE IT

This mesh dive bag is the best quality that I have seen. There is plenty of room for my dive gear including BCD and wetsuit. Great attention to detail and quality. I like the internal dry bag and alternate side entry, very innovative. This is just what I wanted for transporting and storing my dive gear during boat and shore dives. The Stahlsac range of dive bags seem to have a reputation for quality and innovation. This bag confirms that.