DRD Mesh Bags

    Handy, quick-drying bags for those myriad on-board storage needs.

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    DRD Mesh Bags

    Aboard boats, bags in which to gather up and stow various unhandy gear and equipment—from sails to a charcoal grill to wet clothing—can be invaluable. At a small company in East Prussia, PA, called DRD, the principals there have thought about this issue long and hard. The result is a package of three very strong, heavy nylon mesh bags with drawstring tops and small, stainless steel carabiner hooks to hang up the bags. They even come with a hangar plate (not shown), should you choose to store the bags side-by-side. The bags are shown in this photo sitting on grass with their corners (the ones with the hooks and drawstrings) turned back.

    The smallest bag measures 15″ x 26″. The larger bags are 19″ x 30″ and 15″ x 38″, which makes for a good variety of sizes. The heavy mesh has 1/8″ holes and is known in the trade as 5-oz., cord-locked, diamond-braided. On boats we’ve owned, the storm anchor and its 300-odd feet of rode have always been a storage problem. The rode usually gets flaked and the coil tied with four pieces of small stuff. With the anchor attached with a short piece of chain, handling the whole rig could be nasty work. How much better it would be to simply feed the rode (three-strand or braid) in one of these bags and snug up the drawstring. This three-bag kit sells for $70.

    Contact – DRD, 866/562-3562, www.drdcorp.com.

    Darrell Nicholson
    Practical Sailor has been independently testing and reporting on sailboats and sailing gear for more than 50 years. Supported entirely by subscribers, Practical Sailor accepts no advertising. Its independent tests are carried out by experienced sailors and marine industry professionals dedicated to providing objective evaluation and reporting about boats, gear, and the skills required to cross oceans. Practical Sailor is edited by Darrell Nicholson, a long-time liveaboard sailor and trans-Pacific cruiser who has been director of Belvoir Media Group's marine division since 2005. He holds a U.S. Coast Guard 100-ton Master license, has logged tens of thousands of miles in three oceans, and has skippered everything from pilot boats to day charter cats. His weekly blog Inside Practical Sailor offers an inside look at current research and gear tests at Practical Sailor, while his award-winning column,"Rhumb Lines," tracks boating trends and reflects upon the sailing life. He sails a Sparkman & Stephens-designed Yankee 30 out of St. Petersburg, Florida. You can reach him by email at practicalsailor@belvoir.com.