The Watershed Story

 

Watershed was founded in 1995 with a singular mission: build waterproof bags in the USA that we, as adventurers, could trust to keep our most cherished possessions dry under any conditions.

 

After college, when many of my peers were starting careers or going to graduate school, I began my life as a waterman. I worked as a whitewater raft guide in the US and South America, I chased a dream of being a whitewater slalom canoe racer, I fished and hunted waterfowl in my home state of Louisiana, I sailed and boated in various parts of the world, I scuba dove and snorkeled. I pursued any chance to get on or in the water.

In all these water pursuits the thing that kept bothering me was the low quality of waterproof bags. I tried many different brands and types of bags, and none were truly “drybags” as advertised. I had to fold them over just right and roll the top down several times — and my gear would still get damp afterward.

I, and the rest of the world, needed a waterproof bag that was truly airtight and submersible. I needed to create a bag that people could trust with cameras, expensive electronics, medicine, food, and cold weather gear. A bag that remained completely waterproof even if you flipped a raft, swam out of a kayak, or got caught in a storm while sailing the open ocean. And so I set out to build what became the Watershed ZipDry bag — also known as “a freezer bag on steroids.”

The Watershed bag closure system has been tested by the US Navy to 100 meters submersion without any leakage whatsoever. Watershed bags are low maintenance, rugged, and extremely waterproof. They’re built for everything from social outings to survival situations.

Our bags were immediately embraced by raft guides and whitewater kayakers. Over time, Watershed bags have gained popularity with sailors, surfers, fly fishermen, offshore fishermen, hunters, scuba divers, and oilfield workers. Watershed bags are built for serious outdoor adventurers, not for big box discount retailers.

In 2000, the US Navy SEALs asked Watershed to build a custom suite of waterproof bags for military applications. Since then, we have provided a line of military-specific waterproof bags to all branches of US Special Operations as well as NATO and other allied forces on every continent.

Since 1995 Watershed has remained true to our roots, continuing to manufacture all of our bags in North Carolina — even as our competitors cut corners by importing bags from overseas. We are committed to designing, testing, and producing our product in the USA. We’re also committed to producing the best drybags on the planet.

 

Eric Revels
Founder and CEO
Watershed Drybags