Overboard’s 20 litre backpack is waterproof and large enough for those bits of gear and clothing you need to keep dry if you are sailing, especially if you are in an open boat.

We used one for sailing a dinghy during a very wet week in Windermere and it worked really well. We clipped it into the bottom of the boat where it was occasionally immersed and the rollover flap closure system proved impervious – not a drop of ingress. The pack is comfy to wear and the adjustable back straps made it easy for our little hike down to the boat; its ventilated back panel really helps on those hotter days. The material is a heavy PVC, in yellow it has high visibility even in low light and the reflector band is picked out with a torch or by headlights on a country road. It has the one pocket on the outside, large enough for a water bottle.

For the inside, very usefully, you can add the backpack tidy (£14.99) which holds a 13in laptop and other gear in four separate pockets. This attaches on the inside with velcro and the laptop is protected all round by foam and is held off the ground if you dump the pack; a very cool feature. It also looks like it will last decades.

We used this and the simpler 30 litre dry tube which came in handy especially during the summer when we were sailing a 26 foot yacht up the coast without a dinghy… (as you do). Getting to the pub meant swimming ashore and this tube took all four of our clothes, wallets, phones, with room to spare. Swimming with it was a doddle as it floats and you can just tow it along behind you with the clip strap. It has the same rollover closure and a carry handle and duffle strap and is the same tough material as the backpack.

A useful tip is to turn them inside out during winter months and let them air to prevent that PVC smell; they sponge clean easily.

RRP for the back pack is £49.99 while the 30L dry tube is £27.99.   www.over-board.co.uk