Hard case, soft case, which to choose for that next raft, canoe, or kayak trip? Each has a place in the entourage, but a hard case is about serious protection and organization. Sometimes it's overkill and sometimes it just won't fit in the boat. When to use one, what type to use and why, are the questions we'll give consideration to here.

If you spend any time in the field, you may need a hard case. If you spend a lot of time there, a few in different sizes will set you up for any situation. I take a hard case on most every trip. They are ideal for electronics. I use one for my SLR and a couple of lenses on rafts, in canoes, or out of the truck. I stick my two way radios and spare batteries in another to keep them together. A hard case is also good for important books and materials as well as personal items that can get lost or tweaked in the black hole of a dry bag.

Anyone who has spent much time on the water in anything larger than a squirt boat can appreciate the value of a dry box. When I rowed McKenzie-style river dories we had a big bench box under our flip up seat and boy did we love that! All manner of things went in there, not just the things that needed to stay dry. It was handy storage for raincoats and shorts, lunch, an espresso machine and spare tackle—anything we might need in the course of a long day on the water— got tossed in the box. But closer to the water, in our kayaks, canoes and smaller boats, organization and storage is a challenge. Instead of a catchall dry box, you'll bring a modest case or bag. Electronics like the SLR, video camera or cell phone are mostly what gets stowed here, but you can keep binoculars, energy bars and other small items in one convenient secure place as well.

On a big raft there are plenty of options for storing your hard case. There is often a sweet spot just fore of the row station on the baggage frame or tucked on the seat to left or right. Strap the case to the boat so you can have access to a freely opening lid; this is important for quick access and quick button-up when a rapid approaches. I've had to modify some of my cases by drilling small holes in the molding so I could strap them to the frame, leaving the lid free to open and close. For pure utility, it's hard to beat the old ammo can. They are extremely facile to open and close and usually have provision to strap down with the lid free. The needs of a river rat, after all, are a patch on a combat soldier's.

"A hard case is also good for important books and materials as well as personal items that can get lost or tweaked in the black hole of a dry bag..."

For sea kayakers, a hard case at hand on deck is problematic. A small dry bag is often best and can be kept in the cockpit with you. Remember to secure it with a lanyard in case of a spill. If you're in a Sit-On-Top kayak, a deck bag is the ticket. I use a low profile, watertight unit that rides under the knees. I prefer a waterproof zipper to a roll up closure; it's quicker to access that way. If you have a high tech camera you might want to put it in a thin bag or Zip-loc inside the deck bag because of the ambient moisture. I also put everything else I might want in the cockpit in there as well; fly book, flares, Clif bars, hat, chart, guide book, sun screen and glasses.

Enough said about utility. Now let's consider pure transport, with no thought of accessing contents until you arrive at your destination. Working backward from trip end, the reality is that most bags and cases will keep your stuff dry if they have no leaks and are used properly. The reality of outdoor travel, wilderness or otherwise, is that rain is the primary threat to your stuff. Sure, if you're rafting or sea kayaking with a decent chance of flipping the boat, that's another level of risk and you should prepare for it, but for the most part it's leaky baggage sitting in standing water or forgetting to button up camp before rain, that bites hardest. As long as we have our lids and tops rolled down/shut and our holes patched, we're golden. Worse case though, when the boat is upside down and gear is dredged through a quarter mile of river while you attempt to right ship, only the most secure luggage will survive without taking on water. It's your call on the odds of that happening, of course, and the degree of preventive measures you want to invest in. For those of us who rely on our equipment while we're out for a moon or more, it pays to run the drill day in/day out.

Hard cases are trouble free. Shut the lid, close the latch, check the gasket every once in a while and clean the groove around the rim. And, if somebody's worst nightmare rears its head, the cases will provide guaranteed buoyancy. Hard cases are a better match for rafts and canoes than kayaks. Another square peg in a round hole type issue. I do use several different hard cases for sea kayaking though: a small one in the bigger back hatch and a bigger one lashed onto the deck behind my seat on long trips. I was exploring the limit of such deck cases on our last expedition and I was in a hurry to launch. I lashed a number of items onto both the back and front deck instead of carefully packing the load. When I took it for a test spin I found that I could have rolled that baby like a barrel! Even with some serious Old Chub Scottish Ale ballast. Put the light stuff that you don't want to get mangled or small items that seem to have no home (they add up though, be careful), into the deck case. Devise some clever lashing so you can easily remove the case for camp use, or leave it parked and visit. If the case is big enough you might want to glue some closed cell foam corner pads to help the box conform to the curvature of the deck.