Best Waterproof Bag for Jet Skiing

Best Waterproof Bag for Jet Skiing

Rider on a jet ski crossing open water with spray coming off the hull

Activity guide / Jet skiing

Spray the whole ride, and a full dunk every time you fall off. Your storage has to handle both.

Updated October 5, 20265 min readGear setup

The best waterproof bag for jet skiing is a small submersible bag worn on your body for your phone, wallet and car key, plus a dry bag in the storage compartment for anything bulky.

Established safety guidance

What the rules require on a PWC

  • Wear a life jacket. Florida requires everyone on or operating a PWC to wear a USCG-approved wearable PFD. Virginia makes it unlawful to operate a PWC unless the operator, each rider and anyone towed is wearing an approved life jacket.
  • No inflatables. Florida, Virginia and Pennsylvania all prohibit inflatable life jackets on PWCs.
  • Clip the lanyard to yourself. All three states say a lanyard-type engine cut-off switch must be attached to the operator's person, clothing or life jacket.
  • The federal cut-off rule. The U.S. Coast Guard requires operators of covered recreational vessels (motorized, 3 hp or more, under 26 feet) to use an engine cut-off switch link while on plane or above displacement speed, in effect since April 1, 2021. It disables the engine if the operator is unexpectedly displaced.

Sources: U.S. Coast Guard Boating Safety; Florida FWC; Virginia DWR; Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission. Rules vary by state; check yours. A waterproof bag is not safety equipment and doesn't replace any of this.

The problem

Why a jet ski is hard on gear

Most boats give you somewhere to tuck a bag out of the spray. A jet ski doesn't. Anything outside a sealed space gets sprayed for the whole ride, and anything you're wearing goes fully underwater when you fall off or climb back on from the water.

That's why "water-resistant" isn't enough for the bag on your body: a rain-and-splash bag isn't built for a dunk. And anything left loose won't wait for you. REI's gear advice puts it bluntly: unsecured bags can be miles downriver or downwind before you start looking.

Item by item

On you, or in the compartment?

Sort by one question: would losing it strand you?

Item On you, sealed In the compartment, in a dry bag
Phone Yes. It's how you call for help if you and the ski get separated. No. If you fall off, it stays with the ski.
Car key or fob Yes. Lose it and you're stuck at the ramp. No. Unless its maker says it's waterproof, treat it as electronics.
Wallet, ID, one card Yes, kept to the minimum. Only spare cash you could live without.
Sunglasses Worn, on a retainer strap. A spare pair, if you bring one.
Towel, dry shirt No. Too bulky to wear. Yes, rolled into a dry bag.
Sunscreen, water No. Yes. Keep sunscreen in its own bag so a leak doesn't coat the rest.

Organized by SKÖ. Don't assume a storage compartment is watertight unless your owner's manual says so; that's why the dry bag goes inside it.

Essentials on the rider, bulk in the ski, safety gear separate from both.

Avoid these

Three mistakes riders make with bags

Wearing a splash-proof bag

Fine in rain, not built for the dunk that comes with every fall.

Instead: wear a bag designed to be waterproof and submersible when closed, and close it fully.

Leaving the key in the glovebox

If you and the ski part ways, the key goes with the ski.

Instead: the car key rides sealed on your body with your phone.

Letting the bag get in the way of safety gear

A strap that tangles with the lanyard or pulls your life jacket out of position is a problem.

Instead: fasten the life jacket and lanyard first, then adjust the bag so it doesn't interfere with either.

Organized by SKÖ.

The bag on you

What the worn bag needs to do

Submersible when closed, compact, hands-free. The SKÖ Waterproof Crossbody is one example built for the first rows of that matrix.

Capacity~1.14 L
Material1680D TPU
Weight~13 oz
ClosureWaterproof zipper

Where it fits

  • Phone, car key, wallet or cards, worn hands-free
  • Designed to be waterproof and submersible when the zipper is properly closed and sealed
  • Stays with you, not the ski, if you fall off

Where it doesn't

  • Towels, clothes or lunch: that's the compartment dry bag
  • No clear window, so no photos without unzipping
  • No published depth or time rating: don't take it snorkeling or diving
  • Not a flotation device or safety equipment

Salt is hard on zippers, so rinse the bag after a saltwater ride; here's why saltwater corrodes zippers. Comparing compact options? See how waterproof crossbody bags compare.

Final check

Before you leave the dock

  • Everyone aboard wearing a USCG-approved, non-inflatable life jacket
  • Cut-off lanyard attached to the operator
  • Phone, car key and card zipped fully closed in the bag on your body
  • Bag adjusted so it doesn't interfere with the life jacket or lanyard
  • Towel, dry shirt and sunscreen in a sealed dry bag inside the compartment
  • Nothing loose on the deck or footwells

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