Materials
Every SNDRY CLUB bag is cut from two fabrics: 210D ripstop nylon and recycled 500D polyester. The polyester is recycled. The nylon is not.
What is ripstop nylon?
Ripstop is a weave, not a material. A grid of thicker reinforcing threads is stitched through the fabric at regular intervals, usually a few millimetres apart. You can see it — it's the faint check pattern across every one of our bags.
The grid does one job: it stops tears from running. Snag a plain nylon bag on a bike rack and the tear travels. Snag a ripstop bag and the tear stops at the nearest grid line. You get a small hole instead of a long rip.
It's the same family of fabric used in parachutes, technical shell jackets, hot-air balloons and expedition tents — anywhere failure is expensive and weight matters.
What does 210D mean?
D stands for denier: the weight in grams of 9,000 metres of the yarn. Higher denier means thicker yarn, which means a heavier, tougher fabric.
| Denier | Typical use |
|---|---|
| 70D | Ultralight packable jackets, stuff sacks |
| 210D | Daypacks, technical shells, everyday carry |
| 500D | Structured panels, bag bases, heavy-duty carry |
| 1000D | Military and industrial |
210D is the point where a bag stops feeling flimsy without starting to feel like luggage. It's the reason a bag this size doesn't add noticeable weight to what you're already carrying.
We use recycled 500D polyester for the panels that take the most abuse, and 210D ripstop for the body.
Which parts are recycled?
The 500D polyester is recycled, made from post-consumer waste. Recycled polyester takes substantially less energy to produce than virgin polyester, because the raw material already exists — it doesn't have to be made from oil a second time.
The 210D ripstop nylon is not recycled. We would like it to be. Recycled nylon at this weight, in the quantities a small brand orders, isn't something we can currently source at a price that would keep these bags where they are. When that changes, we'll change the bags and say so here.
Water-resistant, not waterproof
Water-resistant means the fabric resists water for a while. Our ripstop has a PU coating on the inside face, and most bags have a PVC-coated polyester lining. Rain runs off. Spray runs off. Setting the bag down on wet ground is fine. Wipe it and it's dry.
Waterproof means water cannot get in at all. That requires sealed seams and waterproof zips — usually a roll-top closure rather than a zip. We don't build that, and we don't claim it.
What this means in practice:
| Situation | Fine? |
|---|---|
| Caught in a shower on the way home | Yes |
| A monsoon commute, 20 minutes | Yes |
| Set down on wet ground | Yes |
| An hour in heavy rain, no cover | Water will find the zips |
| Dropped in water | No |
| On a boat, in spray, all day | Use a dry bag inside |
If you're carrying a camera body worth more than the bag, in real weather, put it in a dry bag or a rain cover. Any honest bag brand will tell you the same thing.
The lining
The Memento, the Off-Route and the Detour use a grey PVC-coated polyester lining. It wipes clean, which matters more than it sounds — sand, spilt coffee and camera-bag dust all come out with a damp cloth.
Two exceptions: the Point & Shoot pouch is 210D ripstop inside and out, with no separate lining fabric. The Daybreak tote is lined in cotton, which is softer against what you're carrying but absorbs water rather than shedding it — another reason to treat the tote as rain-resistant rather than rain-proof.
Padding
Only two of our bags are padded. The Memento has a padded main compartment and a removable padded divider. The Point & Shoot pouch is structured and padded throughout.
The Off-Route sling, the Detour fanny pack and the Daybreak tote have no padding. They'll carry a compact camera, but they won't protect a lens or a mirrorless body. If that's what you're carrying, use the Memento — or drop a Point & Shoot pouch inside whatever bag you already have.
Care
Spot-clean only. A soft cloth, lukewarm water, a little mild soap. Air-dry away from direct heat and sunlight.
Never machine wash, soak, tumble dry, bleach, dry clean or iron. Solvents, fabric softeners and abrasive brushes all break down the PU coating — which is the thing making the bag water-resistant in the first place. Wash it in a machine once and you've removed the feature you paid for.
Where they're made
In India, in small batches. SNDRY CLUB started in Agra in December 2023 and now runs from Bengaluru.
Questions about a specific fabric or a specific bag — sndryclub@gmail.com.
