pack covers

[ekeverette]

i've got a osprey 70, and i bought a "rain cover" for it from wally-world for 8 bucks. the one at the outfitter store is 50.00 bucks.. i hate to get off the money, but is the wally-world cover going to fail me, should i go ahead and get the good one? i've seen garbage bags used, but that looks very loose fitting.... thanks

[4eyedbuzzard]

The WW one is probably going to keep your pack as dry as any other coated nylon pack cover. Many don't use anything on the outside of the pack, as pack covers don't cover the suspension, hipbelt, back padding, etc and the pack winds up getting wet anyway. Some use trash compacter bags inside the pack. Some use plastic garbage bags inside (or out). Some just use waterproof stuff sacks and ziplocks. SOme use a combination especially for sleeping bag and clothing. Some use an oversize poncho or a "packa" to keep both themselves and the pack dry (I don't own one but the packa gets pretty good reviews usually). Lots of ways to keep your gear dry.

[Sierra Echo]

If you're really worried, go back to to wally world. In the shoe department is some stuff called camp dri. Get that and follow the directions. It will waterproof your wally world fly. I did that with my REI fly just to be on the safe side. I also used that on my tent and have had no problems with getting wet.

[MuddyWaters]

do you want to keep your pack dry, or the contents dry?

1. Unless sleeping gear and clothing is in true drybags with roll top closure, line the pack with a garbage bag or trash compactor bag, and put sleeping gear and clothing inside it, twist it up nice and tight, and tuck the twisted length down in between the bag and pack wall to hold it there. This will keep everything important bone dry even if you fall in a stream, and the pack comes off and floats downstream.

It also lets you pack a wet tent in the bottom of the pack if need to, and keep your other gear dry.

2. a pack cover might keep part of your pack dry in a light shower for a little while. Thats it. Part will still be wet, water will soak thru seams and still get inside, etc. In a heavy downpour you pack will be soaked anyway.

I use a trash compactor bag , weighs 1.2 oz. A pack cover generally is way too heavy, and just doesnt work. Some will weigh half a pound. Thats a lot of dead weight to carry for something that really doenst work.

If I was to use a pack cover, I would use a 0.55 cuben fiber one that would weigh about one ounce. Its function would not be to keep contents dry, but to help keep pack dry in light rain, or under tarp or vestibule in bad weather. A wet pack can weigh a pound more than a dry one, and doesnt dry fast.

[ekeverette]

thank you very much....so much useful information, everytime i ask!

[Rain Man]

Another vote for a trash compactor bag inside your pack (since you asked). I have an expensive Gregory pack cover. Hasn't been used in years.

RainMan

.

[rjhouser]

I also bought the wally world pack cover before my last trip because my friend borrowed mine. Haven't had the chance to test it yet though, I'm curious if anybody else has experience with them too? Also, what's the best way to keep a down sleeping bag dry in a downpour? Put its stuff sack in a trash bag?

[Sly]

I use an inverted trash bag over the top. I'll make a slit each side to accommodate my shoulder straps. Another technique if it's constantly raining is to cut a hole for your shoulder strap, unfasten the strap and feed it through. When you're not using it bunch it up and tuck it in the lift loop.

Other times when it's a light or medium rain (or I forget a trash bag), I'll tie my rain jacket around the pack using the arms of the jacket, with the shoulders over the top of the pack and the hood loose enough to put over my head if needed.

[ChinMusic]

i've got a osprey 70, and i bought a "rain cover" for it from wally-world for 8 bucks. the one at the outfitter store is 50.00 bucks.. i hate to get off the money, but is the wally-world cover going to fail me, should i go ahead and get the good one? i've seen garbage bags used, but that looks very loose fitting.... thanks

You cannot count on ANY pack covers to protect your bag/clothes. You need other dry sacks for your bag/etc or something like a trash compactor bag inside you pack. Pack covers can only keep your stuff dry for so long. Water will find a way in.

I view a cuben pack cover as a net weight savings (wet packs are heavier and stay wet for quite awhile) and not a method for protecting my gear. If the pack cover is heavy, I personally would go without. YMMV

[Wise Old Owl]

Uhh we have discussed this many times - I finally asked Sgt Rock a few years ago and discovered he's sees pack covers as a good thing.. My thoughts are that the sleep bag and down jacket should be in a sil-compression bag and the contents should be in a LW 40 gallon kitchen garbage bag. and have a spare... This allows me to turn the pack into a survival support system when floating down stream in deep or wide river crossings. go figure...

[harryfred]

I do not use a pack cover and i have been in some of the worse rain you will ever see on the east coast of NA trust me. all my stuff is in a large contractors grade trash bag (Wally World) and/or in a ziploc bag I sleep warm and DRY at night.

[FritztheCat]

Packs still get wet, even with pack covers. I found a giant, and I mean GIANT, ziplock bag at Walmart. It fit completely inside my Aether 70 and still zipped. Was the best water protection gear I purchased!

[max patch]

In a heavy downpour you pack will be soaked anyway.

No it won't.

[lemon b]

I use a Sea to Summit Pack cover and keep my bag and sensitive stuff in trash bags. I'm not a micro manager of the weight of those type of items. Staying dry and warm is what matters.

[Lyle]

do you want to keep your pack dry, or the contents dry?


2. a pack cover might keep part of your pack dry in a light shower for a little while. Thats it. Part will still be wet, water will soak thru seams and still get inside, etc. In a heavy downpour you pack will be soaked anyway.

Not my experience.

My pack cover always keeps my pack substantially dryer than it would be without one. Bone dry? no. Much dryer? definitely. Has for 30 plus years in light showers and all-day downpours. Some covers work better than others, some have weak points, but all are worthwhile. Especially now that silnylon has gotten the weight down to about 2 oz. Pack covers are a very useful and effective part of your rain system.

[hikerboy57]

ive got a sea to summit cover, keep anything I want bone dry in ziplocs.tried using a trash bag liner, but in humid weather, my cloths would end up damp anyway.

[Lyle]

I also bought the wally world pack cover before my last trip because my friend borrowed mine. Haven't had the chance to test it yet though, I'm curious if anybody else has experience with them too? Also, what's the best way to keep a down sleeping bag dry in a downpour? Put its stuff sack in a trash bag?

Regarding the sleeping bag. Most often I just loosely pack my down bag and camp clothes in the pack, inside a heavy weight plastic bag. They have never gotten wet. If you want to use a stuff sack, put the plastic bag inside it, as a liner. The stuff sack is much tougher, and will protect the plastic from inadvertent punctures. This was how bags usually got packed back in the days when they were strapped to the outside of the pack. Never had a wet bag then either.