Rain protection for your pack?

[tnvarmint]

I am just curious but does anyone use dry sacks for all their gear and not use a rain cover or trash compactor bag? For example, all your clothes in a dry sack, bag/quilt in a dry sack, etc. I am thinking of going this route and wonder if anyone else does it or has done it. Does it work or not?

[Stink Bug]

I am just curious but does anyone use dry sacks for all their gear and not use a rain cover or trash compactor bag? For example, all your clothes in a dry sack, bag/quilt in a dry sack, etc. I am thinking of going this route and wonder if anyone else does it or has done it. Does it work or not?

I don't care for dry sacks as they compress the contents and just make bricks which doesn't utilize the space very efficiently. My preferred method is to line my pack with a contractor bag and put my quilt, food, tent etc inside that. My clothes (spare socks, beanie and insulation jacket) I pack loosely inside a mylar turkey roasting bag. and that goes at the top.

[leaftye]

They're so expensive. I'd consider it if I made my own. It's be oversized to hold all my insulation gear, have a one way valve, and use thinner fabric.

The main reason I'd consider one is the valve. I find it a bit annoying that my pack liner bag wants to open when I compress my pack.

[Drybones]

I am just curious but does anyone use dry sacks for all their gear and not use a rain cover or trash compactor bag? For example, all your clothes in a dry sack, bag/quilt in a dry sack, etc. I am thinking of going this route and wonder if anyone else does it or has done it. Does it work or not?

I used dry bags, not only to keep stuff dry but to organize as well, if you just throw everything in your pack it's hard to find things. I did wear a poncho that covered my pack when it rained so very little rain made it to the pack. If wearing a rain jacket instead of the poncho I would use a compactor trash bag in addition to the dry bags, it's very little weight to assure you stay dry.

[swjohnsey]

Pack covers ain't perfect but they keep alot of the moisture out of you pack. Water is heavy. Check out Zpacks cuben pack covers. They don't cost much more than more conventional ones.

[tnvarmint]

My main thoughts behind this are like Drybones said for organization. Secondly for summer months I absolutely hate dealing with pack covers and even rain jackets. I thought it would be nice for when a shower came to just keep on trecking and not even worry about it. If everything were in dry sacks in my pack then who cares if the pack gets a little wet. Aside from the added weight from the wetness but that is a price I am willing to pay.

[BirdBrain]

I don't care for dry sacks as they compress the contents and just make bricks which doesn't utilize the space very efficiently. My preferred method is to line my pack with a contractor bag and put my quilt, food, tent etc inside that. My clothes (spare socks, beanie and insulation jacket) I pack loosely inside a mylar turkey roasting bag. and that goes at the top.

Combine that approach with a Packa and things will stay as dry as they can.

[Mfrenchy]

I used all 3 on my thru-hike. Keeping your sleeping bag and clothes dry can be vital if the temperature drops on a wet day. I used three different dry sacks, they are just waterproof bags (no valves), one for my sleeping bag, one for my spare clothes, and one for my food bag. It kept my main backpack compartment organized.

[Slo-go'en]

I belive in tripple layer protection. Rain cover to keep the pack from getting water logged, compactor bag liner in case the pack does get water logged and dry sack or small trash bag lined stuff sacks for critical stuff like sleeping bag and clothes.

[tds1195]

Pack covers ain't perfect but they keep alot of the moisture out of you pack. Water is heavy. Check out Zpacks cuben pack covers. They don't cost much more than more conventional ones.

I like the look of them, but I wouldn't call $40+ cheap...

[jeffmeh]

I belive in tripple layer protection. Rain cover to keep the pack from getting water logged, compactor bag liner in case the pack does get water logged and dry sack or small trash bag lined stuff sacks for critical stuff like sleeping bag and clothes.

Ex-RMC guy for the win! Although if I'm only out for a weekend I usually skip the pack cover.

[tnvarmint]

The reason I hate pack covers is because I tend to have things dangling from my pack on occasion such as crocs, pads, mugs, etc. Not always but sometimes. And when you have a size 13 foot those crocs can be an absolute pain to get under the cover. I don't know guess I am just lazy lol.

[Slo-go'en]

The reason I hate pack covers is because I tend to have things dangling from my pack on occasion such as crocs, pads, mugs, etc.

I try real hard not to have things dangle from the outside of my pack. I always get a kick out of seeing people looking like a pack mule with all the stuff swinging and clanking outside pack.

[tnvarmint]

Remember Sam from Lord of the Rings? That's me.

Seriously though I do try to limit what I have dangling from my pack also but I tend to carry extra stuff along the way from my wife's pack when she comes with me. Add to that a sleeping pad that I occasionally carry for added warmth in the hammock and it is next to impossible to get a pack cover over my pack at times.

[Starchild]

My plan to work with waters natural tendencies. A pack cover to encourage water flow around my pack, added to that is my pack is water resistant, a exit hole at the bottom of my pack for water that insists and a drybag that hold all my sleeping gear that water will never even know even exists.

Do I also need a contraction bag...

???

[SCRUB HIKER]

I am just curious but does anyone use dry sacks for all their gear and not use a rain cover or trash compactor bag? For example, all your clothes in a dry sack, bag/quilt in a dry sack, etc. I am thinking of going this route and wonder if anyone else does it or has done it. Does it work or not?

I've essentially done this, and yes it succeeds in keeping things dry. I was using a combination of Sea-to-Summit Ultra-Sil dry-bags, knockoffs, and Ziploc bags (for food). I ditched my pack cover halfway through the AT because it was almost completely useless. As other people have noted, there are pros and cons to keeping every single thing in dry-sacks (I don't do it anymore for simplicity and packability's sake), but it will keep everything dry.

[Drybones]

My plan to work with waters natural tendencies. A pack cover to encourage water flow around my pack, added to that is my pack is water resistant, a exit hole at the bottom of my pack for water that insists and a drybag that hold all my sleeping gear that water will never even know even exists.

Do I also need a contraction bag...

???

I expect that hole in the bottom of your pack to be like the holes in the bottom of sit-on-top kayaks...the good thing is that it lets water out...the bad thing is that it lets water in...bottom line, you get wet.

[Papa D]

Keep important stuff in dry bags
Line your pack with a contractor bag (optional)
Pack Cover - keeps pack dry and from getting soaked and heavy (moderately effective)

[leaftye]

With an umbrella, poncho, pack liner and oversized stuff sack, I think my gear will still dry. The umbrella is good for keeping gear dry while digging into my pack.

[TheGreek]

I am using both. Right now I have 4 Dry bags:

-1 Sea to Summit eVent Compression Dry Bag (for my sleeping bag)
-1 Sea to Summit Ultralight 20L Dry Bag (Clothes, misc.)
-1 Sea to Summit Ultralight 8L Dry Bag (Food Bag)
-1 Sea to Summit Ultralight 1L Dry Bag (Kindle, extra battery for phone, cables)

The weight wasn't very much more than using stuff sacks. I also have a pack cover.

I hate wet gear.