View Full Version : Fight to keep your stuff dry
Here what i done in my fight to thing dry in my pack.
1 Seam Sealer all the seams inside my pack
2 clloths in compact trash bag then in drysack
3 Sleeping Bag in compact bag then in stuff sack
4 sleeping pad in compact bag then in stuff sack
5 Food in waterproof stuff sack in also Br/Lu/din in their own glad gallon bags these are the freeze type
6 Of course my Thur-hike book maps and misc. in Glad freeze gllon size bags
My Girlfriend said this is too much But she never hike when it been raining for five days in a row. What do you guys think is this overkill i rater be safe then sorry
Thank
:confused:
Cool AT Breeze
01-09-2009, 13:26
Looks good to me. If you know it's not going to rain, you can skip the compactor bags for a day.
Tipi Walter
01-09-2009, 13:35
On a long backpacking trek w/o town trips, the best way to keep the gear dry is to wait out the rain in your shelter. If I wake up in a hard rain, well, I just stay put until it passes, which could be another 24 hours. Sit tight and read, write in your journal, listen to the radio.
If I'm caught in a mean deluge while hiking, I foot it to the nearest campsite and set up for the night. The "nearest campsite" could be a small pulloff never used or something you've stayed at before. Why walk in a hard rain? Take a break. What's the rush? A five day rain is very rare nowadays though it used to be a common occurence back in the 70s and 80s. Recently here in east TN we've had some serious long-term rains, a rarity and now it ain't raining! Time to take down the tent and move!
Slo-go'en
01-09-2009, 13:38
I think its a little overkill, but error on the side of dryness, eh?
I just line my pack with a trash compactor bag and use a pack cover, but also line my sleeping bag sack, clothes stuff sack and food bag (which aren't water proof) with small trash bags.
I always get a kick out of the boy scouts/church group kids with trash bags on the outside of thier sleeping bag sack and tied to the outside of the pack. About 10 minutes into the trip the trash bag gets all ripped to shreads.
For me that is overkill, but it's your pack so be anal if you want. :D
I don't think it anal to make sure you have dry cloths on a cold day when it been raining all day
read what to the the hiker in the white not to long ago he die because all his stuff was wet
and did not have any dry stuff to chang in to and nothing hot to drink
It was a joke, note the laughing face. No offense intended.
I use a garbage bag for sleeping bag and clothing, food packed in zip locks, and a pack cover. Never had serious wetting of gear in 30+ years, including some multi-day down-pours.
You asked if your method was overkill, I think it is, but to each their own.
Sounds like U have been spending a lot of time living on a leaky submarine.
Alligator
01-09-2009, 14:04
Here what i done in my fight to thing dry in my pack.
1 Seam Sealer all the seams inside my pack
2 clloths in compact trash bag then in drysack
3 Sleeping Bag in compact bag then in stuff sack
4 sleeping pad in compact bag then in stuff sack
5 Food in waterproof stuff sack in also Br/Lu/din in their own glad gallon bags these are the freeze type
6 Of course my Thur-hike book maps and misc. in Glad freeze gllon size bags
My Girlfriend said this is too much But she never hike when it been raining for five days in a row. What do you guys think is this overkill i rater be safe then sorry
Thank
:confused:It's a little overkill.
2. If the drysack is a drysack then you won't need the trash bag:-?. I'm not exactly sure what product you are using here though.
A pack cover or a trashbag pack liner with some things in stuff sacks is pretty normal. Other than my sleeping bag, there's nothing inside my pack doubled up like you are doing. Now I can't remember five straight days in a row of rain, but I've been in torrential downpours where I was crawling up the trail through a waterfall and I still wouldn't have that much redundacy.
I'd say if you are worried about it that much, go with a pack cover, an inside liner, and an extra trash bag on your sleeping bag. Silnylon stuff sacks but not doubled up. You'd be well covered.
UpHillPuffer
01-09-2009, 14:47
When folks write that "Your Way" is overkill.........just remember at the beginning or end of the day........nobody is standing in line to have wet: food, clothes, or sleeping bag.
Hike Your Own Hike & Pack Your Own Pack!
When folks write that "Your Way" is overkill.........just remember at the beginning or end of the day........nobody is standing in line to have wet: food, clothes, or sleeping bag.
Hike Your Own Hike & Pack Your Own Pack!
Read his post, this is exactly what he asked. He wanted people's opinion.
Blissful
01-09-2009, 14:59
Reynolds oven bags work great as a second layer too over the initial stuff sack for clothng and sleeping bag.
I still would use a sil nylon pack cover, actually.
Johnny Swank
01-09-2009, 16:05
To each his own. Here's what I used.
-compactor bag to line my backpack
-trashbag lining my sleeping bag stuffsack if it was guaranteed to rain
-plastic grocery bags for my clothes and food stuffsacks. Rarely used.
The compactor bag by itself worked fine 99% of the time. Had a couple of pinholes in it one day, so a couple tablespoons found their way in. This was readily repaired with duct tape. No big deal.
To each his own. Here's what I used.
-compactor bag to line my backpack
-trashbag lining my sleeping bag stuffsack if it was guaranteed to rain
-plastic grocery bags for my clothes and food stuffsacks. Rarely used.
The compactor bag by itself worked fine 99% of the time. Had a couple of pinholes in it one day, so a couple tablespoons found their way in. This was readily repaired with duct tape. No big deal.
I was going to post something similar. Simple. Cheap. Effective.
The only caveat, is this system works better for lightweight packs that usually use less water absorbing material. If you have a traditional pack with the heavier nylon, you may want to use a pack cover. (But, even then, pack covers alway struck me as like fins on a 1950's car. ;) )
g8trh8tr
01-09-2009, 16:43
Your gear should definitely stay dry which is the end goal. However, I would not recommend seam sealing the pack seams because if water does get in it will stay in which defeats the purpose. Unless of course you have some sort of drain hole.
Johnny Thunder
01-09-2009, 16:55
I still think pack covers (of some sort) are necessary because they keep water from getting into and on everything inside and outside the pack. It's gospel that they're not perfect so you should have some reasonable back up inside the pack; however, the pad/tent/raingear/etc strapped to the outside should be kept close to dry with the pack cover.
I used a pack cover and one compactor bag liner and kept things perfectly dry all summer. Small things that didn't go in the compactor bag were in zip locks. Everything was fine.
pack cover and one trash compactor liner is all I use.
garlic08
01-09-2009, 18:53
I just use one trash compactor bag without a pack cover, but I use a silnylon pack that absorbs no water, like Mags noted. I put the sleeping bag and clothing in the plastic bag, and I let everything else get wet. I try to put my tarptent over the top of the trash bag so it sheds more water. I replace the trash bag when I replace my shoes, about every 600 miles or so. I inspect the bag for holes every couple of days, and repair it with duct tape if needed, which is very seldom. This rain protection system weighs less than one ounce. So in my mind, you have some overkill, but do you need to learn what works for you.
I had the compactor bag leak on me one time, just an ounce or so, when I packed up in a hurry and didn't fold the top of the bag over enough. The gear was fine, just human error and I'm always more careful now.
zip lock for toilet paper. I like mine dry.
Overkill? Perhaps--but there is clearly very little risk of your stuff getting wet (which appears to be your goal). And, having dry stuff certainly isn't the worst goal in the world. Sometimes dry stuff is a real life saver. The good news is that the various trash bags and compactor bags take up relatively little volume (space) and the extra weight is pretty minimal. Thus, it is basically a case of "no harm no foul". Who knows, you could run into a "Hefty" situation where you might be extremely "Glad" that you had the extra bags with you.
4eyedbuzzard
01-09-2009, 22:30
...Who knows, you could run into a "Hefty" situation where you might be extremely "Glad" that you had the extra bags with you.
Keeping stuff dry is a "Cinch" with the right "Sak". [I can't believe I stooped to this:o...In a straight forward thread no less...there goes my moderator stripes:eek:]
Serial 07
01-09-2009, 22:41
grocery store plastic bags..i also used them for food bags and clothes...i like the pack cover/compactor bag combo...so usually i am pretty free with what's happening on the inside, clothes mostly strewned about...
take-a-knee
01-10-2009, 10:36
Line your pack with a white Hefty trash compacter bag. Get silnylon (or heavier) drybags with rolltop closures for your sleeping bag and clothing. Load these into you pack first with the clothing on top. Tuck the top of the compactor bag between itself and the inside of the pack. If you want to be able to toss the pack into the creek or swim with it, do a "gooseneck" closure with a rubberband.
Outside the compactor bag. load your raingear into a stuffsack (I use a Sea to Summit rolltop for this also), then load your foodbag and cookset/stove, it doesn't hurt this stuff to get a bit damp.
The rational behind this method is you don't need your sleeping bag during the day, but you might need some warm clothing, since this is loaded on top of the bag, you don't have to dump everything out to access it. I would also add a silnylon raincover, it needs to be dummy corded to the pack in case a branch or the wind pulls it off, if you don't do this you will lose it.
Plodderman
01-10-2009, 10:55
Sounds good to me. I use trash bags, water proof bags and gallon size bags. The extra weight is not as much as it would be if everything was wet.
I think stuff still gets wet, so you have to be as prepared for dealing with wet stuff as you do to keep it dry. I also like running and hiking in the rain, and can usually hike longer on rainy days. I think its a good exercise to consider yourself out there with everything wet, except the sleeping bag maybe just a little, and then ask yourself if the clothing and gear you have is such that you could deal with that until you have a chance to get it all dry again. Even after falling in a stream on a rainy day you should be able to get it all fairly dry just by wringing it out and hiking in it. In general keep the wool on, and use fleece and synthetics and light shells as the stuff that goes on and off. Sleeping bags should be the only thing that need serious protection.
sore ankle
01-11-2009, 19:46
I use a compacter bag to line my pack, then put my sleeping bag in a 2 gallon zip lock freezer bag, and put it in the middle of the pack. Clothes also go into a 2 gallon zip lock freezer bag. Rain jacket goes at the top of the pack.
Chaco Taco
01-11-2009, 20:24
Start with a industrial stength contractor garbage bag as your bag liner. Pack your sleeping bag in a garbage bag loose on teh bottom, no stuff sack. Pack you shelter on top of that section, like your rain fly rolled up, then your tent body in front of that and your footprint on top of that. This will set a seal over top of your sleeping bag. On rainy days, pack in your bag in the garbage bag along with everything else that needs to stay dry and roll down your pack liner, then put your shelter on top. If your roll everything apart of your tent separately, it will stay dry. Also, in your front pouch, just use ziplocks and small dry sacks. Rain cover is a must but know that you will get condensation buildupin side. The Seato Summit sil pack liners suck. Donmt waste your money just use a contractor grade bag
Personally I feel your waterproofing startegy is overkill.
Are you using the sort of dry bags that have the actual white layer on the inside, or like the cheap ones just made of Nylon with inner liner? The ones with the liner are quite a bit heavier when you add up several bags and there is no need. The cheap WalMart stuff sacks which come in a pack of 3 for 10 dollars are plenty waterproof enough. They still have the roll up top of the more expensive lined stuff sacs, but weight a fraction as much. I had my pack completely submerged in the Orbeton Stream just North of Rangely for a full minute during a failed stream crossing and no water got in to those cheap stuff sacs.
Ziploc makes extremely large sized bags now, I roll my sleeping bag up in one of those and say screw the rest, let it get wet. I feel like pack covers are pointless. Sure your pack weighs more wet, but it weighs more(but not much ofcourse) carrying a pointless pack cover on dry days too.
Waterprood the necessities, let the rest get wet.
saimyoji
01-11-2009, 21:11
I feel like pack covers are pointless. Sure your pack weighs more wet, but it weighs more(but not much ofcourse) carrying a pointless pack cover on dry days too.
Waterprood the necessities, let the rest get wet.
Well, the weight difference is pretty large. Depending on the pack weight, it may take on a pound or few in water, vs. 3-4 oz. for a full size pack cover. I use a cover.
Why let all your stuff get wet when you can keep it dry for little weight gain? :-?
saimyoji
01-11-2009, 21:14
Well, the weight difference is pretty large. Depending on the pack weight, it may take on a pound or few in water, vs. 3-4 oz. for a full size pack cover. I use a cover.
Why let all your stuff get wet when you can keep it dry for little weight gain? :-?
pack weight should read pack material. :o
"I know my pack is waterproof, it stopped raining 3 hours ago & there is still an inch of water in the bottom!"
buckwheat
01-11-2009, 21:38
Reynolds oven bags work great as a second layer too over the initial stuff sack for clothng and sleeping bag.
Bliss,
I have trouble finding these in my grocery store. Where the heck do they hide these???
Wise Old Owl
01-11-2009, 21:53
Keeping stuff dry is a "Cinch" with the right "Sak". [I can't believe I stooped to this:o...In a straight forward thread no less...there goes my moderator stripes:eek:]
Five tongue / finger lashings with a rubber band for you!
Partinj
All kidding aside, the loads of plastic, garbage bags is exactly what I do when on a kayak / canoe trip because it has to stay dry every time we swamp as I do whitewater. For the trail you can relax a little, before dry sack hit the shelves I used a kitchen bag inside the lightweight pack and that was usually enough. When hiking with the club I got a few HUH'S? when they clearly saw the internal kitchen bag. Hey it works.
one thing I picked up on your post - was clothes??? plural. Other than socks and underwear, why plural? are you hiking in heavy cotton?
I'm not sure this is "overkill". It is no fun being cold and wet, and the last time I looked, there was no one selling dry clothes along the trail.
I'm not sure this is "overkill". It is no fun being cold and wet, and the last time I looked, there was no one selling dry clothes along the trail.
Winton does. :D
River Runner
01-13-2009, 00:36
one thing I picked up on your post - was clothes??? plural. Other than socks and underwear, why plural? are you hiking in heavy cotton?
Don't most hikers take extra layers for camp or at least a base layer they keep dry for sleeping?
River Runner
01-13-2009, 00:43
Here what i done in my fight to thing dry in my pack.
1 Seam Sealer all the seams inside my pack
2 clloths in compact trash bag then in drysack
3 Sleeping Bag in compact bag then in stuff sack
4 sleeping pad in compact bag then in stuff sack
5 Food in waterproof stuff sack in also Br/Lu/din in their own glad gallon bags these are the freeze type
6 Of course my Thur-hike book maps and misc. in Glad freeze gllon size bags
My Girlfriend said this is too much But she never hike when it been raining for five days in a row. What do you guys think is this overkill i rater be safe then sorry
Thank
:confused:
The double bag system on the sleeping pad seems overkill even to me.
I also double bag my clothing sack and sleeping bag - I use oven cooking bags inside a Sea-to Summit dry bag for a light system. I like to use the plastic bag inside the stuff sack, which protects it from tears.
buckwheat
01-13-2009, 04:59
If you have a traditional pack with the heavier nylon, you may want to use a pack cover. (But, even then, pack covers alway struck me as like fins on a 1950's car. ;) )
Mags,
I have a couple of questions about this. I've primarily considered my pack cover to be merely a first line of defense to keep water from thoroughly soaking the material of my pack and making it heavier. Somewhat, it protects the contents, but this is how I view my pack cover.
Inside my pack, I don't use a compactor bag (primarily because I haven't found where they hide them at my dadgum grocery store yet).
There are items I consider to be "sacred" in my pack in that I want to take extra precaution that they never get wet:
my food
my spare set of clothing
my tinder kit
my down sleeping bag
any electronics I might be carrying such as a camera or GPS
Everything else in my pack, I consider that it might get damp and consider that OK in that I certainly want to avoid that, but I will allow it to occur so long as by doing so I don't destroy the item or allow it to absorb the water resulting in extra weight. I will not go to much length to protect these items (aluminum tent poles, head net, etc.) but not go to any extra length to protect them from rain.
I do keep my down sleeping bag in a garbage bag inside the stuff sack. I keep my food in a drybag which doubles as a hang-able bear bag. I also keep my sacred set of clothing in a roll-top drybag which I would say is "watertight" if not "waterproof." Tinder and electronic gear also get the drybag treatment
Everything else inside my pack is stored inside of some other bag (either made of silnylon stuff material or ziplock plastic).
Overkill? Am I considering everything? I tend to not want to hike in the rain, so this is an area where I have a lot less experience than most LD hikers, so I'd appreciate any further insights you could give.
Cheers,
Buckwheat
I got some great ideas from your post. Thanks. I would rather overkill and be dry. I have a Packa, have you looked into that instead of a pack cover?
buckwheat
01-13-2009, 09:25
I got some great ideas from your post. Thanks. I would rather overkill and be dry. I have a Packa, have you looked into that instead of a pack cover?
I've taken a look, but don't own a Packa, primarily because they cost $115.00. To give you some perspective on that price, I'd note that I did not pay that much for my pack and paid just slightly more than that for a tent made of 1.2 oz. silnylon. The Packa seems like a very expensive solution that will not keep your legs dry (my opinion) and has breathability issues. YMMV.
The pack cover I use came with my pack, which is why I use it, but in my planning I've been assuming the worst (i.e., I want some of the conents of my pack to stay dry regardless of the performance of my pack cover solution).
I do carry other lightweight, yet waterproof rain gear (FroggToggs) for myself (another reason why I don't feel a Packa meets my needs).
Even then, my assumption is that there will be times when my pack gets soaked, regardless of my best efforts. However, in those times, I still want some of the contents to survive dry (such as clothing, food and my down sleeper). So, really I look at the pack cover as an item that, if it works fine, but if it doesn't I want the contents protected separately.
I have an irrational fear of hypothermia, perhaps! Should keep me alive in the worst of circumstances, however.
dessertrat
01-13-2009, 10:25
I just use a big garbage bag for a liner, and a small waterproof bag for my snacks during the day. Seems to work fine.
Thank for all the great posts i do have a pack cover it was made for my pack got it when i got the pack the pack cover is a little heavy 12oz. i was gone to stop at neel's and see if they have a more light weight cover that would fit my pack.
Berserker
01-13-2009, 15:18
I’m in the camp with those that think this is overkill. Lining your pack with a trash compactor bag and using a pack cover is sufficient (especially since you seam sealed your pack). You gotta think about how much water you are actually going to take on in your pack during a normal day. If you are hiking all day in a steady rain, you’ll probably only get some very minor leakage around the sides of the pack cover. Then most of that water isn’t even going to make it through the pack material. If any does, then you have the protection of the trash compactor bag. Even if you get a little hole in the trash compactor bag there isn’t going to be a sufficient amount of water leaking into the pack and funneling through the hole to actually get anything wet. You can even check the trash compactor bag every morning for leaks and patch it up with duct tape.
I’m not trying to sound crass with my post, I just say all this cause all those bags add up in weight. Plus it’s a hassle to bag everything up like that. You are more likely to get things wet by not being careful when setting up camp.
Another option is to use a sil-nylon poncho. That will not only cover you up, but it will also cover up your pack. I use one in warmer weather, and it weighs about 10 oz.
maxpatch67
01-14-2009, 00:01
I've found the only sure thing is using either tashbags for bigger compartments or ziplocks for the smaller stuff. I've given up on trying to keep water from getting on or in the pack and just make sure my stuff is dry inside of it.
maxpatch67
01-14-2009, 00:11
Actually, that's "trashbags" in the previous post. Anyway, I don't care if water flows freely in and through my pack with my stuff staying dry in the plastic trashbags or ziplock bags inside. They are a pretty fool proof and light weight method of keeping your stuff dry. Plus they are cheap!
Just wonder What the five stars mean next to the post
HikerRanky
01-20-2009, 15:24
Just wonder What the five stars mean next to the post
Somebody rated this thread....
gonewalkabout
01-27-2009, 19:13
Is a compactor bag as heavy duty (thick) as a landscaping trash bag? I surpose you have to buy a box of either?
garlic08
01-27-2009, 23:12
My compactor bags are 2.5 mil, landscaping bags are 3 mil. But I like compactor bags better because 1) they're cheaper, 2) you can buy fewer of them, 3) they're a better size for the pack, 4) they're white and you can see into them better in poor light.
Rain Man
01-28-2009, 11:24
My compactor bags are 2.5 mil, landscaping bags are 3 mil. But I like compactor bags better because 1) they're cheaper, 2) you can buy fewer of them, 3) they're a better size for the pack, 4) they're white and you can see into them better in poor light.
Amen, amen, and AMEN. ESPECIALLY on the "they're white and you can see into your pack" benefit. That alone just about makes trash compactor bags worthwhile. They are the perfect size for most packs.
Don't forget, they are multi-purpose. Boots wet and muddy on a freezing night? Throw 'em in the compactor bag and push it to the bottom of your sleeping bag. You'll NEVER had frozen boots in the morning.
I also use sil-nylon stuff sacks for sorting my clothes, food, and sleeping bag. For my sleeping bag stuff sack, I also line it with a clear, oven/turkey roaster bag. Again, the perfect size and very tough and light-weight. Often the sleeping bag is on the outside of my pack or beneath the trash compactor bag inside my pack. I don't mind the "double" or "triple" kill on my down bag.
But back to your post, I agree, white trash compactor bags are the way to go, IMHO. Pack covers are nice in theory, but the only time I use them is in hunting season, and then only because I have blaze orange pack covers.
Rain:sunMan
.
Chaplain
07-24-2009, 02:21
Gallon size zip lock for items: one for a shirt, one for extra socks, one for"longjohns" etc., Then waterproof food bag lined with transbag. Sleeing bag in a plastic zip lock and in pack. etc., etc., and then pack cover. I got tired of pulling off the pack cover to get at the pack though. So now I think I do all this but also have a compactor bag lining the inside.