View Full Version : Raincovers are they worth it?
gonewalkabout
11-20-2008, 14:19
Are pack rain covers wroth it? I stopped using one years ago as water still got in sometimes. The thing is I wasn't walking for months at a time then and in March I will be. Do any work? Which kind?
I pack my clothing in a drybag and my sleeping bag and down are in plastic bags their stuff sacks.
Thanks
Rain Man
11-20-2008, 14:31
Personal preference. HYOH, so to speak.
An alternative is a trash compactor bag, which you can put inside your pack for some or all its contents. Protects better if you fall into a stream. Double duty as a plastic bag in camp. I use mine sometimes to put my wet boots/shoes in the bottom of my sleeping bag so they don't freeze. Did it this weekend, in fact. Works great.
Rain:sunMan
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Johnny Thunder
11-20-2008, 14:32
I use a 4 ounce sil-nylon pack cover...it might not keep all the water out but it will keep the pack body and things strapped to the outside "dry". Water weight adds up.
The Solemates
11-20-2008, 15:12
i think they are worthless. used them for years but always had wet stuff. i started using large black garbage bags like the ones you put leaves in. they work so much better.
I pack a "ShamWow," kinda. It's not the one on TV with that smarmy little pissant talking like a jersey-city thug, but it's similar. I've had it for 4 years now. Soaks up every damn drop, Wrings Completely Dry and weighs next to nothing, I double it up as an Ass-Pad for sitting on the cold ground and stuff them in my shoes to dry them.
I just use a trash bag as liner.
Find pack covers are a bit heavy for what they do - collect rain water. :)
Plodderman
11-20-2008, 15:59
I just throw a light poncho over my pack when it rains. Haven't had to much touble as everything in my pack is in a waterproof bag anyways.
papa john
11-20-2008, 16:03
It's not the one on TV with that smarmy little pissant talking like a jersey-city thug
LOL, how do you really feel? He is pretty smarmy though isn't he. THe towels do work though, I carry one with me and also use one to wipe down the motorcycle.
Lone Wolf
11-20-2008, 16:07
Are pack rain covers wroth it?
more worth it than water filters and leki poles
Kerosene
11-20-2008, 16:45
I've tried an internal plastic bag but found that water managed to wend its way into the bottom of my pack, and while the contents stayed dry, I was carrying a cup or two of extra water weight.
I use a 2-ounce silnyl pack cover, but I've enhanced it by taking the extra drawcord string at the bottom and hooking it into a mini-biner at the top; plus the same arrangement from side-to-side, resulting in the two cords crossing in the middle of my back. I don't feel the cords at all, but this arrangement keeps the cover tight to my pack and prevents the parachute effect, at the expense of another ounce of weight.
max patch
11-20-2008, 17:00
Are pack rain covers wroth it?
Absolutely.
First line of defense even if you use other "systems" inside your bag.
Keep doing what you're doing. Adding a rain cover doesn't take the place of other precautions, it adds a layer of protection. It also keeps your pack itself from absorbing as much water and becoming heavy.
max patch
11-20-2008, 17:02
Find pack covers are a bit heavy for what they do - collect rain water. :)
I use the pack cover which is made for my pack. Collects no water and keeps everything dry.
My wife used a "generic" pack cover for her bag. It collects a lot of water.
From this I've concluded that the correct fit is key.
Not necessary. Just like Gatorade bottles usually make more sense than Nalgenes, trashbags, make more sense than packcovers. One on the inside of the pack and one on the outside is all that is needed. Pretty much just need the one on the outside is enough, but the second bag weighs so little and adds protection, it's probably best to carry two and a backup.
I should also add, my actual pack is very light and does not absorb water as much as traditional packs.
I have not used a pack cover personally in quite some time, probably over 10 yrs. (FWIW).
D'Artagnan
11-20-2008, 17:22
I keep my compressed sleeping bag inside a garbage bag as well as an extra pair of socks, shorts and a T-shirt. I've had pretty good results with my pack cover but I don't like to take chances I'll be sleeping in a rain-soaked bag. I guess I like the redundancy system and it's weight I'm willing to carry.
garlic08
11-20-2008, 17:48
I should also add, my actual pack is very light and does not absorb water as much as traditional packs.
I have not used a pack cover personally in quite some time, probably over 10 yrs. (FWIW).
On the AT this year, I hiked without a pack cover and got lots of questions about it. I used a trash compactor bag as a liner. Like Mags, my pack is silnylon and does not absorb water. Most hikers who asked realized that they use the pack cover to keep the heavy nylon pack dry, because they get so much heavier when waterlogged.
Yeah, I always have a pack cover with me. Weighs 3 ounces and keeps everything dry. It's worth carrying IMO.
LOL, how do you really feel? He is pretty smarmy though isn't he.
I wouldn't yield to him in a crosswalk. I loathe that kid. Somehow he shows up on all the channels I watch, I bet my TV schedule hits every slot of his.
I got a pack cover for Christmas last year. Since I didn't buy it, I think it's worth it. It does seem to do the job, it's small and only weighs 3 ounces. So far, I like it, but it's not one of those things that I consider essential.
papa john
11-20-2008, 18:19
I wouldn't yield to him in a crosswalk. I loathe that kid. Somehow he shows up on all the channels I watch, I bet my TV schedule hits every slot of his.
:banana I'd pay a buck to watch!
Just thought of one more advantage to using a pack cover.
When it's raining and you need something out of your pack - TP, Lunch, extra layer, whatever. You can open your pack and dig around inside while keeping the pack cover over whatever section you have opened, kinda like a little awning over it. I just do this without thinking about it, so just now realized that it is an advantage.
I think those with bad pack cover experiences either didn't have a good one or the right one for their pack. Mine is custom made by Gregory for my Gregory pack. With the bottom tub of the Gregory pack waterproof, and the bomb proof pack cover, my pack has never gotten wet, and I've hiked all day in some heavy rain many times. I do still pack my spare clothes in a sylnylon stuff sack just to be even safer. But my sleeping bag, in the bottom tub compartment of the pack is not further protected and has never gotten wet.
The reason I prefer to keep the whole pack dry vs. just the stuff inside is I like to have my whole pack in the tent (use a two-man tent as a solo) and I don't want it leaking/dripping water all over.
I think it depends on your pack. Me, personally, the last two trips I've taken have been exceptionally rainy, and I've used a pack cover both times, and it's worked out very well. Unless anything changes, I'm pretty much cemented to my pack cover, it's kept my stuff pretty dry and worked well. Plus, I use it as my easychair/yoga mat at camp.
My SO, however, has a different pack than me, (GG Virga) and uses a liner inside his pack and no pack cover. It works out okay for him. I don't think he'll go back to using a packcover.
My Jam2 pack is waterproof enough for what I carry in it. Perhaps its too waterproof.
Perhaps the real issue is whether or not a backpack should be waterproof or breathable.
The problem with a pack cover is it only covers the back of your pack. The part of the pack that is next to your back is not protected by a pack cover and most likely to hold water and leek.
A silnylon poncho/tarp is versatile and has multiple uses in addition to keeping you and the pack dry.
The problem with a pack cover is it only covers the back of your pack. The part of the pack that is next to your back is not protected by a pack cover and most likely to hold water and leek.May be true for those universal pack covers, the stretch ones, but not my custom Gregory pack cover. It's velcro cinched nearly all the way around even the back side, and comes well down over the top. Even the strap side of my pack doesn't get wet.
saimyoji
11-20-2008, 22:23
http://www.thepacka.com/
vonfrick
11-20-2008, 22:46
more worth it than water filters and leki poles
agreed about the filter, but bein' a girl and all, i like to have good knees ;)
Pickleodeon
11-22-2008, 12:06
I second the Packa. 11 oz. silnylon, pack cover and poncho in one. www.thepacka.com
I think I might get one of those umbrella hats too. Seriously, for bugs, sun, rain. Plus, it'll brighten my day, along with everyone else's, to see a girl with an umbrella hat during three days of downpour.
I use both a trashcompactor liner and a silnylon cover (better safe than sorry!) I don't want my down bag getting wet. So it may be overkill, but it keeps my stuff dry. Besides, my cover is purple and goes with my outfit, lol...
No moving parts. Light. Useful. Why not?
Because I carry a down jacket anmd a down sleeping bag, a waterless pack is essential. The down and other cloth stuff goes into garbage bags. And I always use a waterproof pack cover, for double protection.
I don't like a waterproof pack, though. Waterproofing works both ways. It keep (some) water out, but once water gets in, waterproofing doesn't let water out, easily. Because some rain always gets in, somehow, even with a rain cover, I like an easy exit. I've been known to poke small holes in the bottom of my pack to let water escape easily.
Weary
SawnieRobertson
11-22-2008, 19:05
I always use a rain cover, even when there is 0% chance of precip. For one thing, it is such a terrible decision to make when you hear thunder and see approaching clouds. Should I stop and put it on? Will it pass with just a few drops? If it is already in place, nothing to worry about. The other thing is that it protects the pack and its contents from damaging sun. Rain covers are not so expensive that you can't replace them when they get worn. I use Campmor's.--Kinnickinic
Just thought of one more advantage to using a pack cover.
When it's raining and you need something out of your pack - TP, Lunch, extra layer, whatever. You can open your pack and dig around inside while keeping the pack cover over whatever section you have opened, kinda like a little awning over it. I just do this without thinking about it, so just now realized that it is an advantage.
You can do that with a poncho on - even better.
I plastic bag my clothes and sleeping bag, use a pack cover, and sometimes a poncho. When your week long pack weighs 14 oz. you can afford to add another 3 or 4 for added insurance.
My newest pack cover has a couple of small burn holes from a camp fire.
be careful with all nylon near a fire (especially tents)!
Yeah, I've used a poncho early on in my backpacking, and that is one benefit. A couple others were:
- nice and airy, less sweating
- cover when using a cat hole
- Could be an emergency shelter
- Can provide shelter for your lunch when eating in the rain
Unfortunately, I found the disadvantages outweighed the advantages:
- Blows around and acts as a sail on an exposed ridge
- difficult to get on and get it to cover the pack without help
- Can't take off your pack to dig that cat hole or set up your tent or get water and still keep it protected - you must always be one with your pack - biggest reservation about the Packa too.
- Can't leave the pack out, leaning against a tree during the night without leaving your rain gear out too - something will get wet during the night if you need to make a potty run
- Less effective/more cumbersome wind layer
My preference, Pack cover and Rain jacket.
Rocketman
11-22-2008, 23:36
I use an Equinox Xtra Large pack cover. This model doesn't have a bottom, so there is no place for any water to collect and add weight.
The pack is a Kelty external, so when it is put down leaning against something, the bottom of the pack and stuff sack isn't in contact with the wet ground.
I''ve never gotten anything wet with it. But, I haven't been in that much rain since I paid for it. Perhaps the purchase of the item and carrying it with me wards off the rain.:D
Seems that it might work that way, anyhow.
Blissful
11-22-2008, 23:55
I don't go anywhere without my sil nylon rain cover.
Lyle listed some advantages and disadvantages of using a poncho, concluding with a preference for pack cover and rain jacket.
I'm a fan of the poncho approach, and thus have a slightly different way of looking at the upsides and downsides (of course :-).
Lyle's downsides:
- Blows around and acts as a sail on an exposed ridge
I use some shock cord or even just regular cord to cinch the poncho around my waist, like a belt. Helps a lot with the blowing around issue. I've also heard some people comment about not being able to see their feet when wearing a poncho, and this helps with that too.
- difficult to get on and get it to cover the pack without help
For me, at least, it was a matter of a little practice. Getting the above-mentioned cord around my waist is the hardest bit, but I can do it pretty well now. I keep my poncho in its mesh bag inside an exterior side pocket and can put it on or take it off without removing my pack. It is indeed not a super fast operation, so sometimes when it starts raining I walk without it for a while, and am similarly slow to take it off until I'm sure the rain has sufficiently slowed or stopped.
- Can't take off your pack to dig that cat hole or set up your tent or get water and still keep it protected - you must always be one with your pack - biggest reservation about the Packa too.
This is true, but I imagine that you take off your pack to dig a cat hole or setup a tent in any case. Both of those operations are relatively time-intensive things to do, so messing a little with the poncho in that context doesn't bother me.
- Can't leave the pack out, leaning against a tree during the night without leaving your rain gear out too - something will get wet during the night if you need to make a potty run
This is something specific to a particular packing approach. One can use a light garbage bag over the pack at night (something I always carry a spare of), or keep the pack inside whatever shelter you use
- Less effective/more cumbersome wind layer
This is sort of the obverse of the breathability virtue. I personally like the mix of water (and some wind) proofing vs. the breathability of a poncho.
I'd add to the upsides that Lyle listed for ponchos that it can go beyond just an "emergency" shelter and be your actual shelter. BTW, an option to consider here is the Gatewood Cape. I used a poncho as my only (really, just my never-used backup) shelter for 700 or so miles earlier this year in SoCal. I had also thought of using it as a sun-shelter lean-to in the heat of the days, but for this particular year and my own experience it was never worth doing.
If the poncho isn't my primary shelter, it can be used to augment a regular tent in various ways --- an add-on awning, or a way to reduce heavy rainfall on my singel-wall tent. It's also nice on day hikes in the emergency shelter mode: a little light cord and a few light stakes don't add much weight or bulk.
Brian Lewis
http://postholer.com/brianle
I used a pack cover with my gregory nova pack during my thru and my pack contents stayed dry even in all day downpours.
Brushy Sage
11-23-2008, 19:18
I always use a rain cover, even when there is 0% chance of precip. For one thing, it is such a terrible decision to make when you hear thunder and see approaching clouds. Should I stop and put it on? Will it pass with just a few drops? If it is already in place, nothing to worry about. The other thing is that it protects the pack and its contents from damaging sun. Rain covers are not so expensive that you can't replace them when they get worn. I use Campmor's.--Kinnickinic
Neat idea. Also, I'm wondering if you were backpacking during the snow the past couple days.