View Full Version : Pack Liner?
baseballswthrt
09-16-2004, 18:37
Is a pack liner necessary? I have never used one, I have always only used a pack cover in the rain. I noticed that a lot of people use them.
Anita
I used a silnylon pack liner this summer on the AT and liked it alot. No need for a separate pack cover, and the protection is always on, which means you do not have to put it on or off. The only downside is that if it rains, you won't be able to use your pack as a foot rest while sleeping. I didn't use the liner on the GDT because I was testing out a new packcover from ULA.
jackiebolen
09-17-2004, 10:36
I used the ultra deluxe double garbage bag system. One bag lined the inside of the pack and the other one went over the contents of the entire inside of the pack. I hope that makes sense. Anyway, I then used an umbrella to fend off most of the rain to start with. Worked for me. My stuff only got wet once in 1500 miles.
Footslogger
09-17-2004, 17:39
Might not fall in the "necessary" category but I'd rated it "highly recommended". Face it ...pack covers all leak (sooner or later). On top of that you often put your pack down on less than warm/dry ground. Plastic bags are the way to go but the light-weight kitchen sized ones rip out pretty easily. On my thru last year I started off with just a pack cover and ended up with a lot of damp/wet clothing. After a few weeks I saw someone with a heavy weight plastic bag inside their pack and asked them about it. Turns out that it was a plastic compactor bag (5 pack at Wal-Mart). I got some in the next town and started using one right away. It lasted until around Harpers. I put the rest in my bounce box and retrieved one in Harpers that got me all the way to Katahdin. We had more than our share of rain last year and I can honestly say that NEVER had anything inside my pack get wet once I started using the liner bag.
I'll never hike again without one. Just my .02
'Slogger
AT 2003
I always use a lawn and leaf bag to line my bag. Also use garbage bags to covered my sleeping pad and sleeping bag. You only need them wet once to be convince of the need to bag even if you use a pack cover.
Garbage compactor bags are the best. I used the same on all the way from georgia to maine. Pack covers are worthless and leak. I never had a problem with the liners, and I had a ton of rain!
in defense of pack covers, I should say that my new one didn't leak at all while on the GDT. Made of a single piece of silnylon, there are no seams to seal. With elastic material on the edges, it goes on and stays on. With all pack covers, however, one must remember that there are unprotected parts, namely the back panel. In a heavy rain, the water will run down onto this and soak through the packcloth. If you don't have a liner, some stuff will get wet.