View Full Version : backpack raincovers?
cookiecutter
03-11-2011, 00:30
I just bought a kelty backpack for $100.00 , the rain cover is over $30.00. Can I buy a generic brand? I see cheap ones on ebay are they any good?
Thanks to all who reply.
Any good rain cover should do for you; just make sure it's the right size (usually stated by the volume of the pack in liters or cubic inches).
Some people say rain covers don't work, but in my experience, they work just peachy.
will1972
03-11-2011, 00:38
Etowah Outfitters, you will not be disappointed. EBAY has then for about $20
Mtn Scout
03-11-2011, 01:10
i had a smaller pack that did not have one, but i wanted one. i found one on ebay for like 8 bucks new. it works great
KillerKowalski
03-11-2011, 03:47
Buy generic. I bought one generic in 2000 when I first started. I still have it today. It is not name brand and it works.
Sergemaster
03-11-2011, 15:22
You can always use one of the old ALICE pack covers floating around ebay and the military suplus market for a few dollars. Plus they look cool too in either woodland or Desert chocolate chip.
Cheers,
Serge
Stir Fry
03-11-2011, 19:16
$10 to buy a yard and half of sil-nylon. and make it to fit.
banjo_dog
03-11-2011, 19:43
$10 to buy a yard and half of sil-nylon. and make it to fit.
+1 to that! and you can make it any color you want. i think there was a thing on Just Jeff's homemade hammock gear for one that had a few other uses as well, and was made out of a simple rectangle and drawstring. i'll be making mine for sure!
"$10 to buy a yard and half of sil-nylon. and make it to fit."
If you do make your own (good idea ...), or even if you don't, I suggest that you do what you can to test for how well it stays on in high wind. At some point if you backpack enough you'll run into very high winds, and that's not the time to find that your pack cover isn't very secure ---
gonehikn
03-12-2011, 00:59
I was in walmart today and saw an outdoor products pack cover for $5. I dont know how good it is, but looked o.k.
WILLIAM HAYES
03-12-2011, 05:17
after you get a pack cover make sure you also line your pack with a heavy duty trash bag to make certain that things stay dry
mweinstone
03-12-2011, 06:03
golite makes my favorite packcover.it shreds instantly and costs a fourtune. i wanna make a packcoverthat is also a kite when used with two sticks.
"let me get this straight, I just spent three hundred bucks on a backpack and I have to buy a rain cover for it!" B. Bryson
Ditto on the Etowah covers, they work very well!
If you do decide to use a pack cover, several posters have recommended putting gusseted holes in the bottom of it to allow water to drain that would otherwise accumulate and run down your backside.
Tenderheart
03-12-2011, 16:55
Forget the raincovers. They don't work. They don't work. They don't work. Get a plastic compactor bag and put your delicates inside the bag inside the pack.
litefoot 2000
seabrookhiker
03-12-2011, 20:43
Call me crazy but I use a trash compactor bag *and* a pack cover. I like having my things in the pockets outside my pack have a little protection. But no, pack covers will not keep the contents of your pack dry.
Don't bother with the manufacturer pack cover, as you will probably be replacing it anyway, after a mouse chews through it or you tear it on rocks or branches.
It's nice when they come with drain holes, but a few holes poked in the bottom with your knife will work too. I've stuck my crocks in the bottom to keep my pack out of the puddle. Works, but the shoes kick you in the butt all all day. :)
I always buy blaze orange pack covers now. During hunting season they can save your hide, and the rest of the year they make it easy to find your pack cover in the shelter or pack.
SawnieRobertson
03-13-2011, 18:08
On the hottest, driest day, you will see me using my pack cover. It protects my things from sun damage, you see. Mostly, it protects me from the frustration of enduring the indecision of whether or not to stop, pull it out of my pack, and put it on when rain clouds are moving around above. It is, after all, a pack cover, not just a rain cover.--
Kinnickinic
Well I'm going to make my own and also use a bag inside for extra protection.
Bryson has a point. Can someone explain why backpacks are not waterproof? Seems like kind of a basic design parameter.
Bryson has a point. Can someone explain why backpacks are not waterproof? Seems like kind of a basic design parameter.
Seams. Gotta stich them together somehow. You can try to seam seal one, but better off using water proof stuff sacks, or some sort of bag liner.
just put everything inside waterproof bags an no rain cover will be needed.
Panzer
wornoutboots
03-13-2011, 21:57
I have a Kelty as well, bought a generic pack cover at Bass Pro @ $15, it has a clip on it, that I can clip it to my pack in high winds
EastCoastFeastCoast
03-13-2011, 23:07
I think I've used my pack cover on my pack a handful of times... maybe. I do, however, use it all the time to carry my kitchen stuff, food, misc crap around camp when my pack is empty or up on a bear line!
Covers are kind of a pain. But I walk in some rainy places, and I use both a waterproof liner and a pack cover to keep my things as dry as possible. Three things I want in my cover:
An appropriate size. A billowing pack cover is no good.
Shock cord rather than standard accessory cord around the cover's perimeter. It gives you a superior fit with less effort.
A strap running between your back and the pack connecting the two sides of the cover. This gives you peace of mind in place in windy conditions. Few covers come this way. ou may have to install it yourself.
brian039
03-23-2011, 23:29
Pack covers don't work. You'll want to keep your clothes bag and sleeping bag inside of garbage bags. If you still decide to use a pack cover anyways, then make sure your clothes bag and sleeping bag are inside of garbage bags. So basically a pack cover is useless. All of the other odds and ends you want to keep dry should go in ziplocks.