View Full Version : waterproofing your backpack
Josh Calhoun
12-28-2012, 15:18
have any of you tried waterproofing your backpack? did it seem to help?
It won't work. Not in a real rain. Even with waterproof fabric it will wick through. The equipment sellers would be selling them if it worked.
WILLIAM HAYES
12-29-2012, 22:12
i use a trash bag inside my pack and a rain cover never tried waterproofing a pack
Drybones
12-29-2012, 22:36
I've used silicon seam seal on canvas shoes to make them shed water, wouldn't make the pack waterproof but should shed a lot of water.
Wannabe Thru-Hiker
12-30-2012, 12:06
have any of you tried waterproofing your backpack? did it seem to help?
My pack stays relatively dry even in good rain with a plain old garbage bag over it
I slip it over and use afew straps or para cord to tie it down
Works gr8
Wannabe Thru-Hiker
12-30-2012, 12:06
i use a trash bag inside my pack and a rain cover never tried waterproofing a pack
Salute my fellow garbage bagger
hermit1970
12-30-2012, 22:29
Just use a trash compactor bag inside the pack. It's lighter, cheaper and more effective than a pack cover.
it doesn't work. A lot of people do the trash bag thing - - I don't - - I find it cumbersome - - a snugly fitting pack cover does a great job of keeping my pack about 90% dry even in heavy rain. Everything inside my pack is in it's own duty sack - - my individual sleeping bag sack, clothing sack, and food bags are all dry sacks (usually Sea-to-Summit or Granite Gear) - - so, any moisture that gets inside my bag can only get things like my kitchen (mesh bag) or the outside of zip-locks and such wet. The worst thing that gets wet in a heavy rain is your pack exterior anyway and the major problem there is the weight it adds (I'd say that water could add about 2 pounds to a dry pack if it gets soaked) - - the trash compactor trick doesn't really fix this - - the pack-cover (mine is a lightweight Granite-Gear) works well for this.
ArcTeryx sells highly "water resistant backpacks" - - I have an ArcTeryx climbing pack and it's good equipment but they are relatively heavy and I haven't seen many long-distance hikers (at least on the AT) using them:
this is the link to the women's one, I think
www.arcteryx.com/Product.aspx?EN/Mens/Packs/Arrakis-50 (http://www.arcteryx.com/Product.aspx?EN/Mens/Packs/Arrakis-50)
you should try the trash compactor thing because many people really like it - - I find that I just don't need it (but that's just me) - it's a cheap experiment