keeping gear dry: best with pack cover or zip locks and bag lining?

[DavidNH]

Hi,

I am wondering for best method of keeping gear in pack dry. Let's assume
steady prolonged rain ..and some wind.


My limited exprience with pack covers is that when it gets real windy it blows off. Perhaps I did not have it properly secured? Don't know.

Do you like to line your pack with garbage bag then everything into zip lock bags? or do you use just a pack cover? or do you use both? I want to keep weight down but I also want to maintain some level of comfort.

What does an exprienced long distance hiker on a long distance hike do to keep weight down and gear dry (and you really need to keep gear dry to keep the weight down right? else the water will make it all heavier!)

So what is your recommendation?

[SGT Rock]

I'm paranoid about this, so everything goes into sil-nylon bags that have been seam sealed, then they all go in a pack liner, then ontop of all that I wear a packa.

[NotYet]

I'm a strong believer in lining my pack with garbage bags and also lining my stuff sacks with garbage bags. It may seem like overkill, but I've hiked in alot of windy and rainy conditions and everything on the inside remains dry with this system.

In addition to the liners, in the past I have also sprayed the outside of my pack with that sylicon stuff. It not only helped rain bead up on the pack but also helped the pack stay clean. The silicon spray won't ward off torrential downpours, but I don't mind if the outside of my pack gets wet.

I haven't had good experiences with pack covers, but many people love them. Personally, if I used one, I wouldn't rely on the pack cover as my only means of keeping my important gear dry.

[prozac]

Wet gear just flat out sucks. Everything in a silnylon bag with a trashbag for a pack lining. Important items like wallet,clothes,mp3 player,maps and camera also get ziplocked. I use a pack cover as a first line of defense but have found they don't really provide a whole lot of protection for all day heavy rain but are better suited for short or light storms. I see Rock uses a Packa, but unless it really cold I'd just as soon skip the raingear and get wet. I sweat up a storm in all rain gear and figure I'd rather be wet from rain then sweat. Prozac

[fantasmagris]

The sil stuff sacks are also indispensible for keeping things organized (i.e., so you don't have to dig thru everything every time). So, the answer is BOTH, meaning sil stuff bags and a packcover. I haven't gotten into garbage bags yet, but re overkill, consider this - while a pack cover might weigh 4 oz, both the sil stuff sacks and plastic garbage bags weigh next to nothing; but wet clothing and gear OTOH weighs a lot and can be useless for quite a while to boot!

BTW - i love those freezer bags with the zip toggle for camera and other items that have to stay dry.

[Kerosene]

Any water seeping into your pack fabric or interior adds weight and increases the chance of your gear getting wet. I use a silnyl pack cover (3 oz) with a bungee that tightens it around the pack so it doesn't blow away. I use silnyl stuff sacks for my gear, plus ziploc bags for anything that I don't want to get wet. I stuff my sleeping bag in a silnyl bag lined with a small plastic garbage bag just for extra protection.

[SalParadise]

I used a pack cover with a bungee cord. Naturally everything in the pack was in a stuff sack (not all syl ones, though) and never had a problem, only modest moisture on the pad outside of my pack. The bungee covers have stayed on for me really well.
What's nice about the bungee pack covers is I would slip my rain jacket between the cover and the pack. It wasn't in danger of falling out, and it would allow me to take my jacket on or off without having to get into my pack (thereby letting the rain in).

Yeah, that silicone stuff or just waterproofer is great on a baseball cap if you just want modest protection from the rain and to keep your head warm.

[MedicineMan]

Wanderlust Gear used to sell a pack liner that was BIG and could double as a vapor barrier in your sleeping bag (not that you would ever need it on the AT)...like Sgt Rock I do my best and besides the bag liner I make sure the criticals are also wrapped in a sil-nyl bag...Go-Lite used to make (probably still do) a dry-bag out of sil-nyl marketed to kayakers, they are extremely lightweight and good insurance for your camp-clothes and sleeping bag/quilt.
No matter how 'waterproof' your system is H20 will find its way in so choose materials that wont absorb water in the first place (like synthetic fills, i dont but that's a risk i take) and items that are colored to dry quickly when you do get a couple hours of sun.
Also dont forget umbrellas for staying dry...that is one thing that offers complete ventilation-just dont use them on gusty precipices.

[DavidNH]

Several of you have mentioned sil nylon bags or stuff sacks. Just what are these and where can I get them? (ie ems, rei?). Are these things waterproof?

[Blue Jay]

My pack is a large kayak dry bag on an external frame. Heavy yes, but I can swim with it on and have actually done so. I love hiking in the rain, more animals, more smells, more color. When I hear the weenies from the "wet" year crying, I smile.

[cupcake]

yes, you can find these at rei, and likely ems. they are made by lots of different companies, ie: granite gear, intregal designs, equinox, dancing light gear, etc ..... or, you can order some fabric and make your own. to make them truely waterproof, they should be seam sealed. rei has a sale starting on the 15th with some silnylon compression sacks on sale.

[Footslogger]

Years ago I used to stuff my things into multiple 1 or 2 quart zip locks, pressed the air out of them and then cram them down into the pack. Over time I migrated away from the zip locks for clothes. I found that what worked best for me was a plastic liner (compactor bag) inside my pack and silnylon stuff sacks. Did my thru-hike using that approach in 2003. We had more than our share of rain that year and I never had a single item in my pack get wet. Now, I still do use the smaller ziplocks (freezer strength) for my repackaged food inside my foodbag.

'Slogger
AT 2003

[Stuart]

Tha Wookie suggested to me last year trash compactor bags which are a bit thicker than trash bags... they work very well to line your pack with. From there I use silnylon stuff bags and/or big ziploc freezer bags. Not sure is the trash compactor bags are big enough for high volume packs though.

[jlb2012]

Not sure is the trash compactor bags are big enough for high volume packs though.

If a compactor bag isn't big enough another possibility is stopping by a vets and picking up a large dog cadaver bag.

[Footslogger]

Tha Wookie suggested to me last year trash compactor bags which are a bit thicker than trash bags... they work very well to line your pack with. From there I use silnylon stuff bags and/or big ziploc freezer bags. Not sure is the trash compactor bags are big enough for high volume packs though.

================================
The trash compactor bags sold at Wal-Mart are about the same size as or slightly larger than a tall kitchen trash bag, but are about 3 - 4 times the thickness and much more durable. As a size reference, I used a Granite Gear Vapor Trail pack and the compactor bag fit perfectly (circumference-wise) inside the pack and was tall enough for a small roll on top of my gear before closing the pack.

'Slogger
AT 2003

[TakeABreak]

1, I start buy lining my backpack with a trash compactor bag.

2, I put gear in stuff sacks and then inside the pack with a trash compactor as liner.

3, I use a pack cover whenever may rain or the trail is wet. (just in case a slip and fall, pack cover keeps from getting to the pack.

4, I use a down bag also, so after I put it in it's stuff sack, I then insert the stuff sack into a trash compactor bag and then into my pack, which is lined.

[Big Guy]

I line my bag with a garbage bag . My cloths and items that need to stay dry are in zip lock bags. My sleeping bag and pad are in garbage bags before going into the stuff sacks. I then cover with my pack cover. I am not real happy witht the pack cover and would not count on it to keep everything dry.

[Mother Nature]

I am also paranoid about moisture and found that lining my pack with a heavyer gauge plastic bag is the first line. I use silnylon stuff sacks inside. Zip locks for cameras, etc.

I found that large landscaping bags sold at Home Depot or Lowes are longer than trash compacter bags and allow me to custom cut them for my bag. I cut the bag long enough to allow expansion for resupplies. In use, I twist the bag to compress everything and then tuck the twist down to prevent water entering.

Mother Nature

[Nightwalker]

Is there any functional reason not to waterproof a backpack?

Frank/Nightwalker

[smokymtnsteve]

My pack is a large kayak dry bag on an external frame. Heavy yes, but I can swim with it on and have actually done so. I love hiking in the rain, more animals, more smells, more color. When I hear the weenies from the "wet" year crying, I smile.

U R so BUTCH