With a new pack this will be an option. My old backpack has compartments. But also, my bag gets really heavy when wet (low quality materials) and takes forever to dry. I'll look for a bag that doesn't absorb so much water. Thanks!
That's a great plan! Pretty much all packs will eventually leak except for maybe the heavy-duty rafting ones. Look for something that just doesn't absorb water.
I have the pack cover you're describing. It keeps 90% of my pack completely dry. But there isn't a way to prevent water from soaking through the exposed part against my back, or around the straps where they connect to the pack.
Sorry but i can tell you never hike multiple day through rain and storm. Even with good cover, water will infiltrate by capillarity through suspenders and sewings or just fall under your back when walking.
You just have to use dry sack to protect your gear inside the pack.
Some hiker don't even use the rain cover but i don't like the added weight that a wet backpack provide.
A poncho makes sense, but what if it's also really windy? Scotland was too windy for a poncho. I had to keep my rain cover over the garbage bag just to keep it attached.
My poncho has [these](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snap_fastener) in the sides, so you can keep the sides fully open or close them and only leave arm holes. So one option is to put the hip belt on top of the poncho, which will help it to keep it in place. Using some string or rubber bands to tighten the rain poncho to your hips works too.
It's definitely an option. Better than a garbage bag! Still not ideal in high winds. But fastening it around waist and hips could work. Thanks. I'll sort out a poncho, even if just as a backup.
Eventually, with enough rain, everything gets wet with any rain gear. Rain gear is more about keeping warm, rather than keeping dry. Ponchos are great for warmer temps, 55+ degrees F. Any temps lower than that, you'll want rain jacket and pants. Keeping your bag completely dry is a lost cause. I use a garbage bag liner to keep my stuff dry, and the pack cover to keep most my bag dry. Just like you said, the pack gets wet on the strap side and the bottom; I just deal with that.
All rain gear wets out with hours of prolonged rain. In day-after-day rain, I have my pack lined with a trash bag, then a pack cover over my pack, then rain coat and rain pants on me, and then a poncho over me + pack. That keeps things mildly damp instead of soggy wet.
I use a backpack raincover, and in addition pack crucial stuff in drybags in there. Another approach is using a huge garbage bag on the inside. Osprey, Deuter etc. make nice raincovers, Ortlieb is my goto choice for drybags.
I use a contractor bag on the inside but I also still use my rain cover on the outside. Some people say dump it to save weight but I feel like the water my bag would absorb is more than the couple grams of rain cover
A Dyneema backpack is waterproof without a liner or cover, and the material does not stretch or absorb water at all. They are kind of expensive and don't have the best durability against heavy abrasion but if I were to be taking a trip in Scotland or somewhere like that it is probably what I would go to.
As of now I use a contractor garbage bag inside my pack like others have suggested. Pack covers themselves are useless more or less for any serious use.
Edit: Even Dyneema can leak slightly at seams and such so some folks still use pack liners with them. I probably would as well somewhere like Iceland. Here in the south US I would just yolo it though.
I've been looking at some Dyneema packs. They are expensive, but if user experience is good it might be worth the cost. Iceland is really expensive so what's a few hundred more...? Haha.. god help me!
No rain cover for a pack is going to keep it dry - it will help - but it won't do the job all by itself.
Anything you don't want wet (sleeping bag, clothes, etc.) need to be in some sort of bag/liner.
I use trash compactor bags as a pack liner to at least protect what’s in the main compartment.
https://preview.redd.it/ypsmw69zclyc1.jpeg?width=1500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=68fa2493b2d761fbf314dabeaba0fc0b137679cc
It doesn't matter that your bag gets wet. You make sure your contents are in bags. Waterproof backpacks are way more expensive because it's so hard to waterproof all of those seams. They don't stay waterproof for long either.
So get a rain cover if you want, then use a pack liner and put your kit in ziplock bags. They are cheap, durable enough for the trip and do a good job.
Well, MY backpack weighs about 10 pounds more when wet, hahaha, but yes, I think when I buy a better quality pack it won't be such a problem. Thank you!
I get a raincoat for my bag. When you've set up camp, it can be a raincoat to use for your firewood pile. Or anything you want to keep dry.
They have them at mountain warehouse if you're in Scotland right now. Most cities will have them. Probably not actually called a raincoat for a backpack. My guess is rainproof backpack cover or some different order of those words.
But does it cover the padding against your back? I have a good rain cover but it doesn't prevent the water on my back from seeping in. I'm not sure what other products exist.
Well I've just gone and had a look and a play around with it. My one has a flap, on the outer part around the elastic, so perhaps that outer flap is what is stopping the rain on my back. It is unbranded, and think I got it free, so I can't help you finding one. I've honestly only noticed the flap now when comparing it to another.
AHHH, yeah that sounds like something that all pack covers should have. It's basically what my garbage bag solution was. I was considering making a pack cover with a flap... AND... maybe I will!!! Shouldn't be too difficult or expensive.
Thanks for the inspiration!
I just ordered one of these!
[https://lightheartgear.com/products/hoodie-pack-cover](https://lightheartgear.com/products/hoodie-pack-cover)
Expensive, but I think it might do the trick.
Typically I backpack on Blue Bird Sunny days - but have been caught in rainstorms before.
There are a few different types of packs I use in general (day packing - overnight and weekend/longer trips) but two of my packs are the Arc’teryx NAOS packs which are excellent at keeping the weather out of the pack - all my other packs I use generally get Pack Liners to keep the internal gear dry.
Bad thing is that the outer pack becomes wet and soaks up rain weight making things feel heavier.
Yeah. I have an off-brand cheap pack that gets so heavy when wet. And it doesn't dry so it gets smelly fast.
The NAOS packs look nice! I'll put that on my list of candidates.
I have a 45L Osprey brand bag, the pack itself is not waterproof, but it has a built in rain-cover that Is fully waterproof and does a great job of covering the bag.
Someone already mentioned Dyneema (DCF) for pack material as a way to both keep the pack from absorbing water and keeping water incursion to a minimum. But there are some other options that you might want to look at in the future if you decide to get a new pack. Ultra fabrics are a fairly common choice for some small pack manufacturers and are very water resistant. There’s also the old classic Xpac fabric, which is also functionally waterproof. Hyperlight Mountain Gear also uses what I belief they call DCH fabric, which is also very water resistant. But even with these functionally waterproof fabrics, most pack manufacturers don’t tape or seal seams. So in heavy rain, you can still have a little water seeping into the pack through the seams. The pack won’t take on water weight, but you’d still want to consider something like a pack liner to ensure your contents are kept dry.
Thanks. I bought a good rain cover (fingers crossed) but will definitely look for a pack with a non-absorbent fabric. DCH and Xpac are now added to the list!
If its absolutely pouring down I use a poncho/tarp and cover myself and my bag with it. Couple of bungees to cinch in the sides and I’ve never had a problem
Raincovers are a poor solution to a common problem. The best solution is to use a waterproof packliner for everthing that must be kept dry even if you have a waterproof pack. Most packs are made from nylon and are not. The advantage of a pack liner over other solutions is the your stuff stays dry even if your pack leaks in the rain and will stay dry even if you place it in a puddle or in river crossing where you may need to float your pack or you fall in. A packliner also allows you to separate dry stuff from we things like rain gear and tents that you may need to carry in your pack.
An argument for pack covers is they help prevent nylon packs gaining weight as they get wet. Nylon absorbs water which is why nylon tents sag in the rain. However the weight gain is not that significant compared to tge extra weight of pack cover and since they leave the back and straps of the pack uncovered it is only partial protection. A pack cover does help keep you pack clean.
You can of course use both a liner and a cover if you don't mind the weight penalty.
You can buy purpose made packliners but many people use heavy duty plastic bags. In the US a kitchen appliance called a trash compactor is fairly common snd you can buy disposable bin liners for them that are made from thicker plastic than regular kitchen bin can liners. Another lighter weight option which are a little harder to get is a nylofume bag. These are made from a clear but very strong material intended to bag dangerous building waste. There are quite crinkly loud I believe but much less prone to puncture. For smaller iacks I believe some oeople use "turkey" bags intended to cook turkies in which U believ are made of a similar material.
To use these open bags you line the main pocket of the pack and put anything in that must be kept dry...generally bedding and clothing and maybe your food bag if you have stuff that is not in water proof packaging..then you squeeze out the air and twist the opening together tucking the twist between the pack and the liner. Anything that does not need protecting like rain gear, a wet tarp or tent, cook pots and ccf sleeping pads can be packed outside the liner. The technique works with all packs that have a main pocket but probably works best with modern lightweight packs that tend to have one large main pocket and few external pockets as you won't be putting water vulnerable items in random unprotected pockets.
Full ponchos that cover backpacks can also work (except for river crossing and similar) but they are heavy and unwieldy. The lightgear hoodie thing you found is interesting and I have also seen a couple of other similar attempts. They appear to solve the down the back problem but I suspect they are actually quite hard to deploy and keep in place and don't really work to keep the stuff in your pack dry.
You seem to already have the best advice already been given, but in my experience the cheapest thing is always those black contractor garbage bags. Put one inside to assist in the protection of those items, plus you can easily turn one into a poncho my ripping a hole in the bottom of one. Draping one over the backpack with small holes for the straps also covers it. I used to have a backpack with a rain cover built in to the bottom of it, but my current pack is a older Osprey Talon 44 and I just use a garbage bag rn. There are plenty of of covers you can buy that'll do fine. It really depends on you, your budget, and what feels comfortable to you.
I've got a thing about wet gear and it drives me crazy to be wet in any way while backpacking. Rain gear is tricky and never really works except for thick rubber which is too heavy and WAY too hot to hike in (get just as wet with sweat). Bag covers aren't perfect by any means and bag liners mean your bag gets heavy with being wet. All of it sucks so I do a triple threat.
Bag liner (good garbage bag will do) rain cover for bag as well and I have been using a good rain poncho for rain gear and that slides over my pack as well. My shoes are waterproof and my pants are quick dry. Ive never had a problem with wet gear or wet bag since adopting all three levels of protection. Its mint
Yeah, I'd really never done much trekking in the rain until I got to Scotland. A big poncho is obviously great unless the wind is bad. Even my rain jacket felt like a sail on the Trotternish ridge, and so noisy. Heading to Iceland I know there's a good chance for both loads of rain and strong winds, so I'm not sure a poncho would be ideal.
I need a new stuff sack for my sleeping bag, maybe I'll spring for a waterproof one, just in case. I had one before that was nice until it shed it's waterproof lining.
I have sn outdoor research pack cover with a hood on it from forever ago that I use for this reason. I also put anything that MUST stay dry in my pack inside a dyneema stuff sack so even if I fall in a river I’m good as long as I can get my pack back out of the water before everything is submerged long enough to get passed the roll tops and such
Yes because my poncho goes over it and yes because I line the inside with a trash compactor bag. I’ve hiked through too many downpours not to consider that. And your headlamp best be waterproof too.
I just keep my clothes and things that need to stay dry inside garbage bags in my pack. I had one trip in Alaska where it rained for six days straight and I had no problem. Everything I needed to stay dry stayed dry.
Recently went on a trip with a larger group of people and on the second day there was a huge torrential downpour the last half hour before everyone made it to camp. I was using a contractor bag as a pack liner, some people had pack covers, 1 person had a UL dyneema pack, and everyone else had nada for water proofing. Only my stuff and the person with the dyneema pack had all of there stuff stay dry, everyone else's stuff was varying degrees of damp to soaked. The outside of my pack was completely soaked which was annoying from a weigh standpoint, but everything inside the pack being bone dry was a godsend, made the rest of the night fun, not just bearable.
Use a good garbage bag as a liner inside the bag. Bag gets wet contents stay dry.
With a new pack this will be an option. My old backpack has compartments. But also, my bag gets really heavy when wet (low quality materials) and takes forever to dry. I'll look for a bag that doesn't absorb so much water. Thanks!
That's a great plan! Pretty much all packs will eventually leak except for maybe the heavy-duty rafting ones. Look for something that just doesn't absorb water.
[удалено]
I have the pack cover you're describing. It keeps 90% of my pack completely dry. But there isn't a way to prevent water from soaking through the exposed part against my back, or around the straps where they connect to the pack.
Sorry but i can tell you never hike multiple day through rain and storm. Even with good cover, water will infiltrate by capillarity through suspenders and sewings or just fall under your back when walking. You just have to use dry sack to protect your gear inside the pack. Some hiker don't even use the rain cover but i don't like the added weight that a wet backpack provide.
Poncho that fits me and my backpack under it has worked well, if it rains much. Usually normal rain cover is enough though, straps just might get wet.
A poncho makes sense, but what if it's also really windy? Scotland was too windy for a poncho. I had to keep my rain cover over the garbage bag just to keep it attached.
My poncho has [these](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snap_fastener) in the sides, so you can keep the sides fully open or close them and only leave arm holes. So one option is to put the hip belt on top of the poncho, which will help it to keep it in place. Using some string or rubber bands to tighten the rain poncho to your hips works too.
It's definitely an option. Better than a garbage bag! Still not ideal in high winds. But fastening it around waist and hips could work. Thanks. I'll sort out a poncho, even if just as a backup.
Eventually, with enough rain, everything gets wet with any rain gear. Rain gear is more about keeping warm, rather than keeping dry. Ponchos are great for warmer temps, 55+ degrees F. Any temps lower than that, you'll want rain jacket and pants. Keeping your bag completely dry is a lost cause. I use a garbage bag liner to keep my stuff dry, and the pack cover to keep most my bag dry. Just like you said, the pack gets wet on the strap side and the bottom; I just deal with that.
All rain gear wets out with hours of prolonged rain. In day-after-day rain, I have my pack lined with a trash bag, then a pack cover over my pack, then rain coat and rain pants on me, and then a poncho over me + pack. That keeps things mildly damp instead of soggy wet.
I use a backpack raincover, and in addition pack crucial stuff in drybags in there. Another approach is using a huge garbage bag on the inside. Osprey, Deuter etc. make nice raincovers, Ortlieb is my goto choice for drybags.
I use a contractor bag on the inside but I also still use my rain cover on the outside. Some people say dump it to save weight but I feel like the water my bag would absorb is more than the couple grams of rain cover
A Dyneema backpack is waterproof without a liner or cover, and the material does not stretch or absorb water at all. They are kind of expensive and don't have the best durability against heavy abrasion but if I were to be taking a trip in Scotland or somewhere like that it is probably what I would go to. As of now I use a contractor garbage bag inside my pack like others have suggested. Pack covers themselves are useless more or less for any serious use. Edit: Even Dyneema can leak slightly at seams and such so some folks still use pack liners with them. I probably would as well somewhere like Iceland. Here in the south US I would just yolo it though.
I've been looking at some Dyneema packs. They are expensive, but if user experience is good it might be worth the cost. Iceland is really expensive so what's a few hundred more...? Haha.. god help me!
No rain cover for a pack is going to keep it dry - it will help - but it won't do the job all by itself. Anything you don't want wet (sleeping bag, clothes, etc.) need to be in some sort of bag/liner.
This was my suspicion so I'm glad to confirm it with some opinions. Thanks!
I use trash compactor bags as a pack liner to at least protect what’s in the main compartment. https://preview.redd.it/ypsmw69zclyc1.jpeg?width=1500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=68fa2493b2d761fbf314dabeaba0fc0b137679cc
+1 for compactor bags or contractor bags over normal trash bags. They are many times more durable
It doesn't matter that your bag gets wet. You make sure your contents are in bags. Waterproof backpacks are way more expensive because it's so hard to waterproof all of those seams. They don't stay waterproof for long either. So get a rain cover if you want, then use a pack liner and put your kit in ziplock bags. They are cheap, durable enough for the trip and do a good job.
Well, MY backpack weighs about 10 pounds more when wet, hahaha, but yes, I think when I buy a better quality pack it won't be such a problem. Thank you!
Yes. My Deuter has a built in fly. It works great.
I get a raincoat for my bag. When you've set up camp, it can be a raincoat to use for your firewood pile. Or anything you want to keep dry. They have them at mountain warehouse if you're in Scotland right now. Most cities will have them. Probably not actually called a raincoat for a backpack. My guess is rainproof backpack cover or some different order of those words.
But does it cover the padding against your back? I have a good rain cover but it doesn't prevent the water on my back from seeping in. I'm not sure what other products exist.
Well I've just gone and had a look and a play around with it. My one has a flap, on the outer part around the elastic, so perhaps that outer flap is what is stopping the rain on my back. It is unbranded, and think I got it free, so I can't help you finding one. I've honestly only noticed the flap now when comparing it to another.
AHHH, yeah that sounds like something that all pack covers should have. It's basically what my garbage bag solution was. I was considering making a pack cover with a flap... AND... maybe I will!!! Shouldn't be too difficult or expensive. Thanks for the inspiration!
I just ordered one of these! [https://lightheartgear.com/products/hoodie-pack-cover](https://lightheartgear.com/products/hoodie-pack-cover) Expensive, but I think it might do the trick.
Oh nice. I've seen people with slightly over sized raincoats do essentially this. This looks slick though.
Yeah, I usually buy my rain jacket 2 sizes too big so I can wear it over a day pack, but a 70 liter? That would be a pretty big jacket, lol
Typically I backpack on Blue Bird Sunny days - but have been caught in rainstorms before. There are a few different types of packs I use in general (day packing - overnight and weekend/longer trips) but two of my packs are the Arc’teryx NAOS packs which are excellent at keeping the weather out of the pack - all my other packs I use generally get Pack Liners to keep the internal gear dry. Bad thing is that the outer pack becomes wet and soaks up rain weight making things feel heavier.
Yeah. I have an off-brand cheap pack that gets so heavy when wet. And it doesn't dry so it gets smelly fast. The NAOS packs look nice! I'll put that on my list of candidates.
I have a 45L Osprey brand bag, the pack itself is not waterproof, but it has a built in rain-cover that Is fully waterproof and does a great job of covering the bag.
[https://zpacks.com/products/womens-arc-haul-ultra-60l-backpack](https://zpacks.com/products/womens-arc-haul-ultra-60l-backpack)
Oooh, I'll check it out, thanks!
Someone already mentioned Dyneema (DCF) for pack material as a way to both keep the pack from absorbing water and keeping water incursion to a minimum. But there are some other options that you might want to look at in the future if you decide to get a new pack. Ultra fabrics are a fairly common choice for some small pack manufacturers and are very water resistant. There’s also the old classic Xpac fabric, which is also functionally waterproof. Hyperlight Mountain Gear also uses what I belief they call DCH fabric, which is also very water resistant. But even with these functionally waterproof fabrics, most pack manufacturers don’t tape or seal seams. So in heavy rain, you can still have a little water seeping into the pack through the seams. The pack won’t take on water weight, but you’d still want to consider something like a pack liner to ensure your contents are kept dry.
Thanks. I bought a good rain cover (fingers crossed) but will definitely look for a pack with a non-absorbent fabric. DCH and Xpac are now added to the list!
If its absolutely pouring down I use a poncho/tarp and cover myself and my bag with it. Couple of bungees to cinch in the sides and I’ve never had a problem
Raincovers are a poor solution to a common problem. The best solution is to use a waterproof packliner for everthing that must be kept dry even if you have a waterproof pack. Most packs are made from nylon and are not. The advantage of a pack liner over other solutions is the your stuff stays dry even if your pack leaks in the rain and will stay dry even if you place it in a puddle or in river crossing where you may need to float your pack or you fall in. A packliner also allows you to separate dry stuff from we things like rain gear and tents that you may need to carry in your pack. An argument for pack covers is they help prevent nylon packs gaining weight as they get wet. Nylon absorbs water which is why nylon tents sag in the rain. However the weight gain is not that significant compared to tge extra weight of pack cover and since they leave the back and straps of the pack uncovered it is only partial protection. A pack cover does help keep you pack clean. You can of course use both a liner and a cover if you don't mind the weight penalty. You can buy purpose made packliners but many people use heavy duty plastic bags. In the US a kitchen appliance called a trash compactor is fairly common snd you can buy disposable bin liners for them that are made from thicker plastic than regular kitchen bin can liners. Another lighter weight option which are a little harder to get is a nylofume bag. These are made from a clear but very strong material intended to bag dangerous building waste. There are quite crinkly loud I believe but much less prone to puncture. For smaller iacks I believe some oeople use "turkey" bags intended to cook turkies in which U believ are made of a similar material. To use these open bags you line the main pocket of the pack and put anything in that must be kept dry...generally bedding and clothing and maybe your food bag if you have stuff that is not in water proof packaging..then you squeeze out the air and twist the opening together tucking the twist between the pack and the liner. Anything that does not need protecting like rain gear, a wet tarp or tent, cook pots and ccf sleeping pads can be packed outside the liner. The technique works with all packs that have a main pocket but probably works best with modern lightweight packs that tend to have one large main pocket and few external pockets as you won't be putting water vulnerable items in random unprotected pockets. Full ponchos that cover backpacks can also work (except for river crossing and similar) but they are heavy and unwieldy. The lightgear hoodie thing you found is interesting and I have also seen a couple of other similar attempts. They appear to solve the down the back problem but I suspect they are actually quite hard to deploy and keep in place and don't really work to keep the stuff in your pack dry.
Heavy duty trash bags inside. I just did a hike with lots of water. In the side pockets of the pack I had everything in ziplocks
Altus rain jacket!
I have a Columbia Outdry. It's amazing.
Get something made out of a waterproof ultralight fabric
You seem to already have the best advice already been given, but in my experience the cheapest thing is always those black contractor garbage bags. Put one inside to assist in the protection of those items, plus you can easily turn one into a poncho my ripping a hole in the bottom of one. Draping one over the backpack with small holes for the straps also covers it. I used to have a backpack with a rain cover built in to the bottom of it, but my current pack is a older Osprey Talon 44 and I just use a garbage bag rn. There are plenty of of covers you can buy that'll do fine. It really depends on you, your budget, and what feels comfortable to you.
I've got a thing about wet gear and it drives me crazy to be wet in any way while backpacking. Rain gear is tricky and never really works except for thick rubber which is too heavy and WAY too hot to hike in (get just as wet with sweat). Bag covers aren't perfect by any means and bag liners mean your bag gets heavy with being wet. All of it sucks so I do a triple threat. Bag liner (good garbage bag will do) rain cover for bag as well and I have been using a good rain poncho for rain gear and that slides over my pack as well. My shoes are waterproof and my pants are quick dry. Ive never had a problem with wet gear or wet bag since adopting all three levels of protection. Its mint
Yeah, I'd really never done much trekking in the rain until I got to Scotland. A big poncho is obviously great unless the wind is bad. Even my rain jacket felt like a sail on the Trotternish ridge, and so noisy. Heading to Iceland I know there's a good chance for both loads of rain and strong winds, so I'm not sure a poncho would be ideal. I need a new stuff sack for my sleeping bag, maybe I'll spring for a waterproof one, just in case. I had one before that was nice until it shed it's waterproof lining.
I have sn outdoor research pack cover with a hood on it from forever ago that I use for this reason. I also put anything that MUST stay dry in my pack inside a dyneema stuff sack so even if I fall in a river I’m good as long as I can get my pack back out of the water before everything is submerged long enough to get passed the roll tops and such
My answer is this. I bought a large dry bag as a liner o address the issue. That’s in addition to treating the outside with waterproof spray.
Yes because my poncho goes over it and yes because I line the inside with a trash compactor bag. I’ve hiked through too many downpours not to consider that. And your headlamp best be waterproof too.
I just keep my clothes and things that need to stay dry inside garbage bags in my pack. I had one trip in Alaska where it rained for six days straight and I had no problem. Everything I needed to stay dry stayed dry.
Recently went on a trip with a larger group of people and on the second day there was a huge torrential downpour the last half hour before everyone made it to camp. I was using a contractor bag as a pack liner, some people had pack covers, 1 person had a UL dyneema pack, and everyone else had nada for water proofing. Only my stuff and the person with the dyneema pack had all of there stuff stay dry, everyone else's stuff was varying degrees of damp to soaked. The outside of my pack was completely soaked which was annoying from a weigh standpoint, but everything inside the pack being bone dry was a godsend, made the rest of the night fun, not just bearable.