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Re: Rain covers

I also use both a pack liner and a rucksack cover but I'd plump for the liner as by far the most important of the two. No matter how tightly you enclose your pack in a cover, some moisture always gets through. In conditions of strong wind and driving rain, substitute some for a lot. It's very common to find that a pool of water builds in the bottom of the cover.

I use a sealable drybag liner, perhaps a touch on the weighty side, but I've never had a problem with it leaking and, while the outside of the liner does get wet from moisture seeping through the pack (even with the cover) everything inside stays dry.

And the other danger with a cover is its fragility in high winds. I've lost more than one when strong gusts have torn them away from the pack. I'd imagine that an integral liner, with an attachment to the pack, might be more robust but I wouldn't bank on it. In gusty winds, no matter how wet it is, I'll tend to abandon the cover and rely on the drybag to protect my gear. The wet sack is a pain but better than losing a pricey cover.

Colin

Re: Rain covers

Rain covers? One more added complication. The cover on it's own is not enough to keep the contents of your sack dry. So if you pack your gear into waterproof stuff sacks why add a rain cover which you have to remove to get into your sack. If you weigh the water your sack absorbs I would almost guarantee it comes to less than the weight of the rain cover. After 50 years of back packing I have never seen the need to use one.

Re: Rain covers

Depends on the type of material your packs made from, I'd be willing to bet an Osprey pack absorbs a fair amount but a Cuben fibre pack won't. My pack cover doubles as a place to organise my kit when its unpacked. Personal preference which works for me.

Re: Rain covers

Pete, I'm sure that you're right about the absorbency factor in comparison to the weight of a pack cover. Yet despite my comments about their uselessness in extreme weather, I still find it a helpful bit of kit in light rain with no wind. My preference when pitched up is to take the pack inside the inner tent to be used as the base of my pillow and, as long as it hasn't been a truly foul day, the pack stays reasonably dry and I can get away with that. Otherwise, it's another mass of steaming wet gear cluttering up the porch. Purely a personal preference, of course.

Rich, I can only assume that your name reflects your state of affluence. A Cuben Fibre pack would be way beyond my modest means!

Re: Rain covers

I don't own a cuben fibre pack, although I know a few people that do and they're very pleased with them (too pricey for me also).

http://www.mountainlaureldesigns.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=25&products_id=231

I have the standard MLD Exodus which is fairly water repellent and doesn't soak up much. The pack cover is probably ~30g and like I say doubles as a groundsheet for my kit inside my shelter. I agree they're annoying and all they want to do it fly away. But in light rain it allows kit to air/dry out underneath it such as socks. I've also used it to wrap my boots up to stop them freezing overnight.

Re: Rain covers

I've tried no cover, everything in organised, light drybags and a packliner, but personally, I found it incredibly stressful, worrying everything would be soaked!
So, I've gone back to belt, braces amd overkill, I have a pack cover too, for insurance, and feel much better for it. To be honest, the weight is negligible, I'd much rather be stress free!

Re: Rain covers

Pack covers are worse than useless when you fall in a river. Belt and braces for me: Drybag packliner and drybags for down, clothes and photos of Miss Whiplash.

Only wusses fanny about with pack covers.

Re: Rain covers

You need a dry bag.
I have a rain cover, it's only 30g, but they don't keep the rain out. They do seriously slow it down. But it will leak through the back.
Rain covers deter, dry bags keep stuff dry.
Yes, I know, it's dreadful to agree with Mr Sloman!

Re: Rain covers

Thanks for all the replies & advice!

I had been tempted by a bag with a couple of access points on the side to get at those elusive items that reside deep in the pack (like a down jacket for a chilly lunch spot, or the whisky that has slid out of reach to the very bottom ). When I pointed out to the young chap in the shop that this was all very well, but the stuff would still be inside a liner he suggested that all I would need was a couple of dry bags for "vulnerable items" like sleeping bag etc and the rain cover would do the job for the rest.

I was sceptical and thought that I'd need to keep everything in dry bags (as Rich suggests) and I'm just not sufficiently organised for that.

So, I'll go for the comfiest carry, keep my liner, and if there is a rain cover included I'll use it to wrap my boots and keep the rain off my laundry.

Thanks again, all.

Re: Rain covers

If you want an almost waterproof rucksack that is not expensive cuben fibre, have a look at Lightwave. I have the Ultrahike 60 which is a very comfortable carry and a clean design. It's made of waterproof fabric. The only seams that aren't sealed are on the back panel because it's technically impossible. I still use a polythene liner in case there's any leakage. Tread Lite ones are good. Lightwave sacks are pretty robust, reasonably lightweight and don't cost the earth.

Re: Rain covers

Rain covers are a bit of a faff. And can call the attention of The Style Police, particularly when teamed with Crocs and dangly map cover thangs. They make a particularly good show in high winds.

I use a number of dry bags.In fact I put everything into them. Fluffy downy things go into both an innner and an outer. Dry bags also work as Wet Bags if yr in the humour for scooping up quantities of water for some reason.

But . . . if anyone wants an Osprey rain-cover (fits up to an Osprey 70 and I guess would fit most anything else) which has never ever been used, drop me an eMail and its yours absolutely free. Well, a snifter in Montrose wouldn't go amiss.

Re: Rain covers

alan.sloman
Pack covers are worse than useless when you fall in a river. Belt and braces for me


You've got me really interested here, Mr Sloman.

My personal experience has been that belt and braces are equally useless when you fall in a river. Do they, perhaps, have some additional functionality of which I am unaware? How, please, are you using them?

Re: Rain covers

You're missing a colon, Jezza. Possible result of your tumble this year, Sir?

Re: Rain covers

Missing a colon as a result of my tumble? I don't think so. I admit that my last colonoscopy was BEFORE the tumble (ewwww ... TMI!!!) so nobody has positively verified its presence by a #1 eyeball inspection since the event to which you allude: but even so, I think I'd have noticed if anything THAT drastic were to go missing ...

Re: Rain covers

Before hiking in Scotland i was using a garbage bag as a liner inside my backpack and that was all.
When we hiked on the CWT with Elise we got 8 days of non stop rain.
My gear stayed dry, but my backpack was drenched and seemed very heavy.
Elise was using a raincover on her Ula Catalyst and her backpack stayed mostly dry.

Back at home i did the following test with a few backpacks,
- weighting it dry
- going under a shower with it
- suspending it upside down for a few minutes
- weighting it again

the added weight was up to more than 500g


while the same test with a rain cover it was much lower.


So now when i hike in Scotland i use a rain cover, but only to save weight .

( but my sleeping bag and down hoodie are in dry bags )

Re: Rain covers

Thanks for the info Frederic, I'll continue to use by DOE'esk flappy faffy pack cover + Exped Micro dry bags as a tried and tested combo.