BucknRut
Active member
Just wondering. Are they waterproof? Anyone know of a lightweight one that is very reasonably priced? Would a contractor's garbage bag work the same wonders? I can get a whole roll of them for $5!
how crucial is it to have a pack cover?
- Thread starter BucknRut
- Start date
As far as I am concerned a good pack cover is a must have. I have and OR Outdoor Research XL. http://www.orgear.com/home/style/home/storage/storage_accessories/HPC Waterproof, pretty tough and large enough to cover your pack when it's "beverly hillbillied". It's actually large enough to crawl in as an emergency bivy. I used mine for just that purpose on my sheep hunt this year. We got a ram far from the tent, lost daylight so we holed up for the night. It kept the wind of and kept me dry.
AKmud
Moderator
My Cabela's pack came with one sewn into the top of the bag. Just open a zipper and stretch it over the pack. I believe it is waterproof, but I try to keep the pack up against a tree so it won't puddle just in case. Covers are nice if you don't have enough room in the tent to keep the pack dry.
mtcop71
New member
Don't use them
Don't use them
I don't use one. I pack my sleeping bag in an Outdoor Reasearch waterproof stuff sack and my clothes in one as well. Most everything else I have in freezer bags. I also waterproof my bag with this stuff I got from REI and it worked well. The rest can get wet for all I care. The way rain stops and starts again is crazy. Used the above mentioned on my shep hunt last year and worked great.
Don't use them
I don't use one. I pack my sleeping bag in an Outdoor Reasearch waterproof stuff sack and my clothes in one as well. Most everything else I have in freezer bags. I also waterproof my bag with this stuff I got from REI and it worked well. The rest can get wet for all I care. The way rain stops and starts again is crazy. Used the above mentioned on my shep hunt last year and worked great.
Bill S.
Well-known member
I use one all the time. It keeps the pack from getting soaked and gaining weight, which to me is a bad thing. Although the pack itself offers some rain protection, the slight additional weight of the cover keeps everything dry. I have also tried the trash bag thing but could never figure out how to adequately cover the pack and have the straps loose to carry it. They are ok if the pack is just sitting there but rain does not always stop the hunting so the cover it is.
AlaskaCub
New member
- Joined
- Apr 25, 2006
- Messages
- 2,294
- Reaction score
- 44
I do business just like mtcop71, everything is in bags in my pack, and I give my pack a coating of waterproofing,have learned that the hard way over the years. What I do bring is one large brown construction quality garbage bag and I slide it over my entire pack if its spending the night in the rain. Weighs less than the actual pack flys and covers the entire pack and harness including waistbelt. Mine has sat out overnight in all night rain and the pack is dry in the morning.In the morning I roll it up and it fist darn near in your pocket, it also doubles for game meat after the kill so my pack wont be dripping in blood, never like the idea of that hiking and camping in alder infested drainages.
Rain cover
Rain cover
I don't head out in the field without my packcover, especially when sheep hunting when we a sleeping in bivy sacks or in a tent with a small vestibule and the pack stays outside. My cover sheds water and keeps pack dry, even though I bag my sleeping bag and clothes in waterproof stuff sacks. I use a cover from REI (duck's back rain cover) that is gray in color, which gives an added benefit of making my pack look like just another rock on the hillside.
Rain cover
I don't head out in the field without my packcover, especially when sheep hunting when we a sleeping in bivy sacks or in a tent with a small vestibule and the pack stays outside. My cover sheds water and keeps pack dry, even though I bag my sleeping bag and clothes in waterproof stuff sacks. I use a cover from REI (duck's back rain cover) that is gray in color, which gives an added benefit of making my pack look like just another rock on the hillside.
mtcop71
New member
I took a contractor bag with me sheep hunting last year and when Bivying I just dumped it in the bag for the night. Never a problem and used as my meat hauler. To each his own, my partner had a waterproof cover and he kept taking it on and off every 5 minutes. I was good with what I stated above. One less thing that kept my mind off the stalk!!!
