Which to Use for Backpacking – Gossamer Gear

Retaining dry. It’s an essential but tough activity whereas backpacking. There are the inevitable moments the place you’re going to need to make your peace with moisture: wet mountaineering days, tent condensation, stream crossings, and humidity meets profuse sweating, to call just a few. 

However despite the fact that getting moist is considerably inevitable throughout backcountry journey, there are key precautions to take, like making certain your most important items of drugs—sleeping bag, camp garments, and electronics, for instance—stay dry. That is the place pack liners and pack covers come in useful.

Do you want each a pack liner and a pack cowl for backpacking? Most likely not. It’s extra weight and each roughly accomplish the identical factor. (Plus, a poncho and pack liner combo presents the true profitable choice—keep tuned for extra on why!) 

However, if not each, which one is best for you? We’re right here that can assist you resolve!

Beneath, we’ll provide the full rundown on pack liners and pack covers, together with:

• How you can Use Pack Liners and Pack Covers
• Professionals and Cons of Utilizing a Pack Cowl
• Professionals and Cons of Utilizing a Pack Liner
• The Verdict: Ought to You Use a Pack Liner or Pack Cowl for Backpacking?

How you can Use Pack Liners and Pack Covers

Pack liners are usually plastic luggage which can be massive sufficient to fill the primary compartment of your backpack. They are often trash luggage you’d use to your kitchen’s rubbish can, or one thing extra fitted for backpacks and made out of stronger plastic, corresponding to Gossamer Gear’s clear waterproof pack liners.

Pack liners get inserted into the primary compartment of your backpack earlier than you pack your whole gear into it. So, basically, you’ll be packing your gear into the liner bag. The pack liner creates a water-proof wall between your gear and the skin of your backpack.

Pack covers may be customary plastic luggage, however are additionally generally made out of nylon, polyester, or different materials just like your backpack. They’ll usually embody elastic across the opening or some type of cinching system to make sure it suits snugly to your pack. 

Pack covers match over your complete again of your pack everytime you want them. Except it’s raining out, it’s probably saved in one in every of your pack’s outer pockets for simple grabbing. As soon as it begins raining, you’re taking it out, stretch it over your pack’s exterior, and maintain mountaineering. It creates a reasonably waterproof shell to your pack.

Professionals and Cons of Utilizing a Pack Cowl

There are drawbacks and advantages to utilizing a pack cowl.

A few of the execs of utilizing a pack cowl embody:

• Easy to placed on. Placing on and taking off pack covers is a fairly fast course of. You simply must stretch it over your pack when you want it.
• Retains the outside of your pack dry. Since pack covers go on the skin of your bag, they provide water safety to each the gear inside your pack in addition to the outside of your pack. 
• Don’t have to recollect to place it in first when packing. Since pack covers are a use-as-needed merchandise, you possibly can deploy them every time, whereas pack liners need to be put into your bag earlier than you pack your whole gear.

A few of the cons of utilizing a pack cowl embody:

• Dripping water. As water hits your water resistant pack cowl, it beads us and drips down. In lots of circumstances, this could imply it drips down onto your behind. When you’re not sporting rain pants, this regular added stream of water could make wet mountaineering much more tedious.
• Tougher to seize issues from facet pockets. As soon as your pack cowl is on, you don’t have quick access to the outside pockets of your pack. So, when you’re attempting to achieve again to your water bottle, you’ll have some extra hurdles to face.
• Can snag on branches. If it’s important to do any bushwhacking or when you simply end up on an overgrown path, pack covers can simply catch on brush as you stroll by. This could journey you up, make you lose your cowl with out realizing it, and even transfer your pack cowl in order that it’s not absolutely defending your gear.
• Potential for leaks. When you don’t suit your pack cowl securely round your whole bag, it’s doable for water to get below it nonetheless and soak via to your gear.
• Additional weight. Since pack covers want elastic or different closure units, they usually weigh greater than pack liners. Moreover, since they’re on the skin of your pack, they acquire water weight. When you’re unable to completely dry it out after use, you’ll have to hold it moist in your pack.
• Received’t maintain hip belt pockets dry. Pack covers solely cowl your fundamental compartment, so your hip belt pockets can nonetheless get drenched. In the event that they’re not waterproof and also you’re maintaining your cellphone in a single, beware! 
• Need to cease to place it on. To correctly deploy your pack cowl, you’ll need to take off your pack, which generally is a little annoying when you’re attempting to maneuver via the rain as shortly as you possibly can.

Professionals and Cons of Utilizing a Pack Liner

As with pack covers, there are drawbacks and advantages to utilizing a pack liner.

A few of the execs of utilizing a pack liner embody:

• Light-weight. Pack liners are easy: a skinny plastic bag. There aren’t any elastic bands or clunky clips that add weight. Additionally, because it’s on the inside of your pack, it received’t acquire water weight and also you don’t have to fret about drying it out at camp.
• Low cost. Pack liners are a no frills piece of drugs. You possibly can even use a trash bag you have already got, although it may not match fairly as properly as a liner particularly made for backpacking.
• Retains the underside of your bag dry and protects gear whatever the climate. Even when it’s not raining out, your pack liner will come in useful for maintaining your gear dry. When you set it down on moist grass, for instance, or occur to take a wee tumble right into a creek as you’re crossing, the liner is already in place to guard your gear from any water soaking via.
• Creates a pleasant divider inside your pack. If you find yourself with a moist tent within the morning or in any other case have gross gear you’d wish to separate out of your cleaner, dry gear, a pack liner might help with this. Merely slip your moist tent or different gear into the area between the liner and the skin of your pack and place every little thing else within the liner bag.

A few of the cons of utilizing a pack liner embody:

• Have to recollect to place them in first when packing. It may be a little bit of a ache to have your pack absolutely loaded and then keep in mind you forgot to place your liner in.
• Utilizing one can take some getting used to. When you haven’t packed your bag with a liner earlier than, it’d take a while to regulate to the texture of it. You continue to have the identical area to work with in your pack, however it could not appear that manner at first.
• May not match as nicely with some packs. When you’re utilizing a backpack that has a number of compartments, utilizing a liner is perhaps more durable, because it received’t slip as simply right into a fundamental compartment.
• Doesn’t maintain the skin of your pack dry. Whereas your gear inside your pack can be cosy as a bug, it’s important to do not forget that the outside of your pack remains to be uncovered to the weather. So, be aware of what you’re maintaining in your exterior pockets and contemplate storing gadgets in Ziplocks or different waterproof luggage. (There’s one other professional tip within the subsequent part, although, that may additionally assist with this!)

The Verdict: Ought to You Use a Pack Liner or Pack Cowl for Backpacking?

Finally, the selection is yours! Do what works greatest for you and your hike. Our vote, nonetheless, goes to the pack liner. Relating to maintaining it light-weight, low-cost, and sensible, the pack liner actually will get the job completed. And, most of its drawbacks have straightforward fixes. 

Listed here are a pair professional tricks to additional enhance your pack liner expertise:

• Having bother maintaining your pack liner in place as you load gear into your bag? Set your pack on the bottom and stand it upright as you place the liner into the primary compartment. Alter the liner till it fills up your complete area contained in the bag and stand it up parallel with the highest of the bag. Subsequent, roll the liner and high of your bag down collectively three or 4 occasions. This retains your liner in place and presents a large opening for loading your gear. As soon as every little thing is loaded, separate the highest of the liner out of your pack and roll it down earlier than closing your high lid.
• Anxious about maintaining gear in your exterior and hip belt pockets dry when utilizing a pack liner? This may be simply solved by selecting a mountaineering umbrella or poncho as your private rain apparel, each of which is able to cowl the skin of your pack. An umbrella can play double obligation maintaining you cool on sizzling days and even provide some reprieve to your doggie. Additionally, with Gossamer Gear’s hands-free attachment, it may well clip proper onto your shoulder strap. A poncho is straightforward to deploy from a facet pocket in your pack and covers you and your pack, together with hip belt pockets. It could possibly additionally double as a makeshift tarp if wanted and presents better breathability than many raincoats.

Hungry for extra backpacking gear and planning data? Try a few of our different articles on the Gentle Ft weblog:

And, when you’re on the lookout for an superior, light-weight pack liner, you possibly can snag our Clear Waterproof Pack Liners on-line! They’re offered in two-packs and match most backpacks, particularly these within the Gossamer Gear line. They weigh simply 1.2 ounces and are made from tremendous powerful 2 mil clear virgin polyethylene movie.