Do you use a pack cover or dry bag in your pack when it rains?

[Liv2HntBigBullz]

What size pack fly are you using on the Timberline? The CO high country got WET this past weekend and I had my first experience with a waterlogged pack. I put my sleeping bag and extra clothes in a sea-to-summit bag and everything else was at the mercy of the weather. It did keep most of my stuff suprisingly dry but the extra water weight I was carrying started to take its toll by the time we made it back to the trailhead.

I like most others kept under the belief that "it never rains in CO".

 

[rodney482]

I wonder if it'd be a good idea to treat the pack lid with something like the new hydrophobic 'Never Wet' spray from Rustoleum? It is supposed to dry to a "milky haze" when applied to fabrics. I think I'm going to perform a test treatment on a Kifaru pocket to see how well 'Never Wet' beads water and see just how "milky" the treatment makes the fabric...

watching for your report..

 

[KMD]

NFG, Rodney!
We had a Never Wet kit here @ the shop. Since I have my pack in the truck for training after work, I pulled off two Foliage Medium pockets to 'speriment & compare against.
Just to be safe, I hit the back wall of the pocket. The Step 1 coating dried pretty color fast. But after drying the Step 2 coat, there was a noticeable hazed over coloration...

Don't care how much water that crap sheds, it totally forked up the coloration of the fabric. Not only that, the treated surface now has a "grippy", fine grit sandpaper like feel to it. Makes that treated surface much more noisey when scuffing against...

Consider yourselves warned!

 

[colonel00]

I would't mind the coloration so much but I would be concerned with possible reflectiveness or other potential visual issues. Thanks for the test as the texture and increased noise are an obvious concern. Also, what about weight gain? Can you compare the two pockets to get an idea of % weight gain?

 

[KMD]

Colonel, the abrasive texture alone is enough for me to scrub the idea (pun intended) The pearl-esque sheen is just another nail in the coffin...

I applied Step 1 in two full coats, 3 minutes apart and left for 30 min. The pic above is after only a single coat of Step 2, with 30min. dry time. The directions recommend 3-4 coats of Step 2 for maximum water shedding ability. But after noting the change in texture and color from just one coat of Step 2, it ain't worth finishing out the job. Based on this, I'd sooner stick with a GoreTex friendly aerosol like Camp Dry...