Pack Liners

[treemanx]

This is another good idea I stole from the US Military, and the SAS. As a kid going out into the woods on the various trips I went on, I was always bummed when the rain came during the day due to the contents of my pack usually getting soaked. I had an old german army pack made out of this rubber type of material that my I bought at the surplus when it was in Damascus. It was SUPPOSED to be water proof. Turns out, it was water tight! It would hold the rain water better than my canteen, and before I knew it, everything in my pack was soaked.

When I was like 17 I worked for a guided fishing and hunting outfit called Wild River Ranch up in Eastern Oregon near Spray. We did guided fishing and hunting off the John Day River, anywhere from 1/2 day floats to full weeks going almost all the way down to the mouth of the John Day at the Columbia River. I bought a water proof sack for my things, it's a Momentum brand dry sack. It's made of some rubber/poly material, and you roll the top closed and snap it to secure it. After hearing how the military does it, I started using that sack in my pack as a pack liner to keep all my gear dry and it worked perfectly.

Not only are they good to keep your gear dry in your pack from rain, but if you fall or jump into water with your pack on, or have to cross a river, your things will stay dry, and will actually act as a floatation device as they are air tight.

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[odiesplace97301]

we always used hd trash bags, but that sounds like a lot better way to go

 

[treemanx]

Yeah, you can buy them in quite a few different sizes to match the size of your pack, and they are really heavy duty so they will resist being poked or torn. I love them, and have one for evert size pack I own now. You can order them from Cabelas, Andy and Baks sells them, Gi Joes used to sell them, REI has them, probably any store that sells river rafting supplies will carry them. The will run anywhere from 15 to around 40 bucks depending on what size you get.

 

[ORBrit]

We used heavy duty garbage bags too. I like the dry bags but they are heavy-when you're already hauling 35 lb in your webbing pouches and a 55-75 lb pack, every ounce matters, so you end up saving where you can.
Looking back, I now realize that is why I have so few photos from my time as an infantry officer - there was no room for a camera and it must weight at least 5 or 6 oz!

I use the dry bags for backpacking because I can afford to spend the money on lighter gear than the military would supply, so I can add a bit of weight here and there. The added weight of the dry bag is a worthwhile addition.
Another use for the dry bags is for your food in the wilderness. Air tight so the scent doesn't attract unwanted visitors and when you clip it together it makes a handy loop so you can easily carry it, attach a rope to it and hang it from a tree out of reach.

 

[treemanx]

Yeah, there are alot of good uses for those out in the woods, thanks for posting on it ORBrit! I hadnt thought of using them for food storage to keep from attracting bears, great idea!