That "waterproof" backpack I bought for the PCT nearly ruined my trip

I dropped $180 on this fancy pack everyone raves about in forums, and it soaked through during a light drizzle in Oregon. 3 days of rain and my sleeping bag was damp, my clothes were wet, and I ended up spending $40 on a cheap dry bag in a random town. Spent 6 hours drying stuff out at a campsite, which wasted a whole afternoon I could've been hiking. I'm convinced most of those glowing reviews are from people who only used it in fair weather. Has anyone else had luck with a truly waterproof backpack under $200?

3 comments

3 Comments

emma_garcia10d ago

Oh man, that's rough... did you ever figure out if the waterproofing was just a coating thing or if it was actually the seams letting water in? I've had packs that claimed to be waterproof but the zippers were basically just a tap getting a bath...

hugotaylor9d ago

Were the seams taped or just that cheap DWR coating that wears off after a day? Always figure out which kind of "waterproof" they mean before trusting it.

taylor9579d ago

Ugh, I actually disagree on this one a bit. Taped seams can fail just as fast as DWR if the tape delaminates or the pack gets tossed around in the wash. I've HAD $300 packs with taped seams start leaking at the corners after a year because the tape peeled up. DWR coatings usually just need a quick spray refresh every season, which is way easier than trying to re-tape a seam. I think people get way too hung up on seam taping like it's a magic fix when it's really just a different kind of maintenance.