I have the same pack. The fabric is waterproof but the seams aren’t sealed so some water can get in the seams. I just used a pack liner (trash compactor bag). Even with the record rainfall on the trip last year, there was just dampness in the bottom of the pack. Nothing got wet because of the pack liner. The pack hip belt pockets were mostly waterproof but just opening them in the rain let water get in so I had a couple ziplock bags in the pack pockets to keep things dry, but mainly used them for snacks that didn’t need to stay dry. My electronics were in my LiteAF Fanny pack, also in plastic. That was also waterproof until it started to get worn down toward the end of the trail. Then moisture seeped in. Most people dropped their pack covers in hiker boxes. The people I saw on trail continue using them were mainly people that had packs made of fabric that absorbed water weight. I took an umbrella that really helped when cold rain was coming down. You can feel the cold through the thin rain coat fabric, even if it doesn’t actually seep through. I used a lightheart gear jacket that did well at first but died about 3/4 of the way through the trail. I picked up a frogtoggs jacket in the whites but it only lasted a week or two and started leaking. Replaced that with an REI brand goretex jacket that wetted through in the first hour and stayed wet and heavy after that. Returned that after my hike. Love the length of the jacket you have. Looks like great rain gear.
Thanks for the great input! I'm definitely going to keep the pack liner, and I might buy a more heavy duty one that is lightweight. I keep going back and forth between the rain jacket and pack cover combo and just a poncho. Crazy to hear those rain jackets couldn't hold up better than a week or even a couple hours! Zpacks one seems good, but I definitely haven't tested in a sustained downpour for hours yet. Hopefully it holds up! Thanks, again
I have the same jacket and pants, and I carry them on every trip. But they have really only been tested once. A decent rain event on the Channel Islands. They kept me nice and dry. Zpacks says they have some of the best sweat transmission, but I still felt a little swampy after a few hours, especially when hiking uphill. However, I do sweat a lot, and this was much better than any other rain gear I have ever tried. Cost was a concern, and so is durability. I was really careful to avoid snagging on brush. Mrs. MSF also has a set, and she said it was not swampy at all in her gear. I was not allowed to tell her how much I spent on the 2 sets. She knew it was a bit $$$. But I would buy it again.
Good to hear about the sweat! I don’t think I sweat too much, and I try to be good about not starting with too many layers to avoid overheating. I’m used to a poncho so I’ve never had the overheating issue with rain gear (yet). So I’ll see how this goes when I inevitably hit rain on a long trail. Thanks for the comment, it’s good to hear others are happy with the investment - because it certainly isn’t cheap gear!
As you've just discovered, pack covers are worthless because they only cover some of the pack. Watch Dixie's video regarding this very topic. What you want is a pack liner, which fits inside the pack. It can be a contractor bag or nylofume if you're fancy, but either way it shouldn't cost more than a couple bucks and weigh less than an ounce. It'll protect your stuff way better than a pack cover. Another thing I would recommend is an umbrella. An umbrella protects you from the rain and the sun, and while a jacket will keep you dry, an umbrella will keep your sandwich dry. It fits perfectly in one of those shoulder pockets (I know because I have the same pack and that's how I use it) so you can still use both hands with trekking poles.
Thanks for the input! Yes my mom has an umbrella too and she has suggested many times that I should try it. I do like that you mentioned you can secure it in the shoulder pocket and not have to carry it. That’s worth considering! I’m starting to realize that going super light on items doesn’t mean it is better for all items lol. I always like having a pack cover but this is also why I always gravitated to the poncho. Just throw it on over everything and you’re good to go. Thanks for watching and thanks for the suggestions!
@@hikingwithrae Ponchos are great for that reason, they also provide more ventilation. I use a $1 Walmart poncho for all but the windiest of conditions. My umbrella weighs 6oz, about the same as your rain jacket. Combine it with a 1oz Walmart poncho and a pack liner and you've got a lighter system that ventilates and protects your gear better for far cheaper.
@Andy-Mesa 100% considering this! There’s so much that goes into figuring out the right gear. Sometimes you have to invest to test it out and then things change. Just gotta keep testing and see what I like best. Thanks!
A pack cover isn’t useless, I have the zpacks Altraplex tent, my backpack is water resistant. But the rain cover is nice if I store my pack under the vestibule it helps keep splatters off my pack. And if I put my pack inside it’s good to place over my wet pack to keep everything else in my tent dry. Or just put it over the pack while you set up the tent . Or over the foot of your sleeping bag. Good Luck and Good Health on your great adventure!
Rain gear is great for that on off on off kinda mountain weather. Any jacket from a trash bag to a million bucks will just wet out over time. DWR puts little spikes on surface and the pores of the material let vapor pass through the beaded up water created by the spikes. Eventually water creeps into every tiny little microscopic hole crevice and crack, causing the water to sheet and slick the surface. Once this sheeting of water occurs the humidity condensation and sweat just massively overwhelm the interior of the jackets. Moral of the story, don't expect insulation to hold up in rain just because rain gear keeps us dry for an hour or a few. If it rains all day everything is water logged (if it can absorb water which most materials can, even most waterproof ones) Also, reapply DWR when garments no longer bead water on them. Sometimes just popping it in the dryer on LOW heat for a few minutes can revitalize the DWR. The spikes of the DWR fall down over time, like tired little hairs they start to lay flat. If it isn't beading then it isn't breathing.
Thanks for the feedback! The only times I’ve been in a serious downpour that lasted a bit, I had a poncho. I’m still considering using a poncho, but I wanted to see if I liked making the switch to rain jacket instead. I’ll keep that in mind about the DWR though. Thanks again!
Same here! Someone also corrected me that the material may be waterproof but the pack itself isn’t. I have a basic nylofume pack liner but I’m considering something a little better. Not sure yet!
I have the same pack. The fabric is waterproof but the seams aren’t sealed so some water can get in the seams. I just used a pack liner (trash compactor bag). Even with the record rainfall on the trip last year, there was just dampness in the bottom of the pack. Nothing got wet because of the pack liner.
The pack hip belt pockets were mostly waterproof but just opening them in the rain let water get in so I had a couple ziplock bags in the pack pockets to keep things dry, but mainly used them for snacks that didn’t need to stay dry.
My electronics were in my LiteAF Fanny pack, also in plastic. That was also waterproof until it started to get worn down toward the end of the trail. Then moisture seeped in.
Most people dropped their pack covers in hiker boxes. The people I saw on trail continue using them were mainly people that had packs made of fabric that absorbed water weight.
I took an umbrella that really helped when cold rain was coming down. You can feel the cold through the thin rain coat fabric, even if it doesn’t actually seep through.
I used a lightheart gear jacket that did well at first but died about 3/4 of the way through the trail. I picked up a frogtoggs jacket in the whites but it only lasted a week or two and started leaking. Replaced that with an REI brand goretex jacket that wetted through in the first hour and stayed wet and heavy after that. Returned that after my hike.
Love the length of the jacket you have. Looks like great rain gear.
Thanks for the great input! I'm definitely going to keep the pack liner, and I might buy a more heavy duty one that is lightweight. I keep going back and forth between the rain jacket and pack cover combo and just a poncho. Crazy to hear those rain jackets couldn't hold up better than a week or even a couple hours! Zpacks one seems good, but I definitely haven't tested in a sustained downpour for hours yet. Hopefully it holds up! Thanks, again
I have the same jacket and pants, and I carry them on every trip. But they have really only been tested once. A decent rain event on the Channel Islands. They kept me nice and dry. Zpacks says they have some of the best sweat transmission, but I still felt a little swampy after a few hours, especially when hiking uphill. However, I do sweat a lot, and this was much better than any other rain gear I have ever tried. Cost was a concern, and so is durability. I was really careful to avoid snagging on brush. Mrs. MSF also has a set, and she said it was not swampy at all in her gear. I was not allowed to tell her how much I spent on the 2 sets. She knew it was a bit $$$. But I would buy it again.
Good to hear about the sweat! I don’t think I sweat too much, and I try to be good about not starting with too many layers to avoid overheating. I’m used to a poncho so I’ve never had the overheating issue with rain gear (yet). So I’ll see how this goes when I inevitably hit rain on a long trail. Thanks for the comment, it’s good to hear others are happy with the investment - because it certainly isn’t cheap gear!
As you've just discovered, pack covers are worthless because they only cover some of the pack. Watch Dixie's video regarding this very topic. What you want is a pack liner, which fits inside the pack. It can be a contractor bag or nylofume if you're fancy, but either way it shouldn't cost more than a couple bucks and weigh less than an ounce. It'll protect your stuff way better than a pack cover.
Another thing I would recommend is an umbrella. An umbrella protects you from the rain and the sun, and while a jacket will keep you dry, an umbrella will keep your sandwich dry. It fits perfectly in one of those shoulder pockets (I know because I have the same pack and that's how I use it) so you can still use both hands with trekking poles.
Thanks for the input! Yes my mom has an umbrella too and she has suggested many times that I should try it. I do like that you mentioned you can secure it in the shoulder pocket and not have to carry it. That’s worth considering! I’m starting to realize that going super light on items doesn’t mean it is better for all items lol. I always like having a pack cover but this is also why I always gravitated to the poncho. Just throw it on over everything and you’re good to go. Thanks for watching and thanks for the suggestions!
@@hikingwithrae Ponchos are great for that reason, they also provide more ventilation. I use a $1 Walmart poncho for all but the windiest of conditions.
My umbrella weighs 6oz, about the same as your rain jacket. Combine it with a 1oz Walmart poncho and a pack liner and you've got a lighter system that ventilates and protects your gear better for far cheaper.
@Andy-Mesa 100% considering this! There’s so much that goes into figuring out the right gear. Sometimes you have to invest to test it out and then things change. Just gotta keep testing and see what I like best. Thanks!
A pack cover isn’t useless, I have the zpacks Altraplex tent, my backpack is water resistant. But the rain cover is nice if I store my pack under the vestibule it helps keep splatters off my pack. And if I put my pack inside it’s good to place over my wet pack to keep everything else in my tent dry. Or just put it over the pack while you set up the tent . Or over the foot of your sleeping bag. Good Luck and Good Health on your great adventure!
Rain gear is great for that on off on off kinda mountain weather. Any jacket from a trash bag to a million bucks will just wet out over time. DWR puts little spikes on surface and the pores of the material let vapor pass through the beaded up water created by the spikes. Eventually water creeps into every tiny little microscopic hole crevice and crack, causing the water to sheet and slick the surface. Once this sheeting of water occurs the humidity condensation and sweat just massively overwhelm the interior of the jackets.
Moral of the story, don't expect insulation to hold up in rain just because rain gear keeps us dry for an hour or a few. If it rains all day everything is water logged (if it can absorb water which most materials can, even most waterproof ones)
Also, reapply DWR when garments no longer bead water on them. Sometimes just popping it in the dryer on LOW heat for a few minutes can revitalize the DWR. The spikes of the DWR fall down over time, like tired little hairs they start to lay flat. If it isn't beading then it isn't breathing.
Thanks for the feedback! The only times I’ve been in a serious downpour that lasted a bit, I had a poncho. I’m still considering using a poncho, but I wanted to see if I liked making the switch to rain jacket instead. I’ll keep that in mind about the DWR though. Thanks again!
I have the same backpack. Im going to use a pack liner along with a couple dry bags for critical down items. The backpack is going leak
Same here! Someone also corrected me that the material may be waterproof but the pack itself isn’t. I have a basic nylofume pack liner but I’m considering something a little better. Not sure yet!
First kakah
Thanks Justin… I really needed that kakah, especially after today lol
Great video.
Thank you! Also your name on here lol did you make that name?