By: Blonde Two
As we have all learnt the hard way, waterproofing your kit when you are out walking or on expedition is a really important aspect of rucksack packing, unless you want to end up chilly and in danger of not rewarming. How you waterproof kit is up to you. The cheapest way is to line your rucksack with rubble sacks (not bin bags, these are too thin), you can buy rucksack-sized dry bags or you can buy smaller dry bags for different types of kit. I was trying to pack with as little weight as possible for my recent bothy trip to Wales and decided to try using my bivvy bag (which I was bringing in case the bothy was full) as a rucksack liner.
The packing and keeping dry results were good but there were a couple of issues. I had to take everything out of my rucksack before I could extract my bivvy bag (something of a nuisance in a crowded bothy) and, as it turned out, I could have done with another rubble sack to put on the bothy wet floor and protect my sleeping arrangements.
I might try this experiment again… I might not!
Staying dry is paramount to comfort. I found that out the hard way on 2 occasions…not fun!
The last time I tried to get rubble sacks, there were no thick plastic ones to be had anywhere, but only those woven blue ones – which are DEFINITELY NOT WATERPROOF! The best I could get that were waterproof were garden rubbish bags. Be careful, though – I suspect some plastics may not be too healthy. On the whole, I prefer my vinyl bags even though they are slightly heavier – I can use them for canoeing too. They can be totally immersed in water.
B&Q sell rubble sacks but vinyl bags sounds like a good plan. We try to reuse our rubble sacks as often as possible, not least because they are expensive!