# Anyone have a water resistant pack for BOB?



## forluvofsmoke (Jan 27, 2012)

I've been wishing I had the space in my work vehicle to carry my old Remington 4,500 cu in external frame pack, but it's just way too tall. I purchased this pack in 1994 for $90 or $100 and it's a great all-weather pack...polyethylene coated on all interior surfaces (pockets, organizers and main compartment) of the heavy-weight polyester fabric, and all zippers have a wide weather flap/cover to act as a drip-edge for rain. This pack has been on several wet-weather outings loaded in excess of 90lbs and handled the weight and water without fail. It's like a fine wine...gets better with age...well, compared to what is available through main-stream vendors nowadays, this pack just looks better and better every time I take it out of storage. I'd hate the thought of ever loosing the use of this pack...I'll never sell it, that's for sure. Without the option of using this pack, I now find myself looking for methods to create the same (or at least comparable) protection for my gear.

The internal frame pack I have now for a BOB/BHB is a nice pack for the price, sized for my needs and is working reasonably well for my purpose, but is not water/weather resistant. I've been looking into different styles/grades of dry-boxes and dry-bags to stack the odds more in my favor, but the added bulk, weight and cost have all become a deterrent. I would like to have a minimum of two layers of water resistant fabric to protect my first aid, clothing and certain articles of survival gear, and a water-resistant pack seems like the best place to get that first layer.

So, are there any decent packs out there in the 3,500-4,000 cu in capacity range that are weather/water resistant? Or, would I be better off keeping what I have and just spraying all of my pack and stuff-sack fabrics (polyester) with silicone water-repellent and going with additional light-weight dry bags for first aid and survival gear (already in plastic containers), and clothing? The heavy-duty (polypropylene laminated rip-stop) dry-bags add quite a bit of weight, and larger dry boxes add lots of weight, cost, and also create too many voids to easily fill all the gaps for a tight and efficient pack. I'm not trying to build a pack that will survive full-submersion, except for critical items, such as that which will fit in a med/small dry-box. Weight is becoming an issue, as I'm pushing the 60lb mark now with only my critical gear being somewhat water resistant. Thoughts?


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## CrackbottomLouis (May 20, 2012)

If you dont mind spendin money check out kifaru packs. I use wetbags, water proof stuff sacks, and gallon ziplocks in my bob. Works well.


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## Ravensoracle (Oct 4, 2010)

I line my BOB with contractor garbage bags, possibly wrapping individual items in the bags if minimal protection is all they need. Beyond that I use dry bags or padded pelican cases for my electronics like cell phone, GPS and ham radio. But the electronics take minimal room and the case adds impact protection.

Edit: it's a give and take between weight and protection.


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## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

I also use dry bags and zip lock freezer bags (stronger than standard zip lock). I also have a few contactor bags that I keep inside my BOB to turn into a makeshift poncho for my bag if it rains.


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## Dakine (Sep 4, 2012)

I replaced my Rush 72 with an Eberlestock G3 Operator, it came with a rain cover, and has top cover for the rifle scabbard. I haven't had it on a rain hike yet though. 

I picked up a couple ILBE water tight bags on eBay for around $20 each, they're fairly large though, think: perfect size for a seabag, in the G3... not so much. Anyway, I'll have to think about that some more, also I need to get one of those little otter boxes for electronics and batteries.


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## forluvofsmoke (Jan 27, 2012)

Thanks for all the tips! I hadn't thought about a trash-can liner for the main compartment of my pack, and to carry a spare or two for a rain cover/poncho...sometimes we overlook the simplest of things...although I do have a light-duty poncho...the large bags would work out pretty well for my application, and provide additional rain-gear for more than just myself. I rarely use the front access zipper of the main compartment in my pack and usually go inside from the top, so with a bit better organizing/prioritizing I can make that work. I'm using ziploc freezer bags for a few items already and can do more with those as well.

I think if I use a combination of everything (small-medium dry-box, med-lg heavy-duty dry-bag, trash-can liner, freezer bags, silicone coating for all my non-water proof fabrics) I can get the best protection from the elements for my gear and supplies. I didn't want to spend a lot of cash, but it's cheap insurance to protect my gear. The pack itself is just a tool to contain and transport my gear, so it doesn't need to be expensive, just reasonably rugged and comfortable to carry, which it is both. I'll still miss my Remington frame pack, as it was nice to load it up and know that everything would stay dry in most any normal weather situation, but I'll get over it and move forward. Now that I think about it, I'd be extremely disappointed in destroying my Remington while it rides around in a vehicle for the rest of it's serviceable life...this way I can save it my BOV, where I will really get the full benefits of it's features, if the time ever arises. And, it makes more sense to save the best I have for the most critical situation that I may encounter.

I'm shying away from the really high-end packs due to the environment I'm using it in. I drive off-highway/off-road in a heavy-duty diesel truck, and the high-frequency vibration from vehicle operation, even while stationary and operating accessory equipment (PTO-driven high-volume positive-displacement gear pump), as well as shaking from vehicle motion on rough roads can really accumulate over time regarding wear from objects rubbing together and chaffing themselves apart. It's a tough situation to deal with and very different than having a BOB in a pick-up truck or car where these conditions are minimized, but if I protect my gear well enough, the bag can be replaced periodically when it shows signs of excessive wear (just gotta inspect it fairly often to make a determination if it's time to retire the pack or not)...the gear is another story...that's where most of my investment lies. I'd love to have a high-quality field-pack, but it would be a shame to have a $300-$500 pack destroyed in just a couple years, when I can get by with spending $50-$80 on one every 12-18 months, and use the retired pack for gear storage in a BOV.

As far as dry-boxes and dry-bags, I can get a 9" diameter x 15" tall heavy-duty rip-stop vinyl bag for $13 and/or a set of 3 (small [7.75" x 13"]/med [9.5" x 15"]/large [6.75" x 10.75" x 22") for $10, and Plano has two grades of dry-boxes (Guide Series) ranging in sizes from a small stow-away to a small brief-case with two levels of protection (poly carbonate triple latch, and HDPE triple latch) that are adequate for my needs. Prices range from only $5 for the small HDPE to $35 for the large polycarbonate, so I can justify the cost of grabbing a couple of these. I did spy the 2-1/2 gallon ziploc bag, but it's just a light food storage bag...wish I could find that size in a freezer bag, as it would be great for larger clothing articles, but I can make due with 2-gal, 1-gal and 1-qt sizes.

I can see many possibilities now, so I can work out an acceptable solution very soon.

Thanks again, all!


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## Redtail (Oct 17, 2008)

I woyuld probably stick to a siliconized ALICE Medium if not for the fact that I was given a black 5.11 Rush 72 as a gift from the editor of USASOC Magazine when I wrote airsoft event and equipment reviews back in the day. 
Again, I siliconized it with water-repellent spray. The bottom of the pack is grometted for drainage, and anything fragile inside is near the top and/or in a fully waterproof container. 
Most everything inside is either impervious to water or contained in redundant plastic packaging.


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## Hooch (Jul 22, 2011)

Up here in the Pacific Northwest..it rains alot in frequency and volume. I've spent over a decade on the local search and rescue team and have gone through lots of trials with gear in the weather. I also used to work in the woods and had years of trials with different gear in that respect. 
I've found the best waterproof is the freezer zip lock bags, not the ones with the little slide doo hicky thing..they break off easy and there is a gap so its not really waterproof. Just the basic zip lock, they are cheap, lightweight, see through, you can store replacements in your pack eaisly and my stuff stayed dry. I knew I could cross a stream if I had to and not get anything wet. I would replace the bags when they where starting to get show wear and so long as I did that..I've never had a failure. 
If your paranoid bout electronics..double bag them. Most folks on our team did it this way as well. Spending the extra money on waterproof stuff isnt worth it in my opinion. The proofing stuff wears out and in a downpour, needing to get stuff outta your pack, even if it is newer and dry at the moment it wont be for long once you open it.


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## forluvofsmoke (Jan 27, 2012)

Yeah, I'm seriously considering silicone spray for all my stuff-sack and pack shell fabrics.

Hey Hooch, thanks for the tip on the zipper freezer bags...I was going to grab some of those...now, I won't. I will grab the double-seal freezer bags though.

I also was looking at those Ziploc brand vacuum freezer bags online. The starter kit is just a hand pump and 3 1-qt bags, but the refill 1-gal/1-qt bags aren't that spendy. The bags look like a double-seal freezer bag so they're resealable (unlike regular vacuum bags, unless you fire up the machine again), but also have the checker-board grooved interior. I may have to check 'em out in the store...if they're anything like my roll vacuum freezer bags, they'll be heavy gauge and tough as nails. If I open the box and like what I see and what they feel like, I'll buy a kit plus refills...if not, I'll just have to walk away in shame...LOL!!!

I'll let you know if I get a batch of those vacuum Ziploc bags and get to test them to see how they'll work out.


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## oif_ghost_tod (Sep 25, 2012)

While my personal BOB is water resistant with the better zippers and fabric, I have also had great success with just trash bags and zip lock freezer bags, inside of my issued Alice pack. Worked to waterproof during open ocean ops.


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