Sea to Summit 30-50 Litre Ultra-Sil Pack Cover
Waterproofing
Rating
| Rating: | 9.3 / 10 |
| Value for Money | 2.3 / 2.5 |
| Versatility | 2.4 / 2.5 |
| Weight | 2.4 / 2.5 |
| Durability | 2.2 / 2.5 |
Sea to Summit 30-50 Litre Ultra-Sil Pack Cover Review
Pack covers provide an external covering layer to the exposed sides of your pack and are designed to minimise water getting into your pack. While some packs come with built-in pack covers that stow inside a small pocket usually on the bottom of the pack that allows you to deploy the cover reasonably quickly when it starts to rain, many packs including the smaller ones often don’t.
Early in 2022, Gill and I walked the Three Capes Track in Tasmania over a period of four days and on that walk I used my 33 Litre Osprey Talon Pack. That pack worked well given I didn’t need to cary a sleeping mat or tent. When I decided to walk the East Gippsland Rail Trail in mid 2022, I opted for the next size up for this pack to cope with the additional load but I was able to use the same small 30-50 litre pack cover that worked so well with the smaller pack. Having said that, given the way I pack the limit for this sized cover for would be around 40 litres.
Most modern packs will minimise water getting inside and wetting everything but if the rain is heavy enough and consistent enough, eventually everything is likely to end up getting wet. This means you need some form of waterproofing in the form of pack liner and/or a pack cover – I use both!
Pack covers don’t cover the area of your pack that comes in contact with your back which is a potential design weakness but that’s just the way it is. Larger packs tend to come with built-in covers but pack covers on smaller packs tend to be a bit of an afterthought.
The Sea to Summit 30-50 Litre Ultra-Sil Pack Cover weighs 85 grams and is about the size of a tennis ball when stored in its own self contained little pack. Pack covers are pretty simple items and easy to deploy just requiring you to pull it out of its storage sack, wrapped around the outside of the pack and clip together the strap to keep it in place. These packs come with a drain hole at the bottom that allows water to drain away if it does get under the cover. There isn’t much that goes wrong with them – my previous pack cover lasted around 11 years with the only maintenance being the need to reapply waterproofing on an annual basis with a product like the Nixwax TX. Direct.
So if you are the sort of person who does hike in the rain, a pack cover is an essential piece of equipment even for those smaller packs.
Sea to Summit Pack Cover 30-50 Litre in Lime
Sea to Summit Pack Cover 30-50 Litre in Blue
Sea to Summit 30-50 Litre Pack Cover in its stuff sack
Sea to Summit 30-50 Litre Ultra-Sil Pack Cover on a half full Osprey Talon 33 Litre Pack
Sea to Summit 30-50 Litre Ultra-Sil Pack Cover strapped to my Osprey Talon 33 Litre Pack. This strap keeps the cover in place
We Like
- Colour range
- Suits a pack from 30-50 litres depending on how much gear you to stuff into your pack
- Lightweight
- Easy to add to your pack in a hurry
- Helps to keep your clothing, sleep system and electronics dry when during wet weather hiking
We Don't Like
- Nothing!
Best Uses
For hikes where waterproofing is essential
Buy One
You can purchase the Sea to Summit 30-50 Litre Ultra-Sil Pack Cover online from Wild Earth
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Investment
AUD $49.99 RRP
Other Versions
Disclaimer
This review was done with product purchased from a retail store by Australian Hiker
Last updated
24/11/2023