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I'm looking at doing some backpacking trips that involve swimming such as west clear creek(when it warms up). So I was curioius what would be the best route to go. I've seen entire backpack covers as well as waterproof liners that go inside the backpack. I know my first line of defense will be an inflatable innertube. But I want to make sure that my sleeping bag, tent, and clothes stay dry. I think I will use ziplocs for food and smaller items. Or maybe I should just be using a garbage bag!

Let me know what you think and what experiences you have had.



Thanks!

Garbage bags work well inside your pack and are cheap insurance for anything else. I've also used Sea-to-Summit silnylon drybags for such applications with no problems. The packliners are probably good, too, but I wouldn't trust a pack cover to help with immersion.

I could benefit from this thread as well, as I'm planning the same sort of thing this summer. The route I plan to go is to pack the stuff I need wateproofed in the roll-top dry bags and packing those into my frame pack. Maybe put some grommets in my frame pack so that it will drain the water easily after a swim.

This article actually gives some great tips (it's a bummer the articles aren't given much play nowadays, I used to love reading them until people stopped submitting new ones): http://www.hikearizona.com/dex2/article.php?AID=22

If your really going to be in the water a lot and doing some swimming to, I would get a Sealline boundary bag. I used one for a 3 day trip down tonto creek a few years back and it worked great. Not a single drop of water inside. If you really want to be safe, get the boundary bag then throw all your stuff in a trash compactor bag inside of it and wrap it and tie it off. Nothing will get in the there.

Or if you want to use an old backpack that you don't mind trashing a bit. Get a few regular dry bags. I don't know if I would trust the sillnylon ones but the sealline see bags worked great for me as have the Seattle Sports Omni Dry Bags which happen to be on clearance at the REI outlet right now.

By the way, on our tonto trip someone bought an inflatable inner tube, it was more of a hassle than anything, ended up popping half way through.

davis2001r6 wrote:Sealline boundary bag

If you need a real drybag, those can't be beat. I use one for paddling trips. I don't like using them as backpacks, though.

Thanks for the input and the link to the article. I'm going to check into pricing on the real dry bags. But the trash compactor bags are very tempting. It would leave money for other gear purchases like a proper set of wet hiking shoes.

If you're going to get into serious canyoneering, look at the Imlay Kolob pack. Whatever pack you use, if it doesn't have grommets, put about 10 grommets in the bottom for quick drainage. Several smaller dry bags are easier than on big drybag. I think Metolius makes some canyoneering backpacks. Some people like kegs, some hate them. It depends on the canyon. Kegs protect fragile stuff better. I think Imlay has some kegs.

Al_HikesAZ wrote:Whatever pack you use, if it doesn't have grommets, put about 10 grommets in the bottom for quick drainage.

Words of wisdom.

Unless its a boundary bag of course. But yeah if your using an old backpack definitely put some grommets in it.

Yea, for my WCC excursions I use those Imlay Dry Kegs and plenty of grommets on the bottom of my pack.

Having been through WCC & Tonto Creek a few times I'd second the SealLine Boundary Bags for occasional use. Not as comfortable, maybe, as your regular backpack but better suited for immersion. The shoulder straps & waist belt of a standard backpack hold a suprising amount of water, even if you DO install grommets. Going when it is warmer and with no need for a tent, I have done up to 5 days with the SealLine Boundary Pack 35. You will want to have a leash (20' +/-) tied around your waist to pull the bag through the pools - a biner at both ends can come in handy as well.
Here is a trip description that touches on gear selection some > http://hikearizona.com/decoder.php?ZTN=587.

im going to suggest you stay away from inflatable raft/kids pool toys.
get something that wont go flat, like a solid foam swim aid. you can find foam "mini boogeyboards" at many stores. they also double as a camp chair.

I appreciate all the good suggestions. I am a big gear freak, but my budget limits me on that. For now I am going with the trash compactor bags (several smaller ones) and ziplocs. We'll see how that holds up. Buying several small or one large dry bag was looking to be about $50-$75. I'll just have to deal with the wet straps and add some grommets to my existing pack. My wife can sew pretty good, so I assume I can find some sew in ones. If I see that I get into the canyoneering more, then I'll buy gear specific for that. I'm not worried about the swimming part, I'm more comfortable in the water than on land. But you just can't get to as many places swimming as you can hiking.

I do have a question. Does anyone use a two layered approach with the compactor bags inside your pack and then a larger bag around the entire outside of the pack? Perhaps this is going overboard. I know it would make it more difficult to pull along. But maybe a rope tied around the knot that is holding the bag closed and then hooked to your belt(as suggested above).

Thanks again for the input.

If I did a two layer it would be several smaller bags inside one large trash compactor bag on the inside of my pack. AZ is rough, any plastic on the outside will tear. Plus you don't want to mess with the bag that much it will slow you down substantially if you have to take it on/off and put it in a trash bag at every water crossing. You might want to look at a goodwill store or find some cheap backpack on Craigslist or something if your worried about trashing your pack.

davis2001r6 wrote:If I did a two layer it would be several smaller bags inside one large trash compactor bag on the inside of my pack.

Yup.

Xiled1 wrote: For now I am going with the trash compactor bags (several smaller ones) and ziplocs. We'll see how that holds up.

I wouldn't trust ziplocs for anything more than backup inside of the compactor bags. Anything you keep in just a ziploc bag will get wet. Even a ziploc inside of another ziploc will not hold up well and your stuff will get wet.
I use light drybags, compactor bags, or trash bags inside of a pack with grommets.
With the compactor/trash bags, I squeeze as much air out as possible and then twist the ends instead of tying them. It makes it easier to get into them and I've never had a problem with them leaking. They are also small, light, and cheap enough to pack a spare or two.
I keep smaller items that I might want to get to without much trouble inside of wide-mouthed nalgene water bottles. These also trap enough air to add some buoyancy to the pack.
I've used the kids boogie board method before, with one strapped to the pack, and it worked great. They are cheap, light, and durable and they do have the added benefit of providing a camp chair/table/float toy. Now, I usually just fill empty spaces in my pack with pieces of those fun-noodle type pool toys. If they are positioned right, there isn't even much submersion. They aren't very useful in camp though.

I just completed a 3 day packraft on the verde river where I did take more than 1 swim in the cold frigid waters. My pack was submerged twice for what seemed to be around 3 - 4 minutes each time. I had all gear and clothes packed in several sea to summit eVent dry compression bags which definitely do not appear as burly and rugged as a regular traditional dry bag, but these bags worked great. Not a single drop of water inside any of the bags I used. Had a M for food and other gear, a S for my sleeping bag, and 2 XS....1 for clothes and 1 for my tent. Those bags are not cheap by any means, but definitely worth the $ I spent on them as well as the peace of mind knowing all my gear and clothes will be staying dry.

Just my $.02

I have a army surplus rubberized laundry bag that I bought at Lareda's years ago. I think I paid about $6 for it. It's big enough for a daypack which I drop into it for crossing deep pools. With the pack inside, it captures enough air to make it bouyant so I just hug it and swim across.

In terms of drybags if your on a budget the wally world 3 pack of drybags are a surprising bang for the buck.....the work as well as any expensive back imo. Only problem is the pack doesn't come with a big enough one to use as a bag liner. I just use the trusty old compactor back myself though for that. Just make sure to pack a backup or 2 in case you spring a leak in it.

The wally world drybags will fail you when you need them most. Don't trust anything valuable to them. They don't last long and tend to get holes in the corners and at the seams.