anyone know of a really good waterproof day hiking pack?

[stobbart]

I posted this on the general talk board but from experience have found this to be the best board on the forum

The one im using is not any brand name it was a left over backpack that I had from my wrestling days, that to my great suprise, when I was hiking Zion Subway this past summer found out it was totally waterproof.
(All my gear was completly dry after the first swimming part, while other people got their belongings completly soaked in their expensive hiking packs) But for the sake of doing more and more extreme day hikes instead of the week long sierra trips I have done in the past I am looking into getting a real day hiking pack. I have been looking at some of the Osprey packs but do not think they are waterproof. I dont want to have to put a cover on my pack to protect it from water.

I plan to use it in snow conditions because I am starting to become more and more into snow hiking but still will use it a lot duing the summer months. So hopefully it will have some sort of ice ax holder on it. Does anyon have any really good waterproof packs that they know of? Price is not a concern. Thanks for the information.

[Kevin]

I think you're going to have a tough time finding such a bag.

Here are a couple of ways to help improve the waterproofness of your bag. The best one is to use plastic bag as a liner inside your pack. Use a trash compactor bag for a liner - you can get them at Wal-mart - as they're inexpensive and very tough. Everything goes into this larger bag, and before you close your pack (assuming you use a duffel style pack) fold the excess carefully to create a large envelope. Put items you never want wet into additional plastic bags as well, like emergency down jackets, sleeping bags, dry socks, etc. Ziplocks work well for smaller items.

You can also purchase a rain cover for your pack, but they're ridiculously expensive, typically $40 or more. They come in different sizes. Even with plastic bags inside there's something to be said for a pack cover as it will keep your pack drier and therefore lighter. Notice I said drier and not dry - I've never seen anything that keeps a pack dry, especially in a steady rain if it's windy.

Snow doesn't automatically mean your pack and gear will get wet. If it never gets above freezing your gear will remain quite dry in snow country. However, in SoCal the climate is so mild that even in areas where there is snow it is usually is above freezing at some point during the day so you need to use some care when setting your pack down.

[KathyW]

I don't know anything about them, but here are some:

http://store.thewaterproofstore.com/backpacks.html

I'd still line my bag with a plastic trash bag if I thought it was going to wet out.