Backpack Rain covers buying guide

Tired of getting all the wet backpack accessories once you reach your camping spot due to rain? Well, it is time to put a halt to the constant worrying over wet and ruined stuff!

You need to buy the best backpack rain covers to shield your backpack in the best way. To purchase your backpack's perfect protector, you need to give a thought on many crucial aspects.

While nobody has time to let you know about the same, we decided to give you an easy to understand and in-depth detail about these essentials. This efficient guide will provide you with a sneak inside the world of backpacks' covers.

You will learn about the key features of these and be able to make the right purchase. So, instead of waiting for the right moment to arrive, grab your coffee and start now.

What do you mean by Backpack Rain Covers? Why do you need them?

Backpack or you can say your camping companion helps hold many things for you. Be it your gears, eatables, clothes, or tent. A backpack stores them all.

It's a magic box with hidden treasures inside it. Every time you put your hand inside, there is always something getting out of it. Your backpack is your essential valet.

While you carry out hiking under the open sky, many uncertainties surround it. You may experience intense heat, heavy rainfall, or a dust storm.

These things affect your backpack. Heavy rainfall can wet it. Dust storms can tear the fabric while heat can damage it. This is where you feel the need for an additional layer of protection.

Backpack rain covers are specially designed to cover your backpack entirely and save it from the harsh elements. These are made from waterproof materials and are highly durable. These resist wear and tear and keep your essentials safe.

These advantages suffice your hunger to know why these covers are required. However, many other aspects affect your backpack, and these covers protect it from those. So, stay along and scroll down to know more about these helpful creations.

Why should you read this buying guide before purchasing a suitable product?

With a plethora of options available in the market, you can easily get confused while selecting the best option. You have to look into certain factors before sorting out the best option.

In this guide, you will find all the necessary information under one roof. You don't have to look here and there for the correct details and can quickly funnel down the best option.

Moreover, you will get answers to your common questions and queries. So without any further delay, let us dive into this immense pool of information.

Things to deem about while selecting appropriate Backpack Rain Covers

Material

Material plays a significant role when these covers are considered. It is the backpack cover that will be enduring the harsh treatment of nature. Be it the thorns in the forest or the heavy rain.

The bag cover is responsible for saving your backpack by putting its life into risk.

This is why these have to be robust and durable, and these features are imparted by the materials used. Let's see what goes into the making of these water repellers.

1. Nylon

Nylon is a common cover material. It is highly waterproof and durable. Besides antimicrobial in nature, it is also damage resistant and does not wear off soon. With a nylon cover, you can expect long years of service. It is effortless to clean and maintain.

Drawback

The drawback of using this material is that the color can fade away due to continuous exposure to the harmful elements. This may make your cover look dull and not worthy of using.

Also, it is a synthetic material that cannot be recycled. Hence, it is not eco-friendly and can be hazardous.

2. Polyester

Similar in texture and function to nylon, this material is relatively cheaper and water-resistant. The significant advantage of using this material is that it doesn't lose its shape and shrink even after frequent washing.

Drawback

Polyester is not an easy material to clean. It is because it retains tough stains, which makes it very difficult to get rid of them.

3. Coating

The coating on any material is done to increase its durability further. Though nylon and polyester are capable enough to sustain large amounts of damage but to improve their life span more, a coating of PVC (Poly Vinyl Chloride) or Teflon is done.

This step adds a layer of protection to your cover without adding any extra weight to it. It is an essential feature to look for while choosing the apt material.

While selecting the apt material is crucial, knowing some extra details regarding the same does no harm. One such additional deciding factor is Denier. It is a measuring unit of fabrics like nylon and polyester.

The weight of each is determined by comparing a single fiber of these with a single fiber of silk. Silk thread is taken as the reference measurement that is one silk thread weighs to one Denier.

This measurement helps you determine the durability of the material you are opting for and make a concrete choice.

Style

The conditions in the wild cannot be predicted, neither the rain nor the visibility. While trekking and hiking, you travel a lot, and weather changes can occur in any instance. It lowers down the visibility and makes you invisible. This is the case during the dark hours also.

Backpack rain covers have new styles incorporated in them to make things easier and make you visible even when emergencies occur.

These covers glow when the light around you is low, and it becomes difficult to distinguish things out. This feature comes in handy, especially when you are lost, and the rescue team is searching for you.

The illuminating cover on your backpack lets others know about your whereabouts. You can also search for other variants that have other reflective elements in them or any tracking system.

Waterproof vs. water-resistant

A rain cover's primary purpose is to keep your essentials safe from getting wet and damaged. You carry many camping equipment with you that also include electronic gadgets. A single drop of water can easily ruin your massive investment made in those gadgets.

Hence, to keep them safe, the backpack rain covers are made waterproof or water-resistant. But don't get confused! These two, almost similar terms, mean two different things. Let's have a look at their meanings and functionality to make your decision faster.

1. Waterproof

The word 'waterproof' means that it prevents the water from penetrating your cover. Even if you submerge your backpack along with its cover and leave it for hours, water will still not find its way through it. It is the ability of a waterproof cover. It doesn't let water seep inside.

While it has such a dynamic ability, opting for these covers can be an expensive affair. This is because waterproofing involves an intricate technique known as ultrasonic welding. This makes all the seams watertight and thus makes the cover waterproof.

The story doesn't end here because this welding requires a lot of expertise, expensive materials, and a lot of time. All these factors, when added together, incline this waterproof cover towards the expensive side.

2. Water-resistant

Covers with this feature can resist water for a limited period beyond which water can easily penetrate through it. It's just like the person who does not allow you to enter a place, but upon bribing, he lets you in. In this case, it's only time and not money.

These can endure light showers but will give up during heavy rainstorms. However, these are less expensive but not as effective as the waterproof ones.

So, before you decide which one to opt for, think deeply, and then conclude. It's a real investment that you are making, and it should pay off.

Protection

Backpack rain covers are used and abused because they have to endure the harshness that certain elements treat them. Whether it is in the wild or your car, these covers have to give their best.

These are very versatile and pay off all your investments. The protection offered is incredible. They not only protect your backpack against heavy showers but also safeguard its fabric from tearing off.

Thorns, branches, stones, etc. are some elements that are your backpack's constant enemies. These always conspire to cause bruises and damages to your beloved backpack.

To prevent these harmful elements from doing so, these covers can bear all the damages and still stay firm with their enhanced durability.

Dirt is always associated with hiking and is inevitable. Their prolonged stay on your backpack can eat up the fabric and make it weak. This is where these covers come to help.

With these covers on, you can stay assured that your backpack is safe throughout your journey. When transported, engine oil or other stains can ruin your backpack's look. Hence, to negate all these problems, investing in a backpack cover is essential and worth it.

Size

The size of your cover matters. This is because it acts as a protective layer, and what's the use if some parts are not protected? To ensure that you are investing in the right one, you need to consider some crucial points.

First, you should ensure that the cover you are opting for is large enough to cover the entire backpack. It should not be too large or small.

Small size won't cater to the requirements while a large size will leave spaces through which water or any other damaging material can enter.

If you feel confused, then look for covers that are one size bigger than the size of your backpack. These will accurately fit your backpack.

Weight

Weight is significant, especially when you are hiking. Your backpack itself is quite heavy, and having extra weight will make things worse. It will cause fatigue and pain. This way, you will not be able to enjoy your trip and will miss the essence of it.

To help you combat this issue with grace and smartness, investing in backpack rain covers is the best option. These are made from extremely lightweight and durable materials.

Even after covering your backpack with these, you will not feel any extra weight added to your backpack.

You can carry out hiking with ease and won't even feel fatigued. This feature is crucial because many covers available in the market add weight to your backpack and claim that they are more durable and efficient, which is false.

Attachments

Another aspect to ponder upon is the different ways in which these covers can be attached to your backpack. During hiking, strong winds may begin to blow. This may lead to your lightweight cover to blow away with it. You don't want to run chasing it.

So, to keep things in reach and sight, backpack rain covers feature multiple attachment systems. Some of the popular ones are listed below.

1. Adjustable adjustments

As the name suggests, 'adjustable,' this attachment method enables you to adjust the covering according to your convenience.

If you are carrying less load, you can pull the elastic string to lessen the space. If your backpack is heavily loaded, you can loosen the elastic string as required.

2. Bungee loop cord

These are the most common types of attachments that you will find. Hikers, campers, bikers, etc. use these cords to secure their backpack to any surface or cover their backpacks. You have to put the cover and attach it to your backpack through this stretchable loop.

However, these are not reliable because the buckle can open on its own, thus blowing off your backpack cover.

3. Toggles

These are straps that attach the rain cover to your backpack firmly with the help of small loops present on your bag cover.

4. Drawstrings

These are very similar to the bungee loop cords but differ in the method. While loop cords cover the belly of your backpack to secure the cover, these are present on the top edge of it. When you want to cover your backpack, pull these strings to tie a knot, and you are done.

Fit

Like the size, the fit of your rain cover is essential. The cover you opt for should fit your backpack accurately. This will ensure that your backpack is entirely secure, and nothing is going to damage it.

Backpack rain covers are very reliable when the fit of your rain cover is discussed. These have an elastic rim with an additional attachment facility. These fit accurately on your backpack from all the sides. No amount of gap is left through which air, dust, or water can enter.

This feature makes these different from the other covers. These come in different sizes to fit all types of bags. Hence, search for other variants also to find out a suitable cover for your backpack.

Durability

Backpack rain covers are incredibly durable and long-lasting. These can withstand rugged use and a few scratches. The materials they are made of play a significant role in enhancing their durability. In addition to these, the coating also helps.

These don't soak water or retain dust particles. Cleaning is effortless and can be washed regularly with soap and water. These are very lightweight and useful, and durability is something that they are famous for.

You will also find variants that don't have seams. This eliminates the chances of dangling threads, holes, or openings that may create problems. These features of these covers help reduce any leakage issue and make your experience worth remembering.

Color

While many people overlook this essential feature of a rain cover, you should not! Color does not only mean fashion or style. It comes handy while stuck somewhere in case of an emergency.

As you saw earlier, how the style of these covers plays a vital role, the same way colors also contribute a lot.

These covers feature bright neon colors that help the other members of your team to quickly locate you even while the sun has gone down. Also, you can match your rain cover color with that of your teammates and color code.

This helps others get an idea that you belong to a group, which can help. Opt for the one that you find best in terms of color coding or personal preference.

Price

The price of these covers is influenced by many factors, like the material, the quality, craftsmanship, capacity, etc. Some covers are affordable with good quality material used, but others have high costs and low quality.

The best way to decide your budget will be to focus on which material you want with what type of construction and other features.

If you opt for nylon with waterproof abilities and adjustable attachment, you may get covers that cost a bit expensive, but you will get a good quality cover. This is how you should set your budget and move ahead to pick the best match.

Seamless design

Seams are the points where two fabric pieces are joined together either by stitching or using glue. This place makes your backpack prone to wetting because the fine opening can allow water to seep in.

Even the covers are not safe. Covers with seams are vulnerable to water leakage that can lead to damaging your equipment.

Backpack rain covers don't have seams. Thanks to their seamless design, not a single drop of water enters inside and damages your property. Hence, by investing some amount of your savings, you get access to uncountable worthy advantages.

Care and Storage

Your backpack cover needs extra care to stay long. If not taken care of, the fabric will damage, and the cover will become inefficient. So, ensure that you clean it at regular intervals and store it properly.

After every trip, thoroughly clean your cover to remove all the stains and dust particles.

Use a mild detergent and water to clean the material gently. If it's nylon, you do not need to scrub it.

Since nylon can be easily cleaned, wash it off with water and wipe with a clean and soft cloth. But if it is polyester, water and soap are a must.

Gently scrub the stained area with your hand and till the stain gets cleaned. Do not machine wash, for it will damage the material.

Also, don't use fabric conditioners because they will cause huge damage to your cover, and rather than increasing its durability, the use of these will decrease it.

Before storing your cover, completely air dry it so that no moisture is there. Use a cotton bag to put the cover inside and store it. Keep it away from sunlight and make sure that you store it in a shady place.

This way, you will be able to maintain the durability of your backpack cover and use it for years without replacing it again and again.

FAQs

1. Is it necessary to have a rain cover for my pack?

It depends whether you use your pack often in the rainy season. If yes, then having a proper cover can save your backpack and protect it from the rain damage.

Moreover, the cover provides extra security to the bag and becomes handy in occasional heavy showers. So, you should invest in the backpack with covers to protect your items.

2. Should I choose the cover of the same size as my backpack?

No, you should choose +1 size for your cover so that it can cover your pack entirely and save it from the rain. Having the same size will not protect the pack adequately.

3. How should I clean the rain cover?

Here are some handy tips:

1. Always read the instruction manual before using any strong chemicals.
2. Wash the cover with detergent to clean it. In the case of mold you can use a bleach solution for adequate cleaning.
3. Dry the cover properly before storing it.

Final verdict

Backpack rain covers present a simple yet effective way to protect your packs. All you need is to look for the best option.

Here in this guide, you will get all the necessary details that will aid you in selecting the best option. Go through the pointers and invest in an elite cover.