Pack liner advice

[Catcher]

Need recommendations for a pack liner for a 55 litre pack. Obviously the 55 litres includes lid and side pocket capacity so imagining that 50 litre size will suffice?
Do people find it more useful to use different sizes of waterproof bags rather than one big one?

[ofuros]

I used to use 3 separate dry bags, now use 4 for convenience. A evac 35lt, two 8lt & a 2lt.

A large (35lt) S2summit evac dry bag to expel most of the air & compress my insulation & hammock into a small..say 20lt bundle, a food fuel & cooker bag (8lt), small bright yellow first aid + Plb bag (2lt) and lastly a bag filled with thermals, beanie, gloves also doubles as a pillow in the evening (8lt).

If i know I'll be swimming through water holes etc I'll double bag & take along a dry bag that swallows my whole 50litre backpack & use it as a float with a handle to hang onto.

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[Tortoise]

Need recommendations for a pack liner for a 55 litre pack. Obviously the 55 litres includes lid and side pocket capacity so imagining that 50 litre size will suffice?
Do people find it more useful to use different sizes of waterproof bags rather than one big one?

What works for me is a pack liner that's a bit small for my pack, plus a smaller one at the top with things want to keep dry that I might want during the day (thermals, light insulated jacket etc). My tent, which is often wet, goes down the outside of the main liner, inside the pack. (Actually I usually separate the inner from the fly in that case, and use a shopping bag for the inner). Other bits and pieces that don't need to stay dry (lunch in take-away container, rain jacket that I'll be wearing if it's wet etc) fill in gaps at the top.

[Franco]

Before I started to use the Aarn packs (they have a built in liner) I used the Paddy Pallin white plastic liner, works well.
A bit like a thick rubbish bag , the white makes it easier to see inside.
Before that I tried pack covers but those did not (always) work for me.

[Moondog55]

Do people find it more useful to use different sizes of waterproof bags rather than one big one?

It depends but in winter I use a full sized liner and also a dry bag for the sleeping bag and use plastic bag liners in the stuff sacks for the dry at all cost down etc

[Giddy_up]

Individual for me and my pack is largely a dry sack so I don't use a liner.


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[Tintin]

I just use a large garbage bag ; lighter and cheaper. I'll use a second one at the bottom folded over for sleeping bag and camp clothes (things I don't need to access until camp but is imperative that they're dry).

[Walk_fat boy_walk]

Do people find it more useful to use different sizes of waterproof bags rather than one big one?

Yep. 2 or 3 smallish (between 8 and 15L) sacks should be all you need (I use z-packs cuben bags but S2S ones are pretty good). And the one for the sleeping bag + night clothes, when compressed and with the air evacuated and sealed negates the need for a compression sack. This not only saves a little bit of weight but is more malleable within the pack than a compression sack with tightened straps (which is like hard oversized football) which makes packing easier and saves space. You can have a dedicated dry bag for your tent inner if you use one (fly better off outside the dry space) but as Tortoise says a shopping bag will suffice for that.... or you can just wrap it in the fly (the dry side if you haven't been hit with condensation).

[Gadgetgeek]

I double bag, sil-nylon liner and then anything that isn't waterproof on its own, like my tarp, goes in dry-bags. Keeping in mind that most of the times I'm packing a bag, I'm not only planning for myself, but for others as well, so I tend to be a bit more particular on keeping stuff dry. For organization, I find several smaller dry-bags to be more useful, also a small tear doesn't effect your entire kit. I use different styles of dry-bags for different tasks as well, and by color coding, you can easily find what you need, or guide someone else to it. ie, my meds are in the red drybag, or the extra soap is in the green bag.

[skibug]

A cheap option are the "gardening" bags for weeding etc, around $4 for 3, about 50 litres, much stronger than garbage bags which I find tear very easily. Alternatively, "dead dog bags" from vets (medium size is probably 60 litres) are really strong, a bit heavier, and possibly more expensive ($25?) depending on your source.

Skibug

[Tortoise]

I've used the big orange garden bags (85 gm when I weighed them last), a medium dead dog bag (heavier, a bit thick, tends to crease a lot and get weak/wear through the creases), and Vicwalk $2 'emergency bivvy' bag (stronger than the garden bags, 194gm). In the end I've gone for a dedicated dry bag, which seems to keep everything drier on multi-day wet walks. I have an UL one that I use when weight is crucial (50L, 61 gm), and a more robust one when it isn't (146 gm).

[Bogong Moth]

Veterinary body bags are very tough and come in a range of sizes- the larger ones have to fit a curled-up Mastiff (which can be up to 90kg on some occasions!) Go into the local vet and ask to purchase a couple. They'll look at you a bit funny, but might even give you the bags for free if you explain and don't look particularly creepy