[pct-l] Waterproof Pack

[Diane at Santa Barbara Hikes dot com]

I'm no expert about rain, but I found that a huge lawn and leaf-type  
trash bag makes a great outer pack cover. You can keep your stuff dry  
inside with compactor bags, but if the pack itself gets wet, it gets  
heavy. The lawn and leaf bag never tore or punctured. I only needed  
one. You have to poke some holes for the shoulder straps and it is a  
pain to put it on because you have to undo the straps, stuff them  
through the holes and then reattach them, so you don't take it off  
until you're sure it's not raining. It also doesn't fit tightly by  
nature, so you have to rig up ways to keep it from puffing out and  
making a lot of noise when you walk. But it's super cheap, super  
light and works well.