My new to me pack

[Mihun09]

So, Christine got me a canvas pack for my birthday, which is still a month away, but I need to see how it will work for me before the Marshall Lake trip.

It is a Woods 200 complete with tump. It looks like I will be able to eliminate one of our Eureka canoe packs with it. So Robin, how do I go about water proofing this beast? I know it won't be watertight like the canoe packs. Do you use a liner to keep stuff dry inside? I bought some water proofing spray last year for my rain gear, could I use that or is there a better way to treat the canvas?

 

[tump_lion]

i use smaller dry-bags inside for the important stuff. i never liked the huge single bag inside thing, these things are just too handy for stuffing and cramming, plus there is a level of redundancy...eggs in one basket and all that...the canvas is pretty weather resistant as-is. after about 25 years, i re-treated my 2 woods packs a couple springs ago. i used a commercial brush-on canvas treatment for my #1 Special, and waxed my #200 with a linseed-oil/beeswax mix. The wax sure makes it more watertight, but also stiffer. i don't love the wax, but i don't hate it...i notice it in the cold. the commercial canvas treatment works alright, changes the smell a little...sadly, i think i might have fallen in-love with a #4 duluth, so these have dropped a notch down my rotation...for now...

 

[red langford]

I have some silnylon I used to sew up a few dry bags. Sealed the seems with seam sealer and it is almost completely waterproof.

 

[Robin]

I use two plastic bags I buy from Duluth Pack in each pack, they are inexpensive and can be patched with a piece of duct tape. Like the packs themselves, 2 bags last for years if you hang them or fold them neatly after a trip. I twist each top of a bag and tie it with string. Waterproof for sure. I know there are probably other options than the Duluth plastic bags, but they have served me well over the years and are affordable.
I then use compression sacks/nylon stuff sacks inside the plastic bags for gear.

I have extra plastic Duluth bags and will bring a couple in August if you want.

I don't treat the canvas ever, just use some Snow Seal on the leather before it dries out. Nothing like working the leather on an old pack in a canoe shop come winter....good therapy

 

[Odyssey]

I'm gonna like looking at everyone's gear this August. If I come across as a bargain hunter at a yard sale, don't be alarmed. I'm just checking out what works for people, and learning as I go. That's a nice looking pack Karin. It'll be good to see it in action.

 

[lowangle al]

I also use a Duluth liner in the pack that contains my sleeping bags and clothes. I only use one bag but I put light weight kitchen size trash bags inside the stuff sacks for added protection. I never need to get to anything inside the plastic Duluth bag while I'm traveling. The stuff I may need throughout the day like windbreaker, camera and personal stuff I keep in a small dry bag that can be packed on top of the waterproof liner bag for easy access.

 

[Cookannapurna]

I'm echoing some of the other posters. In my Duluth packs I've found the big plastic liner works great! I put my down bag in a separate silnylon dry bag "just in case" and all my other gear is in color coded stuff bags for organization. Rain gear and lunch go under the flap, any incidentals are in my PFD or thwart bag.

Almost twenty years of packing this way, and I've never had a problem.

Great looking bag by the way!

 

[snapper]

You've already pretty much heard it so this is a bit redundant but for myself, I'll use a large liner bag and then place my gear in smaller bags as well. There's really no weight added to my load since it's all in the gear and the extra bag gives me that peace of mind in an all day rain.

That's all for now. Take care and until next time...be well.

snapper

 

[yellowcanoe]

Double dry bag.. Everything that could be messed up if wet in smaller dry bags and all in a pack liner. Eventually something will be sodden on packing ( often the tent) and its nice to isolate it in its own bag so it cant mess up anything else.
Water is like cancer. It spreads.

Especially important in wet cold climates. We have not opened windows yet and the woodstove gets occasional exercise. No one is really swimming either. While one part of the continent bakes we seem to have not ushered our polar vortex completely out the door. But we are trying. Summer with fleece is just not summer.

 

[Odyssey]

Not sure if I want to wash my packs. One is little used and in good shape, but the other is worn and a little beat up. I prefer to call it "well used with character." I cleaned the leather last week and today treated them with Dubbin (containing silicone). I re-sized large clear trash bags to use as liners. They'll be the last line of defence against water; dry bags for individual items for added peace of mind. Of course, all this H2O preparation means the next canoe trip will be hot and dry.
What do you use on leather?

 

[Robin]

I use Snow Seal on all my leathers, Duluth packs, my Redwings, Sorels, Bean boots, snowshoe harnesses.

 

[lowangle al]

I've been using sno seal forever but the last 5 or 6 years I have been oiling my boots thoroughly with red wing boot oil before putting on the sno seal. I really like the results and my prefered boots have no gortex or other waterproof liner. Even if the boots get wet they dry very quick because I think the oil in the leather displaces the water.


As far as treating the leather straps I'm sure the sno seal would work, but the leather conditioning and sealing product that I used in the past were oil based.

 

[tump_lion]

I generally use sno-seal or wax based stuff on straps and oil on gloves and boots etc. oil can soften and stretch leather -- which is good for gloves and boots, not so great for load-bearing straps -- but it all works...

 

[lowangle al]

The product I used on my pack straps is called LEXOL and I'm pretty sure It was sold by Duluth pack for that purpose.

 

[Boreal Birch]

I have used LEXOL products on leather, you can find it in stores that sell stuff to the people that have horses. The same stores usually have cans of PINE TAR, mixed with equal parts of Turpentine and Linseed Oil I find it good for rubbing into axe handles. My father used it on all his wooden tool handles. When putting it on he used to say his grandfather told him to rub in a small amount. "Once a day for a week, once a week for a month and once a month for a year". Keeps handles in top condition, I to use it on my wooden knife handles, make for a good finish and I love the smell.

 

[SHOKCZ]

Simple, reliable and useful. I really like this oldschool gear.