While searching for the lightest pack cover possible I finally decided to try making one myself. Of course it had to be lightweight while also providing protection for my pack and not blow off in the wind. This one is made from 0.34 oz/sqyd cuben fiber from Zpacks. Some manufacturers use tape or adhesive when working with this material as it is the lightest cuben fiber available, but I wanted to try sewing to create the channel for the elastic cord used to tighten it up around my pack. By folding the material over onto itself three times the sewing seems to work out fine. I reinforced the area where the tiny cord lock connects the two ends of the elastic cord to create some extra strength. Finally, I made a mini stuff sack out of 0.51 oz/sqyd to hold the cover when it's in my pack.
The result is an extremely light full sized pack cover that fits a large Zpacks Zero (2,600 c/i) or other large pack when fully loaded. There are no seams to seal. The final weight is just 0.5 ounce with the stuff sack.
I used this pack cover on an 11 day JMT thru-hike last summer. It rained the first four days and the cover kept everything dry. Here's a few photos ~
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| Waterproof Cuben cover packs down into a small stuff sack. |
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| Cover on a large fully loaded 50 liter pack with an extra large 24" torso size. |
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| Half Ounce Cuben Pack Cover. |
Love your blog,..very inspirational. How much material did you use for this pack cover,...1 sq yard?
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment! I used 1 square yard of 0.33 oz/sqyd cuben.
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