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[pct-l] Rain Gear



> I have always wondered why they can't manufacture a pack with waterPROOF 
> material so that one doesn't need a pack rain fly 

As with a tent, the problem isn't the material--it's all the seams, zippers,
and openings. Modern lightweight packs (like GVP, Six Moon Designs, or
Golite) don't have nearly the number of leaky spots as older external frame
packs, but they still have plenty. And they typically get a lot more wear
and stress than tent seams, so sealing won't last as long.

Dick Kelty used to scoff at "rain flaps," a little flap of material that
covered every zipper. They add a few grams and a few cents to every pack,
and worse, they always get in the way! But when JanSport and other
competitors started putting them on every pack in the mid-70s, Kelty Pack
grudgingly followed suit. That's when their packs started the weight gain
that (I think) ultimately led to the demise of external frame packs. IIRC,
over about 10 years, their top-selling pack doubled in weight, from ~3 lbs.
to ~6 lbs.

Carl
One of the 1977 Kelty Kids (then carrying a 4-lb. flexible frame pack)