My Granite Gear Vapor Trail is rather worn and I'm looking to replace it. I don't like having to use rain covers, pack liners, or to individually package things in waterproof bags. I know there are lots of ways to keep things dry, this is just my preference. “Waterproof,” can be a loaded word with different meanings to different people. The Vapor Trail is not advertised as waterproof. I don't doubt that there are there are conditions in which things inside could get wet. However, my experience has been that even after hours of continual rain everything has always been completely dry inside the Vapor Trail. I wonder if others have had a different experience and under what circumstances the bag let water through and how much.
Another experience I recently had was while look for a small waterproof backpack to carry books and a laptop. (I commute by foot rain or shine.) There are several on the market but I ended up going with the Crux Mag 28. It is advertised as having waterproof construction and being fully seam sealed. When it arrived it was apparent that while the zippers were made after a waterproof style they would not be waterproof at all do to a relatively large (1 mm) gap between the two sides of the zipper. I quick trip into the shower confirmed this. Eventually I ended up going with the overpriced Stormfront backpack from Patagonia, which uses a waterproof zipper that is in a different league than most on the market. Obviously not all “waterproof,” zippers are created equal. Sometimes I wonder if the manufactures decision to call a zipper waterproof or water resistant is based on specs or morals.”
It would be nice to hear others experiences/stories of bags that were surprisingly waterproof(-ish) or surprisingly quick at taking on water.
