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Reviews > Packs > Pack Accessories > Sea to Summit Sn240 Pack Cover > Owner Review by Andrea Murland

Sea to Summit Sn240 Ultra-light Siliconized Cordura Pack Cover
Owner Review by Andrea Murland
March 21, 2010

Tester Information

Name: Andrea Murland
Email: amurland AT shaw DOT ca
Age: 24
Location: Rossland, British Columbia, Canada
Gender: Female
Height: 5 ft 2 in (1.57 m)
Weight: 125 lb (57 kg)

I began hiking frequently in 2006 and have since hiked in Western Canada, Australia, and spent 2 months backpacking in the Alps. I spend most weekends either day-hiking or on 2-3 day backpacking trips, with some longer trips when I can manage them. I also snowshoe and ski in the winter, but don’t have a lot of experience with winter in the backcountry yet. Elevation is typically 500-3,000 m (1,600-10,000 ft), in the Canadian Rockies and the Selkirk, Purcell, and Monashee ranges. I try for a light pack, but I don’t consider myself a lightweight backpacker.

Product Information

Image Courtesy of Sea to Summit
Sn240 Pack Cover
Manufacturer: Sea to Summit
Manufacturer's URL: www.seatosummit.com
Year of Manufacture: 2007
Model: Sn240 Ultra-light Siliconized Cordura Pack Cover
MSRP: Not Available
Colour Reviewed: Blue
Other Colours Available: Gold, Grey, Green
Size Reviewed: Extra-Small
Listed Weight: 2.0 oz (57 g)
Measured Weight: 2.1 oz (60 g)
Measured Size in Stuff Sack: 10 cm x 6 cm (3.9 in x 2.4 in)

Description

The Sea to Summit Sn240 Pack Cover is a silicon-impregnated Cordura nylon pack cover which comes in four sizes. The sizes are Large (70-95 L or 4300-5800 cu in), Medium (50-70 L or 3000-4300 cu in), Small (30-50 L or 1800-3000 cu in) and Extra-Small (15-30 L or 900-1800 cu in). The cover comes with an attached stuff sack made of the same material. Sea to Summit specifies that the pack cover has a mid-back keeper strap which goes around the pack to keep it from catching in the wind and coming off, except for on the extra-small size, which is the one I have. The pack cover has an elastic cord which goes around the edge of the cover, and a cord-lock at the top so that the cord can be cinched down over a pack. There is a drain hole with a metal grommet at the bottom of the cover, so any water or wind that gets in can also get out. The only seams on the pack cover are around the edge, along the sleeve with the cord in it.

Field ConditionsPacked

I purchased the Sea to Summit Sn240 pack cover in 2007 when I was living in Australia and commuting to work by bike in addition to hiking and travelling. I have an 11 L (670 cu in) backpack that I was using, so I bought the extra-small size.

I was riding my bike to work in the winter, and I discovered that Perth can be a pretty rainy place at that time of year. The pack cover was used to cover a pack full of lunch, business clothes, and climbing clothes for after work. I also used the pack cover when day-hiking.

Since returning to Canada, the pack cover has been devoted to hiking and travelling, still being used with the same 11 L (670 cu in) pack. I hauled the pack cover with me to Europe in 2008 for 4.5 months, where it got used anytime there was a threat of rain and I wasn’t backpacking.

I’ve probably used the Sn240 pack cover about 100 times, and carried it in my pack countless other times. My pack cover has also been used as a toboggan several times to descend snow fields while on dayhikes.

Review

Waterproofing:
I am happy to say that I have never had any leakage through the material of this pack cover. On windy days while riding my bike, I’ve had a bit of water around the edges, but that could be from wicking of water from the straps and back panel of the pack as well.

Fit on my pack:
I have used this pack cover almost exclusively with an 11 L (670 cu in) pack, which is actually below the specified pack sizes for the extra-small cover. The pack that I have is quite long, but not very deep. The pack cover easily stretches to cover the whole pack. There is extra space in the cover for a deeper pack. If my pack isn’t full top-to-bottom, I find that the elastic cord in the pack cover actually squishes my pack, especially if I have the pack off so that it’s not supported by my back and is free to collapse.

Squished Pack
Squished Pack

Durability:
I’ve had this pack cover for 3 years, and I’m happy to say that it has no rips, tears, or loose threads. It’s not faded...but it’s usually not sunny when I’m using it either.

Packing in the Stuff Sack:
The pack cover is very easy to get into the stuff sack; I just stuff it. Since the material is slippery, I have to get a good grip on the tiny stuff sack, but otherwise it’s very simple.

Purchase and Customer Service:
I purchased the Sn240 pack cover on-line, based upon the specs on the Sea to Summit website. Sea to Summit has two websites; the North American one, and the everywhere-else one. The URL at the top of this review is the North American site, but since I was living in Australia I used the other site when I was researching this product prior to purchasing it. The American site specifies that the extra-small size has no mid-back keeper strap; the International site does not. The keeper strap was one of the things that I was looking for in a pack cover, so I was a little disappointed when my pack cover arrived without one. At the time, I expressed my concern about the omission on the website to Sea to Summit, and never received a response. The website hasn’t been changed.

As a Toboggan:
The material of the Sn240 pack cover is very slippery...especially on snow. The elastic on the edge wraps nicely around the bottom of my pack and my bottom so that it stays on while I’m sliding, and I don’t get snow inside. However, because it’s so slippery, stopping before the edge of the snowfield means either rolling off or a lot of foot-braking.

SummaryOn Yamnuska

The Sea to Summit Sn240 pack cover is a lightweight pack cover which comes in four sizes to fit a variety of pack sizes. It comes with an attached stuff sack for easy packing and storage.

Thumbs Up:
Great waterproofing
Great durability
Excellent for snow sliding
Comes with stuff sack

Thumbs Down:
No mid-back keeper strap on the extra-small



Read more reviews of Sea to Summit gear
Read more gear reviews by Andrea Murland

Reviews > Packs > Pack Accessories > Sea to Summit Sn240 Pack Cover > Owner Review by Andrea Murland



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