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Integral Designs Silcoat Pack Cover
- Initial Report -
May
2005
www.integraldesigns.com
Included in this
review:
1)
Integral Designs Silcoat Pack Cover Specifications
- Size Tested: Small
- Manufacturer recommends up to 3000 cu. in. (50L) pack. *Also available in Large - up to 5500 cu. in.
(90L)
- Measurements: Small
- Length: 33 in. (84 cm) Width: 12 in. (30.5 cm) Depth: 11 in. (28 cm)
*Manufacturer specs: verified as accurate.
- Stuff Sack: 3 in.
(7.6 cm) by 4 in. (10.2 cm) *Manufacturer spec: verified as accurate
- Weight of Pack Cover:
2.5 oz. (73 gms) *Manufacturer spec: claimed as 2.6 oz. (75 gms)
- Weight of Stuff Sack:
0.2 oz. (6 gms) *Manufacturer spec: none given
- Color: Grey (also
available in Jade and Yellow)
2)
Integral
Designs Silcoat Pack Cover Initial Report
Background Information
Living in the Pacific Northwest, I am a
backpacker accustomed to rain. The autumn rains usually show up in late
September or early October and in typical years last until early July. While the
big weather systems that bring the usual 3 or 4 days of continuous rain,
drizzle, and dampness take a break most of July and August, regular mountain
thunderstorms can and do occur routinely during that time. It is in all of these
conditions that I will put the Integral Designs Silcoat Pack Cover to the test.
When I first started backpacking in the Northwest 10 years ago I used the
garbage bag method: line the entire pack with a garbage bag to keep everything
inside dry. It was light, cheap, and simple to use. What I found, however,
was that while the garbage bag kept everything in the pack dry, it allowed the
pack itself to get soaking wet. The packs I used then could almost double their
weight during a wet trip. Not only would I end up carrying the extra weight, but
it was less than pleasant to don and doff a soaking sponge of a backpack.
Perhaps the garbage bag method works well in climates that have short rain
storms and then a return to the drying power of the sun, but here in the
Northwest, what gets wet stays wet, which left me searching for a different
solution.
What I've used since then are pack covers. I've mostly used various versions of
polyurethane coated nylon covers from major retailers. They've done what
was asked of them – keep the pack and contents relatively dry – but have two
weaknesses in my experience. The first is the weight of the covers. Most are
between 6 and 12 ounces (170 and 340 gms) dry, which is now unacceptable in my
lightweight gear kit. My entire kitchen including pot, stove, fuel, and
windscreen often weighs less than that. The second weakness is that the pack
covers hold water. Being constantly exposed to the rain and wet brush soaks the
covers, and while the waterproof coating keeps the pack dry, the nylon in the
cover soaks up water and makes the cover heavier and messy to deal with.
A pack cover made of Silcoat (Integral Designs' version of what is commonly
referred to as silnylon or silicon-impregnated nylon) would presumably bead
water like most other silnylon and keep the pack cover much, much drier, along
with the backpack inside. I've never known silnylon to absorb water, so this is
an ideal application of this fabric for my purposes. This, coupled with a
significantly lower dry weight hopefully makes this an ideal pack cover
material.
Initial Impressions
The Integral Designs Silcoat Pack Cover is a
basic, no-frills pack cover similar to most pack covers commercially available.
Essentially it is just a piece of fabric with a shock-cord sewn into the edge
seam that allows it to be wrapped around a backpack and cinched tight to keep
water from bombarding the outside of the backpack or wet ground from soaking the
pack when it's laid down. This piece of gear has kept its simplicity,
while receiving the typical Integral Designs attention to detail.
Features
The first - and most notable - improvement over
traditional pack covers is the material. The Integral Designs Silcoat
material is incredibly light, slippery, and presumably has the qualities of
other silnylon materials, making it a fantastic choice for a backpack cover.
Integral Designs is not the first company to make pack covers out of this
material, but they have a lot of experience in using this unique fabric and it
shows in the quality of construction. There are no crooked seams, obvious
sewing mistakes, or fabric blemishes that I could find.
| One of the interesting features
of the Silcoat Pack Cover is the integrated pocket (shown at right).
Most other pack covers I've seen that have attached pockets essentially take
a small stuff sack and sew one seam directly to the pack cover.
Integral Designs has opted to simply sew a square patch of fabric onto the
inside of the pack cover with a flap top. This is allows the user to
utilize this small built-in sack and leave the larger (included) stuff
sack at home, saving a small amount of weight and perhaps a bit of camp
clutter. This pocket is a very tight
fit, however. Integral Designs claims the pocket is 4 in. (10.2 cm) by
4 in. (10.2 cm) in their product literature - larger than the included stuff
sack. My measurements show it to be closer to
3 in. (7.6 cm) by 4 in. (10.2 cm), but the
big difference is that it's flat, while the separate stuff sack is
cylindrical allowing for much more space. The pack cover fits with
plenty of room to spare in the stuff sack, but I couldn't get the whole
thing to stay in the sewn-on pocket.
|
 |
 |
Shown at left: Comparison of the
integrated stuff sack pocket (with entire pack cover inside) and the
included stuff sack. This is the most I could stuff the pack cover
inside the sewn-on pocket and it is still popping out. |
The features that I find the most interesting are
the hip belt slots. The shock-cord that runs around the edge of the pack
cover is inside a seam except for two sections 5 in. (12.7 cm) long at the
bases. Integral Designs directs users to pass your pack's hip belt through
these slots to secure the base of the pack cover to the pack. It's a
unique way to attach to the pack in my experience, and in preliminary fit
testing seems to work perfectly. The pack cover is then cinched by pulling
on drawcord toggles that tighten two shock-cords: one running over the top of
the pack and down the other side, and one that runs along the base of the cover
from one side of the hip belt to the other.
The pictures below the shock-cord slots (left)
and a hip belt attached (right).
There are no external pockets, daisy
chains, straps or loops on the Silcoat Pack Cover. Backpackers who wish to attach items outside the
Silcoat Pack Cover will need to come up with their own methods or choose a different
pack cover.
Fit
The Integral Designs Silcoat Pack Cover
recommended fit seems quite conservative in terms of volume. I debated
which size to request for testing - the small or large - because most of my
packs have top volumes between 3000 and 4000 cu. in. (50 and 65 liters).
While this is a little more than the Integral Designs specification of 3000 cu.
in. (50 liters), the large size was total overkill. I figured it would be
better to have a pack cover that required me to keep a smaller compressed load
than to have a lot of excess fabric sagging and flapping all over the place.
As it turned out, the size small I received is nearly perfect in size.
I'm not sure how Integral Designs calculated
their recommended volume, but since it's basically a Silcoat box with an open
side for the pack harness, I used a basic length X width X depth measurement to
figure volume and get 4356 cu. in. (70 liters) - much higher than Integral
Designs' recommendations. This seemed to be pretty far off, so I packed my
Granite Gear Nimbus Ozone pack with a fully stuffed load that includes very
little room to spare at top and virtually no compression of the sides and back.
I measured the circumference of the pack and calculated a cylindrical volume to
be 3504 cu. in. (57 liters). The Nimbus Ozone is rated by Granite Gear up
to a maximum of 3800 cu. in. (62 liters), so I figure this measurement was
pretty close. With this overstuffed load, the Silcoat pack cover fit just
fine. It wasn't drum-tight, it wasn't flapping. There was certainly
enough room to place a few items in the side pockets or back attachment points -
a tarp, compact sleeping pad, tent poles, jacket or similar sized items - but
definitely not enough room for a foam pad or traditional-sized packed tent.
Based on this experience, I would estimate the Silcoat pack cover could cover
streamlined backpacks up to around 60 liters comfortably, and possibly as much
as 65 liters if the user was willing to have a little bit of pack unprotected.
Of course, this was all done in my garage in dry
conditions. How the field use and real world volume plays out will have to
wait until the Silcoat Pack Cover sees some action in the mountains.
3)
Integral
Designs Silcoat Pack Cover Test Plan
Test Plan
I will test the pack cover in the remaining spring and summer months here in the
Northwest, although I'll likely catch some fall weather towards test end. I will
undoubtedly use it in snowy conditions a bit as I have a couple of climbs
planned, but most use will be in sub-alpine and alpine areas of the Cascade
Range. Typical trips range from 1500 feet (460 meters) on valley trails to over
12,000 feet (3650 meters) on some volcano climbs. Temperatures will likely
range from the mid 30s F (1-4 C) to the mid 90s F (33-36 C).
It will go on every trip with me - dayhikes, backpacking trips, and climbs.
The backpacks that will be covered will be a Granite Gear Nimbus Ozone, Kelty
Flight, and GoLite Day.
Questions I Will Answer During Testing:
1) Does the pack cover fit a variety of backpacks that fall into the range
specified by the manufacturer?
2) How effective is the attachment method? In particular, how well does
the hip belt slot attachment work?
3) Does the Silcoat material stand up to backpacking usage which will likely
include contact with brush regularly, and full-on bushwhacking occasionally?
4) Does the pack cover pack small and take up little pack space when not
deployed?
5) How easy is it to put on and remove from the pack? When rain suddenly starts,
can it be put on in a few seconds?
6) Does water leak in around the closure of the pack cover? How tight does it
wrap around the pack frame?
7) Does it flap excessively in the wind? Is there any kind of compression system
to minimize flapping?
8) Does it hold water after prolonged exposure to moisture? Does it dry quickly
and fully?
9) Does it have any non-intended functions? For example, can it be rigged as a
small vestibule? Opened up as a mini-tarp?
10) Finally – while not the most important consideration – how does it look? Is
it obnoxious to look at? Will I attract passing airplanes when it's on my pack,
or will I blend in subtly to my mountain surroundings?
4) Tester Background Information
Name: Curt Peterson
Age: 33
Gender: Male
Height: 6'3" (1.91 m)
Weight: 270 (122 kg)
Email address: curt<at>boopants<dot>com
Location: North Bend, Washington, USA
I live in the Cascade
foothills, just 20 miles (32 km) from the PCT via footpaths leading right from
my backyard. Most of my outdoor time here in Washington is spent on dayhikes,
backpacking journeys, climbs, and ski trips everywhere from the Olympic coast to
the rainforests to the massive Cascade volcanoes to dry steppe.
I played football in college and usually evaluate products
from a big guy perspective. I tested gear for
Seattle's biggest gear
retailer in the mid-90s, then guided backpacking tours in Olympic National Park
for a few summers. My typical pack load ranges from 12 to 19 lbs (5.4 to 8.6
kgs) and usually includes a gear to keep dry in the Pacific Northwest’s
incessant dampness.
Read more reviews of Integral Designs gear
Read more gear reviews by Curt Peterson
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