The Rucksack & Backpack Liner - Plus Useful Tips On How To Pack Your Rucksack

You're in heavy rain, your rucksack is soaked and soon your lunch and kit will be too.

A backpack liner sits inside your rucksack. It acts as another layer of protection against rain water seeping in and spoiling your tasty sandwiches, ruining equipment and soaking spare kit.

Basic rucksack liners are essentially inexpensive, large heavy-duty plastic bags that you simply fold over the top to keep water from getting in. You can usually pick these up for about $4 / £2 from outdoor activity stores. However as the tops do not seal up they are not completely waterproof against driving rain and the really worst wet days.

An improved version is waterproof. The top doubles over and clips together to help seal it. They cost around between $20 / £10 to $30 / £15 depending on the size. These are waterproof as long as rain does not get in while it is open!

David uses a waterproof sack liner and says, "It has survived many a day of driving rain without letting water in, whereas my old liner had let water in on really bad days and soaked everything."

There are other more costly and heavier variations available.

Tips For Packing Your Rucksack

• In the liner, pack your spare top, hat, gloves and socks at the bottom, then waterproofs if the weather is dry, then food.

• If rain is likely put the waterproofs on top of the food to enable quick access.

• Wrap food in tinfoil and then put it in a plastic bag or box then into your liner. You can also use the plastic bag/box for taking home your litter afterwards.

• For gadgets and other items, like your phone, keys, wallet, etc, similarly put these in a separate plastic bag to double-up the protection against water.

• Keep your drinking water container outside the liner and then any leaks will be kept off your gear.

• For easy access, keep snack bars and the like in a side pocket of your rucksack.