Seatbag + Waterproofing?

[PandaPrawn]

Hey there.
I'm planning a longer trip this fall, and was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on whether it is worth it to locate some sort of bag to use as a liner/waterproofing for a seatbag? I have a Revelate Designs Pika, and I've never had it out in rain long enough to even worry about getting through the seams, but I don't really want to risk learning the hard way that it is a bit leaky.

Another thought that I had was to just hit all of the seams with a bit of silnet that I have left over from seam sealing a tent. Has anyone done anything like this, or have any thoughts on why that might be a bad idea?

Thanks!

[THE LONG RANGER]

Yeah, I'd suggest both seam sealing the saddle bag itself, and getting some sort of sil-nylon bag for some of the gear you put inside. I usually use it as a way to organize things, anyways. So, you can you have your hats/gloves in one small silnylon bag, and the rest of your clothes in another - you can probably keep your actually rain gear outside of any bag, really - I can usuaully find a pocket in my jacket or pants that'll work well to stuff themselves into themselves.

 I'd actually suggest you keep anything you're wearing most all the time outside of the bag, or things are just going to start turning into alchohol on you. Having too many stuff sacks is rarely a problem!

[PandaPrawn]

Thanks for the reply! I've done panniers, and a carradice before, but this is the first time I've done anything completely rackless, so I feel like I keep questioning where I'm putting things. I hadn't worried about the seat bag being too waterproof before now, since I had just been putting my tent and rain gear in it, but it seems like storing the clothing for off the bike might be a bit better in the overall scheme of how things are fitting on the bike.
I have a bunch of dry bags of various sizes, so I should actually be able to find something that will work without having to buy anything new, which is definitely nice.

[sfuller]

Dry bags are great for keeping things dry and organized in your seat bag. As Long Ranger mentioned, make sure to take things out so they can air out, otherwise bad smells happen

[mtnbound]

I would agree with Long Ranger that seam sealing is a good idea.

Hate to poach on OP's original question, but on a related question, I have a sea to summit dry bag (attached to Revelate's handlebar sling) where I put my tent, pad and sleeping bag.  I put my sleeping bag inside a normal kitchen trash bag, which is inside the dry bag, just in case.  I have not had the dry bag leak yet (fingers crossed), but if it did, is the trash bag any consolation or am I just fooling myself?   

[sfuller]

Mtnbnd - As long as it was from something like rain, and not from getting submerged, it will certainly help keep moisture out (or in).

[Wandering by Bicycle]

I've been using the Revelate Pika for the past year touring and while it's a great bag, it's definitely not waterproof, or even water resistant. In addition, unless you are using fenders, all the water and mud from the rear tire is slung up onto the bag further saturating it. Lately I've been storing my food in it because it removes quickly and is easy to hang so bears and other critters can't get to it. For waterproofing, I line the inside with plastic grocery bags and all my food is stored in Ziplock bags. Even in this rainy Alaska summer I've yet to have my food get wet, but the inside of the bag is usually soaked.

[Flounder]

I live and die by Sea to Summit's Nano Dry Sacks. I have at least a dozen of them in sizes big and small.

[Adam Alphabet]

I've never seam sealed any of my seat bags...or any bike packing bags and have never had a problem with things wetting out as long as the items were in a stuff sack that was made of a water proof material; silnylon, cuben, plastic zip locks, plastic grocery store bags rolled up...etc.
Seam sealing is a waste of time and a great way to make a mess imho.

[Flounder]

I agree about the seam sealing. I do however hit my bags with silicone spray now and then just to keep up the water shedding abilities of the fabric itself. Helps tremendously.

[THE LONG RANGER]

Naw, seam sealing is an easy step - best to do when the bag is relatively new (and thus, clean). A lot of the materials used for these bags are inherently waterproof, but I haven't seen a bag with taped seams yet. You'll want to seal the *inside* of the bag, just to make things clear - that shouldn't affect the look of the bag from the outside. Again, just a nice piece of mind.

I'm not sure about the garbage bag as insurance against leaks - usually dry bags either get pin holes, where little, if any water gets in, or just rip  totally and completely, where you're better off with a needle/thread. Some seam seal (again!) and a bit of clothe to use as a patch for any holes would do well, on a long journey. I've used a bit of rubberized cloth I found on the road to wrap the part of the bag that was near my front wheel, but wasn't covered by my harness.

One other idea is to use *two* stuff sacks, rather than one: have the burlier one on the outside, perhaps. I use just one, myself - a sea to summit compression dry sack - which seems pretty popular. The problem is that a rip in the material will reveal it's not made of any sort of rip *stop* material. Then you're left with two halfs of two bags, which is unfortunate. If you're hard on your gear, you may want to have an additional piece of material that you use to wrap the bag itself, before putting it in your handlebar thingamajig.

I've also had some trouble this year with sea to summit's silnylon waterproof bags - they're so light, they rip very easily. Sea to summit makes bags that are sold in kayak stores (called, "Big River", I believe) that are way burlier (but heavier), with places to route things like straps through, which is nice. A lot closer to the bags they used to sell a few years ago, which I still have around, and use.

[farbian]

Revelate sells a dry bag for the Terrapin which also works as a liner vor the Viscacha. It might probably work with the Pika as well.

https://www.revelatedesigns.com/index.cfm/store.catalog/Seat-Bags/Terrapin

[offroute]

These large, ziplock-like bags are durable, inexpensive, light, and a little more secure than a trash bag. My original three are still in service. I use them for sleeping bag and/or insulated jacket.

http://www.rei.com/item/758707/loksak-opsak-odor-proof-barrier-bags-20-x-125


I think seam sealing is worth doing to any bag where loose items inside need to be dry. I haven't really found a need to do it, as I normally sub-bag must-stay-dry items in their own waterproof bags, usually ziploc type bags.

If you have any doubt about the storm worthiness of a bag, just load/mount it, and give it the garden hose treatment. If you need waterproofness, don't just guess; find out if your bag is leaking, and where the leak is located. If you work carefully using a small brush (like the one supplied with SeamGrip), you can do a stealthy job outside in addition to inside. Use very sparingly.

Love the idea of hitting surfaces with with a spray product to maximize water shedding.

Never trust any zipper to keep out water...