Mountainsmith Rain Cover

The cover itself appears to be well made; however, I did notice that the Amazon.com sizing chart is incorrect. I believe this is the main reason for some of the less-than-perfect reviews. Below are the true measurements as according to the product packaging:

XS: Fit range: 1000 1800 cu in/ 15 30 L

20" X 14" x 7.5"

S: Fit Range: 1800 2500 cu in/ 30 40 L

27" X 16" X 8.5"

M: Fit range: 2500 3600 cu in/ 40 60 L

28" X 19" X 10"

L: Fit Range 3600 6000 cu in/ 60 100 L

31.5" X 20" X 11"

This seemed like a great little item for a specific purpose a cheap way to "waterproof" my camera backpack.

I saw similar items (for 3-times the price) at a local sports accessory store but chose the Mountainsmith for a few reasons.. color (Black opposed to Olive, Orange, Red or light Grey that the other brand offered), and price (1/3rd!)

After actually trying it out, I realize it's not the same it has a few critical issues that keep me from truly "trusting" it.

First, some information about it -

The sizes are VERY large. The "Small" size seemed big enough for a decent sized hiking backpack. The Extra Small size would probably be good for a regular school backpack or small camera backpack. The Extra Small size seems to be hard to come by and often comes at twice the price of the Small size maybe a demand issue?

It does have a pull-string to tighten it, so even the Small can be made to accommodate smaller sizes if needed (though not the ideal solution).

The entire cover folds up into itself it has a protective pouch/carrying case which is connected to the cover.

There is a big ugly logo right in the center of the cover (of the company logo and name) printed onto the material. I really didn't care for that design choice and ended up "Sharpie'ing" over it (as any stickers/tape would come off when folded up. The same logo is on the pouch this is just a personal design choice, you may feel differently.

On to the problems -

The pouch wraps around the backpack, leaving the back (starting where the straps come off the backpack) open this is a problem for me as this leaves a "V" shape open between your back and the back of the backpack that water will travel down with the back of the backpack exposed, the water will get in there (this area of the backpack is usually where stuff is placed in a camera backpack, it's where the lenses, cameras and accessories sit), essentially just protecting the front pockets of the backpack (which are often less important). The other problem being that the cover wraps around the bottom of the backpack (and slightly up the back) which creates an area for water to get into and sit (at the bottom of your backpack) the "other" brand seen in stores had little eyelets to release water, this one doesn't. If water gets in, it will sit there.

So I find this useful for LIGHT protection maybe a sprinkling or short period in the rain (running to the car), but I wouldn't trust walking around for lengthy periods with this protecting expensive equipment. For LIGHT protection (sprinkling and in areas where rain is infrequent (like California) it's better than nothing and the price is right. For anything more, I'd pass.

Buy Mountainsmith Rain Cover Now

As suggested by Mountainsmith, for example if you get a pack around 70 liters you would want a rain cover that is a large.

I've got the Mountainsmith Cross Country 3.0 and it fits just fine, keeps everything dry and has a great storage system and is light weight.

What more do you need?

Read Best Reviews of Mountainsmith Rain Cover Here

Good cover, nice storage system; could be slightly heavier duty plastic for price, but overall great!

Want Mountainsmith Rain Cover Discount?

I have Tamrac 5587 photographer backpack Tamrac 5587 Expedition 7x Photo/Laptop Backpack (Black) with the optional large SPX-777 side pockets attached to it. SPX777 M.A.S. Large Padded Pockets (Black) The MEDIUM Mountainsmith Rain Cover covers all of this easily with room to spare. As noted by others, these rain covers run quite large...I think I could also get it over a sleeping bag lashed to the bottom of my pack if desired. One note, a product feature listed here ("Hook-and-loop closure and angled cord attachment point") has nothing to do with the rain cover, it actually refers to the bag the cover is stuffed into. An example of mfr. trying to make something sound more exciting than it is...but at less than half the price of the Tamrac-brand rain cover, which does not fit my pack with the added side bags, this one from Mountainsmith is very reasonable. I haven't tested it in the rain but expect no problems and will update if I learn otherwise.