Why you need a backpack rain cover

Being prepared for difficult weather is a key problem when travelling. Most backpacks have some sort of limited water resistence, but very few promise protection from heavy rain. Going ultralight should not mean being at the mercy of nature. If you allow your bag to get soaked in rain it could take multiple days for your gear to dry. Even worse, your electronics could be permanently ruined. In the military, you always waterproof the inside of your bag. In this article, I will look at some of the pros of bringing a rain cover.

Weather

If the specifications of your bag do not state it is waterproof it most likely is not. You can test it yourself, but you should not test it with your gear inside the bag at a far-away country. A quality rain cover is a foolproof and cheap way to protect the contents of your bag from heavy rain or snow. No matter the location, your bag and its contents will stay nice and dry. Even if your bag is thick enough not to let rain in or you have a dry sack inside, remember: a wet bag is a heavy bag.

Size small is more than enough for carry-on sized backpacks. Don't order online, go to a hiking store and try it on your bag!

 

Pickpockets

When visiting big cities, you are most likely going to use the metro. If your bag has zippers and the metro is crowded, it is not that difficult for thieves to get their hands into your bag. If you pull the rain cover over your bag before hitting crowded places, you make access to your bag very difficult. This should not cause you to disregard your surroundings, but having a peace of mind will be far easier.

Filth

Whether in the city center or hitchhiking in the outskirts, there will be dirtiness around you. When you take off your backpack and set it on the ground it may encounter dirt, water or whatever else. Often it is not as simple as just looking where you put it, because surfaces may stain or have fine construction dust on them. You can easily wash all of this off from your rain cover. With your actual backpack it gets more difficult. When you find yourself at a particularly filthy and possibly bug-infested hostel, you can put all of your belongings inside and cover the bag. The seamless design of rain cover means there is a smaller chance of bugs ending up somewhere in your belongings.

In this article, I listed 3 good reasons to own and bring a rain cover with you on your travels. If you know for a fact your bag is water resitant enough to survive rain and you do not need extra security in crowded places you could probably do without one. After all, the less stuff you need the better. However, an average rain cover weighs around 100 grams and is smaller than a fist so it is not a big deal to bring one and it can be useful in a variety of situations. A high quality rain cover will set you back about $20.

Cabin Max Metz 44l carry-on backpack review

This $40 backpack was my only bag on my recent 5-week trip to Europe and the Middle East. If you want to travel on a shoestring budget and everything has to be as cheap as possible, this is the one. What's important about this bag is that it's readily available for Europeans and it's by far the cheapest option. Alternatives from brands like Tom Bihn, Osprey, Goruck and Tortuga are much more expensive, especially when considering shipping costs and taxes.

My Cabin Max Metz 44l with a 6kg load. Annoying branding removed by hand :)

 

Organization and form

The bag allows for decent organization - there is a big empty main compartment for your gear, a smaller compartment for miscellaneous items and a surface pocket for small objects. A big complaint is there are no dividers or sections inside the main compartment so your things will be mashed to the bottom by gravity unless you have some additional organization gadgets (for me, a simple laundry bag did the job of holding my clothes together firmly). There is no laptop sleeve. The zippers on this backpack are great. They open pretty much all the way and your gear remains accessible at all times. You can put the bag on its back and pack it like a suitcase. The tightening straps block quick access to the main compartment. The bag is sized 55 x 40 x 20 cm, which means it maxes out airline carry-on baggage size limits. With this bag, you will be able to bring the maximum amount of stuff without paying extra. I never had any problems with it in the airports or other public spaces. You can carry it with you inside museums, public transport, malls, taxis, hostels and so on. If it were any bigger, it would immediately become a hinderance - physically, bureaucratically and financially.

The main compartment is big and empty. Some skill is required to pack it in a stable and balanced way.

The small compartment has better organization - I use the top part for chargers and my rain cover and the bottom for miscellaneous stuff. The thin mesh pocket is perfect for documents, passport and money.

 

Size and comfort

Keep in mind this bag is extremely barebones - only 660 grams, which means it's quite possibly the lightest travel bag of its size on the market. Even if the bag size itself (44l) allows for a lot of gear and items, most airlines limit your bag at about 8kg. Metz's ultralight weight allows you to bring more stuff. However, it will also not provide meaningful protection to your items because it lacks structure and padding. If you bring the pack to a full load, it will lose shape vertically when you are wearing it on your back. My maximum load with it was about 9kg, which felt extremely uncomfortable. If you can get your load to be around 7kg or lower you should be easily able to carry it anywhere. The back mesh is surprisingly soft and provides an acceptable level of support. The shoulder straps are uncomfortable, but I didn't notice any excessive pressure or discomfort from them. There is no chest strap or hip belt. Overall, this bag is much more suited for urban environments - airports, taxis, buses, metro, trains, cars, hostels than the nature - hiking, long walks, mountains, climbing, camping. If you need to keep all of your things with you at all times you will definitely find yourself hating the Metz.

Shoulder straps and mesh padding

As a conclusion, this bag does for about $40 what some other brands promise for hundreds of dollars. You sacrifice in comfort and style, but win in weight, affordability and simplicity. It is in the same league with bags such as the Tortuga Travel Backpack, Minaal Carry-On and Osprey Porter 46, but offers less quality, style and features for a much cheaper price tag. Most importantly, it is good value and punches way above its weight.

Pros:

+ Cheap
+ Light
+ Zippers open all the way
+ Maximum roominess for a carry-on bag

Cons:

- Lack of comfort
- No structural support
- Main compartment lacks organization
- Tacky branding (removable by hand)

Who will find it useful:

* Beginner travellers
* Shoestring budget travellers
* Digital nomads

Cabin Max Metz Backpack (Amazon US)

The Metz worn with a 6kg load, taken from the "fattest" possible angle. It looks good.