Is It Waterproof? Durston Gear's Kakwa 55 in Ultra 200!
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- čas přidán 21. 01. 2024
- I got a great question on my video review of the Durston Gear Kakwa 55 backpack (Watch this first! • Lightweight, Durable, ... ): "How well does the Ultra 200 sailcloth keep rain out, how much weight is added while carrying the Kakwa when saturated, how fast does it dry compared to silnylon?" So I decided to do a soak test!
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Thanks for posting this. It reminded me to seam seal my kakwa 40. The ultra material is waterproof. To increase water resistance Dan recommended seam seal, seam grip fast cure seam sealant. So, just completed my first coat by turning the pack inside out. When dry I will turn over to coat the additional seams on the other side. Otherwise I use an Exped Schnozzel pumpbag as my dry liner & pump sack for inflating my pad. Durston also has a Wapta that is said to be completely waterproof due to welding vs sewing seams. Thanks again!
I've heard reasons for and against sealing packs (had a whole discussion about it with ULA when they made my customized Circuit). I am not convinced that the drainage/breathability that comes with non-sealed packs is worth it, but I defer to the experts. :) The Wapta looks awesome - that's one of the things I love about Durston Gear - always looking for improvements and not afraid to evolve fast!
Thanks for posting this reply. Is the sealant recommended by Dan Durston the Seam Grip FC Fast Cure Seam Sealant made by Gear Aid? I don't buy the idea of not seam sealing a pack made of material like Ultra200 which is actually waterproof. I would rather keep water out of my pack even if I'm using a pack liner.
I've seen various opinions. You can read through this to see: www.reddit.com/r/DurstonGearheads/comments/13bkqh8/seam_sealing_a_kakwa/?
I got caught in a downpour last year and my pack was soaked. Ever since I got a nylofume liner, no rain. Same thing happened when I bought a snow blower a few years ago.😃
Yeah i never trust backpacks to be waterproof!
Maybe it’s just me but I use a liner regardless if it’s considered “water proof” or not. A wet, cold sleep system and stowed change of socks and base layers that are wet could be the difference between life and death
I don't know a serious backpacker who doesn't! You are 100% correct. :)
So, does it carry well?
Is the non-adjustable torso length potentially an issue for those of us with oddball torsos (22")?
It carries very well! It's just not super flexible feature wise, but I like the features, so I don't care as much about that. The large maxes out at 22" so it should be fine.
Don’t know about ultra…. But I used seam sealer in my ula ohm 2.0 made with xpac….had it in the shower for a good 10 minutes and the inside was bone dry. The side pockets were full and didn’t drain as fast as I would have hoped, but inside east completely dry. I still use a pack liner just in case though.
Yeah I'd need to look into what is best used to seal Ultra. Otherwise it's gonna leak!
Is your Kakwa the 2023 or the newer 2024 version? They imply the 2024 is more water resistant but since they don’t tape the seams they can’t say it is waterproof.
2023. The ingress is caused by pressure on the seams, not the material so I don't know how much better it would be.
Wow you did that to a new pack? Crazy but nice to know. Thanks Doug
It was just water, I hope it'll survive! :) Thanks Senior!
is this the Kakwa ultra 200x ?
No, but I don't think it would vary significantly from the 200x as the water is not getting through the material but through the seams under pressure.
Nylofume liner does the trick kept all my gear bone dry on the JMT I brought 2 of them and threw a poncho on and everything in my backpack was completely dry.
No such thing as waterproof but the Nylofume was Legit happy to say smart to have out there.is Goretex waterproof 😂
Right on!
I know that sealing the seams on this pack with tape isn't an option, but I haven't found any information on whether using a non-tape silicone sealer on the seams would have any compatibility problems with Ultra200 or Ultra 200X. Does anyone know? And I'm not asking about using a pack liner. I'm fully aware of that option. I'm asking about silicone seam sealer (like Gear Aid seam sealer for example) on Ultra 200 or Ultra200X.
Good question! I bleieve that although Ultra 200 can be taped, it isn't seen as cost effective for packs (and I've heard some argue that it's better to have drainage / breathability in a apack than to have it sealed). There's a discussion of this on BPL: backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/seam-sealing-a-backpack-made-of-ultra-or-ecopak/
@@pilgrimultralight OK, but my question still is: Is a silicone sealer compatible with Ultra200 or Ultra200X? Or not?
@@pilgrimultralight Actually, you didn't already answer my question in your first reply which again was: Is silicone sealer compatible with Ultra200 or Ultra200X. Saying "You could, in theory, apply seam grip silicone sealer" did NOT answer my question. You did however get around to answering my actual question in your second reply when you "expounded" so thank you for that.
Thanks for that explanation!
Nope, not getting that pack ever. Thanks for doing this test.
No worries!
LOL. What pack do you have that wouldn't do the same?