Bedliner BoB?

[Sefmial]

I am currently in the middle of a Mythbusters episode that I am paying approximately 65% attention to. It's a re-run from 2011 so I did a search for what I was thinking, but all I got for "Bedliner Backpack", "Bedliner", or "Bedliner BoB" was basically putting bedliner on your BoV to help it hold up. So, forgive me if someone's suggested it buuut...

What about putting bedliner on your pack to help it hold up? It looks like it makes clothes way to stiff to be comfortable, but a backpack/bag does not need to flex as much so it might be a viable option.

[TacAir]

???

Why add the weight?

Want a better bag, buy a better bag.

[6UNF1GHTER]

Well,
Automotive bedliner - like herculiner, etc. is great for just that, BOV use. I wouldn't think it would benefit a BOB any way.
The fundamental reasons why those spray or roll on coatings are used, are varied. Mostly, it is because it's a good layer to prevent scratches and general wear and tear. It's a durable finish, and very tough. Works well in cargo areas, like truck beds.

Another benefit is that once it has cured, bedliner slows water from getting into places that it shouldn't... and thus causing long-term damage. IE In older vehicles, rust is a killer and once it gets going, it's hard to stop... so long as moisture can get in.

Here is a good, and true story for ya.
About 7 years ago, in my place of work... one of the talking heads decided that we were to roll on some "better brand bedliner" over the tiles, in front of a particular fixture. The thought at the time, I guess... I don't know, I didn't make that decision. So I wrote off a can, and myself and my subordinate taped off the tile, and spent the next 20 minutes (give or take) rolling the bedliner on. We had about two coats of it before we started feeling a little funny. The next two coats, we had to open all the doors and put some fans in strategic places. Noxious fumes anyone?

Since then, those very tiles have been subject to all kinds of harsh floor stripper 3 times a year, and have had numerous large automotive and fleet sized batteries dropped onto them with no ill effect save a scratch. I don't even want to think how much sulfuric acid was spilled in the span of those years, or why that bedliner has held up as good as it has. I truly think it had melted into the tile, and became one.



So, no. I wouldn't put it on a pack. But if you must... try it if want to go for it.
I'm curious to see the end result, I'm not sure that it will work well with nylon.

I know, TLDR-

[KnightoftheRoc]

Bedliner material dries hard as hell, and is NOT flexible to any extent that you'd want on a pack. How would you open any pouches, use/adjust straps? Additional weight issues aside, I just don't see the advantage to doing this- you'd have an indestructible pack you couldn't USE. If all you want is a waterproofing, there's already a bunch of products on the market that would be cheaper, and do the job much better.

[Tater Raider]

Bedliner material dries hard as hell, and is NOT flexible to any extent that you'd want on a pack. How would you open any pouches, use/adjust straps? Additional weight issues aside, I just don't see the advantage to doing this- you'd have an indestructible pack you couldn't USE. If all you want is a waterproofing, there's already a bunch of products on the market that would be cheaper, and do the job much better.

Try Thompson's Water Seal instead.

[ninja-elbow]

Bedliner material dries hard as hell, and is NOT flexible to any extent that you'd want on a pack. How would you open any pouches, use/adjust straps? Additional weight issues aside, I just don't see the advantage to doing this- you'd have an indestructible pack you couldn't USE. If all you want is a waterproofing, there's already a bunch of products on the market that would be cheaper, and do the job much better.

Try Thompson's Water Seal instead.

Just read that (and this is purely something I read on a forum and I never looked into it at all) that Thompson's Water Seal went with a "California compliant" formula that makes it not work well with fabric.

[Sefmial]

@KnightoftheRoc: I figured that it made material really stiff, I just didn't realize that it was "Hard as Hell" stiff. So what about spraying on a coat in several key places that are most likely to break down: Where the shoulder straps meet the bag; the bottom of the bag, since that's what stuff rests on and what you set it on the ground with; where the handles attach; other notorious breakage spots that seem appropriate.

@TacAir: I doubt that it would add that much weight, especially if used in only spots. In addition, my idea behind this was not "Build a better BoB, from a CAN!" but rather trying to think of a way to limit and/or negate BoB wear and tear, because if TSHTF, there won't be an option to buy another bag, let alone a better one. I also live in a desert, so any time spent repairing or building a new bag is time I could have spent finding food, water, or moving towards my goal.

@Ninja-Elbow: Thanks for the heads up about another product rendered ineffective.

On a slightly tangential note: How concerned we are with preventing damage to the ecosystem can get a bit frustrating. I honestly don't want my <insert just about anything> to bio-degrade when I'm relying on it for my survival. I also think how much we're scrambling around and worrying about our CO2 and other emissions is silly. Honestly, nature totally outclasses us when it comes to the production of CO2 and other greenhouse gasses, we really need to shift our attention from prevention to correction. aaand... I guess that's all I have to say about that.

[ninja-elbow]

From what I can assume - Thompson's Water Seal still works great on decks, it is just more likely to not poison your lawn and nearby plants that my, in turn, be eaten by your animals and children... and then get into the water table and make fish I'd like to eat not edible and fuck more shit up.

If you want to waterproof some fabric, there are plenty of options that Thompson's was just one of... and not even designed for.

[KnightoftheRoc]

@KnightoftheRoc: I figured that it made material really stiff, I just didn't realize that it was "Hard as Hell" stiff. So what about spraying on a coat in several key places that are most likely to break down: Where the shoulder straps meet the bag; the bottom of the bag, since that's what stuff rests on and what you set it on the ground with; where the handles attach; other notorious breakage spots that seem appropriate.The more something moves, or is expected to move, the less you want to try and stiffen it up. Bedliner would do that, and probably result in MORE breakage, not less

@TacAir: I doubt that it would add that much weight, especially if used in only spots. In addition, my idea behind this was not "Build a better BoB, from a CAN!" but rather trying to think of a way to limit and/or negate BoB wear and tear, because if TSHTF, there won't be an option to buy another bag, let alone a better one. I also live in a desert, so any time spent repairing or building a new bag is time I could have spent finding food, water, or moving towards my goal.

@Ninja-Elbow: Thanks for the heads up about another product rendered ineffective.

On a slightly tangential note: How concerned we are with preventing damage to the ecosystem can get a bit frustrating. I honestly don't want my <insert just about anything> to bio-degrade when I'm relying on it for my survival. I also think how much we're scrambling around and worrying about our CO2 and other emissions is silly. Honestly, nature totally outclasses us when it comes to the production of CO2 and other greenhouse gasses, we really need to shift our attention from prevention to correction. aaand... I guess that's all I have to say about that.

I'd look at using rubber dip on the cloth portions. It water proofs, adds durability without adding a LOT of weight, and can be added to if need be. It remains flexible in cold temps, too (not sure off hand what the range is on it) without melting off in higher temps.

[MichaelM]

I'd look at using rubber dip on the cloth portions. It water proofs, adds durability without adding a LOT of weight, and can be added to if need be. It remains flexible in cold temps, too (not sure off hand what the range is on it) without melting off in higher temps.

My brother has a pack with a rubberized top and bottom. From what he says, you can more or less leave a hose spraying onto the top or leave it sitting upright in a puddle all day and the inside stays bone dry.

It wouldn't really help if you chucked the whole thing in a river, but for weather-proofing it sounds like a good idea.

Of course, he didn't rubberize it himself. It came that way. So I don't know how convenient or effective it is to rubberize a bag one's self.

[Whiskey]

Maybe just use a light coat on the bottom couple inches, like the above poster said? That way the part of the bag that usually sits on the ground would be durable as hell, without adding a shitload of extra weight.