Definitive guide to waterproofing on DofE (because nobody likes a wet sleeping bag)
The importance of waterproofing the things in your rucksack on DofE cannot be understated. If it rains and your clothes, food and sleeping bag get wet, the rest of your expedition will be miserable.
The most effective way of waterproofing on DofE is by using several dry bags, resealable plastic bags or bin bags. This creates an effective system that’s automatically organised, as you’ll have a waterproof bag for your food, another one for clothes, and so on.
What needs to be waterproofed?
Simply put, everything that you wouldn't want to get wet needs to be waterproofed. This includes:
All clothes, excluding waterproof jacket and trousers
All food (although lots of sealed food packaging is already waterproof)
Sleeping bag
Sleeping mat unless it's a foam mat (the ones carried on the outside of your rucksack)
Tent (excluding the poles)
First aid kits
Wash bag
Miscellaneous items such as a torch or matches
Here are the items that won't need to be waterproofed:
Waterproof jacket and trousers, on the assumption that if it's raining you'll be wearing them
Sealed water bottles/bladder
Crockery
Most standard camping cooking equipment, such as a Trangia
For a full list of everything you’ll need to bring on a DofE expedition, check out my complete kit list here.
What are the different waterproofing methods?
Method 1 — Several small bags
The most common way of keeping everything waterproof is by using a combination of several dry bags, resealable plastic bags, and/or bin bags.
For large items that wouldn’t fit in a standard resealable plastic bag, such as sleeping bags or tents, you have two options. You can use a proper dry bag, which has the lowest chance of failing but is more expensive if you don't already own one. Secondly, you can use bin bags. Bin bags are effective at waterproofing and are cheap, but they tear easily, so make sure to bring a few spares if this is the option you pick.
For all the smaller items, such as food, clothing, medical kits etc., you should use either dry bags or resealable plastic bags. You can use a mix of the two: I put all my clothes in a dry bag (make sure you stuff all the air out of dry bags when rolling them up), and organised my food and other items in plastic bags.
Method 2 — One large dry liner
Alternatively, it is possible to use one very large dry liner (dry liners are the same as dry bags) to keep everything waterproof. I'm not a fan of this method, personally. Although it does mean you'll have fewer zips/seals to deal with, it is less flexible in terms of your packing organisation and makes specific items harder to find.
Additionally, if the dry liner fails, all your items could get wet. I’m not familiar with large dry liners myself, so I wouldn't want to recommend one. However, if a large dry liner is your only form of waterproofing, I’d keep clear of budget brands such as Mountain Warehouse.
What about using both systems together?
There are some people who use both systems in conjunction with each other for additional safety. There is a logic to this, but for DofE I think it’s overkill. For much longer expeditions — where a soaked rucksack is not just uncomfortable but dangerous — it’s probably the right decision.
I'd also advise using both systems if you're going on an expedition and you're aware there will be a lot water crossings, swimming sections or other scenarios where your rucksack could plausibly fall into water.
Which method did I use?
I used the multi-bag system, as did all my teammates on Bronze, Silver and Gold, without a hiccup. I do feel that the multi-bag system comes with a number of benefits. I liked how I was forced to create an organisation in the way I packed my items: there was one bag for this, and another for that. It wasn’t just a big pile of items thrown into a rucksack.
For me another benefit of plastic bags is that they are colourless, so you can see the contents without opening it. This is subtle but made a notable difference. I liked knowing which bag had which meals quickly and efficiently. In fact, I organised my meals so that I had one large plastic bag per day’s food.
All together, I used five large plastic bags of food (for Gold), as well as other smaller plastic bags for medical kits, a wash kit, miscellaneous items, and electronics. I used a dry bag for my spare clothes, and bin bags for sleeping gear.
Pick the right gear and use it properly
What plastic bags, dry bags, and bin bags should you get?
If you already have bin bags and resealable plastic bags of decent quality lying around the house, they'll probably be good enough. But, if you're looking for extra security, or need topping up the supplies anyway, I've chosen a few that I like the look of.
These heavy duty bin bags are perfect for large items with an extra bit of protection against tears
I used resealable plastic bags very similar to these and they were great — I’d recommend getting a range of sizes for different purposes. You can also write on them with marker pen to be super organised, for example with ‘Food Day 2’ or ‘Wash Kit’.
These dry bags also come in a range of sizes and colours.
(Note on plastic bags: please don't throw them away after your expeditions — they have a wide range of household uses, and are much more helpful for both you and the environment in the cupboard than the bin.)
What are rain covers and are they useful?
Rain covers are sheets of tent-like material that you can use to cover your rucksack when it’s raining. Most good hiking rucksacks come with a rain cover, which are usually stored in a dedicated pocket (if you’re interested in which rucksack I used check out my post on how to pack a DofE rucksack).
While rain covers are absolutely a nice-to-have and do keep your rucksack from getting soaked, they’re not a replacement for proper waterproofing. Rain covers do not create a seal, and with enough rain you’re things are going to get wet — and likely when you most want a fresh pair of dry trousers.
Top Tip!
What rain covers are absolutely brilliant at is preventing morning due from condensing onto your rucksack. Each evening I made sure the rain cover was on before I went to sleep, and each morning I woke up to a bone dry rucksack whose rain cover had a few collections of water droplets that could be easily shaken off.
When do you need to put on your waterproofs?
This may seem like an obvious question, and that’s because it is — sort of. Simply put, yes, you need to put your waterproofs on when it starts raining. But how do you dry them off before putting them back in your pack? And do you need to put on waterproof trousers if you’re wearing lightweight shorts? What about if it’s boiling and there’s nothing you want more than a refreshing, unexpected shower?
Generally, a little bit of common sense is best. At one point on my Gold expedition, which was during an intense heat wave, it started lightly raining. Feeling the cold raindrops hitting my skin and cooling me down was amazing: there was no way I was putting on my waterproofs. My clothes got wet, the rain stopped, and my clothes dried as we walked.
But some of my teammates did put their waterproofs on because they didn’t want to risk getting cold and having wet clothes. To make your own decision in this kind of situation, you need to understand your body and use common sense.
In the instances when I did put my waterproofs on, and when they got very wet, I was left with the question of when to put my waterproofs back in my rucksack. My answer was quite simple. I hooked my waterproofs through one of the rucksack’s straps and carried them on the outside (similar to a roll-up sleeping mat), and just waited for them to naturally dry.