ISO waterproof luggage
July 17, 2009 7:58 PM   Subscribe

Looking for a set of waterproof luggage, suitable for Central America, but not a backpack. Help?

A friend of mine is going to be traveling to Guatemala for two years on an LDS mission and will be moving around quite a bit in country. A lot of the transportation will be by "chicken bus" -- basically old US school buses. Most of the time his luggage will be on top of the bus, so he's looking for something waterproof and durable. Unfortunately, backpacks are not allowed.

My friend, being acutely aware of the wisdom emanating from the MeFi oracle, asks your advice. Any thoughts?
posted by SuperNova to Travel & Transportation (5 answers total)
 
Best answer: I'm not clear how far the backpack ban goes, like does it have to look like luggage? The North Face Base Camp Duffel is a very good bag for this situation if not. I've had trek leaders use it in the same exact situation you've described.
posted by smackfu at 8:15 PM on July 17, 2009


i have *just* gotten a waterproof rolling case from fuerte cases. it looks pretty good, but i haven't actually taken it out and abused the hell out of it. appears to be pretty solid, though.
posted by rmd1023 at 7:49 AM on July 18, 2009


...and you can find river bags/dry bags with backpack straps, for easier carrying - but not technically a backpack.
posted by attercoppe at 6:14 PM on July 18, 2009


I wonder if the waterproof thing is a bit off-track. It's going to be torrentially rainy compared to most of the rest of the world, but it's also going to be sunny and hot enough to make sure his clothes are dry. Bringing a laptop, sure, you want that to be dry. But will he be bringing two years' worth of stuff with him? Probably not. So I say get a duffel as in smackfu's link or something simpler (and washable!), put absolutely-cannot-get-wet-stuff inside a smaller waterproof bag (which could be as simple as a ziploc-type thing), and get to know the Spanish for all the necessary hand-washing/laundry/clothes-pinning needed.
posted by mdonley at 3:16 PM on July 20, 2009


Response by poster: Thanks for the helpful answers. He ended up going with the North Face, so I marked that answer as best.
posted by SuperNova at 12:19 PM on August 17, 2009


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