Seam Taping and Sealing Your Accessory Bags
A question often asked is why aren't your bags seam taped or seam sealed?
In my mind as a user of my accessory bags and having spent hundreds of days on trail, I find seam sealing or taping unnecessary in most cases. Let me explain. The purpose of seam taping a bag is to help prevent water from getting inside the bag. However, when a bag utilizes a zipper, it's nearly impossible to make the bag waterproof. Taping zippers is difficult and time consuming, and covering the hole created by the zipper pull at the end of the bag is also a point where water could get in that you cannot seal.
Taping and sealing with liquid seal adds a significant amount of labor time and added cost which gets passed on to you as the customer. With my goal being to give you the best value possible, and the feeling of taping being unnecessary in most cases, I am able to pass that savings on to you.
With all that said, I will always recommend use of a dry bag for gear items that absolutely need to be waterproof and protected from water. Dry bags use production methods and design that truly allow for a waterproof and airtight seal. Otherwise, my accessory bags are water resistant and can handle some splash from a light rain should the bag be placed on the outside of your backpack.
Should you really want to seam tape or seal your bag to make it even more water resistant, there are a few products to use depending on the fabric used on your bag.
Here is a short list of the fabrics I use on my bags and the recommended application for sealing.
- UltraGrid: Seam Seal - cannot be seam taped
- Ultra TX: Seam Tape - liquid seam seal not recommended
- UltraWeave: Seam Tape - liquid seam seal not recommended
- EcoPak EPX: Seam Seal - cannot be seam taped
- X-Pac RX15 & RX30: Seam Tape - liquid seam seal not recommended
- X-Pac VX07: Seam Seal - cannot be seam taped
Seam Tape and Seam Seal Products:
- Seam Tape:
https://geni.us/RSBTR-SeamTape
- Seam Seal: https://geni.us/GearAid-SeamGripWP
Please reach out if you have questions about seam taping or sealing your bags.