How to Protect Luggage From the Rain in 8 Simple Steps

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Nobody wants to arrive at their destination with water-soaked luggage. Whether you have backpacks, suitcases, or handbags, it’s important to protect them from all weather conditions. Fortunately, it’s quite easy to prevent your luggage from water damage. We’ll show you everything you need to know about it today!

To protect luggage from rain, follow these steps:

  1. Waterproof your luggage with Scotchguard
  2. Cover suitcases with plastic rainproof guards
  3. Attach an umbrella to your suitcase or carry it over your luggage
  4. Use dry sacks to protect your valuable items inside your luggage
  5. Cover the zippers and other openings with tape to keep the rain out
  6. Wear an oversized raincoat designed to cover your backpack, bag, or suitcase
  7. Strap a drawstring backpack cover over your pack
  8. Consider upgrading to waterproof luggage

Throughout this post, we’ll show you how to protect your luggage from rain, snow, hail, and everything in between. Enjoy!

Use Waterproof Spray On Your Luggage

We highly recommend coating your luggage with Scotchguard’s Outdoor Water Shield if you intend to go anywhere where there’s rain. You can add a thin layer to nylon, leather, polyester, cotton, and many other materials without damaging the fabric. Each bottle has multiple uses, so you can coat all of your luggage.

When you’re using a waterproof spray, make sure you’re always moving the bottle. You don’t want to puddle the liquid in one area or it can discolor your luggage. Some low-quality waterproof sprays can leave a sticky residue, but you won’t have to deal with that issue with Scotchguard and similar products.

According to Expert World Travel, all waterproof sprays eventually wear down. You’ll have to reapply them every season or as directed by the company. Another option is to get a hardshell suitcase. We’ll discuss them more later in the article.

Protect the Luggage With a Rain-Proof Plastic Cover

Another option is to protect your luggage with a plastic cover. You’ve probably seen people pushing or carrying their luggage with a black or clear bag over it. Contrary to popular belief, they’re usually not trash bags. The material is slightly thicker, wicking water away and keeping your luggage dry.

One of the main reasons we recommend using plastic covers is they’re budget-friendly and incredibly easy to use. While you could technically use a garbage bag, it’s much more likely to rip. You can find high-quality covers at most luggage stores, in airports, malls, or check out the best luggage covers on Amazon.

If you get a cover, look for a clear option. It’s nice to be able to see your luggage in case you have to open it or find out if the rain is pouring through. Clear covers also look a lot less like trash bags than solid black variants.

Speaking of covers, learn about covering your grill during the rain!

Connect an Umbrella to Your Gear to Keep the Rain Out

You can carry an umbrella over your luggage, wear a backpack with an umbrella, or stick the umbrella out of the top of your suitcase. If you choose the last option, it’s best to ensure there’s not much wind. Wind and rain will likely go past the umbrella and possibly get into your bag.

This option is usually best in a pinch. If you have time to plan, I suggest choosing the previously mentioned clear plastic cover, dry sacks, waterproof sprays, or getting a better waterproof luggage set. Nevertheless, it’s good to keep it in mind in case you’re stuck at an airport on a rainy day.

Keep Your Items in Dry Sacks in Your Luggage

Dry sacks are usually related to camping, hiking, and backpacking, but they’re some of the best items for keeping your luggage dry. If you don’t have a cover or spray, you can use a handful of dry sacks to protect all of the valuable items in your luggage.

The Wise Owl Outfitters Dry Sacks come with multiple bags with buckles to keep the rain out. Choose between grey or red, toss your items in the bags, roll the tops until they’re closed, and secure them with the attached buckle. These dry sacks double as compression sacks, reducing the space your items take up in the luggage.

If you don’t want to use dry sacks, you can wrap your items in a towel. After all, most people are trying to protect their belongings in the luggage, not the luggage itself. Those who want to preserve their luggage should check out the suggestion in the following section.

Tape the Zippers and Other Porous Parts of the Bag

It might not look the best, but a bit of duct tape or waterproof tape can make a big difference. Even the most waterproofed luggage can’t protect water from trickling into the zippers, pockets, and other small spaces. Tape them up until you arrive at your destination to completely rainproof them.

Note: Never use tape on cotton luggage. The fibers can strip away from the bag when you remove the tape, slowly weakening the fabric and ruining its durability. You should only use tape on the zippers if the bag is made of synthetic materials.

Wear a Large Raincoat Over Your Luggage

You can either use an oversized raincoat or one that’s specifically designed for covering your backpack. This method only works if you’re carrying the luggage, such as a pack, purse, or bag. You can also use it if your suitcase has straps since you can wear it on your back.

This method is useful because it keeps you and your luggage dry without requiring extra covers, sprays, umbrellas, and so on. You can keep your hands free to carry other items, which is helpful since you’re probably traveling at an airport or a busy car rental spot.

Get a Backpack Rain Cover

The Joy Walker Backpack Cover is great because it fits all backpacks between 15 to 90 liters. Wrap it over your backpack and tighten the drawstring to prevent it from sliding around. There are all sorts of colors and a wide range of sizes to choose from, so make sure you take some time to find the perfect match.

Much like we mentioned earlier, you can use trash bags in place of backpack rain covers. However, they’re only a one-use protector. On the other hand, most backpack rain covers can be used hundreds or thousands of times before they have to be replaced.

Upgrade to Water-Resistant Bags and Suitcases

Hardshell luggage is ideal for rainy days because the water slides off the material. Amazon has a ton of high-quality waterproof luggage to look through, most of which include long warranties, various colors, and multiple sizes. If you get a hardshell suitcase or backpack, it doesn’t hurt to add a layer of waterproof spray around the zippers since they’re usually attached to the fabric.

Some of the best travel destinations are rainy. Why limit yourself or make it frustrating by dealing with wet luggage? Using the tips and tricks found throughout this post, you can keep your belongings as dry as possible. Good luck!

P.S. If you’re traveling in cold weather, try these suggestions to protect your phone.

Jonah

Jonah enjoys finding new DIY methods to fix common problems around the house. If he's not writing for one of his blogs, he's likely playing acoustic guitar, listening to audiobooks, or watching movies.

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