Storms Won't Ruin Your Gear: The 3V Gear Deluge Waterproof Backpack Rain Cover

The 3V Gear Deluge Waterproof Backpack Rain Cover is the $19.95 piece of gear that keeps everything inside your pack dry when the storm arrives on schedule.

How it works

The Deluge is made from 100% waterproof nylon that repels heavy rainfall, wind-driven rain, and the kind of sideways summer storms that defeat water-resistant pack shells entirely. It deploys in seconds: pull it from its compressed form, stretch the elastic cord around the perimeter of your pack, and tighten the plastic clasp to lock it in place. The entire process takes under thirty seconds.

When the storm passes, the Deluge rolls back onto itself and secures with a compression strap. No case to carry. No extra bag to lose. It compresses to roughly the size of a baseball and lives in your top pocket or a side pouch until the next storm needs it.

Universal sizing handles most 3V Gear backpacks — the Paratus, the Transit Redline, the Velox II, and the Surge Redline all fit within the Deluge's coverage range. The expandable opening adjusts between 10 and 18 inches wide and up to 22 inches tall, covering a full day-hiking setup or a loaded 40-liter travel pack with equal security.

Why your pack's water resistance is not enough by itself

Every 3V Gear pack uses PVC-backed polyester or waterproof DWR-coated nylon that handles light rain and splash well. But water-resistant is not waterproof. In a sustained thunderstorm — the kind that dumps an inch of rain in 20 minutes — a water-resistant shell eventually saturates and allows moisture through seams, zippers, and fabric intersections.

The Deluge creates a second, fully waterproof barrier over the entire pack. Your laptop, your emergency documents, your extra clothing, and your electronics stay dry regardless of how long the storm runs.

Scenarios where the Deluge earns its place

On a mountain trail in Colorado or the Rockies, afternoon thunderstorms are essentially daily events. The Deluge lives in the top pocket of your Paratus from the moment you start the approach. When the sky turns dark above treeline, you are covered and moving in under a minute — faster than anyone still fighting with an umbrella.

On a summer road trip, throw the Deluge in the outside pocket of your Transit Redline. When you stop at a roadside attraction and the rain starts, your pack goes on your back with the Deluge over it instead of getting soaked in the back of the car.

The Deluge protects a pack left outside a tent or under a canopy from overnight dew and unexpected early-morning showers — the kind that soak exposed gear before anyone is awake to move it.

Pro tip: The Deluge also works as a dust cover for packs stored in truck beds, Jeep cargo areas, or on roof-rack platforms during dry summer travel. Dust and road grit damage pack materials over time the same way moisture does. A Deluge over your pack on a long summer road trip is cheap insurance.

At $19.95, the Deluge Waterproof Backpack Rain Cover is the lowest-cost upgrade you can add to any 3V Gear pack. You will wish you had bought it the first time a summer storm catches you on the trail without it.

Shop the Deluge Waterproof Backpack Rain Cover at 3vgear.com →