Nylofume Pack Liner Bag Review

Overview

The Nylofume Pack Liner is a clear nylon polymer bag that started its life protecting food and medicine during home fumigations — and somehow ended up as the ultralight community’s go-to answer for keeping gear dry. Originally made to protect food and medicine during home fumigations, these bags make great backpack liners. At 25.9g and a few dollars per bag, it targets weight-conscious hikers who want bulletproof rain protection without the bulk of a rain cover or the weight penalty of a set of individual dry bags.

Key Specs

Spec	Value
Weight	25.9 g / 0.91 oz
Dimensions (flat)	20” × 36” (50.8 × 91.4 cm)
Volume (usable)	~42.5 L
Material	Nylon polymer film
Waterproof	Yes (100%)
Closure	Twist & fold, rubber band optional
Price	~$1–4 per bag
Comparison	See how Nylofume Pack Liner compares to similar gear

Performance

Waterproofing

This is the whole job, and the Nylofume does it. The construction of a backpack can achieve an extremely high level of water resistance, but all hiking packs that are not a dedicated dry bag will eventually succumb to sustained rain or submersion — and a Nylofume liner is the lightest, cheapest, most foolproof way to know your gear will be dry at the end of the day. One hiker reported a single bag kept things dry after 10 days and nights on the Appalachian Trail with rain every day.

Sealing is simple: twist, fold over, and use a rubber band — or for a loose seal, just fold over several times. The one caveat: the bag is not wholly waterproof if your backpack falls into the water, due to the folded top which might let water seep through. For river crossings or full submersion, you’ll want to treat this like a roll-top dry bag and get multiple tight folds in before dunking.

Durability

This is where the Nylofume consistently surprises people. The thin film feels fragile straight out of the package — first impressions are wrong. One reviewer logged over 30 nights on trail using a single bag, eventually coming to forget about babying the plastic and began jamming and yanking in the morning and evening as hikers tend to do. One regular user goes through two Nylofumes a year in use, which averages around 100 nights outside. Retailers recommend replacing your Nylofume every 1,200 miles or so, and they’ve been found to be tougher than heavy old trash compactor bags, which also develop pinholes over time.

When tears do happen, they’re easy to address: clear packing tape makes for durable and nearly invisible patches, and the bag can go right back on trail after a fix. The film is most vulnerable when the bag is empty and loose — one reviewer noted the only real damage came at home, when the bag was pinched between two pieces of gear, creating three small tears. Also worth noting: when stuffing hard, make sure to hold both the backpack and the Nylofume bag to prevent fingers from puncturing the mouth of the bag.

Weight & Fit

A fresh bag weighs 26g on a scale — just under an ounce — compared to the whopping 129g for generic contractor bags.

The dimensions are deliberately shaped for backpacks:

the 20” × 37” flat dimensions are sized for the cylindrical profile of most ultralight packs, which is a genuine advantage over square trash bags that bunch awkwardly.

The length can be cut down if necessary for smaller packs.

Odor Resistance

A lesser-known bonus: the bags are made from a special nylon film that’s also an odor-resistant barrier to help keep your food and smellables under bear radar. Cutting a Nylofume down to size and using a twist tie to seal it can be a handy way to segregate food in your pack, and is lighter and just as odor-proof as expensive zip-lock-style bags purporting to do the same.

Noise

There’s no getting around this one. The material is pretty loud, like cellophane. The godawful crinkly noise is real — some hikers initially on board couldn’t get over the racket the liner makes when packing up early in the morning. It’s genuinely annoying at 5 a.m. in a shared shelter. Whether it rises to a dealbreaker depends entirely on how much your trailmates like you.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Genuinely 100% waterproof under rain and heavy moisture
• At 25.9g, a massive weight saving over trash compactor bags (~129g) or rain covers
• Surprisingly durable — survives thru-hikes and 100+ night seasons
• Clear film makes it easy to locate gear inside
• Built-in odor barrier is a useful bonus in bear country
• Trimable to fit smaller packs
• Inexpensive enough to carry a spare without guilt
• Easy to patch with clear tape if torn

Cons

• Noticeably loud and crinkly — expect complaints from tentmates
• Fold-over closure offers no protection during full submersion
• Non-gusseted flat bottom means no rigid structure; wide, flat items can be awkward to load
• Most vulnerable when empty and loose — store carefully between trips
• Sized mainly for packs up to ~50L; a very stuffed 60L pack may not leave enough material to fully tie off

Who Should Buy This

This is especially well-suited to thru-hikers and long-distance section hikers who want to replace the trash-bag habit with something purpose-built, more durable, and no heavier.

If you’re running any non-waterproof pack — which is essentially everyone not carrying a dedicated dry-bag-style pack — this belongs in your kit. It also earns a second role as a food-smell barrier, which makes it unusually versatile for a $2–4 piece of gear. If early-morning noise in camp is a genuine concern, a trash compactor bag is quieter, just meaningfully heavier.

Verdict

The Nylofume Pack Liner is as close to a mandatory piece of kit as ultralight backpacking gets. It nails the one job asked of it — keeping your sleep system and critical gear dry — with almost no weight, almost no cost, and durability that outlasts most people’s expectations. The crinkly noise is real, and the fold-over closure won’t save you in a swim, but neither of those things changes the fundamental calculus: there is no lighter or cheaper way to guarantee dry gear at camp. Rating: 9/10.