A backpack rain cover is the definition of a climate-dependent purchase

A backpack rain cover is one of those things that’s either essential or completely useless depending entirely on where you live. In a rainy climate (Pacific Northwest, UK, anywhere with actual precipitation), it’s the best few dollars you’ll spend \u2014 wet textbooks and moldy lunch bags are a misery you don’t need to experience twice. In a dry climate, it’s dead weight in the bottom of the backpack that you’ll never touch. The universal-size covers fit most kids’ backpacks, fold into a tiny pouch, and cost practically nothing. Buy it if you get rain. Skip it if you don’t. That’s the whole decision.