View Full Version : Stuff Sack Comparison
Any thoughts on the following?
Equinox Silnylon vs. OR Hydroseal vs. Sea to Summit Silnylon vs. Trash Compactor Bags
I don't want to get "sucked in" to the money-wasting novelty gear items if a trash compactor bag will do the job. However, I need something totally waterproof/dependable for down bag, clothes, food/bear bag (that will be hanging). Planning on lining my pack w/trash compactor bag and maybe put another on outside of bag if pouring rain. Thanks!
Blissful
06-01-2006, 19:54
You can make your own stuff sacks, pack cover, etc and save $$ or know someone who can run the sewing machine.
This place has great stuff.
http://www.thru-hiker.com
I've heard here a trash liner is good to line the inside of the pack for added protection.
Just Jeff
06-01-2006, 22:32
I use silnylon sacks to make stuffing/packing easier, but I use a compactor bag as a liner...anything that has to be dry goes in its sack and in the compactor bag. I twist the opening into a goose neck and I haven't had any problems with it yet, though I haven't fallen into a moving stream with it or anything.
Footslogger
06-01-2006, 22:35
[quote=Michele]Any thoughts on the following?
Equinox Silnylon vs. OR Hydroseal vs. Sea to Summit Silnylon vs. Trash Compactor Bags
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Well ...I own several of the Equinox and OR Hydroseals. In my opinion the Hydroseals are gross overkill for backpacking. They are great for canoe/kayak trips though.
You can't go wrong with the Equinox silnylons.
'Slogger
Whistler
06-01-2006, 22:46
I agree that the OR Hydroseals are overkill. I have several Equinox models which have all served me well, inside a trash bag liner. I also like the REI and GoLite brand silnylon sacks. No experience with StS.
-Mark
Rebel, with a Cause!
06-02-2006, 08:30
I use silnylon sacks on everything except my food bag. I used to use the OR Hydroseal Dry Sacks for my food, but they were way too heavy and packed into a cylinder shape only. OR has a NEW HydroLITE series thats much lighter and can be compressed into anywhere in your pack. Cornbread at Neals Gap, showed me these, I bought one ( size 4 ) and its rocks.
http://www.orgear.com/home/style/Home_OR/storage/storage_stuffsacks/storage_stuff_pack/HLP
As far as Silnylon sacks go. The Equinox sacks are very good ones.
With a Garbage compactor bag as a liner and the above mentioned sacks, I have never had a problem with Water.
For those of you who use a trash compacter bag as a liner, do you also use a pack cover? I'm debating whether to leave the pack cover home to save some weight. I'll use a trash compacter bag as a liner, my food will be in zip-locks inside a silnylon bag, my sleeping bag will be in another silnylon bag that is inside a plastic bag -- and the same for my clothes.
Toasty, from what I understand, the material that your pack is made from makes a difference in this question. Seeing I don't own my pack yet, but understand that some materials are more absorbent than others, and you wouldn't want to lug around "water weight" due to your pack absorbing water during a down pour. I think I'm going to have an extra trash compactor back for a pack cover if it really pours.
What do you use for your food bag then? Thanks.
--Michele
Footslogger
06-02-2006, 09:34
For those of you who use a trash compacter bag as a liner, do you also use a pack cover? I'm debating whether to leave the pack cover home to save some weight. I'll use a trash compacter bag as a liner, my food will be in zip-locks inside a silnylon bag, my sleeping bag will be in another silnylon bag that is inside a plastic bag -- and the same for my clothes.
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I carry a light weight silnyon pack cover (Equinox) and do put it on in a light rain just to keep the outer packcloth from soaking out. But I also use a plastic trash bag liner and keep most of my other things in individual silnylon stuff sacks. Might be a little overkill but you have to understand that my base of reference is a thru hike in 2003 when it rained every day for about 3 out of 4 weeks in May and June.
'Slogger
anyone use the exped dry bags for hanging food. The large bag 7" x 18" weighs 3 ounces +/-
http://www.backpackingdeals.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=W&Product_Code=EDBD213
Just Jeff
06-02-2006, 11:21
For those of you who use a trash compacter bag as a liner, do you also use a pack cover?
I use a Speed that has 5 mesh outer pockets I use for snacks, TP (in a ziplock), raingear, my tarp, etc. I use a packcover to keep that stuff relatively dry. I use the gear hammock one so I have a place to put my stuff at night.
- JRB - http://www.jacksrbetter.com/index_files/Jeffs%20Gear%20Hammock-Pack%20Cover.htm
- DIY - http://www.tothewoods.net/HomemadeGearPackCoverGearHammock.html
hammock engineer
06-02-2006, 14:35
I have the sea to summit ones. I haven't fully put them to the test yet, but they are really light weight and seem durable and waterproof. Let me know if you want actual weights. I have 2 8 liter (I think) and 1 1 liter. They make a good food bag and clothing stuff sack. The small one works great for the cell phone and digital camera.
SGT Rock
06-02-2006, 15:45
I use the equinox sil-nylon bags (seam sealed) and a trach compactor bag for a pack liner. Works fine, weighs very little. I am paranoid about getting stuff wet but don't see the need for a dry bag.
Kerosene
06-03-2006, 11:52
anyone use the exped dry bags for hanging foodI just use a smallest, lightest, silnyl bag I can find for my food bag, ideally one with a "strap" on the bottom. I attach a small, lightweight carabiner to the strap and the rope, which hangs the bag upside down. This keeps most of the water out, although all my food is in baggies so it doesn't matter if things get wet.
Any thoughts on the following?
Equinox Silnylon vs. OR Hydroseal vs. Sea to Summit Silnylon vs. Trash Compactor Bags
I don't want to get "sucked in" to the money-wasting novelty gear items if a trash compactor bag will do the job. However, I need something totally waterproof/dependable for down bag, clothes, food/bear bag (that will be hanging). Planning on lining my pack w/trash compactor bag and maybe put another on outside of bag if pouring rain. Thanks!
All the usual items are syl-ny packed, under a syl-ny packcover, but no pack liner. (My setup assumes that dampness will get into the pack at some point, so everything that nees to be protected gets bagged.) Sea-to-Summit & Ganite Gear are the brands.
Sleeping bag and food bags are the exceptions. The down bag goes into an older model OR Advanced Hydroseal roll-down bag, which simultaneously provides compression and waterproofing. The food went into an old Chouinard waterproof stuffsack for years (smell control, toughness), but now goes into the newer Hydroseal bag(s).
And don't forget ZipLocs. Gotta have ZipLocks :)
Doug Frost
Michele-- I use home-sewn silnylon stuff sacks, both the Ray-way twist top and the plain kind. I use a poncho-tarp over the pack rather than a pack cover. And yes, I did fall in the creek up to my neck on the Northville-Placid Trail, pack and all. Everything in a stuff sack stayed dry, the only casualty was an unprotected flashlight. Plastic sandwich baggies are good for small items.
Walt
I use the equinox sil-nylon bags (seam sealed)
Did you seam seal those yourself? I just bought 2 8"x18" sacks today from a local outfitter and the seams definatly are NOT sealed. Thanks.
Sierra98
06-15-2006, 23:05
What are trash compactor bags? Are they just your basic trash bag? I don't mean to sound "stupid"
Footslogger
06-15-2006, 23:09
What are trash compactor bags? Are they just your basic trash bag? I don't mean to sound "stupid"
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They're made of thicker plastic and I'm pretty sure it's a different type of plastic that resists tearing. Not sure of the exact dimensions (lost the package) but I think they are a different size/shape than a regular tall kitchen trash bag.
'Slogger
They come in 15 and 18 gallon sizes. I have some of the 18 gallon - they are 25"x35". I'm using one for a pack liner. The thickness is not stated, but they are definitely heavier duty than your average trash bag. The Husky 18 gallon I use weighs 2.3 ounces.
bigcranky
06-16-2006, 23:29
I used a trash compactor bag for years, lining the inside of my pack and rolling the top over to close it. My sleeping bag rode inside the compactor bag in a regular sil-nylon stuff sack (Equinox, I think). I carried my Platypus bladder inside my pack, but on top of the rolled and closed compactor bag. Then on one March trip in the Roan Mtn area, my bladder opened inside my pack, and a lot of water got *inside* the compactor bag, *inside* the sil-nylon dry bag, and got my sleeping bag pretty darn wet. (Insert muttered expletives here.)
Now I use one of the Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil dry bags with the roll-top closure. The 13 liter size easily holds my WM Megalite and all my camp clothes, and weighs about 1.5 oz. The bag is seam-taped, and I am satisfied with the water resistance of this sack for my own purposes.
(NOTE: If you want to use these bags, see Jim Wood's article on his web site:
http://jwbasecamp.com/Articles/DryGear/index.html
His tests found that the bags allowed water to seep through the fabric itself. So your mileage may vary -- do your own testing under the conditions that you feel best represent the conditions under which you hike. I did, and I like the bags.
MedicineMan
06-17-2006, 01:37
http://www.backcountrygear.com/catalog/accessdetail.cfm/GG1002
normal stuff sacks are good for sleeping bags/quilts etc. where the one article will take up the whole stuff sack, but the normal stuff sacks when packed with lots of little things make it hard to find a specific item...
the air space bags open like an old shaving kit allowing you to get to any item without having to remove items...i used the medium (1.7oz) for a food bag easily carrying 4 days of food, a xs for my hygeine kit, and a small for my kitchen.