Packing

[Ayates]

Just a quick question. My sleeping bag come with a stuff sack, but when I put sleeping bag in the sack it doesent fit well in my pack. My pack has a separate bottom compartment for sleeping bags, should I just stuff the sleeping bag into there?

[Alligator]

You are losing a layer of protection for the bag that way. It might take up more space too.

If the bag doesn't fit sideways--it stands tall in the pack--you can stuff clothes around it to fill the space. I do this with one of my bags in one of my packs.

[Ayates]

Sounds good. I guess i just leave that compartment open. Thanks for the help!:o

[LIhikers]

Or, use a heavy weight plastic bag in the bottom of your pack. Then stuff the sleeping bag into the plastic bag and close the plastic bag before closing the bottom of the pack.

[rpenczek]

GraniteGear makes some very light weight quality "Compression" stuff sacks.

[whitefoot_hp]

if you adequately line your backpack with a quality leaf bag or trash compactor bag, rather than just a household garbage bag, it makes more sense to conform your bag to your pack, that is abandon its stuffsack. in essence, your backpack is a stuff sack. no reason to be redundant. if you are afraid it takes up too much room, you can stuff your clothes in that compartment with it. i find i get more volume out of my packs by abandoning stuff sacks, plus you save a little weight, plus less stuff to keep up with at camp. also, your gear takes up every sqare inch your pack has to offer, and when you cram your stuff into stuff sacks, they become rigid and regardless of how well you pack around them they dont take up all the available space.
i use my sleeping bag stuff sack to store other stuff, that way i have a stuff sack for use as pillow.

[mts4602]

I'll 2nd the Granite Gear Compression sacks. They're great. I bought one for my synthetic bag and it greatly reduced it's size. It wouldn't fit in my pack before I got it. I bet it would fit in that bottom compartment if you bought one of these for it.

If not just take it back.

[Gaiter]

i use the foot-compression method, well its kind of a personalized method, i put my sleeping bag in a regular stuff sack, push it down to the bottom of my pack aka sleeping bag comparment, then use my foot to compress it, it works nicely. it fills the space better than using a compression bag and i can keep my pack balanced better than using the compression bag.

[CaseyB]

if you adequately line your backpack with a quality leaf bag or trash compactor bag, rather than just a household garbage bag, it makes more sense to conform your bag to your pack, that is abandon its stuffsack. in essence, your backpack is a stuff sack. no reason to be redundant. if you are afraid it takes up too much room, you can stuff your clothes in that compartment with it. i find i get more volume out of my packs by abandoning stuff sacks, plus you save a little weight, plus less stuff to keep up with at camp. also, your gear takes up every sqare inch your pack has to offer, and when you cram your stuff into stuff sacks, they become rigid and regardless of how well you pack around them they dont take up all the available space.
i use my sleeping bag stuff sack to store other stuff, that way i have a stuff sack for use as pillow.
Interesting idea. Do you do this with your tent as well? I always feel like I have left gaps of space in my pack even when I am stuffing it full.

[Alligator]

if you adequately line your backpack with a quality leaf bag or trash compactor bag, rather than just a household garbage bag, it makes more sense to conform your bag to your pack, that is abandon its stuffsack. in essence, your backpack is a stuff sack. no reason to be redundant. if you are afraid it takes up too much room, you can stuff your clothes in that compartment with it. i find i get more volume out of my packs by abandoning stuff sacks, plus you save a little weight, plus less stuff to keep up with at camp. also, your gear takes up every sqare inch your pack has to offer, and when you cram your stuff into stuff sacks, they become rigid and regardless of how well you pack around them they dont take up all the available space.
i use my sleeping bag stuff sack to store other stuff, that way i have a stuff sack for use as pillow.Personally, I don't find your space losing argument to be true with regard to my sleeping bag stuff sack. I get better compression in the stuff sack than loose in the pack. Then space is filled around the sleeping bag with clothes.

[whitefoot_hp]

Interesting idea. Do you do this with your tent as well? I always feel like I have left gaps of space in my pack even when I am stuffing it full.

i will do that with my tarp on the first day and any day after if it doesnt get wet. usually gets at least a little damp after one night tho. anything that is stuffable, like my sleep bag, hammock if im using it, clothes, etc. gets stuffed on the bottom. the weight from my food/water other stuff keeps it down.

[Ayates]

Alot of great ideas! Thanks guys and gals.

[sweetpeastu]

sooooo whats wrong with a regular household trashbag?

[whitefoot_hp]

nothing is wrong with it per se, but just not as reliable as the more durable leaf/lawn and trash compactor bags. they tear rather easily and seem to grip your stuff as you shove it in your pack.

[Cuffs]

Alot of great ideas! Thanks guys and gals.

Opening a can of worms... what bag do you have?

[pyroman53]

While I don't use my bag that has the bottom sleeping bag compartment much anymore, when I did, I actually liked carrying the bag in the main compartment. First, if it rained or I experience some other water disaster, water would be more likely to accumulate in the bottom of the bag (the sleeping bag compartment). Sure it was double wrappe, but call me paranoid. Carrying the sleeping bag more in the mid section gave me more peace of mind. Second, I could use that bottom compartment to carry things I might want quick access to during the day, such as snacks, rain gear, etc. Even though my bag fit there, I never liked the struggle to cram it in there every morning.