sea to summit sacks

[Tanya]

How many, what type (compression, dry, ultra-lite, etc.) and what size should I get for a summer hike from VA to Me?
there are so many of them!

thank you for the advice,
and happy trails,
t.

[Mrs Baggins]

How many, what type (compression, dry, ultra-lite, etc.) and what size should I get for a summer hike from VA to Me?
there are so many of them!

thank you for the advice,
and happy trails,
t.

I don't remember the exact sizes on them but we each bought one small (probably a quart size) for first aid/grooming items; 1 medium size (2 quart) for food; and one large (3 quart - maybe a little bigger) for clothing. Each was a different color so we could could just reach into our packs and grab the right one right away.

[burger]

I used a S2S 20-L Ultra-sil dry sack as my food bag, and that held up great. For all my other stuff sacks, I used Outdoor Research Hydrolite bags--not completely waterproof, but close enough.

[Appalachian Tater]

I used a S2S 20-L Ultra-sil dry sack as my food bag, and that held up great. For all my other stuff sacks, I used Outdoor Research Hydrolite bags--not completely waterproof, but close enough.

I use the OR Hydrolite bags even for my food bag and have never had a problem, just use the strap on the bottom to hang it.

[RenoRoamer]

The sea-to-summit ultra-sil bags are not waterproof. Water can lead through the fabric very easily under pressure, such as the pressure of the contents of the sack. Doesn't matter if your food is packed in plastic, but watch out otherwise.

[Tanya]

this is very helpful,

thank you all!

happy trails,
t.

[Appalachian Tater]

Tanya, there are several ways to keep your stuff dry, and a combination works best. You can use a poncho designed to cover both you & your pack, a pack cover, a pack liner, and sacks.

Some people swear by the ponchos, I haven't used them.

My experience with pack covers is that they are not effective enough to rely on solely but do keep your pack from absorbing so much HEAVY water when it rains.

A heavy-duty contractor or compactor garbage bag works great as a liner, and it's cheap, so I use one. I haven't had problems with them. Just twist the neck and fold it over and cinch your pack down on it. My experience with the Sea-to-Summit silnylon pack liner is that it is not only expensive, but not very effective when subjected to a wet pack and friction.

Then there are stuff sacks like the OR Hydrolite and ziplock bags. You need to protect your sleeping bag, your clothes, your food, your electronics and first aid kit, your toilet paper. I use OR Hydrolites for all of these things, plus freezer Ziplock or Glad bags that do a pretty darn good job. A gallon freezer Ziplock is great for keeping your nasty dirty socks from contaminating everything. Gallon and quart freezer Ziplocks are great for organizing your stuff, including food, safety stuff. I also keep pages from my guidebook in a freezer bag in my pocket to keep it from getting wet from sweat or rain. A quart bag with baby butt wipes goes into another one along with my TP and alcohol gel.

If you go with the Hydrolites or any single brand of stuffsacks, get them in different colors. You would think with different sizes in your pack with vastly different contents they would be easy to tell apart, but it's not as easy as you might think.

Also realize that if you aren't careful, you can end up with over a pound of stuffsacks, liners, and Ziplocks in your pack.

[TACKLE]

Like Tater said,the contractor trash bag as a liner has worked for me. They weigh 5 ozs. but you only need one. I get about 700 miles out of it before I replace it. I hang my entire pack when in bear country rain or shine and it's never failed to keep the contents dry.

[LIhikers]

How many, what type (compression, dry, ultra-lite, etc.) and what size should I get for a summer hike from VA to Me?
there are so many of them!

thank you for the advice,
and happy trails,
t.

We can't tell you without knowing what you're going to use them for

[take-a-knee]

Like Tater said,the contractor trash bag as a liner has worked for me. They weigh 5 ozs. but you only need one. I get about 700 miles out of it before I replace it. I hang my entire pack when in bear country rain or shine and it's never failed to keep the contents dry.

Hefty trash compactor liners (white) weigh two ounces, fit most smaller packs and are in the houseware dept at Walmart and also at ACE Hardware.

[troglobil]

I use the 15 liter dry sack for my WM 20 degree bag

[Cindy from Indy]

Like Tater said,the contractor trash bag as a liner has worked for me. They weigh 5 ozs. but you only need one. I get about 700 miles out of it before I replace it. I hang my entire pack when in bear country rain or shine and it's never failed to keep the contents dry.

This is one of the great ideas I got off the "How to Hike the A.T." movie.

I do have a question though.....I purchased several 'Sea to Summit' bags, varying sizes to help organize my pack. But now, after reading this thread, I am wondering if I should have purchased all 'waterproof' bags??? I did buy a waterproof sac for my down sleepbag, but that was all.

Advise? Comments? Recommendations?

[Almost There]

I use the green one, I think it's 13 liters for my sleeping bag, other than that, I just use regular stuff sacks.

[Jaybird]

How many, what type (compression, dry, ultra-lite, etc.) and what size should I get for a summer hike from VA to Me?
there are so many of them! ..............t.

I've used a couple of these LITE-weight, waterproof bags for my food bag mainly.
i stuff 7 days of food & my energy bars & snacks in them....they're GREAT!
i got the Medium size & the LARGE.

[TACKLE]

Hefty trash compactor liners (white) weigh two ounces, fit most smaller packs and are in the houseware dept at Walmart and also at ACE Hardware.

I said contractor bag not compactor bag.

[Sly]

I use the green one, I think it's 13 liters for my sleeping bag, other than that, I just use regular stuff sacks.

That's what I've been using and can't recall my sleeping bag ever getting wet. You?

[TACKLE]

This is one of the great ideas I got off the "How to Hike the A.T." movie.

I do have a question though.....I purchased several 'Sea to Summit' bags, varying sizes to help organize my pack. But now, after reading this thread, I am wondering if I should have purchased all 'waterproof' bags??? I did buy a waterproof sac for my down sleepbag, but that was all.

Advise? Comments? Recommendations?

Skip the multiple sacks. I only use one stuff bag (food bag). You fit more in your pack by not using stuff sacks. If your leary of the one thick liner bag,use your waterproof sack for your down bag until your more comfortable with the liner only. I also use a bug netting sack as a catch all,you can see what's in it w/o dumping it all out.

[Sly]

I have a stuff sack or large ziplock for my clothes; first aid items; stove, spoon and pot; sleeping bag; tent; pad (probably not necessary) and one fore misc items. The only things that don't go into a stuff sack are my fleece and rain jacket.