View Full Version : Dry at all cost
squeezebox
12-23-2013, 07:35
I think I'ld like to put my sleeping bag, down jacket, and heavy fleece in compression sacks. Rei's compression sacks are not waterproof. How to find or make a plastic liner small enough ? I'm thinking cut down a trash compactor bag and duct tape the cut seams inside and out, should hold up. Maybe even low temp iron. Really can't think of anything else. Your ideas / opinions. I have some Tyvek, but how to seal the seams
kayak karl
12-23-2013, 07:54
just use a pack liner. you could use a small trash bag also as backup. if its so cold you need fleece and down jackets won't you always be wearing one?
in extreme cold compression sacks can get cumbersome to work and a pain to stuff every morn.
Just use a trash compactor bag, unmodified, as a pack liner. Put it in your pack load up your dry stuff and tie it off. packs much better than having to arrange clumps of separate compressed bags. They are extremely durable, cheap and easy.
garlic08
12-23-2013, 08:36
Ditto both posts above.
slbirdnerd
12-23-2013, 10:01
I think Sea to Summit has waterproof compression bags, but if you mash up your bag too much you can ruin it. Just get a selection of dry bags (mine are all different colors so I can easily identify what's inside). I use one for my down bag/liner, stuff it in, squish the air out, still plenty small fits right in the bottom of my pack--I think this is a 13 liter dry sack. I also have a 13 L for clothes, puffy jacket is in there. I also have a 13 for food, a little big but leaves room for anything with a scent that needs to go in there at night. All this goes in a 'pack liner with my other gear, meaning a trash compactor bag or plastic lawn/leaf bag. On top, a pack cover. Triple threat, nice and dry!
+1 on Sea to Summit Dry Bags. Get one for your sleeping bag and one for your clothes. You will be able to compress your down bag enough in a dry bag and it will stay dry. I started using a trash compactor bag and ended up having a wet sleeping bag because the bottom started leaking.
FarmerChef
12-23-2013, 12:01
I have worn my pack outside my poncho with a trash bag liner and it's been dry. None of my inside gear (except for food) was in dry bags and it all stayed perfectly dry. Pack liners work :)
Rocket Jones
12-23-2013, 12:08
Another option are the extra large ziplock bags. I think they're about 6 gallon size.
Got 3 13l Sea to Summit dry bags. Not the super light silnylon ones. Had them for years. One for sleeping bag, one for clothes, one for food. They have never leaked, and I wont backpack without them. Plus it makes pack organization, unpacking/repacking quicker and easier. IMO, its the way to go
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Starchild
12-23-2013, 13:31
A potential flaw in your plan. If you have a sealed airtight/watertight bag inside a compression sack, when you try to compress it the air can't escape, so you will need to either leave a opening or let it 'pop' (no longer waterproof), or leave it bulky, or somehow seal it after compression.
Just to add trying to duct-tape a watertight seam on a plastic bag sounds like a great way to eventually find wet sleeping gear inside.
Another vote for dry bags, they compress when you squeeze the air out. Also vote yes for multi-colors, but I don't like dark colors as light shining thru the bag helps identify contents.
Feral Bill
12-23-2013, 14:38
It's really not hard to keep down gear dry while hiking. Put in in a more or less water resistant sack and then into your pack. I've never had a problem,
A potential flaw in your plan. If you have a sealed airtight/watertight bag inside a compression sack, when you try to compress it the air can't escape, so you will need to either leave a opening or let it 'pop' (no longer waterproof), or leave it bulky, or somehow seal it after compression.
No flaw, I don't use a compression sack, just the dry bag. Stuff the sleeping bag in the dry sack, press down to push out the air, then roll the top down. It's easy.
Starchild
12-23-2013, 15:46
No flaw, I don't use a compression sack, just the dry bag. Stuff the sleeping bag in the dry sack, press down to push out the air, then roll the top down. It's easy.
I was speaking to squeezebox (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/member.php?24769-squeezebox) however.
Rain Man
12-23-2013, 17:30
Get some clear Reynolds Oven Roaster or Turkey Roaster bags. Very tough and just the right sizes for stuff sacks. And line the whole pack with a white trash compactor bag.
Rain:sunMan
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Oven roaster or turkey roaster bags! Clever, don't think I would have ever thought of them.
Cvt
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fredmugs
12-24-2013, 09:34
At all cost? Have a poncho that completely covers your pack (i.e. Packa or GoLite ponchos) instead of just a pack cover. Have a tarp that you can easily set up in the rain.
bigcranky
12-25-2013, 17:02
Dry at all cost = a layering system for waterproofness.
I start with a waterproof, seam taped, roll top stuff sack for my down sleeping bag, and maybe some camp clothing. Then I use a pack liner (cuben fiber, roll top, seam taped), and when the weather is bad, a lightweight pack cover. As noted above, a poncho works even better, as does a Packa, as they both cover both sides of the pack, which a pack cover does not.
For a test I stuffed a Sea to Summit UL dry bag with newspaper and tossed it in my pool overnight. Next day the paper was completely dry.
I've never had one leak as long as the seam tape was in tact. I have had old worn ones loose the seam tape but then I just seam seal them and keep using them. I've also had an inch of water in the bottom of my back and my sleeping bag, which is the first thing I put in my pack stay dry.
I would not hesitate to depend on these bags alone, without a pack cover or liner to keep my important items completely dry at all times.
I use plastic grocery bags. No compression sacks. They are just extra weight and expense.
CarlZ993
12-26-2013, 15:16
Dry at any cost? Trash compactor bag lining the pack. Elephant snout the excess, double the snout over, & use a small stretch cord loop to seal. Sea to summit silnylon dry bags for sleeping bags & clothing. Pack cover over the pack (to slow down the water going inside the pack). Result? Stuff stays dry over an entire AT thru-hike (despite record rains in 2013).
Ive used a set of two trash compactor bags for two years (the same ones). One goes around my under quilt and top quilt combo. The other lines the inside of my pack. Very light and durable. My pack has its own built-in cover, which I use to augment its protection (plus, I don't know how much water a pack would soak up, probably several ounces in a good rain). I wouldn't modify the trash compactor bag unless you're just cutting off the top because its too tall. If you're trying to save weight, any plastic you cut off will weigh less than the duct tape you put on to fix the hole. My wettest day was 36 hours of straight rain, a good soaking downpour most of the time, and the bags held up fine.