Why not roll it all up?

[leisgean]

So, you have a tent/tarp, inflatable sleeping pad and sleeping bag/quilt. Instead of packing them up into their own bags, why not just roll them all up at once and put them in a larger, single stuff sack?

[Tundra]

Because when you set up your tent in the rain everything else will get wet. Also, when you take down a wet tent you won't want to roll your dry sleep system in a wet tent. You can line your backpack with a packliner; there's lots of options out there. I use two cuben fiber stuff sacks because they're light and compress my sleep system and tent/tarp so I can use a smaller backpack. Furthermore, a wet tent/tarp inside a cuben stuff sack pretty much ensures my other gear stays dry.

[4eyedbuzzard]

So, you have a tent/tarp, inflatable sleeping pad and sleeping bag/quilt. Instead of packing them up into their own bags, why not just roll them all up at once and put them in a larger, single stuff sack?With the exception of the rain fly, when I use a hammock I leave the underquilt attached and top quilt/bag inside and just pack the whole thing up that way. Everything gets packed up under the rainfly, it's the last thing that comes down when breaking camp. Then the rain fly gets covered by snakeskins and packed. Making camp, the process is reversed - the fly goes up first so everything stays dry. You can do similar even if you are on the ground if you use a fly alone, or with tent that allows pitching the fly first and then attaching the inner tent/floor/net.

[bigcranky]

Might work on some Western trails, but the AT is almost always too wet for this. Just the morning dew on your tent will soak your bag when it's all rolled up inside a sack all day.

[Gambit McCrae]

This is a great opportunity to say, no question is a dumb question.

Like others have said to paraphrase:

*Stuff being wet when packing up
*Packing efficiently
*some of these items can be "delicate", down bags and inflatable pads
*If you decide that the next night is a shelter night, all would have to be pulled out and setup just to get to other items
**Things DO fall off of packs unnoticed, if this big roll falls off and not noticed, you've just lost it all. (I have had a tent slip out during a creek crossing and did not know for 1 mile -Tent recovered dry and well-)

[Slo-go'en]

An inflatable sleeping mat can't be stuffed. It has to be rolled up if only just to deflate it.

Stuffing a sleeping bag pushes out all the warm and moist air from your sleeping in it and that can be important during colder times of the year.

As everyone else noted, the tent is often wet or damp and needs to be kept separate from the rest of your stuff.

Finally, it you did try to stuff the sleeping bag and tent into one sack, you'd need a big sack. And you wouldn't be able to stuff the tent with the sleeping bag still inside it, you'd have to stuff the sleeping bag first, then the tent and that doesn't buy you anything.

[Starchild]

I usually have my tent as the lowest object in my pack, mainly because if it rains while hiking and water gets in my pack and starts forming a puddle at the bottom, the tent is what is going to be the part lying in the water. partly because it is compressible and acts as a spring to 'float the load' which makes it easier for me to carry.

[Oslohiker]

For a backpack it is a no go. You have to get the air out of the sleeping mat and the sleeping bag. It is not easy when rolling everything together. And things can get wet, as mentioned.

But some people on expeditions on snow (i.e. to Antartica or Greenland) use a pack that they just unzip, and the sleeping bag and sleeping pad are ready to use. They put most stuff they need instantly when they camp inside the pack. The tent are stored separately. They have it on the top of a pulk pack. This is a huge time and energy saver for them. (I use it to when I use a pulk here in Norway).


https://vimeo.com/140964711