View Full Version : Roll it all up in one?
lilgodwin
02-08-2017, 09:55
What's the thought (pros/cons) of deflating you're pad and pillow, leaving them and your sleeping bag/quilt inside the tent, and rolling it all up together?
Should be faster I would think. Especially if I can find a stuff sack that easily fits the bundle inside it, the just attach it to the outside of my pack.
I have a SMD Scout, so I do have an overhead cross support bar, about 12", that'll get rolled up with it all. The only other things that I suppose could damage anything would be the in/deflation nozzles on the pad/pillow. I don't really see those damaging anything.
So is this a bad idea? I actually haven't seen this tactic mentioned specifically. Not the part about leaving everything inside the tent.
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Flounder940
02-08-2017, 10:02
You'd likely be rolling up a wet tent and that moisture would very likely get to your sleeping bag. I think you would need one big @ss stuff sack. Any attempt to tightly roll all of those items could cause damage to one or more items. To me, its not worth the 8 extra minutes it would take to separately pack all the items.
4eyedbuzzard
02-08-2017, 10:04
Biggest issue I see is that it's a good idea to open your sleeping bag up fully and let it air out (hanging is even better) after sleeping in it. The general idea is to let it air out while eating and getting ready to break camp. Your body gives off a lot of moisture when you sleep and that moisture is still working its way through the sleeping bag in the morning. It can get trapped in the sleeping bag if it's packed up too soon, especially if rolled inside the waterproof, non-breathable floor material of a tent. Once in a while, it isn't a problem, but if you do it every day of a long hike, your bag will become moister - and likely smell more/worse as well.
lilgodwin
02-08-2017, 10:22
Good point. So would it be sufficient to hang/air it out for a bit, along with the tent open, then put it back in and roll it all up? Or should I really consider packing the sleeping bag separately.
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4eyedbuzzard
02-08-2017, 10:56
I suppose you could, but I think most would say that it's easier and better to stuff them in your pack separately. A bag rolled in a tent is a hard to manage blob to put in a pack. Plus, if you break camp in the rain, you'll likely want your (wet) tent in an outside pocket or strapped outside the pack. Sleeping bags need to be kept as dry as possible. Mine goes in a waterproof stuff sack inside my pack. Last line of defense against freezing and all that "be prepared" stuff, plus high quality down bags tend to be the most expensive item in your pack. Treat them nice!
Starchild
02-08-2017, 11:15
Biggest issue I see is that it's a good idea to open your sleeping bag up fully and let it air out (hanging is even better) after sleeping in it. The general idea is to let it air out while eating and getting ready to break camp. Your body gives off a lot of moisture when you sleep and that moisture is still working its way through the sleeping bag in the morning. It can get trapped in the sleeping bag if it's packed up too soon, especially if rolled inside the waterproof, non-breathable floor material of a tent. Once in a while, it isn't a problem, but if you do it every day of a long hike, your bag will become moister - and likely smell more/worse as well.
I've heard the opinion that one should pack the bag when one first gets out, reason being is that the warm moist air will be expelled when stuffing it. If left to cool (air out), the warm moist air becomes cold and the water condenses in the bag.
lilgodwin
02-08-2017, 11:15
Understandable. All valid points, and I appreciate it. So I should really only be concerned with separating the bag... The pad and pillow are fine to be rolled up with the tent and strapped to the outside? Granted, if it rains, I'm sure I'll change things up and place those inside stuff sacks inside the pack as well, with the tent on the outside. I'm simply talking days when it doesn't rain... hopefully I get plenty of those days.
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4eyedbuzzard
02-08-2017, 11:45
I've heard the opinion that one should pack the bag when one first gets out, reason being is that the warm moist air will be expelled when stuffing it. If left to cool (air out), the warm moist air becomes cold and the water condenses in the bag.I've heard of rolling a bag after getting out to expel warm moist air - but then re-fluffing it and airing it out before stuffing, mostly for winter conditions where condensation freezing on the inside of the shell may be a concern. And yeah, that does make sense. Some manufacturers say to roll their bags then stuff, some just stuff, likely due to differences in baffle construction. I've always just let mine air out though. Laziness?
Rolled up they won't pack down as tight if you do them individually. You'll end up with a large item to pack rather than 3 smaller items which is easier to find room. Also, what if the tent is wet. Packing up a wet tent always pushes moisture in side it so the inside walls and floor are wet when you set it up again. Not good for your sleeping bag.
You'd likely be rolling up a wet tent and that moisture would very likely get to your sleeping bag. I think you would need one big @ss stuff sack. Any attempt to tightly roll all of those items could cause damage to one or more items. To me, its not worth the 8 extra minutes it would take to separately pack all the items.
A very big this^^^
Biggest issue I see is that it's a good idea to open your sleeping bag up fully and let it air out (hanging is even better) after sleeping in it. The general idea is to let it air out while eating and getting ready to break camp. Your body gives off a lot of moisture when you sleep and that moisture is still working its way through the sleeping bag in the morning. It can get trapped in the sleeping bag if it's packed up too soon, especially if rolled inside the waterproof, non-breathable floor material of a tent. Once in a while, it isn't a problem, but if you do it every day of a long hike, your bag will become moister - and likely smell more/worse as well.
I air my sleeping bag out. After I take my bear bag line down I typically string it up as a clothes line and throw my bag (and anything else, socks, sleeping clothes) over it. I wipe my tent fly down while its still on the tent, turn it inside out and do it again, then hang it to dry. Fluff and stuff after breakfast is done.
You must b in a hurry if u need to save time rolling them . I don't roll my pad just fold it and use for padding for my back.
Thom
You might be thinking of something like this:
http://www.moonbowgear.com/1trailgear/1Custom%20packs/Gearskins/gearskin.html
IIRC, Sergeant Rock experimented with something like this.
Traillium
02-08-2017, 19:45
You might be thinking of something like this:
http://www.moonbowgear.com/1trailgear/1Custom%20packs/Gearskins/gearskin.html
IIRC, Sergeant Rock experimented with something like this.
Way back in the 1970s when guiding for a canoe-tripping company, we used that technique of rolling the comfy thick open-cell mats and the sleeping bags inside of the construction plastic we used as an inside-the-tent 'boat-shaped' ground cloth. The mats and sleeping bags were laid on top of the plastic, which was then French-folded. The tent, wet or dry, was then folded on top, and the whole thing rolled corner-to-corner in a heavy blue plastic tarp which was then lashed on to a metal backpack frame.
As staff, one of our first demonstrations to clientele was to do that with our own gear, and throw the pack and package into the water. After a bit of bobbing around, we'd then open up our gear to show them that it was completely dry.
Worked really well, given that we only had to portage, not backpack. The actual weight of that package was quite light despite its bulk. It was almost always the favored pack to carry.
… I got to carry the heaviest food pack …
LongBlaze2019
02-08-2017, 20:21
I actually like the routine of packing and rolling everything in the morning.
I roll my matt up and put away any small items I may have out. Open my bag up to air out, cook and eat breakfast, then I fluff my bag roll it and wipe down my tent before putting it away and finish putting everything in my bag.
I like to have a morning routine. It gives me a good start to the day.
Slo-go'en
02-08-2017, 21:47
The #1 reason as stated above is that the tent is often damp or wet in the morning. #2 is rolling everything up in one big bundle really isn't very practical. Try it at home and see.
I don't like to waste time in the morning so this is my ritual:
1) decide it's time to get up (did it stop raining yet?)
2) open up the valve on my NeoAir while I lay on it to deflate
3) sit up and put my shirt on
4) get out of the bag and put my socks and pants on. Now my sleeping bag stuff sack is empty, since that's where my clothes were overnight
5) stuff the bag into the sack
6) roll up the sleeping pad
7) get out of the tent and pee
8) take down the tent and stuff it
9) Put the pad, sleeping bag and tent into the pack
10) go get the food bag, eat something, get moving.
lilgodwin
02-08-2017, 22:53
You might be thinking of something like this:
http://www.moonbowgear.com/1trailgear/1Custom%20packs/Gearskins/gearskin.html
IIRC, Sergeant Rock experimented with something like this.
Definitely not. I was just talking about rolling it all up like you would the tent by itself, but with my pad/pillow inside. Then strapping it to the outside of the the pack.
Seems like the votes are in and it's pretty much seen as a bad idea for various reasons. Good enough for me.
Wasn't looking at it as saving time, because I'm certainly not looking took shave seconds/minutes off my breaking down of camp. Just thought it'd be easier.
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I'd pack the bag separate, but I'm definitely going to try out the part about just deflating the air mattress, rolling it up with the tent. Rolling up the air mattress is my least favorite job in the morning!
illabelle
02-09-2017, 14:01
This is why you don't want to roll everything together:
https://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=33915&d=1456835316
Hikingjim
02-09-2017, 14:32
I know you're past this idea now, but one thing to keep in mind when you're packing is that you don't really want much weight hanging off the outside of your pack. if you're at full capacity then you can add light & bulky things to the outside (part of a tent, mat, etc)
Hiked with this guy who has about a 48 litre pack and way too much stuff. He ended up strapping his bear can without about 12 lbs of food to the outside of the pack. Didn't work out so well...
It only takes me about 1 minute to pack up my tent/bag/mat (after the poles/stakes are out). Mad stuffing.
A couple of days ago I set up my tent...hadn't used it in about 3 weeks. There was frost the morning I packed it up and it sat in the back of my car since then. When I unrolled it the tent was still damp. Had my sleeping bag been in there it would have been damp too. On the AT in the spring my tent would rarely be dry enough that I'd consider rolling my tent and sleeping bag together. Even if it doesn't rain there will be dew or frost.