View Full Version : Wet Sleeping Bag
tx.katie.finch
03-06-2008, 00:57
Sorry if this is at all redundant; I dug through 10 pages of stuff and didn't see any forums on this one.
:-? We're trying to think up a new way to keep our sleeping bags dry in the pouring rain. The waterproof stuff bag at Academy is too small and I haven't seen one anywhere else (Gander Mountain, REI, Wally-World). I've always used a trash bag inside of my stuff sack in the past, but it is a real pain in the tush. I really don't want to deal with it for 60 days, but I also hate wet sleeping bags (yes... I know... it WILL eventually get wet, no matter what I do). I'd just like to stave off the damp as long as possible. I've got a pack cover, just haven't used it in the rain yet. (I let someone borrow my old one and they put it up wet. I didn't check it upon return and it's been a while since my last hike, so Mold ate right through it. :eek: Couldn't find the same type... go figure)
Any ideas? :banana
wilconow
03-06-2008, 01:00
I never used a trash bag liner for my pack, but I've been using a sea to summit liner.. don't think it's a pain at all, and knowing that there's one more good layer of protection is comforting.
Didn't your bag come with a waterproof stuff sack?
tx.katie.finch
03-06-2008, 01:03
The bag didn't come with one. It's nylon, but not waterproof. I guess I better clarify: I use an external frame (which some would claim to be my first problem) so my sleeping bag is tied on outside.
I use a “SealLine Dry Bag” (size 30 works for my sleeping bag) these bags are extremely tough and water resistant. They are popular with people that go canoeing and kayaking that want things to stay dry.
take-a-knee
03-06-2008, 01:13
Don't try to use a trash bag inside a stuff sack, major PITA. Get a good rolltop stuff sack of a dimension that fits well in the bottom of your pack (if that is where you carry your sleeping bag). Then buy a box of Hefty brand trash COMPACTOR liners and line your pack with it. Load the stuffed sleeping bag and any other critical gear in the liner, twist the top and stuff it down the side of the pack between the pack and the liner, ensuring nothing on the liner is pointed up to catch the rain. You can also twist the top into a "gooseneck" and put a large rubber band on it for stream crossings, that would be overkill for the rain.
aaroniguana
03-06-2008, 01:13
I use a generic synthetic mummy bag, it came with a stuffsac that promptly shredded. I replaced it with an REI TuffSac, urethane coated and seam sealed. I can stuff the bag in there and pack it tight, no ripping the sac.
Sounds like a lot of work, I’ll stick with the SealLine bag. It’s a little heavy, but I could throw it into a river and or push it under water and everything inside will stay dry. And it’s very easy to stuff the sleeping bag into it and close it up.
Appalachian Tater
03-06-2008, 01:18
O.R. Hydrolite bags work well; some people have used a turkey roasting bag.
I've always used a trash bag inside of my stuff sack in the past, but it is a real pain in the tush.
Crude but 100% effective over several decades of hiking. (Knock wood.) If it works, don't fix it. ;)
I've always put my down bag in its stuff sack and put the stuffed sack in a garbage bag. When it pours, I put on my pack cover. Hasn't got wet yet, and isn't a pain by any means.
canoehead
03-06-2008, 07:14
sea to summit bags are the way to go.
Frolicking Dinosaurs
03-06-2008, 07:37
I've always put my down bag in its stuff sack and put the stuffed sack in a garbage bag. When it pours, I put on my pack cover. Hasn't got wet yet, and isn't a pain by any means.I put my sleeping bag and sleeping baselayer in a trash compactor bag - not a pain and have never gotten my bag wet. I use a poncho over both me and my backpack for rain.
NICKTHEGREEK
03-06-2008, 07:44
O.R. Hydrolite bags work well; some people have used a turkey roasting bag.
OR products perform as advertised and are pretty (not totally forever) waterproof when properly sized to the contents. The second upside is they are tough and in the heavier applications very unlikely to be punctured by all that inconvenient sharp pointy stuff on the trail.
You mentioned you carry an external pack (no sin BTW) and carry your sleeping bag on the outside. Nothing wrong with that, it was the popular way to load an external, but you lose any extra margin of protection afforded by the pack and a liner itself. If I were to carry my external in very rainy conditions, my tent would be strapped under the packbag and sleeping bag doubled wrapped inside. You do not want a wet tent in the packbag with you dry stuff.
saimyoji
03-06-2008, 08:41
I've always put my down bag in its stuff sack and put the stuffed sack in a garbage bag. When it pours, I put on my pack cover. Hasn't got wet yet, and isn't a pain by any means.
Ditto.....
Johnny Swank
03-06-2008, 09:54
Check out How to Keep Your Sleeping Bag Dry. (http://sourcetosea.net/Articles/articles/sleepingbag_dry.html) Just a couple of simple steps and you'll never have to worry about crawling into a wet sleeping bag.
I always put a trash bag inside my stuff sack and then have a trash bag on the inside of my pack.
"Crude but 100% effective over several decades of hiking. (Knock wood.) If it works, don't fix it. ;)"
Agree 100% with _terrapin_ on this. Can't imagine what exactly is a pain in the a** about using a garbage bag inside a stuff sack. I find it actually makes stuffing the bag easier. What exactly is the problem that makes it a pain for you?
Has been used for decades on external frame packs - I never once unpacked a wet bag that wasn't already wet when it was packed.
As _terrapin_ said, If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
tx.katie.finch
03-06-2008, 12:11
My problem has always been ripping the bag a few days into the trip. But, it looks like it's going to keep working, so I'll just add a few replacements in my drops. And perhaps see about trying to waterproof the stuff sack with something. Thanks for all the input!!
Time To Fly 97
03-06-2008, 12:24
I have always had good luck with OR Aquaseal bags.
Happy hiking!
Time To Fly 97
Neurosis
03-06-2008, 12:32
Ive just always used the stuff sack it came with and an extra REI water proof stuff sack, and when it rained I put the pack cover over it. Never had any problems so far.
My problem has always been ripping the bag a few days into the trip. But, it looks like it's going to keep working, so I'll just add a few replacements in my drops. And perhaps see about trying to waterproof the stuff sack with something. Thanks for all the input!!
You put the garbage bag into the stuff sack, then start stuffing the sleeping bag right? Won't work if you try to put the sleeping bag into the garbage bag, then try to stuff the whole thing into the stuff sack.
Just pay attention that a good chunk of the garbage bag open end stays outside the stuff sack during the process. Once it's all inside, I usually loosely gather the open end of the garbage bag, and while holding it, kneel on the whole thing to squeeze the air out, then twist the garbage bag closed, and tuck it in while cinching the stuff sack. This helps keep it all compressed.
Having the garbage bag inside the stuff sack protects it from branches, etc.
This method, along with a rain cover, has never let me down.
Katie, I don't think many people read that you use an EXTERNAL frame.
Go with a canoe or kayaking dry bag with a roll top. I have some for canoeing that I bought years ago. The ultralight bags won't cut it for external frame use.
Stuff sack with trash bag liner works perfect on an external too. Did it for many, many years - never a wet bag.
The ultralight bags won't cut it for external frame use.
I don't see the connection, plus I'm not sure what an "ultralight bag" is. All I know is that I've hiked with down bags since day one, using both external and internal frame packs (mostly the former) and never had to deal with a wet sleeping bag. What a miracle. I owe it all to a kitchen garbage bag. ;) That blue thing strapped to the bottom of the pack in my (current) avatar is a down bag. The gray sack is the tent, the red one my Thermarest.
shelterbuilder
03-07-2008, 22:55
I agree with terrapin and lyle - and I also have an external frame pack. The trash bag method is cheap and effective, and when you put the pack cover on over the top of everything, that's the extra layer of protection. (I'm CHEAP - why spend money on expensive equipment if you don't really need it?) :D
I've always put my down bag in its stuff sack and put the stuffed sack in a garbage bag. When it pours, I put on my pack cover. Hasn't got wet yet, and isn't a pain by any means.
Ditto.....
Ditto that 'Ditto'.
Basically, if you want total protection of your sleeping bag when it's exposed on the bottom of your pack, the thicker the nylon, the better. Trash bags inside a stuffsack DO work, and I used to use them when I had an external frame, but Katie says it's a pain, so I was offering something less painful and at least as secure - hence the recommendation for the canoe/kayak stuffsack. BTW: mine are made of an oxford fabric, just a little lighter than cordura, with a very substantial coating inside - from Northwest River Supplies.
Hey Tinker, no problem. I just got the impression you wanted Katie to dismiss our comments because we hadn't understood her situation. My bad.
Alternatives are always a good thing, then one can pick and choose what one wants to try and ultimately make a decision on what works best.
Cherokee Bill
03-08-2008, 19:08
http://www.rockcreek.com/products/listing/item3969.asp
I use them :D