tent in compression sack?

[Pickleodeon]

Would it be bad for the tent if you put it in a compression sack?

[buckwheat]

Nope.

[mtbmatty]

keep in mind
it's a good idea to store the rain fly seperately if / when it gets wet

[garlic08]

I don't own a compression sack, so sorry if this is a dumb question, but why would you put a tent in a compression sack? I understood they're used to, well, compress things, like fluffy insulation. My tent is pretty non-compressible, just a sheet of nylon, and I just shove it into my pack and it doesn't ever try to bounce back like a sleeping bag or sweater would.

[Smile]

Fine for when you're out hiking - not good to store it in at home, hang on a hanger :)

[Jack Tarlin]

Smile is correct.

Tents (and sleeping bags, too) are fine in stuff sacks or even compressed ones.

But don't leave 'em like this when you're not hiking.

Hang 'em out and air 'em out when not in use. Permanent compression is not good for these fabrics.

[Tinker]

If you want your tent to take up less space, take the poles out and roll, fold, or stuff it to whatever size you want. Strap the poles separately to the outside of the pack. Honestly, though, the poles receive some protection from the padding of the tent material. Most folks I've seen carry their tent strapped to the outside of their pack somewhere, anyway. Putting a wet and/or dirty tent in with your dry clothing is not a real good idea.

[bigcranky]

I understand the desire for a compression sack for a tent. Most tent stuff sacks are too wide in diameter, and the tent expands inside to take up all the volume. This is sometimes annoying.

My old TNF solo tent came with a compression sack. Three thin pieces of nylon webbing were attached around the circumference of the bag, so one could stuff the tent, then make it smaller in diameter with the webbing. You could buy something like this, or easily modify your current stuff sack.

I will say that my Tarptents have always had the opposite problem. The stock stuff sack is very narrow and long, so it fits vertically in an external pack pocket, but then that makes it hard to roll the tent tightly enough to actually get it inside the sack. I'm learning, though.

[Smile]

Sometimes you just have to get the right size compression sack to suit your pack - I agree with you BigCranky about the size of the tarptents - I've used one, but put it in my own sized CS so that it was in an optimal place in the pack.

Have a great hike out there, and enjoy your tent! :)

[Kanati]

Outdoor stores sell compression straps. I kept my clip flashlight 2 tent in its own sack but after I got it tied up, I put one of the straps around it over the ends and cinched it up tight reducing the length from 16" to about 10". This really helped in reducing the overall size of my pack. The poles and stakes were in their seperate sack which slipped nicely into the "pass-thru" pockets on the outside of my Kelty Soar 5200 pack.

Happy hiking. :sun

[OldStormcrow]

North Face puts their tents in compression sacks, so my guess would be, no, it shouldn't hurt them. You can buy compression sacks for your tent in all sizes at your local outfitter, just take your poles out and put them vertically on the side of your pack.

[Pickleodeon]

Thanks for the all the input. The reason I asked is, I have my tent in my pack right now. My Thermarest is on the outside. Both are long-vertical, bulky items. So, right now I have my thermarest in two bread bags, to keep it dry, and strapped on the outside of my pack. My tent is now in the compression sack inside my pack which reduced the size a lot, it's normal stuff sack doesnt squish it as well as I'd like, and it took up a good amount of my pack. Any ideas on rearranging?

Should I put the tent on the outside or the termarest? I'd like to keep both dry.

[KG4FAM]

If you can put the mattress on the inside it would be better. Less chance of getting damaged and leaking. Its also nice to have the tent on the outside for when you have to pack up a wet tent and don't want it getting all your other stuff wet.

[Tinker]

Thanks for the all the input. The reason I asked is, I have my tent in my pack right now. My Thermarest is on the outside. Both are long-vertical, bulky items. So, right now I have my thermarest in two bread bags, to keep it dry, and strapped on the outside of my pack. My tent is now in the compression sack inside my pack which reduced the size a lot, it's normal stuff sack doesnt squish it as well as I'd like, and it took up a good amount of my pack. Any ideas on rearranging?

Should I put the tent on the outside or the termarest? I'd like to keep both dry.


For years and years I have used my sleeping pad, Thermarest or not, to line the inside of my pack - at first, just to protect it better, then as a supplemental (and now, replacement) for a frame.
For a Thermarest:
1) Compress the air out of it, rolling it into a cylinder.
2) Place the rolled mat in the middle of your empty pack bag, standing up.
3) Spread the pad out so that it forms a "liner" for the packbag.
4) Stuff your gear inside the pad.
You can use a pack liner either inside the pack bag or inside the Thermarest. Using it outside the Thermarest is a better way to keep it dry, using it inside the Thermarest is a better way to make sure your pack contents don't puncture the pad.
Finally, as I mentioned above, separate your tent poles from the body and carry them (in their own stuffsack) outside your pack with the tent body inside, unless it's wet, OR, carry the tent outside, strapped, vertically, upside-down (to prevent rain from getting into the stuffsack), in the middle of the back (some say front, but it's really the back) of your pack.

[cravj1988]

I used an REI ultra light single person tent for my thru. I almost always put it in my pack inside the stuff sack, poles seperate also inside my 65 liter pack. I used a cheap blue foam sleeping pad that I strapped onto the outside of the pack. The foam pad was hydrophobic, so it would not absorb water(nylon that lines the thermarest will retain up to 4% water wt.), but I did roll it up with my Tyvec ground cloth for additional protection. Never used a thermorest, as they are too heavy and I had no trouble sleeping when the sun went down.

The only time I put the tent outside the pack was when it was soaking wet. I did this mainly to keep the inside of my pack dry. Putting the tent in the sack should not damage the water resistance of the tent. Surface tension of the tent and fly is the most important parameter with regards to keeping it dry when it rains.

Daily, when you pitch your tent, avoid putting too much tension on the rainfly. Unless, of course you expect rain, then jack the tension up as much as possible. By keeing the fly loose 95% of the time, you will enhance the flys ability to have high surface tension when you actually need it.

[bigcranky]

Should I put the tent on the outside or the termarest? I'd like to keep both dry.

Your tent is going to be wet most of the time, either from rain or from dew. I don't like putting a wet tent inside my pack, so I carry my pad inside and my tent (well, my tarp) outside.