View Full Version : To stuff or not to stuff ???
MDhiker1967
03-08-2009, 13:57
Do you stuff your tent in a stuff sack or fold it??
Stuff it. If you fold it you tend to fold it the same way each time which results in fault lines, which can result in leaks. Besides, stuffing is more fun.
fiddlehead
03-08-2009, 14:04
I got out of the Navy 37 years ago.
Stuffing is a lot easier.
SGT Rock
03-08-2009, 14:08
Stuff. But mine is a tarp and a hammock. I think the principle is still the same.
stuff cuz I can never remember how to fold it correctly.
Mighty Mouse
03-08-2009, 15:48
Stuff - no weak spots created from folding and easier.
boarstone
03-08-2009, 16:01
...ditto: 2,3,4,5, and 6........stuff it...
MDhiker1967
03-08-2009, 16:12
Would you place the Fly the poles and the main body in seperate stuff sacks...
note: there will be 2 of us ( me and MommaJ) to split up wieght?
SGT Rock
03-08-2009, 16:17
Don't put the poles in the sack you stuff in. Just my opinion.
stuff. fly goes in outside pocket if wet. poles go seperate either in pack or strapped to outside, w/o sack
garlic08
03-08-2009, 17:03
Stuff it. (and I mean that in a good way)
jonathanb23
03-08-2009, 17:05
less stuff sacks = less weight. I try to use as few stuff sacks as possible. Use only what need to organize your small stuff. I also find it easier to even out my pack weight when I don't use many sacks.
So stuff it, but you don't have to sack it.
YoungMoose
03-08-2009, 18:19
stuff it
Many Walks
03-08-2009, 18:34
We stuffed the tent and put the poles and stakes in a nylon sleeve placed in an outside pocket and strapped at the top. If the fly was wet it would be strapped outside until it could be hung or placed back on the tent to dry. Worked great for us. Enjoy your hike!
Thrasher
03-08-2009, 22:01
I stuff it on the trail. When I get home I fold/roll to store it. Not worried about weak spots or creases because I can never fold it the same way anyways. I just fold it somewhat neatly and pack it loosely in the original stuff sack.
Fold it! Perfect squares every time! Said this just to drive Sgt Rock crazy! :D If you aren't allowed to stuff your underwear, why a tent? :D :p
I just stuff mine in my pack, no stuff sack. Same with sleeping bag and pad. I keep my pack lined with a garbage bag so wet stuff can go on top of the folded garbage bag or outside. Poles/stakes are strapped outside, no stuff sack.
I always stuffed my tent till I read in last years Backpackers Gear Guide that the "experts" recommend that you fold the tent; so that is what I do now. It does go into the "stuff" sack easier.
Papadoc
The_RD_Less_Trvld
03-09-2009, 19:07
i fold it but after seeing what most of you do i may be stuffing it from now on...
Thier are no experts at backpack mag. just some yuppies
Apart from the BD Lighthouse I sort of fold my tents because I store my poles/struts with the fly, so I use them to roll the tent around them. The trick here is to avoid folding the tent exactly the same way every time.
Franco
Do you stuff your tent in a stuff sack or fold it??
Yes.;)
I usually roll my solo tent because it's easier to figure out what I'm looking at when I unpack it (Hilleberg Akto) and I can locate the guylines and pole sleeve easier. I have several two plus person tents that are a pain to set up any way you slice it. Folding the tent with the fly on top makes it easier to set it up in the rain, too. If you're careful, you can usually stake the tent floor down and thread the poles under the fly (depending on the tent's design).
Lately I've been hammocking, and I especially like the fact that you can set up the fly first, keeping the hammock bone dry while you set it up under the fly. The same can be done with a tent and a large fly, if you feel the weight of a "dining fly" is justified. When my son was young, I would often hike short distances and upon reaching camp set up the tarp between trees in the rain and assemble the tent underneath, moving it out when setup was complete. A freestanding tent is best for this method.
Ricky&Jack
05-22-2014, 17:28
when you "stuff" a tent into a stuff sac, what does that mean?
Basically put a tiny end into the bag, and then cram the tent into the bag, right? (so its fine to wrinkle etc) right?
or does "stuff" a tent into a sack mean a specific way?
I used my 7x7 tent for the first time yesterday. I had problems folding it int he wind and ended up putting it into the bottom of my pack til I got home.
Tarptent Rainbow has a short stout cross-bar that's more or less part of the tent, so it can't be "stuffed." But my preferred method has always been to fold the tent lengthwise, then roll it around the bags containing the stakes and poles.
mtntopper
05-22-2014, 18:25
Take that tent and stuff it! Cause I ain't folding it no more. Ma ma just made me throw them stuff sacks out the door!!!!!!!! So just take that tent and STUFF IT
and don't fold it any more
Ricky&Jack
05-22-2014, 19:08
okay. I wasnt sure if stuffing was somehow damaging due to zippers on the tent etc.
It sure as heck would be a lot easier to stuff the tent in the wind/rain
levibarry
05-22-2014, 19:14
Some tents can be stuffed or folded, like the Copper Spur I.
Some you can roll around the struts.
When wet though keep it outside your pack.
YMMV and only my $.02.
Levibarry
MuddyWaters
05-22-2014, 21:02
Is it a "stuff sack" or a "fold and roll" sack?
Gonecampn
05-28-2014, 21:37
Stuff. Big Agnes Coper Spur 11
Sent from somewhere in the woods ......
Odd Man Out
05-28-2014, 21:48
My tent uses trekking poles but has a spreader bar across the top. I grab the spreader bar across the top and start rolling. But the silnylon is so slippery, it just ends up in a ball anyway.
jimmyjam
05-28-2014, 21:56
I roll and stuff.
I always found that folding/rolling a shelter made it pack smaller in a stuff sack. Never had a shelter spring a leak or show structural damage along a fold line. Then again, I've never been able to fold it the same way twice very often. My cuben fiber tarp I bought in early 2008 has always been folded and has more then 3500+miles on it. Doesn't leak nor does it show any structural damage along some fold line as its still in excellent shape. Never had a tent show it either though I've never used one as long as the tarp before.
Last year, we had a big debate in another forum (backpackinglight) over whether folding vs stuffing CF tarps was worse. But no one had used one as long as I had so I called BS on the idea of folding is bad as shouldn't I had seen evidence of it by now if it was true. The thing about folding being bad seems to be something that some state as common knowledge on forums but I've yet to hear from someone stating it from personal experience.As I stated, I found folding and rolling to make it pack smaller and looser in a stuff sack then stuffing does. And abrasion is an issue with at least cuben fiber material. Not so much an issue with sil-nylon. So, perhaps it might make a difference with another material, but I somehow doubt it. So my own opinion is that it probably doesn't really matter for how long most people keep a tent/tarp.
Agree with the above -- I've done "fold and roll" pretty much forever, and it's never been a problem. Plus I always know where to find the stakes and poles for the next time I set up.
HooKooDooKu
05-29-2014, 01:30
Agree with the above -- I've done "fold and roll" pretty much forever, and it's never been a problem. Plus I always know where to find the stakes and poles for the next time I set up.
ditto...
And the lashing straps on the bottom of my pack is the perfect place to carry the tent.
shakey_snake
05-29-2014, 02:09
I always intend to "fold" it but then I just end up stuffing it anyways.
The half-hearted effort gives the best result: there's no hard creases like you might find in an anally folded tent that cause points of wear, and the tent unfurrows in mostly the same manner making pitching during the rain while keeping the interior dry a possibility.
nastynate
05-29-2014, 05:31
I stuff into an oversized stuff sack. That way it goes in easy, and conforms to other items in my pack. I actually use my supplied tent stuff sack as my clothes bag now.
Odd Man Out
05-29-2014, 13:26
I would add that I'm using the back pocket of the pack to hold the tent. It's not a big pocket so the tent fits just right. But because the nylon fabric is so slippery, I worry about it popping out while hiking. S I use the stuff sack to keep the tent in place, and then run the strap that goes over the top of the pack (to buckle it closed) through the draw-string loop on the stuff sack. So in case the tent did pop out of its pocket, it won't fall to the ground and be lost. That hasn't been a problem, but given the geometry of the tent and pack, I could see that it could happen. This way I don't have to worry about losing my tent.
Conventional wisdom is to stuff it. I believe, however, that that wisdom came in the days of coated nylon, when the repeated folding caused weak areas of the coating, and it eventually commenced to peeling at these weaknesses. It took several years to get the word out that stuffing was preferred. This advice came along after problems with delaminating coatings started costing the manufacturers money on replacements.
Today, however, with silicone impregnated nylon or cuben fiber, I don't believe it really matters. These do not have their water proofing layered on to the fabric, so it is not susceptible to peeling off.
Still, stuffing is easier and faster.
Another Kevin
05-30-2014, 09:26
I have a Tarptent Notch. It has struts at head and foot. I kind of gather it by the struts, loosely roll the rest around them, and stuff the resulting mess.
If for some reason I'm traveling with someone and sharing shelter, then I stuff my REI Quarter Dome 2. I haven't had to do this recently.
rocketsocks
05-30-2014, 10:15
I have a Tarptent Notch. It has struts at head and foot. I kind of gather it by the struts, loosely roll the rest around them, and stuff the resulting mess.
If for some reason I'm traveling with someone and sharing shelter, then I stuff my REI Quarter Dome 2. I haven't had to do this recently.
The Big Agnes copper spur also has a strut integral to the beak vent, one must be mindful when rolling or stuffing this...I stuff this tent after a very loose gather an roll.
Gonecampn
12-02-2014, 14:23
Always stuff.
Folding creates weakness along the fold lines. If long term use is you goal, stuff.
Don't over stuff.
I loosely fold my CS2 long ways to the middle then stuff while trying to keep it folding in, guy lines and everything else. Always feet first.
Some people think being compulsive is a flaw, we know it's not.
My life motto is roll than stuff into stuff sack stuffing not in the same exact way all the time.
Most shells/rain wear I now roll. Some of these are coated/layered not impregnated so can crease and peel and abrade as Lyle mentioned in the older PU coated fabrics/technology.
Lynnette
12-02-2014, 18:36
I used to exclusively stuff my BG Seed. With different loading for different backpacks and weather, I made a slinky snake little bit longer like stuff sack which can go in my pack length wise, horizontal or on the outside. It also accommodates the Nemo and my Eureka . One of the things I didnt like when the stuffed tent was inside was it became a lump (ick). The other reason for the snake shape sack was for almost folding the tent. This to do for that serious precipitation: when taking down the tent, I drop the fly down on top, sort of square it out over the tent and then roll it up so wet doesnt take control then or when I expect later that day to possibly have to set it up in really bad conditions. Info> poles get rolled up in the ground mat and stakes in little glow in the dark bag. I tried this scenario. Let the air out of my air mattress and tried rolling it up in the tent. Well, it only took once to decide I didnt like that. Didnt load or carry right. For sewing the bag with a square bottom, I used the light wt sil nylon from Seattle Fabrics and the square bottom fold instructions from the DIY guy.