View Full Version : My first Stuff Sack
So, I decided to try and play with the ripstop (knew it wouldn't take long, just sitting there looking at me...) and I decided to try to do a stuff sack. I used the 1.1 oz ripstop I got off the clearance bin at Walmart for $1.50/yd and used a 27 x 22 piece. I put a little pull tag on the bottom (a little off center, but works nonetheless). And I used 3/32 draw cord and a mini plastic toggle for the drawcord. I even managed my first buttonhole for the exit hole on the drawcord! And my boxed bottom turned out a tad crooked (its hard to get that straight.) I was aiming for an 8 x 16 overall but I folded the edges and sewed them, and then I still can't stay real close to the edge. So by the time it was said and done it is about 7 x 14. I couldn't get my sleeping bag in it, but I fit my sons NF Tigger in it great. Here are some pics of it. (keep in mind, it's not pretty, but functional http://www.backpacker.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif)
http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu88/STICK13/DSC_0096.jpg
http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu88/STICK13/DSC_0093.jpg
http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu88/STICK13/DSC_0094.jpg
http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu88/STICK13/DSC_0095.jpg
So what you think?
Looks pretty good. My first and last sewing project was a down hood I made back in the 1970s. I've sewn pullouts onto tarps, but nothing difficult.
Hawkwind61
03-26-2010, 19:49
:sun Nice work STICK.
Jonnycat
03-26-2010, 20:15
Nice looking sack, Stick.
Good. One more project and you will be addicted.
Rocket Jones
03-26-2010, 21:27
Looks aren't important. If it works, it's perfect. Good job.
Pringles
03-26-2010, 21:39
Great first project!
Pringles
I can do a rain cover for my son's backpack....
I'm gonna have to get some more supplies......
I'm impressed. I don't think I could have done it.
Nice looking sack, Stick.
That's funny.:D
Seriously though, looks great.
BobTheBuilder
03-26-2010, 23:18
The funny thing about sewing and cooking - there are a million books to teach you how to cook, and none to teach you how to sew. I can't even find a local class in it, so your stuff sack looks like the mona lisa to me.
Looks great , is that ripstop water proof ? I'm guessing only repellent but still nice. You should make a few more to keep things separated maybe, inside your pack.
I'm sure I will. I just have to figure out my sizing right. And the ripstop is only resistant. I cup a piece of it and filled it with water. After a few moments it started to drip through the bottom.
medicjimr
03-27-2010, 14:21
Looks real good I need to invest in a sewing machine and learn to sew.
I'm sure I will. I just have to figure out my sizing right. And the ripstop is only resistant. I cup a piece of it and filled it with water. After a few moments it started to drip through the bottom.
Unless it's coated, rip stop is resistant only to rips, not the flow of water. And even when coated it won't handle pooled water very well.
So, I'm a little confused. What is the difference between ripstop and silnylon? I had the impression that it was basically the same except silnylon was way more water resistant/proof because of the way the coating was applied?
A stuff sack is a perfect starter project for the make-your-own aspirant.
Silnylon is very, very water resistant, to the point of pragmatic waterproofness. I use it for tarps and have never had a leak. However, the needle holes of the seams will allow water to pass through unless sealed. A cheap sealer is a mix of GE clear silicone caulking and mineral spirits. It can be rubbed on with a fingertip, Q-tip, or brush. It takes awhile to dry.
For instructions, see Thru-Hiker.com, look in the Projects tab, and click on the Stuff Sack section.
Sewing machines are fairly cheap, and you don't need a fancy machine for hiking gear. A Walking Foot (an accessory which screws onto the needle arm) is a big help in getting slippery silnylon to feed well. Goodwill stores often have used models for $50 or so. There are websites which sell Walking Feet for $15. Just Google "Sewing machine parts".
AYCE, the proprietor of Thru-Hiker.com sells many of the fabrics one might need for home made gear, and he gives excellent advice over the phone. His prices are quite competitive with bigger shops, such as Outdoor Wilderness Fabrics, and as a two-time thru hiker, he is the real deal when it comes to credentials.
I made the same mistake a few years ago. I bought a "zillion" yards of the material you made you stuff sack out of. I was going to make a tarp.
silnylon is nylon that has been impregnated with a silicone material to make it waterproof.
Supposedly, you can't blow through it, but that's kind of subjective (is it leaking or not???). The best way I found is that it "crinkles" when you scrunch it up. (How's that for scientific???)
Or put a piece in a glass with space at the bottom and fill it with water. If no leak over night, it's waterproof.
So, I'm a little confused. What is the difference between ripstop and silnylon? I had the impression that it was basically the same except silnylon was way more water resistant/proof because of the way the coating was applied?
Ripstop nylon is available in various weights, and either coated or uncoated. The name comes from the extra heavy thread that is woven into the fabric, every quarter inch or so, so even if you poke a hole through the stuff it won't rip beyond the nearest heavy thread.
The traditional coating is urethane, which make ripstop water repellent. Silnylon is a recent innovation, which makes the stuff more water resistant -- maybe waterproof. I'm not an expert on anything that's particularly recent.
Traditional backpacking tents tended to be either singled walled nylon, with a urethane coating, which worked fine as long as the water could just run off and did not pool, or double walled, with the inner wall uncoated, and the outer fly coated.
Silnylon is more water resistent, but usually more expensive, because the silicone coating is harder to sew because the coating is slippery.
BTW there are many variations. But these are the basics, as I understand it.
Weary
Ripstop is just nylon with reinforcement fibers sewn into the pattern. I'm not sure about all of the science regarding polymers and such, but it is supposed to prevent tiny rips from spreading through the rest of the fabric. Nothing to do with waterproofness but you can definitely by some coatings at Wal-Mart that do a good job.
The stuff sack was alot of fun to make. (I actually used the instructions for the stuff sack off of ThruHiker for this one, theirs just turned out a lot nicer. Gotta get thos corners right.) I was so excited. I am going to start another one, but first I am going to have to get some different thread and a needle that is more appropriate for it. I bought a small roll (110 yds) of Gutermann 100 % polyester thread but haven't used it yet. I am using the needle that was on the sewing machine when I bought it (Singer Simple) and figure it's just a standard size needle. I will go and do some reading on size needles, but just for now, what do you like to use for sil? (Thread and needle size.) And I will definitely look into that walking foot, thanks.
I also ordered a tube of silnet. I think it is very nice that it came with it's own little brush. I have some seam grip and it was a nightmare for me to use it with my fingertips. It came with a pair of MLD eVent mitts. I still need to take that stuff off and reseal them. (How do you get that stuff off?)
As far as water proof/resistant, I had just ordered 3 yards of silnylon. I have it here so I will have to take a small piece and compare it to the stuff that I bought at Walmart by running it under some water.
As for the silnylon I bought I want to use it for the bottom of a bug bivy I want to make that is the same as the one MLD sells. I have the no-see-um mesh and the silnylon here, so once I get a little more comfy with it I will try that.
The ripstop I got from walmart I will practice with some more stuff sacks, of different sizes. Also, since I bought a little over 11 yards, I was thinking about using 2 1/2 and making a bivy out of it. I was worried about it at first thinking that it wouldn't breath cause of it's waterproof-ability, but now that I see water will go through I am thinking that this might be a decent idea. It will immediately shed water, just as long as it doesn't pool. The only problem would be if water got underneath it, then it would just soak right on through.....So I was thinking about just cutting it to the shape of my sleeping bag and sewing away at the edges. What does everyone think about this? Could it work, and would it be a good idea? It would be light-weight, and I could even make it's own little stuff sack..... :)
So Grinder, if it crinkles its gold huh?
Graywolf
03-27-2010, 18:38
Awsome job Stick..Looking for a Stickbags.com now..
Awsome job Stick..Looking for a Stickbags.com now..
Hey, that's kinda catchy.....:-?
The best needle for silnylon is a size 70. Gutermann or Metrosene thread work fine.
Silnylon is so slippery that many people do not like it for groundcloths or for the underside of bivy sacks, because your sleeping bag tends to slide off of the groundcloth and the bivy often zips downhill like a sled, out from under your tarp and into the rain. You can prevent this by putting many lines of silnet on the top and bottom to make the surface a bit more grippy, but you need a LOT of silnet--way more than you would think you should put on as a first try. I replaced my silnylon groundcloth because I didn't like the midnight rides.
That makes sense. More stuff sacks. Gotcha......
I'm not an expert on anything that's particularly recent.
This gave me a chuckle.
Don't sell yourself short. Common sense is timeless.
AzWildflower
03-28-2010, 21:36
looks good. Congratulations!
ThruHiker is an excellent resource.