Stuff Sacks

[Prettywoman0172]

How many and what sizes?

I have bought three so far - 4L, 25L, and 33L. I didnt take the last two out of the package before I bought them and now I think they might be too big.

Organization tips?

Suggestions? Advice?

Thanks.

Ann

[Deadeye]

Depends on what you're stuffing into them... really! I have a stuff sack for clothes, one for first aid, one for personal hygeine stuff, and one for the kitchen, maybe more that I can't think of. Get your stuff, figure out how YOU want to organize it, and buy the appropriate sacks to suit. Color code if you want... never works for me, I can't remember if green is for good stuff or gone bad...

[mister krabs]

I use 2, one for food, one for all other miscellaneous stuff with a ziplock inside that of hygiene items. Clothes and sleeping bag go together in trash bag.

[4eyedbuzzard]

Just my opinion, but the 25 and 33 are way too big to be of any practical use. Think 2 to 10 liter size bags. But only use as many as you absolutely need for organization sake as they tend to make gear not fit into the nooks and crannies of a pack - you start packing lumpy stuff sacks instead of gear, they don't fit nicely in the pack, and they add weight. One for food, one for clothing, one for cookset (often this is better a cheap plastic bag as pots get dirty/sooty esp. if you cook over any campfires).

I've found Ziplocks (especially the zipper ones) work better for many items. I also use a couple of the roll top stuff bags from Wally World that come in a three pack of assorted sizes - the big one is my food bag and the roll top closure works well for tying on a rope for a bear bag. Another smaller one holds my toiletries, TP, first aid, and stuff I might want quickly but need to keep organized. They also work well as water bags in camp. There are probably four zip locks or so in it further organizing stuff inside this bag. My extra clothing except a jacket or what I might need quickly is packed in a Granite Gear Dreamsack stuff sack which doubles as my pillow. It's then packed on top of my sleeping bag which is packed loose in the bottom of my pack.

Lots of hikers simply use a pack liner or large plastic bag as a liner (trash compacter bags get great reviews) and stuff their sleeping bag right in the bottom of the pack. The other gear just goes on top in as few stuff sacks as practical. There are a few advantages to this. 1) Your sleeping bag only gets compressed as much as is needed, allowing it to loft better later. 2) The bag fills the dead space in the pack, especially as your food bag gets emptied as you go along and stabilizes the load to some degree.

I like zipper freezer bags for a lot of my stuff. They're cheap, light, you can see what's inside them, they're waterproof, and they come in several sizes.

Hope this helps some. In the end there are as many organizing styles as there are hikers. Part of the experience and fun is figuring out what works for you.

[Lyle]

It doesn't really matter how you organize, but you will be much happier and more efficient if you choose a method and use it consistently. I can usually find most anything I want in my pack in total darkness. May have to remove one or two items to get to what I want, but I don't ever have to empty my pack looking for my AquaMira, my extra platypus, or - heaven forbid - my TP. You will appreciate finding a place for every item and always returning it to that place every day you are out. That doesn't mean you can't experiment a bit, but refrain from finding a new packing scheme every other day.

[skinewmexico]

I'm with mister krabs. It's amazing how much weight you can lose by getting rid of stuff sacks.