View Full Version : Backpack/Sleeping Bag Compartment: yes or no ?
I've seen a lot of questions on different backpacks lately and was wondering who prefers a separate zippered compartment for there sleeping bag? Is this a nice feature to have or is really not needed?
Megapixel
01-12-2011, 23:30
i can only speak from having a single compartment... I never need my sleeping bag until the end of the day so it's really not inconvenient to bury the sleeping bag inside my pack until then... i would probably use the separate compartment for something else if i had that luxury.
HiKen2011
01-12-2011, 23:32
I've seen a lot of questions on different backpacks lately and was wondering who prefers a separate zippered compartment for there sleeping bag? Is this a nice feature to have or is really not needed?
IMHO not needed, I stuff my bag in the bottom of my pack (no stuffsack) and go from there. That's the way i like it.:)
First thing to go was the separate sleeping compartment flap inside my pack. You'll get more usable space eliminating it. Also, don't use compression sacks, just let the bag mold itself to all the voids as you pack it inside.
skinewmexico
01-12-2011, 23:37
That forces you to buy a certain bag just to fit in that compartment. Summer bag won't fill it, winter bag won't fit. Not worth it.
RedneckRye
01-13-2011, 00:54
Almost as useless as the "need" for a free standing tent.
Almost as useless as the "need" for a free standing tent.
A freestanding tent is extremely convenient for lazy people like myself. :rolleyes:
A separate pack compartment for your bag only makes sense if you know exactly what bag you're taking and the compartment fits it perfectly. Most of those packs are larger, relatively heavy packs. In general, most hikers these days opt for lighter weight packs without that feature.
Thanks everyone for your thoughts
Buffalo Skipper
01-13-2011, 11:16
I guess I am a little confused by what others are saying about sleeping bag compartments. For one, the size of mine is adjustible, as it is really only a small divider in the main compartment. I could remove the divider, and simply have a bottom access to the pack. I generally fit my sleeping bag, hammock and tarp in this compartment. That way I don't have to unpack everything I carry just to get to this gear when I set up camp. It is a convenience I appreciate having.
That said, I am looking to upgrade my pack to something significantly lighter (downgrade?), and none of the packs in the sub 3lb category have a sleeping bag compartment. It would be nice for me if I could find one in this range with a bottom entry.
Not to knock anyone else, just my 2¢.
halftime
01-13-2011, 11:37
Although heavier, I like having bottom access that is separated from the main compartment. I use for tent, ground sheet, rain gear etc. (SB goes in bottom of main compartment). This makes tent accessable without opening the main compartment and also convient to pack when wet.
MkBibble
01-13-2011, 11:37
i stick the tent in there. can set up in the rain without opening the pack and completely load my pack while inside a dry tent. the flap inside provides a little isolation to keep the wet/muddy tent off everything else in the bag.
I've never desired one of these --- though older, heavier packs I've owned have had these. I think they seem like a "neat, gee whiz cool" kind of thing aimed perhaps more at selling packs than for universal utility. In practice, anytime I'm digging out my sleeping bag I'm taking other stuff out of the pack too. So for me at least, a separate compartment would just add weight and complexity, and perhaps "one more potential failure point".
Powder River
01-13-2011, 14:42
The biggest problem with this feature is it makes the use of a trash compactor bag as a liner much more difficult. At the least you would need two liners, but if the sleeping bag was a tight fit then it would be a real pain to struggle with a trash bag around it. My old pack had one of these compartments and I always unzipped the flap so I could use the whole compartment.
A freestanding tent is extremely convenient for lazy people like myself. :rolleyes:
For lazy people like me, the crazy network of hubbed tent poles most tents now have are a nightmare. Give me my hammock/tarp or nonfreestanding trekking pole based any day - I am set up and cooking or napping while all the tent folk are inserting color coded pole ends and trying to sort which end goes where.
Wups - no edit post option?
The paragraph I was trying to add to the above -
I got rid of a pack that had a sleeping pad compartment because it annoyed me - without the compartment, you can put the bag into the bottom of the pack liner, and let all the rest of the stuff in the pack compress it down. No wasted space that way.
I ended up getting a Golite Quest pack, which doesn't have a sleeping bag compartment per se, but has a large pocket separate from the main pack on the back (front?). While it could certainly hold my quilt (bag), its great for holding my hammock and tarp separate from other stuff.
For lazy people like me, the crazy network of hubbed tent poles most tents now have are a nightmare. Give me my hammock/tarp or nonfreestanding trekking pole based any day - I am set up and cooking or napping while all the tent folk are inserting color coded pole ends and trying to sort which end goes where.
I'm with you on the hubbed poles, I'm not a fan. I prefer separate poles. I don't think they make setting up easier or faster at all. I prefer an X or hoops, I never found them difficult or time consuming.
As far as sleeping bag compartments, the main pack I've been using has it, I use it and like it. It's quick easy access, and it doesn't have to be a bag as mentioned. It was one of the pluses to getting the bag over the one that didn't have it. It's nice to not have to dig.