Curious if anyone uses a grocery store plastic bag for your shelter instead of a stuf

[saltysack]

Trying to shave packing up times in mornings. Thinking a grocery store plastic bag would be lighter and easier so you could simply fold shelter..Solong 6 in my case..versus carefully folding and rolling so it will fit in the tight awkward length stuff sack. The wide bag would also stack better in the pack as you could simply tie shut and place I top of compactor bag then place food bag on top. All the bag does is keep inside of pack clean. Would also make it easier to take tent out during a long break to dry out....

PS

I hate plastic grocery bags and wish they were banned...

[bob7]

saltysack,

I have used a black plastic grocery bag from the liquor store to store my aluminum tent spikes/cf vestibule pole/pvc dome trekking pole holder for a lightheart duo tent. After a few trips the one of the tent stakes poked through when I rolled it up too tight.

I now use a duct tape reinforced 1 gallon ziplock to hold those items and just slip it into the tent stuff sack after rolling up the tent. I reinforced just the edges of the ziplock bag to prevent tent spikes from poking through.

[10-K]

I save the plastic bags bread comes in and use those instead of cuben fiber stuff/tote bags.

[Odd Man Out]

I use grocery store bags for clothes.

[Odd Man Out]

I should add that I put the clothes bag in the water proof pack liner, so I am not needing the clothes bag to be waterproof.

[rafe]

I use one as a liner for the stuff sack for my sleeping bag.

[nsherry61]

I find grocery store plastic bags to be far to flimsy. I use them. They tear. I throw them away. I don't want the extra garbage in the back-country.

So I'd either just jam my tent into my pack without any stuff sack (a common practice for me and others) or I would stuff it into a stuff sack of the shape I prefer instead of the original stuff sack.

[Dogwood]

If this is for the Collegiate Loop in Sept consider not erecting the LHG Solo when conditions allow to shave packing up and getting going times which should be more often than not. Cowboy camping or bivying has cut my morning get up and go time.

I didn't recognize a problem with bears, rats, mice, wolves, raccoons, foxes, ants, cockroaches, etc on the CT either where I camped so would have all my days's food and "b'fast" laid out ready to go/be eaten with my food stuff sack closed up ready to be packed into my backpack all within reach while in my quilt. My backpack is part of ground insulation so that is right at hand too. I did enjoy a warmed b-fast on the CT and CDT Collegiate Loop sections on a few occasions so while my meager amount of water was coming to a partial boil/warming which takes less than 3 mins which is usually the first thing I do upon waking up(lighting the stove) and all that I ever do when eating a warmed b'fast with my oatmeal, pre-cooked quinoa, etc concoction I was already packing other gear up which is usually deflating a Thermarest Neo Air X Lite Shortie or Neo Air Women's inflatable pad first. I'm eating as I'm packing up. All my many supplements have been laid out which are also being consumed with the food and water I'm drinking.

Cookpot and spork are quickly in a non nonsense non Felix Unger way cleaned, sometimes with pebbles, sand, grass, etc rather than water and wiped out with a small microfiber ditty cloth that is also stored in the cook pot. The cook pot/stove is packed near the middle outside top of my pack.

I have my day's topos, guidebook pages, route and general logistics(next water supply, prolonged ascents, etc) already condensed and previewed the night before from a larger map set, guidebook, etc.

I like having two sets of clothes(two pr shorts, one short one pants, two pr of socks and at least two shirts/torso layers(maybe even just a a tee and LS) always attempting to have one clean/cleaner and dry pr. I'm usually sleeping in those clean pr which is what I will be hiking in the next day so no need to always change out of dedicated sleeping clothes. If I have to sleep in slightly dirty clothes I may wear a shell inside my sleep system.

All my little crap(camera, mP3 player, extra AA battery, pocket knife, solo med kit, hygiene products, headlamp, AM drops, bug juice, etc) is stored on that cook pot's ditty cloth at camp or something else neatly arranged always within arm's reach knowing I place those things in my go to ULA CDT pack in the same place every time. Having less to account for also obviously helps the get up and go time.

I can get all this done at get up and go time when in the thru-hiking zone in a sub 15 min timeframe without undue stress. I have timed myself countless times.

[Dogwood]

Since my shelter of choice is a cat cut MLD Grace 1.5 p tarp(custom size) I definitely consider drying and stuffing a tarp into a stuff sack faster than drying, folding, rolling, and stuffing a tent into a stuff sack. I have noted a CF .75 tarp of the same size as a spinnaker or 30 d silny tarp to very slightly increase stuffing times. For my MLD Solo XL Mid, MLD's stock stuff sack it comes with is large enough that simply stuffing it rather than getting into folding, rolling, etc is not needed. I do try to begin the stuffing of the SoloMid with the Apex vent first. Then the air is pushed out of the stuff sack making the Solomid stuffed package 1/2 the size. In short, make sure the tent stuff sack isn't of a so itsy bitsy stupid light size. I find this to be true with sleeping bag and quilt stuffing and stuff sacks too. Should be noted while stuffing a sleeping bag with the zip up or even a quilt begin by stuffing the foot end first to make the process quicker and stuff sack less puffed up with air.

[RangerZ]

I've cut down a trash compactor bag to use as a shelter stuff sack. It lives in the bottom access of my pack, separate from the pack liner compactor bag. I have carried a plastic grocery store bag for the footprint if its particularly dirty/wet.

I tape reinforced the bottom of the small bag for the footprint and use it for my tent spikes, being careful to put them in points up. That bag is permanently looped in the side pocket that I put the tent poles in.

I use the mesh bag that came with my Snow Peak pot as my "don't lose it in the tent" bag.

[Dogwood]

"Would also make it easier to take tent out during a long break to dry out…."

If I have slept under a tarp or the Mid that has gotten wet one of the very first things I do at break down time if it isn't raining is take it down and begin airing it on a dry rock(heat sink), leafless tree branch, fence post, etc. If I can't do that I'll lightly shake it off or wipe it down with a bandana. Much prefer furthering the airing out/drying out of a shelter by storing in the outside shovel pocket rather than storing inside the pack's main body. carrying a combination of stuff sacks of highly WR or WP CF/eVent/Sea to Summit Ultra Sil Nano Dry sacks sacks and simple UL silny more airy non WP sacks. Pick your own stuff sack poison.

[Lnj]

I should add that I put the clothes bag in the water proof pack liner, so I am not needing the clothes bag to be waterproof.

I do the same thing.

[Gambit McCrae]

Trying to shave packing up times in mornings. Thinking a grocery store plastic bag would be lighter and easier so you could simply fold shelter..Solong 6 in my case..versus carefully folding and rolling so it will fit in the tight awkward length stuff sack. The wide bag would also stack better in the pack as you could simply tie shut and place I top of compactor bag then place food bag on top. All the bag does is keep inside of pack clean. Would also make it easier to take tent out during a long break to dry out....

PS

I hate plastic grocery bags and wish they were banned...

I use the strato2 TT and have never had issue with take down time. From Wakeup, to start walking, if I hussle is 20 minutes. If it take my time, 35 or so

[saltysack]

I use the strato2 TT and have never had issue with take down time. From Wakeup, to start walking, if I hussle is 20 minutes. If it take my time, 35 or so

I'm a slow riser till I've had some caffeine....really not a big issue normally takes about 45 minutes to get going back when I'd have hot coffee etc. With drinking the concoction made the night before of cold instant Bfast, nido and coffee I should save 10-15 minutes.. The main issue is the tent has to be tightly rolled up to fit into the small stuff sack. I think Judy has made the stuff sacks larger on newer solong6 tents...


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[egilbe]

I just kinda ball up my tarp and stick it in the top of my pack, on top of the pack liner. If its wet, I'll stop someplace during the day and dry it out in the sun after its stopped raining. I quit using the stuff sack. Seems kind of silly now, but it fits my unorganized, slobby nature.

[Deacon]

I just kinda ball up my tarp and stick it in the top of my pack, on top of the pack liner. If its wet, I'll stop someplace during the day and dry it out in the sun after its stopped raining. I quit using the stuff sack. Seems kind of silly now, but it fits my unorganized, slobby nature.

Well this is what I do. I have a dry section and a wet section in my pack. The dry section is inside a ZPacks pack liner with the top rolled up then pressed down. Any wet item such as a tent, Packa, socks goes on top of that until I can pull them out later to dry.


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[saltysack]

Well this is what I do. I have a dry section and a wet section in my pack. The dry section is inside a ZPacks pack liner with the top rolled up then pressed down. Any wet item such as a tent, Packa, socks goes on top of that until I can pull them out later to dry.


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With a tarp I can see this but a tent with attached footprint seems like it would put mud etc in your pack. I prefer to keep inside of pack dry and clean if possible.


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[nsherry61]

With a tarp I can see this but a tent with attached footprint seems like it would put mud etc in your pack. I prefer to keep inside of pack dry and clean if possible.

If you're using the footprint, just fold the dirty side in and stuff away. It's no different than a tarp with a groundsheet folded dirty-side in.

If you're not using a footprint, then yeah, having a stuff sack to keep your gear clean would probably be helpful.

[hikernutcasey]

If you're using the footprint, just fold the dirty side in and stuff away. It's no different than a tarp with a groundsheet folded dirty-side in.

If you're not using a footprint, then yeah, having a stuff sack to keep your gear clean would probably be helpful.

+1 I quit packing my tent in a sack a long time ago and have had no problems. Everything I want dry goes in the trash compactor bag and everything that's already wet or I don't care if it gets wet is on top. Mud is not a problem if you fold it up right. This method just makes things so much simpler.

[Dogwood]

I'm a slow riser till I've had some caffeine....really not a big issue normally takes about 45 minutes to get going back when I'd have hot coffee etc. With drinking the concoction made the night before of cold instant Bfast, nido and coffee I should save 10-15 minutes.. The main issue is the tent has to be tightly rolled up to fit into the small stuff sack. I think Judy has made the stuff sacks larger on newer solong6 tents...


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Cocoa covered espresso beans couple in the morn might be all ya need IF you MUST feed a caffeine addiction fix. On trail my brain is stimulated enough by what I'm doing and food and fresh water I'm consuming. Might want to consider taking several supplements that act quickly to boost energy and cognitive function and fight fatigue such as acetyl-L-carnitine, B12, DMAE, Rhodiola rosacea, and Siberian Ginseng. Add to that ginko biloba as a general mental enhancer. Amazing the amount of studies and centuries of use these supplements have seen yet pro pharmaceutical biased websites will ignore stating efficacy is not proven or insufficient evidence exist as to benefits.

ACL or ALCAR can decrease lactic acid build up in muscles decreasing muscle soreness. Caffeine doesn't do that. With regular caffeine use there can be a lull/let down mid morning in energy or a feeling of mental fogginess even head ache not something most want as a hiker. Caffeine and sugar are temporary fixes for fighting fatigue requiring more and more to sustain energy levels. That's not to suggest I don't like my coffee off trail which is easier to come by and faster to prep than on trail.