Sleeping bag, compression sack, and carabiners...

[srestrepo]

hey david, if you're going to be putting your down or your blackbird (both of which i own and care for dearly) then i just have to make you aware of the possible impact to your gear. if you smush down in a compression sack or even synthetic fills for hta matter, you ruin the loft. over time. i have the compression sack available for sale, but if me and you have the same gear down and a blackbird, there's a reason i dont use this unless its winter time and i'm putting socks and layers in it.

let me know if you really want it man, but just know that putting down inside of a compression sack is not a good idea. its much better for you to stuff in a large stuff pack and then smush it into you pack so that it fills the space in your pack better and helps distribute weight better too.

[Mountain Wildman]

so, are you suggesting not using any stuffsacks and packing everything as-is? (I catch your drift about dead air space...) and although I live in a hot environment, I plan on: A: Storing my gear in the closet, B: Only taking my "car camping" sleeping bag on warm trips, and C: Unpacking my sleeping bag into an oversized stuff sack...

Happy Trails and all that...

-Hikes with No-Sweat

David,
No insult intended, Compression sack, Stuff sack and Dry sacks are different,
Stuff sack closes with rope and a plastic spring clip, Compression sack closes also with a rope and spring clip but has four straps on the outside of the sack that cinch down to force the sack and contents to compress into a smaller crunched up package and a Dry sack rolls down and then clips closed with a plastic snap buckle. For storage of sleeping bag it is usually recommended to either hang it up fully opened or better bags like my Feathered Friends Winter Wren bag came with a very large cotton bag to store it very loosely, It's larger than an Army duffle bag. After reading your above comment I thought I would clarify these things.

[David@whiteblaze]

oh... so, I have dry sacks for organizing cooking stuff, food (and one for hanging all food...) but you're saying I oughta just get the bag and smush it in the stuff sack as best as I can? also, should I get a dry sack for the bag then?

[Mountain Wildman]

oh... so, I have dry sacks for organizing cooking stuff, food (and one for hanging all food...) but you're saying I oughta just get the bag and smush it in the stuff sack as best as I can? also, should I get a dry sack for the bag then?

Yes,
Some hikers just use stuff sacks, I want to be sure my gear stays dry so I stuff my sleeping bag into it's stuff sack and then put that into a dry sack, Anything that would be harmed by moisture like clothes, food, cell phone etc... I put into a dry sack.

[David@whiteblaze]

I ordered the sleeping bag and a DRY SACK to match, I also ordered a pot, carabiners,and socks... but THANK YOU SO MUCH to everyone who informed me about the potential damage to my bag(s) you guys are bag-lifespan-savers

Happy Trails and all that...

-Hikes with No-Sweat

[TIDE-HSV]

David, I don't know if anyone has put it quite this way, but down just has so many compression/decompression cycles in it. The little feather stems which each piece has are bent each time it's compressed. Each will finally give up the ghost and just stay bent. That's the reason for storing down as uncompressed as possible. Over a period of time, if it's stored "bent," the effect is the same as many cycles of compression - the material fatigues and just stays bent...

[David@whiteblaze]

such complexity... sigh... well it's better to find out sooner than later I suppose...

Happy Trails and all that...

-Hikes with No-Sweat

[David@whiteblaze]

well, I ordered the sleeping bad, a sea-to-summit dry sack, and the carabiners (along with a pot) on saturday, and it's gonna show up 5 days early! My tent is going for sale, and it seems to be all falling together...

[Mountain Wildman]

Don't you love it when a plan comes together!!

[David@whiteblaze]

not only that, but I have a backup buyer if the first falls through

Happy Trails and all that...

-Hikes with No-Sweat

[beakerman]

compression sacks will destroy a sleeping bag if they are stored compressed of course so will storing one rolled up. I do not roll my sleeping bag. What I rely on is the simple fact that I litterally stuff my sleeping bag into my compression sack so it should, by random chance, never take a set in the fill. I unpack my sleeping bag each night, just in case I need it, and then stuff it back in again in the morning. When I get home the bag gets stored laying flat.

[snaplok]

As a person who tries to follow the Ultralight philosophy, I still carry(and have for the past 20 or so years since I was a scout) a carabiner with me backpacking. And that is even with a ton of knot tying skills.

I have 3 BD Quicksilver and rate them the best that I have if you want to haul serious weight even in an emergency situation. It's a small few extra ounces for the ease of using that keeps me using them.

I have also tried the NiteIze S-Biner which work well but doesnt have the same durability as the Black Diamonds, but then again I've used the BDs for rock climbing so I might just be bias.

[DaveSail]

These are nice , all - metal , light - weight , and the capacity ,
( very conservative ) is given :

http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/pag...09&cat=1,43456


I'm not sure if this LARGE , plastic one would have any use :


http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/pag...47&cat=1,43456



David V. Webber

[Rocket Jones]

These are nice , all - metal , light - weight , and the capacity ,
( very conservative ) is given :

http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/pag...09&cat=1,43456

I don't care for the S-biners because the wire gates are weakly sprung. Gear bouncing from one, or rubbing against something on your pack can result in whatever's being secured coming free.

[yari]

I attach a biner to the back of my pack and run all the cords from stuff sacks carried on the outside (tent, sleeping pad, poles, etc.) through it as a safety backup.

That is an excellent idea. Thank you very much.

[DaveSail]

I bought three of each of the three smallest sizes . Have used some of most of the them , and never had one open accidentaly . Just lucky , I guess .

David V. Webber

[JAK]

I like the sleeping bag. If it fits you well, I think you could get alot of use out of it in many places year round. I don't like the compression bag, unless maybe you were thinking about turning it into a summer backpack, in which case, there are better ones in that size and weight and cheaper, already fitted with straps. I don't like adding weight to compress things. I like saving weight by letting things expand. I think the caribeeners are good, but too heavy and expensive for what you intend to use them for.

[David@whiteblaze]

alright, it's definitely time for an update... I bought the carabiners and they work well for keeping my bear bag rope out of tree brush by clipping it over both sides of the rope, and pulling. The sleeping bag is soooo warm and light, I love it, I got a sea-to-summit stuff sack, and I can compress the sleeping bag on it's own, and then use the stuff sack to make sure it stays compressed as long as I'm backpacking. My whole setup fits 200% better now that I can lay it down on the bottom of my pack. the pot is a tad bit heavy, but it's reaaally shiny, and even has a small indentation on the bottom which fits my stove perfectly. it holds my entire cook kit and is even watertight with the lid closed. The tent sale went off without a hitch, one tent shipped, one payment recieved, one happy camper.

Happy Trails and all that...

-Hikes with No-Sweat