Problem....how to pack my sleeping bag

[Tree Nerd]

I am leaving for the foothill trail in two days and I'm having trouble finding a good way to pack my sleeping bag. I use a mountainsmith falcon 55 L pack and im using a Marmot sawtooth 15 degree down bag. I have experimented with several ways of packing it and here are my results.

1) bag in manufacturer stuff sack in sleeping bag compartment.......too much empty space and pushes out on the sides of the sleeping bag compartment

2) bag loose in sleeping bag compartment, stuffed in through zippered compartment......takes up more room than I would like and bag may get caught on zipper.

3) bag in manufacturer stuff sack, sleeping bag compartment opened, placed vertical in pack from top panel opening. next to it goes my tent, and the empty space between the two is filled with cloths.......weight wasn't distributed evenly in the pack with more weight on the side with the sleeping bag.

One option i have not tried yet is leaving the bag loose and putting it in the pack through the top panel opening than closing the sleeping bag compartment after I get it in there. This would eliminate the threat of it getting caught on the zipper....ill try it when i get home.

What do you all think? Any suggestions on what to do would be helpful.

[jbwood5]

I am leaving for the foothill trail in two days and I'm having trouble finding a good way to pack my sleeping bag. I use a mountainsmith falcon 55 L pack and im using a Marmot sawtooth 15 degree down bag. I have experimented with several ways of packing it and here are my results.

1) bag in manufacturer stuff sack in sleeping bag compartment.......too much empty space and pushes out on the sides of the sleeping bag compartment

2) bag loose in sleeping bag compartment, stuffed in through zippered compartment......takes up more room than I would like and bag may get caught on zipper.

3) bag in manufacturer stuff sack, sleeping bag compartment opened, placed vertical in pack from top panel opening. next to it goes my tent, and the empty space between the two is filled with cloths.......weight wasn't distributed evenly in the pack with more weight on the side with the sleeping bag.

One option i have not tried yet is leaving the bag loose and putting it in the pack through the top panel opening than closing the sleeping bag compartment after I get it in there. This would eliminate the threat of it getting caught on the zipper....ill try it when i get home.

What do you all think? Any suggestions on what to do would be helpful.

I'd consider getting a compression bag that is waterproof with e-vent feature. You should be able to get that bag to compress to about 8X10 and then it can go horizontal in the bottom of the bag (hopefully not poking out). The bag you describe has down in it and you don't want it to get damp or wet. The manufacturers' stuff bags are rarely waterproof and are rarely the compression type with the 4 straps on the outside. I wouldn't even take the manufaturer's stuff bag unless you need it for something else. With the bag at the bottom of your pack sitting horizontal, you should have plenty of room for all your other stuff like food, stove, pot, clothes, etc.

[grayfox]

You can probably hear us 'oldtimers' laughing--with you not at you. Been there....

+1 on compression sack. There are several reasons that you don't want your bag just loose in your pack--not waterproof or protected and not space efficient. Just because your pack has a designated sleeping bag compartment doesn't mean that you have to use it for that. You want weight distributed evenly from side to side but also with the heaviest items close to your back and at a height that gives you your best balance for walking. Place your sleeping bag where it makes the most of weight distribution depending on its weight relative to the weight of your other gear.

I usually put my sleeping bag in a slighty oversized compression bag when I wake up. This is then put in a waterproof bag, sometimes, or just into the bottom of my pack inside the liner. I let the compression sack expand to fill the bottom of my pack so it creates a nice stable base for the rest of the gear. YMMV, good luck

[1azarus]

I'd suggest you don't bother to put your sleeping bag in that bottom zipped pocket, ever. That pack should be plenty big enough for you to use a plastic garbage bag as a liner in the upper section, and just put your down bag in, loose, first, with whatever else you are packing above it. I guess you could use the bottom pocket for food or for your shelter -- the two things you need to get to way earlier than your sleeping bag. It is healthier for your down bag not to be super-compressed... the less compression the better. You just might find you don't need the extra weight or the extra bother of a stuff sack for your sleeping bag.

[PosterNutbag]

Hm that makes sense to put the sleeping bag in the push and not in the zipper bottom part, but wouldnt the stuff sack help to keep water out along with the trash bag. I may just use a trash bag to put the sleeping bag in and double it with a trash bag liner

[Tree Nerd]

I usually put my sleeping bag in a slighty oversized compression bag when I wake up. This is then put in a waterproof bag, sometimes, or just into the bottom of my pack inside the liner. I let the compression sack expand to fill the bottom of my pack so it creates a nice stable base for the rest of the gear. YMMV, good luck

I like this idea, my roommate has a nice compression sack that he never uses anymore, Ill see if he will let me use it to try it on this trip. Otherwise like the option of just putting it loose into a waterproof/trash bag and pushing it into the pack where ever it fits best.

As for the zipper pocket, I have never been a fan of it and dont like using it....I typically put whatever bag I am using in its stuff sack than pushing it into the bottom of the bag. Its easier to get it in that way and not have to deal with the zipper.

Also, if anyone is wondering, this is a new sleeping bag to me. That is why I am having so many issues with it.

[hikerboy57]

i cut the divider for the bottom compartment out of my atmos. its just a waste of space.loose in the bottom of compactor bag liner

[Tree Nerd]

Problem solved, temporarily. I put the bag in a bigger stuff sack for my synthetic 20 degree bag. It now fits much better in the bottom of my bag, but that doesn't solve the waterproof problem. I may have to get a large waterproof stuff sack for my bag.

[Tree Nerd]

But that will have to wait till i get back.

[Alligator]

Problem solved, temporarily. I put the bag in a bigger stuff sack for my synthetic 20 degree bag. It now fits much better in the bottom of my bag, but that doesn't solve the waterproof problem. I may have to get a large waterproof stuff sack for my bag.

I also use a light kitchen garbage bag inside the stuff sack tied with a twist tie. That's always been plenty waterproof for me.

[Tree Nerd]

I also use a light kitchen garbage bag inside the stuff sack tied with a twist tie. That's always been plenty waterproof for me.

I did put a garbage bag on the outside of the stuff sack, I didnt think about putting it on the inside but that makes much more sense.

[bfayer]

Here is my solution. I use an Exped ul7 pad, and use the Exped pump bag, which is a large ul dry bag with an Exped schnozzel.

I put my sleeping bag in the pump bag and then compress the whole thing into a pancake, then I close up the pump bag and it keeps its flat oval shape.

It fits into the bottom of my pack and molds to fit all the voids in the pack so there is no wasted space.

The pump bag weighs less than the compression dry sac I was using, and can pump up my mat too.

Not a solution if you don't have an Exped mat, but you could do the same with any other oversize ul day sac.

[The Ace]

Here is my solution. I use an Exped ul7 pad, and use the Exped pump bag, which is a large ul dry bag with an Exped schnozzel.

I put my sleeping bag in the pump bag and then compress the whole thing into a pancake, then I close up the pump bag and it keeps its flat oval shape.

It fits into the bottom of my pack and molds to fit all the voids in the pack so there is no wasted space.

The pump bag weighs less than the compression dry sac I was using, and can pump up my mat too.

Not a solution if you don't have an Exped mat, but you could do the same with any other oversize ul day sac.

Brilliant idea! Do you make your “pancake” by rolling down the top as far as you can? If so, is there a structural limit to the number of rolls and can you force the air out while rolling like you can with an eVent rolltop compression drysack? Have you tried using this as a pillow? If so, will it stay inflated throughout the night?

[bfayer]

I have never tried to use it as a pillow, it should stay inflated. I did think about the pillow thing, but it's a little too roly poly for me. I toss and turn a lot, so inflatable pillows like that don't work well for me.

I will inflate it tonight and put a weight on it and see how it holds air. I will also try to get a picture of the sleeping bag in and pancaked.

All I do is stuff my bag in and put a half roll in the top, then I just squish the air out as much as possible, the half roll acts as a kind of one way valve. Once I get as much air out as possible, I just put about three or four rolls in the top and snap the clip. It stays compressed as long as the top is rolled and clipped.

[The Ace]

I have never tried to use it as a pillow, it should stay inflated. I did think about the pillow thing, but it's a little too roly poly for me. I toss and turn a lot, so inflatable pillows like that don't work well for me.

I will inflate it tonight and put a weight on it and see how it holds air. I will also try to get a picture of the sleeping bag in and pancaked.

All I do is stuff my bag in and put a half roll in the top, then I just squish the air out as much as possible, the half roll acts as a kind of one way valve. Once I get as much air out as possible, I just put about three or four rolls in the top and snap the clip. It stays compressed as long as the top is rolled and clipped.

Thanks! I slide my shirt over the end of my Synmat and then stick a FlexAir ultralite pillow underneath my shirt inflated just enough to cradle my head so it won’t roll off. If you can stand the smell of your shirt, it works pretty good with the shirt holding the pillow in place.

[bfayer]

Here is a picture of the pump bag pancake with my montbell ul #3 from both the top and side.

I inflated the bag and put a weight on it, so we will see if it is still inflated in the morning.