Compression of Synth Insul / Stuff size

This may start a disagreement, I hope it does not.

What do you all think is a reasonable amount to compress synthetic insulation in a stuff sack. I realize stuffing will reduce loft over time, etc...This is a homemade KAQ style UQ with 1 layer 5oz Climashield. It will only be packed for a few days at a time, I'm not thru hiking or anything.

I am sure a coke can size stuff sack is too small and folding it in half is too big. I am thinking about something a little smaller than a 20 degree synthetic sleeping bag stuff sack should be reasonable.

Any thoughts??

surely someone has a suggestion???

I think the size you are thinking about is plenty reasonable. You could even go smaller than that since it's not a long term thing. Just let it loft up well before bedtime.

Another alternative would be to pack everything but the quilt into your backpack, then put in the quilt and just let it fill all the leftover space. Line your pack with a plastic bag to keep it all dry.

Jerry

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JerryW

Another alternative would be to pack everything but the quilt into your backpack, then put in the quilt and just let it fill all the leftover space. Line your pack with a plastic bag to keep it all dry.

Jerry

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2nd to that.

If you're worried about it's durability or keeping it clean, maybe make a very large stuff sack out of light material for it - so large that it will work the same way as Jerry mentioned - form around everything else.

This way it only compresses as much as necessary, no more, no less. Plus, when materials like this can form around other objects, you're actually doing a much better job of utilizing space than with a tight cylidrical stuff sack.

i just received my KAQ today from Paul. It is a long version with InsulTex added. It came with a small carry bag and a large mesh bag. It fits in the mesh bag loose. I would think that it should bounce back if left set for a while. I think your 20 deg bag should be fine.

I used to offer either a snug stuff sack for the KAQ or a fairly loose one. The latter is what I use and was overwhelmingly more popular. I doubt I sold more than four or five with the smaller sack.

Not only does the larger size allow the UQ to expand a bit more when full compression isn't needed, I always found that the quilt just packs better when not jammed into a tight, rigid package.