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Ewker
05-20-2009, 20:13
I just got one of the prototype Yeti's and a stuff sack came with it. The sack just seems to be too big even after you put the Yeti in it. I took a stuff sack about half the size and put it in it. It hardly takes up any space now. I am guessing this isn't going to hurt it since it will only be in the sack while I am hiking. Same thing goes with a demo top quilt I got from Ed a while back.

Anyone else use smaller stuff sacks than what came with a top/underquilt

Hooch
05-20-2009, 20:15
I use a different bag entirely. I attach my underquilt to my hammock, put my top quilt inside the hammock and then stuff it all into a Sea to Summit dry bag before I stuff it into the bottom of my pack. A little different scenario, but my two cent's worth nonetheless.

MAD777
05-20-2009, 20:29
I attach my underquilt to my hammock, put my top quilt inside the hammock and then stuff it all into a Sea to Summit dry bag

Very interesting approach, Hooch! What size dry bag do you use?

angrysparrow
05-20-2009, 20:33
Anyone else use smaller stuff sacks than what came with a top/underquilt

Yes, I used a smaller-than-stock sack for my PeaPod this past winter and it worked very well. No compression issues from the short-term storage that way.

I haven't done so with my Yeti, though. I thought that it was relatively small anyway, and it compresses inside my pack when I put things on top of it. I don't see any harm in packing it smaller for the short term like you are talking about, though.

Mrprez
05-20-2009, 21:04
I don't put my UQ/TQ in any stuff sacks. Much more efficient use of space in the pack to just put the quilts in the bottom and stack stuff on top. It will compress as much as is needed to get everything else in there.

DGrav
05-21-2009, 07:17
I use a different bag entirely. I attach my underquilt to my hammock, put my top quilt inside the hammock and then stuff it all into a Sea to Summit dry bag before I stuff it into the bottom of my pack. A little different scenario, but my two cent's worth nonetheless.

I need to try this out. My only worry would be packing wet susspension lines in with everything else when it rains.

animalcontrol
05-21-2009, 07:23
I don't put my UQ/TQ in any stuff sacks. Much more efficient use of space in the pack to just put the quilts in the bottom and stack stuff on top. It will compress as much as is needed to get everything else in there.

I 2nd this method...no stuff sack needed and your quilts are only compressed as much as needed.

Bamaman35
05-21-2009, 08:04
I've been doing my down sleeping bag in the bottom of my pack for a few years with this method. I have recently stopped because I'm getting a lot more wear and tear on the thin fabric of my sleeping bag. I think this is still the best method but an oversized nylon bag with your down stuff in it in the bottom of your pack is the best compromise. That way it will compress as you load your pack but it won't get holes poked in it from other stuff in the pack.

JMHO

Quoddy
05-21-2009, 08:46
I go with a slightly oversized cuben fiber sack, one for each space consuming piece of down gear. It allows packing it into the bottom of my pack with almost no chance of it getting wet, unless the pack is submerged.

TiredFeet
05-21-2009, 10:46
I don't put my UQ/TQ in any stuff sacks. Much more efficient use of space in the pack to just put the quilts in the bottom and stack stuff on top. It will compress as much as is needed to get everything else in there.

I do the opposite.

I always put the heaviest stuff on the bottom and closest to my back. The lightest stuff goes on the top.

The down quilts are pretty light relative to everything else. I use a really big stuff sack to keep from abrading the quilt shell.

te-wa
05-21-2009, 11:36
ive been giving customers a sack roughly 12x8x8 and here's my reason: stuffing/pulling your down quilt in and out of a tiny sack can and likely will reduce the life of the mesh baffles. Have you guys seen the mesh used in these baffles? and the thread is the weakest link... im with you John, either a oversized stuff sack (that will allow it to fill the voids) with gear on top that compresses the load - or no stuff sack at all.

animalcontrol
05-21-2009, 12:02
I've been doing my down sleeping bag in the bottom of my pack for a few years with this method. I have recently stopped because I'm getting a lot more wear and tear on the thin fabric of my sleeping bag. I think this is still the best method but an oversized nylon bag with your down stuff in it in the bottom of your pack is the best compromise. That way it will compress as you load your pack but it won't get holes poked in it from other stuff in the pack.

JMHO
I put all of my gear in nylon bags...different ones for different gear.
In your method, doesn't the big nylon bag housing your sleeping bag still rub against your sleeping bag shell?
rubbin is rubbin :lol:

TiredFeet
05-21-2009, 14:55
I put all of my gear in nylon bags...different ones for different gear.
In your method, doesn't the big nylon bag housing your sleeping bag still rub against your sleeping bag shell?
rubbin is rubbin :lol:

True, but rubbing with a hard unyielding object or a pointed object, even a blunt one, or an object with a rough surface has more potential for damage than soft nylon.

Bamaman35
05-21-2009, 16:58
I thought rubbin is racin ;)


Tiredfeet hit it dead on. Nylon on nylon is better than stove/closed knife/zipper/who knows what rubbing my bag directly. Not to mention my backpack is a top loader so yanking it out cant be good for it.

Just my two cents.

Coffee
05-21-2009, 17:19
I'm with you. I still like everything in it's own stuff sack. Might add 6 oz to the pack, but worth it to me.

Cannibal
05-21-2009, 17:21
I'm back and forth on this issue. Sometimes I bag em, other times they get put in loose. Mostly depends on how valuable pack space is on any given trip. If I've got lots of extra room then the top quilt gets it's own stuff sack and the uq is in the bishop bag with the hammock. If space is tight, all my quilts are loose in the pack.

Coffee
05-21-2009, 17:24
Space is never tight in my pack ;)

BillyBob58
05-21-2009, 20:45
So, to ask again and make sure I have it right: When packing without stuff sacks, are folks using some sort of big liner sack? Then you stuff it all top loader style into the WP liner, then seal off the top of the liner some how? I'm just trying to get a handle on how you keep all of this down dry without separate WP stuff sacks, which is how I have always done it.

I don't think you could count on a pack cover to keep it all dry, since the part against your back is not covered very well. But a poncho big enough to cover the hiker and pack might get the job done. But I'd probably be a bit nervous about even that, unless I was carrying mostly synthetic.

Since I am still primitive with my pack ( a roomy McHale designed for huge loads), I still go with stuff sacks, room is never a problem. Huge load or small, this is by far the most comfortable pack I have ever used, I just wish I had gotten a smaller McHale at the time. Though it is not completely needed ( there is a removable lumbar pad), it is designed to use the sleeping bag or something similar as the lumbar pad. So I stuff my down bag/UQ into a WP compression stuff sack, and strap this inside (sideways) so that it forms a huge cushy lumbar pad. Or sometimes, when rain seems unlikely, I put it in a non-WP nylon sack, so that it can compress against my back more easily. Then I have a WP oven bag handy if a deluge comes up. This is so comfortable I have so far been hesitant to give it up. I'm not sure how well it would work just stuffing down bags in there, but my loads are getting so light these days it probably wouldn't matter, long as I could keep things dry.

stormcrow
05-21-2009, 21:58
I use two trash compactor bags for my primary "stuff sacks".

The first trash bag is the main pack liner...THAT goes in first. The other trash bag is to put my down items in (quilts). That also separates down things from the rest of my gear. All of that goes on the bottom of my ULA conduit (very narrow pack). I usually put clothing items ( like sleep clothes) in next. The clothes also add a little protection. They are usually just kept in a walmart type sack to keep them all together. Food usually goes toward the top of the pack. I cant really thing of many "pointy" things I have in my pack that might damage gear.

Adam

Cannibal
05-21-2009, 22:01
I use the large Ziploc storage bags as a liner. Easy to seal, just zip it up. Pretty much bombproof.

fin
05-21-2009, 22:02
I cant really thing of many "pointy" things I have in my pack that might damage gear.

That's because you stick them in other people's gear, or lose them on the trail.:laugh:

Hey, I thought your pack at Mt. Roger WAS the trash compactor bags, tied together with twine and thrown over your shoulder like a hobo!:lol: Isn't that why you left a trail of gear on your way in to the shelter?:tongueup:

animalcontrol
05-22-2009, 06:56
My pack...Aarn packs, have a built in dry bag! no moisture worries! :D

on a side note...maybe I'm doing something wrong. It seems that most of the stuffing I do (quilts, tarps, etc) is supposed to wear out all my gear, but I can't seem to wear anything out.:(
If I could wear out something, maybe I'd have a good excuse to buy something new. :rolleyes:

fin
05-22-2009, 07:09
If I could wear out something, maybe I'd have a good excuse to buy something new. :rolleyes:

If your gear found it's way into my pack, you would have an excuse.:rolleyes: Especially that Yeti.

animalcontrol
05-22-2009, 07:19
If your gear found it's way into my pack, you would have an excuse.:rolleyes: Especially that Yeti.
My guess you won't have enough extra room in a 1600 cu in pack for any 'extras' But no, WAY to warm for the Yeti this trip (early this winter, I'll send it to ya to use if you'd like)

FFinn of the extremes...packed a refrigerator at Mt Rogers and shoe box in Wisconsin...bi-polar? schizophrenic?

BillyBob58
05-22-2009, 08:35
Stormcrow:I use two trash compactor bags for my primary "stuff sacks".

The first trash bag is the main pack liner...THAT goes in first. The other trash bag is to put my down items in (quilts). That also separates down things from the rest of my gear. All of that goes on the bottom of my ULA conduit (very narrow pack).


I use the large Ziploc storage bags as a liner. Easy to seal, just zip it up. Pretty much bombproof.

So you put the large ziplock in, stuff every thing into that, then zip er up while trying to squeeze the air out?

Stormcrow, when you put your down in the trash compactor bags, do you then compress it down real good ( to save space) and then seal/tie it off some how, to keep the water out? Then you drop that down into the other compator bag serving as a liner? Do you end up tieing this liner off also at the top? Or do you just sort of fold it over on the top as you close your pack?

Sorry to be so dense, just trying to get an idea of how folks achieve waterproofing with all of this down in these small packs. In my paranoia, I have been known to stuff my down into a Sea to Summit sil nylon compression stuff sack, then wrap an oven baking bag around that. But, the only trouble with these WP bags is there is no further compressing of them once they are closed up( unless there is a valve, or Event bottom). Which does not make for an easy fit into the pack sometimes. Not much problem with my big packs, but I wonder about the small packs.

Ewker
05-22-2009, 08:55
The only thing I had that was down was my sleeping bag (until now). I would put it in a stuff sack and my pack was lined with a lawn and leaf garbage bag with the drawstring. That kept everything dry.

I tried the large ziploc bag and didn't like it. To hard to get it to close.

Cannibal
05-22-2009, 09:12
So you put the large ziplock in, stuff every thing into that, then zip er up while trying to squeeze the air out?
Yep! Squeezing the air out is pretty simple and easy. I just zip it up about 2/3 of the way closed, then push down on the whole enchilada. By the time it gets zipped, there isn't too much air in there.

I usually don't zip it closed if it looks to be a good day. If I see rain coming I will sometimes stop and open the pack to zip it up, but unless it looks like it's going to be a bad storm I often rely on my rain gear and pack cover to do the job. It would have to be a real soaker for the moisture between the pack and my back to get up high enough to go over the top edge of the ziploc and get to my gear. I guess it could happen, but that has not been my experience to date. Mostly I started carrying the ziplocs for stream/river crossings when there was a chance (hopefully always a small chance) that I could loose my pack. Ziploc will still have my gear dry whenever I find it downstream. :rolleyes:

fin
05-22-2009, 12:19
FFinn of the extremes...packed a refrigerator at Mt Rogers and shoe box in Wisconsin...bi-polar? schizophrenic?

I was being nice at Mt. Rogers, and packed extra gear for people to use/try out. It's not my fault that the 3 extra complete sets of gear that I brought/hauled up to the Wise shelter weren't used.:blush: But I do like extremes.:D It shows that you are flexible, and willing to change/try anything.:tongueup:

Pong
05-22-2009, 20:00
I've used trash compactor bags too, but I found a sil pack liner bag on sale somewhere and now use that all the time. It's actually lighter than a trash compactor bag and fits my pack very well. I think it's Sea to Summit and comes in various sizes. I'm waiting on my hammocking gear so have yet to see how all of this will fit into my pack. It is interesting to hear how people are packing up the gear to keep it dry and safe. Looking forward to trying it out myself. Pong

stormcrow
05-22-2009, 20:16
Stormcrow, when you put your down in the trash compactor bags, do you then compress it down real good ( to save space) and then seal/tie it off some how, to keep the water out? Then you drop that down into the other compator bag serving as a liner? Do you end up tieing this liner off also at the top? Or do you just sort of fold it over on the top as you close your pack?


I am probably too casual about how I do things by looking at how some of you all do it.

You got it right Billybob. I do not tie any of the liner/compactor bags off at the top. By leaving the down gear bag open at the top it lets more air escape my quilts as I squish things on top of them. I just fold the tops of both compactor bags over. I do not even use a pack cover. I have been meaning to make one, I just haven't yet. Having said that. Coming into Damascus a few weekends ago it was pouring down rain for at least a couple of hours....POURING. My pack and I were completely soaked but everything INSIDE my pack was still bone dry. I was actually impressed...:D YMMV

I will eventually make a sil liner I think but I am sticking with the trash bag for my primary down gear protection.

Adam

fin
05-22-2009, 21:17
I will eventually make a sil liner I think but I am sticking with the trash bag for my primary down gear protection.


Stick with what works. I am going to make some stuff sacks and a pack cover out of some of that material I sent you - it seems like it would make a great pack liner as well. That said, I have some medical waste bags similar to trash compactor bags that NOTHING will leak through. They were free to me, and are ready to go. That makes a world of difference when you have no time to make new gear. :D

stormcrow
05-25-2009, 16:29
Stick with what works. I am going to make some stuff sacks and a pack cover out of some of that material I sent you - it seems like it would make a great pack liner as well. That said, I have some medical waste bags similar to trash compactor bags that NOTHING will leak through. They were free to me, and are ready to go. That makes a world of difference when you have no time to make new gear. :D

I just made a 3/4 underquilt out of that material FF, Thanks buddy! It is pretty nice. I am thinking about making a wind shirt next. Other than my poncho tarp I have not ventured into making my own clothing yet so it will interesting. Plus, it wont happen for a while since I have too many irons in the fire as it is.