Stuff Sacks: do you use them while backpacking? Pros/Cons? Tips to use? How to live without?
Im debating if they are worthwhile and figure I should ask my favorite board.
I use them only for my sleebin bags. I suppose organizing them so socks/undies/undershirts are all in one and outwear is all in another would help save space, but honestly unpacking those things is kind of all-or-nothing affair.
I tether my sleebin bags to the oustide of my (external frame) pack, so I really have to have a layer of protection on my stuff. Get a nice easy, lightweight comprssion sack and you're good to go. Really gotta keep dirt, moisture, buggies, etc. off your sleeping stuff. I did one 3-day hike using a trash bag wrapped around my fleece sleeping bag and it was absolute shit. Replaced it with pic related tout-de-suite. Much better
>>684748
I only use one for my sleeping bag as well, it saves a ton of room.
Thanks for the replies!
>>684741
I got the watertight topfolders, for everything that needs to stay dry. They add a bit of weight to my pack, but on the plus side, everything is bone dry and well organised (I got them color coded).
Also, your spare clothes in a bag makes an excellent pillow.
They add to weight, but it's nice to have things organized.
It also depends on what type of pack you have. I have a pack with only one really big compartment, so some interior organization is helpful
>>684741
Dry sack, only acceptable answer.
>>684741
>Stuff Sacks
Why would you ever buy one? Anything you'd ever put in one probably came with one. And if you're going to buy shit why not buy compression sacks instead, preferably water proof ones; I have probably close to $300 worth of Outdoor Research ones.
Got one of those eVent things for my sleeping gear.
Does the job, I like it.
I got one of those dry bag "3 bag packs". I put all my survival gear in one and bike gear in another one. Depending on what I'm doing it's nice to just grab a bag and throw it in my pack
>>684883
How ? I do have a dry bag somewhere but I never use it because I don't know what to do with it
>>684911
gonna have to get me one of those
I should probably be using the dry version but I organize most of my shit into little stuff sacks color coded. Food gets a bag, rain wear, hygiene/shit kit, first aid, extra layer plus socks.
>>684920
put clothes in it, put water in it (warm is best), add soap flakes or washing detergent, close, start kneading.
When done, rinse the clothes out and rinse the bag out. let both dry out.
>>685000
Brilliant!
>>685000
I had never considered doing this before. I carry all of my stuff in dry bags on motorcycle trips and every 3-4 days need to do laundry so I usually try to stay at a motel that has laundry machines available a couple of times a week, but if I can wash my shit in my dry bags at a campsite or something then that'd really cut down on my travel budget.
>>685000
Nice idea, thanks for sharing
Dry bags and stuff sacks are different remember.
I use dry bags for:
- My tarp, as it means I can pack it away wet without getting everything else in my rucksack soaking
- Sleeping bag/quilt/down jacket/spare clothes, as they're all down products or otherwise need to be dry
Everything else goes in stuff sacks,
- Cooking equipment
- Hammock
- Spare gear
I hate having loose shit in my rucksack.
>>685026
theres even dedicated washing bags with little knobs inside and an extra vent.
Also, great training for grip strength, you arms will love it.
>>685026
Are you retarded? Or do they not have laundromats where you live? What kind of mong would pay $50 for the privilege of a coin operated washer?
>>685413
You also get a dry bed and a roof over your head for the night anon.
>>685596
Oh, and air conditioning. It gets pretty damn hot in the summer down here in Texas.
I used a drysack last summer when I went boating in Norway/Sweden. It was mostly convienent that I didn't have to repack my bag everytime we moved on, I could just put my sleeping gear in one and throw it in the boat without worrying about it getting wet.
I usually line the inside of my pack with a plastic contractor bag. For small things I need easy access to, I put them in the pocket in the lid of my pack. Usually I can fit everything I need and sqyish it down into my pack by treating it like a sausage. Stuff sacks tend to create void spaces in my bag. The only time I use stuff sacks is in climates that are excessively rainy or on trips that are on rivers (im an OB instructor who has worked all over lower 48, AK, and south america)
