My recent trip to the dollar store yielded an interesting discovery for hammock backpackers: plastic compression travel bags. I got a few to play with and am reporting very positive results for many reasons. I will be taking one on all subsequent backpacking trips.

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What Are They?

These are plastic bags used for compressing "stuff" for both travel and storage. They are airtight, have a ziplock-style closure on one end, and a one-way valve on one side. The valve lets you squeeze air out and prevents it from coming back in (giving you compression ability). It also has a screw cap to hold air in (important as you shall see).

I got mine at the dollar store for... a dollar. You can also get them at Walmart, Amazon, Target, REI, and likely many other places for <$5. They come in a variety of sizes from many different brands. The ones i have are roughly 18"x24" and weigh about 2oz.

Why Would You Want One?

Oh so many reasons!

Compression: I can put both of my full length quilts plus a pillow and some spare clothes in one bag, crush it down, and slip the whole kit into my backpack. It takes up half the size it used to and leaves me with a less bulky pack.

Waterproof: Having all of my down locked away in airtight plastic means i don't need a plastic bag liner, trash compactor bag, or roll-top dry bag anymore. Even if thrown into a river, it will not leak.

Ultimate Pillow: After you've dumped your stuff at camp, the now empty bag converts to a gigantic Ultimate Knee Pillow, a full-size head pillow, or back pillow for Sofa Mode lounging. I've been testing mine for weeks and have already had it on a multi-day hammock backpacking trip. It seems to hold air indefinitely and is very strong. You can even throw your jacket or spare clothes in the bag at night for extra insulation or just plain storage.

Emergency Go-To-Ground Pad: If things got really bad, this does kinda work as a torso ground pad, although i would really want two of them together.

Big! I can put all of my down goodies in one bag, so i don't need to carry separate stuff sacks for each component. I can just squash everything into one waterproof bag and it slips right into my backpack. Being slippery plastic makes it even better.

Weight Savings: Getting rid of stuff sacks and backpack liners means i can gain additional functionality while actually dropping total weight. Nice!

Mostly i wanted mine for knee pillow support, but the compression/drybag ability means it replaces stuff i would already be carrying anyway.

Try one on your next adventure and let me know how it goes.

Happy Hammocking!