Compression Sacks for quilts

[TxAggie]

I’m in the no stuff sack crowd. Especially as I progressed to smaller and smaller packs, I realized stuff sacks actually take up more room. So as others have mentioned, I put all my keep-dry items in a compactor bag at the bottom of my pack.

First to go in is extra clothing. Then bottom quilt and top quilt, finally the hammock on top. Squeeze it all down and twist the top.

I’ve also tried Chop’s method of including some of my food into the folds of my quilts and that works very well when carrying days worth of food with a small pack.

The fewer stuff sacks, the better.


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[Pop_Eye]

+ 1 for the trash compactor bag method with no stuff sacks for back packing.

Next time I’m going to try my camp clothes in first then quilts and see how that goes. Thanks for all the ideas in all the replies!

Maybe I’m weird but I just fold over the top of the compactor bag once so any air has a chance to escape when I compress it with the rest of my gear in the pack.

[TrailBlaser]

I used the trash compactor bag method when I first started hammock camping. First everything in one bag and then hammock quilts in one and clothes in another. That latter worked better; clothes bag went in the bottom, quilt bag on top. The good thing about the method is that it fills the pack nicely. That being said, the Granite Gear sacks I use now work well and I can put other items around them and pack efficiently.

[TxAggie]

Maybe I’m weird but I just fold over the top of the compactor bag once so any air has a chance to escape when I compress it with the rest of my gear in the pack.

That’s what I do if I don’t expect rain or water crossings.


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[cougarmeat]

Just in case a boater is reading this thread, when kayak camping I use a compression sack that has eVent (Gore-Tex competitor) fabric on one end. As that fabric is breathable, it lets me squish the air out when compressing the quilts. The result is small enough to fit between my foot peddles and the front bulkhead - saving space in my hatches for other gear.

I just can’t feel good about putting my quilts loose in the pack because I really baby those quilts. I don’t want to mingle them with other gear and any debris that might find its way into the bag. Though I am careful, there have certainly been times when a liquid container or thermos decided to give up some goods prematurely.

I see a trend in backpacks that eliminate the usually top compartment that straps down over the bottom main compartment which is closed with a draw string. Instead, they have a fold over top for that bottom compartment that closes like the top of a dry bag. That’s all well and good for that opening. But it might give the impression of “waterproof” (like a dry bag) when it isn’t seamed sealed - and there is a lot of stitching in a backpack.

[Pop_Eye]

Just in case a boater is reading this thread, when kayak camping I use a compression sack that has eVent (Gore-Tex competitor) fabric on one end. As that fabric is breathable, it lets me squish the air out when compressing the quilts. The result is small enough to fit between my foot peddles and the front bulkhead - saving space in my hatches for other gear.

Thanks for this!

I plan on a few kayak / hammock camps this upcoming season in the Northern Lower.

So the fabric lets compressed air out or is there a one way air valve? I found a them online but how it worked wasn't really clear.

I found the Sea to Summit ones on a search. Any other brands of higher quality you might want to share?

[LowTech]

It let's the air through but is still waterproof.
I have some of the Sea to Summit ones, getting a couple more now that I have more "compressible" gear.

[bonsaihiker]

Love those Event dry bags-- my go- to if I need more compression for a thicker quilt. Otherwise I use the trash compactor line bag as others do. I still remember being amazed at all the extra room I suddenly had, without over- compressing my insulation. I pack basically in reverse order of how I set up my shelter: top quilt first, then under quilt, then hammock, so when I pull something out it gets set- up immediately.

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[MikekiM]

No stuff sacks. I use a nylofume. Prefer having the quilts fill out the bottom of the pack. Very often don’t compress them muchat all.


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[H. Hastings]

Years ago I used to put everything in stuff sacks/dry bags. All different sizes and colors so I could "organize" my gear. Then I started reading about some folks who just "stuffed" their quilts, etc. in the bottom of the pack and how they optimized useable volume by letting the soft stuff fill all the corners when packed. Tried it out and came to the same conclusion.

I just finished a thruhike of the AT last month and for more than half the trail I used a very small volume pack (Pa'lante V2 - 31L main bag). Even with that small a pack I could fit my Ridgerunner, torso 50*UG, 40* Burrow TQ, HG Palace tarp, clothes, cook gear and food for up to 4 days. TQ and pillow went in first then the clothes bag (one of the few stuff sacks I used) then hammock with UQ attached. Closed up the nylofume pack liner and the rest went on top of it. Everything stayed dry and I was able to fully utilize the limited volume by letting the soft stuff squish sideways to completely fill the lower half of the pack. No empty corners. Top half wasn't as efficient in using space because of defined shape of the gear (cook kit, food bag, ditty bag, etc.). I did manage to reclaim some of the unused volume there by stuffing my puffy jacket and rain shell into the voids though.

Harlan Hastings
NPT 2013, AT 2020