Stuff sacks are a vital piece of backpacking and tenting gear that maintain sleeping baggage or quilts dry, organized, and compressed. However many of the producer’s stuff sacks that include sleeping baggage or quilts are designed for uncompressed storage, not area use, and it’s typically essential to buy a separate compression sack, roll-top stuff sack, or waterproof dry sack to serve these features.
Here are the ten greatest sleeping bag stuff sacks that we suggest and depend on to guard our backpacking quilts and sleeping baggage. Why the range? Different varieties of sleeping baggage and quilts require completely different dimension sleeping bag stuff sacks. Be positive to learn our sleeping bag stuff sack choice information beneath.
1. Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil Drysack
2. Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil Compression Sack
3. Sea to Summit Evac Compression Dry Bag
4. Hyperlite Mountain Gear Roll-Top Stuff Sacks
5. REI Lightweight Compression Sack
6. Outdoor Products 3-Pack All Purpose Dry Sacks
7. Sealine BlockerLite Dry Sack
8. Hyperlight Mountain Gear Packing Pods
9. Six Moon Designs Packing Pods
10. SealLine Discovery View Dry Bag
Sleeping Bag Stuff Sack Guide
There are every kind of tradeoffs to be made when selecting a sleeping bag stuff sack, which we element beneath.
Types of Stuff Sacks
There are principally three sorts of stuff sacks acceptable for packing sleeping baggage and backpacking quilts.
- Roll-top Dry Bags
- Compression Sacks
- Purgeable Stuff Sacks, both roll-top or compression
Roll-top Dry Bags are greatest for light-weight sleeping baggage and quilts, normally, down-insulated, which might be simple to compress with little effort. A roll-top closure is extra sturdy than a zipper and the rolling course of makes it very troublesome for water to go by way of the highest of the stuff sack.
Compression Sacks are greatest for bigger and greater sleeping baggage and quilts, reminiscent of winter sleeping baggage or sleeping baggage and quilts insulated with artificial insulation which is more durable to compress. Compression sacks have buckles and webbing straps that show you how to make the dimensions of the stuff sack smaller, so it takes up much less room in your backpack. Compression sacks with 4 webbing straps are simpler to make use of and compress higher than these with three webbing straps.
Purgeable Stuff Sacks have purge values or breathable material panels that vent air from the stuff sack when it’s compressed, however don’t let it again in. They could be roll-tops or compression sacks. They’re helpful whenever you feed to get the utmost compression doable by forcing the entire air out of your sleeping bag and stopping its return.
How to Size a Sleeping Bag Stuff Sack
What is one of the best dimension stuff sack for a sleeping bag or quilt? Sleeping baggage and quilts which have artificial insulation normally require massive stuff sacks than these insulated with down, which compresses extra simply. The volumes required for quilts might be on the decrease finish of the vary as a result of they don’t include a hood and take up barely much less quantity than sleeping baggage.
| Insulation Type | Temperature Rating | Recommended Stuff Sack Volume |
|---|---|---|
| Down | 40 F / 4 C | 6-8 liters |
| Down | 20 F / -7 C | 8-12 liters |
| Down | 0 F / -18 C | 14-20 liters |
| Down | 20 Below F / 29 Below C | 20-30 liters |
| Synthetic | 40 F / 4 C | 9-13 liters |
| Synthetic | 20 F / -7 C | 16-20 liters |
| Synthetic | 0 F / -18 C | 25-35 liters |
In most instances, you’ll wish to get a sleeping bag stuff sack that’s simply massive sufficient to shut simply, however not seize an excessive amount of extra air, which is able to enhance the packing area it requires. If the stuff sack has a roll-top closure, you’ll additionally need sufficient slack material on prime so you’ll be able to roll the stuff sack 3 times to shut it. This is the perfect variety of turns to stop water from leaking by way of the highest opening.
Water Resistance Vs Waterproofness
Most backpacking and tenting stuff sacks are waterproof and never totally waterproof for immersion underwater. If they’ve zippers or seam-taped seams, water can leak by way of them. They will nonetheless defend your sleeping bag from moisture, however your greatest guess is to pack them inside a backpack that’s lined with a plastic bag or lined with a rain cowl to stop rain from reaching them. Fully waterproof stuff sacks meant for rafting, kayaking, or canoeing have welded seams that don’t leak when immersed and are normally made with harder supplies.
Color Coding
Multi-colored stuff sacks could make it a lot simpler to arrange your gear and discover it inside a backpack. Transparent materials or panels can serve an analogous perform, permitting you to see the contents so you understand what they comprise.
Stuff Sack Weight
While stuff sacks could make it a lot simpler to arrange and find your gear in a backpack, they will add vital additional weight to your gear listing in the event you go overboard with them. Be positive to check the weights of various choices. For instance, Dyneema DCF stuff sacks vs these made with PU-coated nylon. In some situations, there’s much less of a weight distinction than you may anticipate, however there’s a enormous value distinction!
Durability vs Weight
There’s normally a tradeoff between sturdiness and weight in relation to stuff sacks that’s value contemplating when choosing a sleeping bag stuff sack or dry bag. If you intend to retailer your sleeping bag inside one other bag like a backpack, there’s typically much less of a necessity for a heavy-duty, abrasion-resistant, or waterproof sleeping bag stuff sack when a lighter weight one will perform simply as nicely.
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