Reddit mentions: The best camping sleeping bag stuff sacks

So what I'd say for 40 vs 50 is, first of all find out how much space you'll need, then find out the weight for each bag. Depending on how the bag is built, there's a possibility the 50L could still be lighter and it might also be possible (depending on the bag) to tighten the straps to make the 50L bag into a 40L size. Really, much of it depends on the bag and how it's built.

Just because you buy a 50L that doesn't necessarily mean you need to fill the whole bag either, it's always nicer to have a bag with lots of extra room inside as it makes removing stuff from the bag easier plus you may come across a souvenir you just must have. Personally I keep all my stuff in a bunch of stuff sacks (like this so it's easier to remove stuff from my bag. But that's because my Osprey has barely any pockets or sections to it - which is a pro [lighter, can squeeze down more] or a con [harder to access certain items] depending on how you travel. I also have small canvas bag (kind of like this one) which I keep in the top of my backpack. That way, I can drop my backpack off at a hostel or wherever, and still have a small bag to take out with me to hold a book or whatever. And it's lightweight and easy to push into another bag.

For me personally, my 38L is the perfect size, but as I said, it's really about how you travel. I don't know if I'd like to go any bigger as I like having a bag which is easy to throw into a taxi or take on day trips. My bag can be squeezed down with straps too so that it becomes much smaller. But I've seen a lot of large bags that stay large in size, even when they're empty.

I can't really point you in the way of a decent brand because as I said, I've been using my own Osprey bag for 8 years and have needed nothing else!

Kinda depends on what you wanna spend you know? 12-13lbs base weight is perfectly reasonable tho.


Tent is a bit heavy, especially for a one person.

You could drop the extra undies

Puffy is a bit heavy too. Enlightened equipments apex puffy is great and super light. They have some on discount in their warehouse section of the website. Could be worth checking out.

Could probably drop the gloves. I’ve only ever worn gloves in Northern Washington in September.

Technically stuff like sunscreen, toothpaste, ect would be marked as consumable since their weights will vary with usage.

It’s likely you’ll want a little more water capacity. You can get two 2 liter platypus bags for roughly the same weight as the cnoc.

You could drop the ursack in favor of just whatever stuff sack. I used this one and really like it. Granite Gear Air Zipsack Ultralight Zippered Pouch - 16L https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003EMSDBY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_fjSPCbR0VE224

You could switch to a rechargeable headlamp like the Nitecore. Mine weighs 1oz. Haven’t actually used it on trail yet, but it seems great. Also seems to have a lot of good reviews.

No battery to charge your phone?

You could drop the journal and just write on your phone.

As far as books go generally you’re likely to be too tired to do much more than fall asleep with your face in your book. I’ve seen people reading on lunch breaks and stuff, but if you’re into being more social you may just end up hanging with friends while on breaks. There’s almost always books in hiker boxes tho, so you could maybe go that route.

Remember the underlying philosophy of a bug out bag - you have ~3 days to get from A to B, you're not setting out to survive long term in the wilderness.

Try not to use bags heavier than ~500D Cordura if you go the nylon route. That stuff is super strong already, and unless you're sliding down granite on your pack, it should last a while. These bags are usually way overbuilt, and too robust for the regular user.

Try to stay away from too many organizational 'modules' on the inside. I've seen dudes overdo it to the point where a 1/4 of the base weight is in the fabric of various molle attachment pouches.

If you choose to use 'modules' do it sort of like this guy by trying to use the fewest and lightest shells inside as possible. I'll admit, he's pretty elaborate.

Check out cuben fiber/dyneema gear - packs and tents. Replace what you can with ziploc bags, or silnylon stuff sacks

Definitely bring:

-One each: fixed blade knife, small prybar, silcock key, AAA flashlight+batteries, powerpack, cellphone, compass, water filter, firesteel, canteen mess kit, tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, crankable emergency am/fm radio, small first aid kit, gps tracker or a map of the area.
-Food and water for 3 days.
-1 change of clothes in dry bag
-self-defense element, location dependent
-rainshells, also determined by location

I don't think you need much more. This is my 2 cents off the top of my head, and by no means a complete, comprehensive list.

E: spelling

if the link you provided is correct, it seems that this is just a compression sack, and does not include a sleeping bag.

as far as what I would recommend for your situation, I would get this:

MMS Patrol bag

This is part of the surplus modular military sleep system. I have the whole sleep system, and have used it on multiple occasions. The Green bag will keep you warm down to about 30 degrees F with a shirt, and some kind of light pajama pants on.

I keep my green bag bundled by itself, and it compresses down to about the size of a rolled up coat, a cylinder that is about 9 inches high with a diameter of about 5 inches. a small stuff sack may make it even smaller.

I am 6 feet tall and fit into this with room to spare, so it should fit you just fine. they are incredibly cheep, incredibly durrable, incredibly warm, and all around amazing.

if you are worried about rain, you can also get the MMS gore-tex bivy sack with it, which will add a little more warmth, and allow you to sleep in a damn puddle if you want to. it does add a little more bulk to the rolled up package. here is a link to the two of them bundled together:
MMS bivy + Green Bag

I have had mine for 5 years now... my wife has gone through 2 other sets of cubes in that time frame. (Both REI brand)

They are extremely light weight and I often roll one neatly into my small cube and pull it out when I begin my dirty clothing pile.

Another option is the rolling dry sack. I'll try and find ya a pic or link.

I have never used an item like this (so I cant speak to its reliability), but its fits the idea of what you wanted. Not a streamline so I cant speak to its ability to "save space" but it may work well for your needs.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077BPK2Y8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_SNKxCbQX554S2

Thanks! I'll take a look at these. Should fit fine in a medium compression sack, yeah? One of these?

Keep in mind that if you're a cold or normal sleeper, it won't really be comfortable at 20 degrees. Also, you can always unzip it and use it as a blanket and cool down a bunch.

I'll just give you the general advice of:

Down: Compacts smaller, is lighter, typically more expensive, doesn't insulate when wet

Synthetic: Bulkier, cheaper, does better when wet.

I think you're better off looking at synthetics, and if it's not going to be cold then any old thing will do just fine, you're probably most concerned with the amount of volume it takes up. Look into a compression sack.

I have a foldable bucket...placed on a highish branch, it's easy to tip/shower by pushing the bottom of the bucket up.

Lightweight, and excellent for TONS of camp chores.

If car camping, fill it up, and put it on the end of the picnic table... very beneficial to keeping sanitary. again, pushing the bottom of the bucket up, allows you to dump water, without spoiling the clean water inside.

https://www.amazon.com/Therm-Rest-Stuff-Pillow-Limon/dp/B001QWGU2I/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1483735305&sr=8-2&keywords=fleece+lined+stuff+sack

Therma-rest fleece lined stuff sack. Stuff the down jacket in at night and it's wonderful! Plus your jacket is pre warmed in the morning

Most of the insulation in a sleeping bag comes from the air trapped in/around the down or synthetic fibers, not the down/fibers themselves. Air is a pretty good insulator, as long as you keep it in small enough pockets that convection isn't an issue. That's why, for instance, a double-paned window is far better at keeping heat in than a single pane that's twice as thick: The air's doing the insulating, not the glass. It's also why insulating materials tend to be light and fluffy.

Each time you compress and uncompress your synthetic sleeping bag, you're degrading/breaking down the fibers a little bit. So, they don't spring back quite as much the next time, and there isn't as much air mixed up in the fibers.

I have no idea how many compression cycles it takes for this to become an issue, so I won't try to go into that.

I have a small compression sack that I use for my sleeping bag when I'm backpacking/taking it in a very full car/otherwise storing it somewhere where space is at a premium. I also have a much larger storage sack similar to this one that doesn't really compress the bag, which I use for long-term storage in my closet. You should be able to get one at just about any camping/outdoors store like REI or EMS. It's just a big burlap sack with a drawstring, maybe 3' long by 18" diameter or so.

I store them uncompressed and hanging in a Equinox mesh bag I picked up on Amazon for $15. Works great.

For pillow, I sleep much better with one, but it's a personal choice. I have the Thermarest stuff sack pillow that is about the same weight as the ZPacks one, but it's also fully lined and about half the price. I keep my sleeping bag in it during the day to keep it dry and clean - and fill it with a jacket at night for filling.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001QWGU2I

I backpacked around SE Asia earlier this year. Depending on how tight for space you are and how much you want to prioritize your products, I recommend a compression stuff sack for your clothes. This freed up so much space for me. (Also caused me to over pack clothes, so be careful.) However, I was able to bring a full size conditioner for cowashing, another conditioner, travel-size gel, travel-size spray bottle, a leave-in, and a small wide-toothed comb (I think I brought a pick). This was enough for me to conservatively last two months. I ended up tossing the travel-sized spray bottle and the leave-in cause I found it was unnecessary and I just didn't care enough to carry them around or even use them.

Also, if you end up stranded somewhere and need to borrow some shampoo/conditioner that isn't CG for a few days it's not the end of the world and you can just try to find some at your next destination. So maybe you want to prioritize that you have enough detangler and styler for your whole trip.

My favorite is the Outdoor Research Peak Bagger. It is 25L, waterproof, and rolls in at a mere 9 ounces. There are many different forms/colors of this bag. In addition, there's the DryComp, though that is ~36L (also waterproof).

Interesting idea.

I use these guys: https://www.amazon.com/Outdoor-Products-Ditty-3-Pack-Colors/dp/B0007Q3KLS/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1505102538&sr=8-11&keywords=ditty+bag

They are not as ginormous as the picture makes them look.

I use compression sacks for all my gear. They come in different sizes and it makes everything way smaller. I even have one for my sleeping bag and it makes it about 2/3 the size it was in the bag it came in. I put my tarp, underquilt, and hammock in its own sack and then it is just one item strapped to the pack! Just make sure the sack straps vertically.

Example

Looks like this bag: https://www.amazon.com/Outdoor-Research-Durable-Dry-Sack/dp/B00TKGB7CU

I just bought a Country Squire 20 degree bag for the same thing. Car camping on some cold nights. But I can't stand the size and shape of a mummy bag. I plan to use it in 3 seasons, even if it is the base with just a sheet over the top.

Got it on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Country-Squire-Degree-Sleeping-Bag/dp/B0068BFSRU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483887699&sr=8-1&keywords=country+squire+20

If he rarely uses it then it is even more important to
not store it compact!
https://smile.amazon.com/Equinox-Sleeping-Bag-Storage-Sack/dp/B001TESH9W/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=sleeping+bag+storage&qid=1554388399&s=gateway&sr=8-4

I use two of these on top of each other.

Compare the size with the following sack on amazon. It is marked suitable for sleeping bags :
https://www.amazon.com/ALPS-Mountaineering-Compression-Sleeping-Assorted/dp/B000Y14JUC

Go with the small one and get one or two of the small size of These for your clothes. It is humid so you don't have to worry about wrinkles

Buy some stuff sacks, use them as counterbalances in a tree branch and use a branch/pole to get them down. A bear can have about the same reach as a human (or more depending on the area) so if you can reach it most likely the bear could. https://www.amazon.com/Outdoor-Products-Ditty-3-Pack-Colors/dp/B0007Q3KLS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1493676648&sr=8-2&keywords=backpack+stuff+sack

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000Y14JUC/ref=pd_aw_fbt_468_img_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=7XXMG9TM878DVKSB4JJP&th=1

I found this one alps medium - there were 2 warehouse deal ones for 15 - no idea if they are the right size

The waterproof ones you linked to looked cool (may still get one) but I was thinking that the ones with the straps would compress more - do not know if that is accurate

This is what I use,https://www.amazon.com/DMtse-Sunglasses-Eyeglasses-Resistant-Drawstring/dp/B00LASDI0K/ref=sr_1_24?ie=UTF8&qid=1536941042&sr=8-24&keywords=sunglasses+bag

Wrap the string around the button on your shorts. Then let the bag hang inside your boxers. Works every time.

Car camping: http://amazon.com/Seattle-Sports-Camp-Bucket-Blue/dp/B001F1YI24/

Backpacking: http://amazon.com/Sea-Summit-Folding-Bucket-Liter/dp/B001UKKKQ8/

I just use "ditty sacks"

I bought some compression sacks for my quilt and it shrinks the volume considerably.

https://www.amazon.com/AEGISMAX-Compression-Stuff-Sleeping-2L-6L/dp/B017LG00PU