Can we talk about how people pack their sleeping bags?

I was at a trailhead in Bend last weekend and saw three different people just shoving their bags into their packs, no stuff sack at all. My old guide in Colorado always said that ruins the loft over time, and my own 20 degree bag lost warmth after a season of me doing the same thing. What's the best way you've found to keep a bag packed right without adding a ton of weight?

4 comments

4 Comments

flores.mark3mo ago

Read that compression sacks can actually damage the loft more than loose packing.

cora8133mo ago

Ever try just stuffing it into the bottom of your pack? That's what I do now, and it seems to keep the loft way better than my old crushed-down stuff sack method. The material just needs some room to bounce back.

laura_wilson23d ago

Did your buddy mention if they noticed a difference in warmth after switching? My friend Jenna had a cheap synthetic bag that turned into a brick after she kept it in a compression sack for years, so last winter she just shoved it loose into the bottom of her pack on a trip to the Adirondacks, and she swore it fluffed up way better when she got to camp that night. She said the bag actually felt puffier to the touch, even though it took up more space in her pack, which she didn't mind since she wasn't carrying much else.

caseya743mo ago

Yeah, that tracks. My old sleeping bag looks like a sad pancake after years of hard packing. Guess it's time to just stuff it loose and let it breathe.