How many stuff sacks just right for 3 season? Best material, make

EJ:

You are right, this is totally personal. I was a traveler before I took up hiking — and I used to use different stuff sacks for different things (bag, pad, clothing, misc., etc.).

After a few trials, I found that I could pack more and faster and easier and lighter by ridding the sleeping bag, pad, and clothing stuff sacks! Now, I actually prefer just one big hole — and use one small stuff sack to house the misc. small items.

When traveling, I prefer compartments for organization and ease of use. But as an UL hiker, what I find is that at the end of the day, pretty much all my stuff is pulled out anyway — so no need for compartmentalizing at all. During the day, I do separate out my hat, rain jacket, first aid kit and food — placing them in outer pockets and hip belt pockets. I LOVE hip belt pockets.

YMMV, of course.

-How many stuff sacks do you carry?
Lots. Critical ones lined with plastic bags. I compartmentalise all my stuff.

-What do you use each size for?
I try to not have them too full, so they can squash around inside my pack.

-What material and brand do you recommend?
Chuckle! MYOG silnylon.

-What's the max compression you'd apply to puff insulation, synthetic or down?
As low as possible.

But I know others prefer just one or two big stuff sacks, more along the lines of a pack liner. That works too.

Cheers

I'm with Roger. I compartmentalize my stuff too. It's easier to find what you need, when you need it.

Use however many stuff sacks you need, based on your packing system. Silnylon is relatively cheap and lightweight.

Three to four: Sleeping bag, extra clothes (sack rarely used), food and toiletries. I use a S2S roll top waterproof sack for my sleeping bag, a MYOG silnylon for extra clothes, either a MYOG silnylon or a plastic grocery bag for food and a small stuff sack from ID for my toiletries. It is the same sack my ID eVent gaiters came in. I also have a sack from my VBL socks that is the same size.

…

My standard 3 season kit uses 2 stuff sacks, if you don't include the small zip lock I use for essentials. I use either REI tuff lite or granite gear air bags.

#1 REI tuff lite X-Small
Contains: bivy, tarp, stakes, lines, gloves, & hat
#2 REI tuff lite Small
Contains: food (2 days), 550 pot w/stove inside, biner+35 ft of line (bear bagging)

My sleeping bag and UL down jacket are stuffed into my pack directly. I dont compress them overly.

Jamie

> My sleeping bag and UL down jacket are stuffed into my pack directly.

What do you do if it rains for several days? or if you have to swim a river?

Cheers

I use six I guess –

I use a Sea To Summit dry bag lined with an oven bag for my sleeping bag or quilt.

Another Sea to Summit dry bag sometimes lined with an oven bag (if lots of rain or stream crossings are expected) for insulated and sleeping clothing.

A third Sea to Summit dry bag for food.

A small cuben fiber stuff bag from Z-packs for sundries.

A tiny homemade tent stake bag for tent stakes,

And finally a small generic stuff sack for my bear bag rope.

I also put my Esbit stove & my beer can pot in a Zip-lock gallon bag.

I find this system makes it easy to find everything, keeps it dry and keeps moisture/condensation from clothing or sleeping bag from being absorbed by the other.

Forgot to mention some of the stuff sacks become multi-use. The clothing one becomes my pillow, the food one is used to bear bag the food, and the small one holding the bear bag rope is used to hold rocks or a couple of energy bars for weight in throwing the rope over a tree limb.

The sundry bag clips easily to the ridgeline of my hammock so I can easily find things I might want during the night.

Hmmm, I've never really thought about it. I carry as many as I need…and that changes with every trip. And if you're going to include ziplocs, then the tally is pretty high!

All my clothing and sleeping bag (except rain and wind clothes) go in one giant Silnylon dry bag. I have a small MYOG spinnaker bag for wind gear (shell, pants, gloves and hat), another one for bedtime stuff (earlpugs, headlight etc…) and a ziploc for toiletries that need to be dry. Lots of little tiny ziplocs for matches and fuel, bigger ziplocs for food. The tent also has it's own spinnaker sack. Oh yeah, and an emergency kit in a heavy duty ziploc. I never over compress my down gear. I want it to last a lifetime.

I wrote…
"My sleeping bag and UL down jacket are stuffed into my pack directly."

Roger wrote…
"What do you do if it rains for several days? or if you have to swim a river?"

Roger, The answer is it depends…but for starters the pack is waterproof + the pad is a tube that adds another barrier layer. But for real rain protection one of my kits uses a poncho tarp. The other uses either a pack liner (plastic bag) or I'll put my down into my bivy then stuff it all into the pack (not had to do this though). The third is to yes add another stuff sack that is waterproof (granite gear air bag). But on my last four trips I did not take a stuff sack for my sleeping bag or jacket.

As far as the river thing goes, I'd say your trips are a bit more extreme then mine. In my many years of backpacking I've crossed a many river by fording or bridges but never had to "swim" one. I need to hook up with you sometime so you can point me to something a bit more challenging.

Jamie