Plastic Liner vs. Stuff Sacks

1. Liner goes in pack (I love trash compactor bags!)
2. Sleeping bag goes to the bottom (in stuff sack for some compression)
3. Clothes go on top (I don't usually carry much spare clothing so I keep it loose- I'll usually roll everything in my leggings or something)
4. I roll the liner shut.
5. Everything else goes on top- bear can, food sacks, shelter, etc.

I use a Golite Jam- this system has worked well for me. I leave out my shelter, raingear, food, etc. so I don't have to open the liner in the rain. Only items that don't get used til I'm settled in camp go inside the liner at the bottom of the pack. The Jam is waterproof enough that the stuff outside the liner does fine.

A liner is a lighter way to keep your gear dry, but I prefer sacks but they also keep your gear organized and your sleeping bag compressed.

Even better than these two options is a waterproof pack, like a seam sealed cuben pack. Now that I have one of these (MLD Revelation), I don't worry about keeping my gear dry so I just take a few sacks to keep my stuff organized. I take:

– Food Sack (1.2oz – Silnylon)
– Small Random Gear Sack (0.2oz – Spinnaker)
– Sleeping Quilt Sack (0.4oz – Cuben)
– Pot bag (0.2oz – Spinnaker)
– Stake Sack (0.1oz – Spinnaker)

I shove my sleeping bag into the bottom of a trash compactor bag liner, bear canister vertically on top of that, and clothes into two silnylon sacks on either side of the canister. One has extra socks, gloves, hat, and other small items, the other the baselayer top and bottoms I sleep in. A puffy jacket gets jammed in someplace, and a first aid kit in a ziploc ends up on top next to my kitchen stuff.

I've found that I prefer my sleeping bag to not be compressed, as when it expands out to fit the bottom of my pack it helps to keep my load a bit more solid so it carries better.

I use MLD stuff sacks..A XL(sleeping bag)bag ways 0.4oz and a large(clothes)ways 0.3..Both of these bags have good CI and are SUL..Regarding the pack liner I was able to get some turkey bags from Williams-Sonoma..A large bag ways 2oz and is 23 1/2 inches by 19 inches…The bag is resealable and VERY Strong. We brined a 12 lb turkey in it..Trash compacter bags are good but I really like the "Zip-Lock" Turkey Bag for when it really rains hard.

I waterproof a lg stuff sac, put it in my pack, then stuff my quilt and insulated/spare clothing in it, fold the top down to seal it. I have used this method to float down a river and kept the items all dry. Other items like tarp, food, essentials are in their own smaller waterproof sacs. No additional liner.

Mmmm…..brining turkey!

+1 "A liner is a lighter way to keep your gear dry, but I prefer sacks but they also keep your gear organized and your sleeping bag compressed."

The dry bag also provides a little protection from abrasion against other pack contents. I use the dry bags as a pillow and bear bag(s) while at camp.

acronym 11/30/2009 12:02 AM

Nylon dry sacks.

Clothes and sleeping bag in one. Food in one (keeps scent down, fine hanging in a bad storm), and one small one for miscellany and the extra morning layer. Easy to stuff, hard to get a hole in the sack.

No need for a liner.

Plastic bags aren't the greatest answer; not as durable, not as easy to work with IME. Line a stuff sack with a small garbage bag and stuff your sleeping bag… not as easy as just stuffing into the sack.

Added bonus w/dry sack: you can use them kinda like a compression or vacuum bag to shrink your load. Just leave a corner of the roll-top open and kneel on the stuff sack. Squeeze out the air, roll the top closed, and voila. You can then knead the sack out to a flatter "brick" and kind of shape your compressed load to best fit in the pack.

I prefer several small stuff sacks. I compress all my loft items when its in my pack as i like small size. If it rains water just runs through and drains out the bottom of my pack. I also like this in case of a water bladder failure or similar. Thats just how i like it
Darren

Items go in the pack in the following order.

Trash compactor bag for sleeping bag and clothes in bottom of pack.

Food bag is silnylon and all meals are individually stored in separate ziplocs FBC style.

stove/fuel/pot/spoon is stored in small silnylon stuff sack. Usually stored in food bag unless food bag is too full.

Gallon ziploc for bible, paperback, wallet & permits

Silnylon stuff sack for first aid/repair kit. Non waterproof items (like moleskin and bandaids) go in a ziploc in stuff sack.

So my answer is both. In my opinion, it really makes it easier to pack to have one large bag for all your soft items. They end up filling up the bottom of the pack very nicely.

my pack is also lined w/ a trash compactor bag. it makes everything inside easier to see against the white background, as well as waterproofs my most valuable equipment. basically it houses my first aid kit, sleeping bag, and any type of insulation i'm carrying.

i have a bag for my food, that usually gets kept outside of the compactor bag, to limit the food smell onto my sleeping gear. i also keep a little tiny stuff sack that clips to the top of my pack. inside this is my headlamp, ID and $, and a st. christopher medal. that way i always know where that stuff is. that's about it for me stuff sack-wise. i try to keep them to a bare minimum to keep weight down

I started out doing stuff sacks, then went to liner and roll top 'dry sacks', now I'm leaning more towards liner/roll top/ and a pack cover for extended trips in wet areas (entire east coast for example). This came after experiencing ridiculously extended periods of wet weather this year on the AT. 2 weeks of rain everyday one time and 4 weeks straight another.
I think the weight of a pack cover is well worth the weight saved by not having your pack and gear in external pockets soak up tons of water, even if it doesn't show up on a spreadsheet.
For dryer conditions I still use a liner and roll tops. The weight isn't that big of a deal for the extra protection.

What Dave Willis said.

I like a pack cover and will soon get one of those clever ones that some guy makes as a combo packcover/rain parka. I forget the name of it but is is very clever.

^^^^^^^X2

Trashy Bag as a liner,

SB in that then Spare clothes or Belay Jacket

Close that up dry bag style…

on top food, stove, shelter, etc

sometimes ill throw food in a stuff sack sometimes not

When I take a bag with a lid I'll usually throw a stuff sac (size xs or xs) in the lid (tethered to the lid so i cant drop it).

Its filled with miscellaneous/ first aid.

http://www.thepacka.com/

My DriDucks rain jkt is so baggy in the torso that I can wear my pack underneath it. It's not as elegant as The Packa, but it is less than half the weight and dirt cheap.

Dan,
that's a very good idea. I use the Rainshield version of the DriDucks jacket and I never thought of utilizing it as a pack cover as well. I might just have to get one in a large and try it out.

-Sid

I'm 5'11", 165lbs and I can comfortably wear my size medium DriDucks jkt over a GoLite Jam as long as the pack is only about 2/3rds full. If I went up a size with the DriDucks, I think I could wear it just fine over a fully loaded Jam. DriDucks are super generous in the torso, without being too long in the sleeves so this makes them well suited for wearing over a pack. One thing to keep in mind is how tall your pack is. If it extends above your shoulders signficantly then it might not fit under the DriDucks very well.

Even though it might sound like overkill, I always found it better to have both a liner and a pack cover. A liner alone means your bag will be heavier from eventually soaking up water in heavy downpours. A pack cover alone means water will eventually get in the pack since the pack cover doesn't cover the the entire pack. Having both seems to work better.

-Sid

+1 on what Sid said.

Several good ideas here. Nice thread. The turkey bag is interesting and plan on checking it out at our local Wms-Sonoma. We used heavy duty compactor bags on our JMT trip last summer and, although we didn't have much rain, they stood up to packing and unpacking for 15 days without suffering perforations. Got'em at Smart & Final-box of 50 for $11.00. Echo the rain cover even though the pack liner will keep dry what needs to be dry figuring the rain soaked up by the pack will greatly exceed the wt of the cover.