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Dry Bag Recommendations for Puffy
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- This topic has 5 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 5 years ago by Jenny A.
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Mar 14, 2019 at 7:15 pm #3583514
Hello! I keep my quilt in a trash compactor bag along with my sleep clothes and (in the past) my puffy. Trash bag packs first and comes out last.
I used to carry around a Cap Thermal that I would keep in the front pocket of my backpack or at the very top of the backpack if raining. I would whip this out and wear it on breaks during the day when it was cold. Because it was synthetic, I wasn’t worried about it getting a little damp or getting snagged on something.
This year, I’m leaving the thermal at home, so I need to use my puffy not only in camp but also on cold days when I stop to take breaks. Hence my existing storage solution of inside-my-quilt-inside-the-trash-compactor-bag-at-the-bottom-of-my-pack is no longer viable. I’m also reluctant to just stick it naked in the top of my pack or in the front pocket not only because of dampness but also because it is expensive and fragile and I’d like to protect it with a dry sack from snags and dirt.
All of this is a long lead up to the question: can you recommend a quality dry bag for just my puffy? I bought a “slim” ZPacks rolltop bag (4L volume), and while I think this is the perfect volume (not too much compression, but I can if I want), the shape is annoying to pack — the top opening is too small/narrow (8.25 inches flat; 5″ diameter open) and the bag is too long. I’d like something of a similar volume but less narrow-rectangle and more squarish to make stuffing faster.
I looked at the Granite Gear dry bags (both event and regular) but the smallest size is 7L — too large for just my puffy. I don’t have and don’t want to stick anything else in the bag with my puffy. Plus they’re heavy.
I’ve considered just using a cut down nylofume bag, but a rolltop is appealing to me given how often I’ll be accessing and abusing it and the value of its contents (both monetarily and in terms of its importance to my survival). The obvious solution would be to make a rolltop bag myself, but I’m currently staying at a friends’ house and anyway now’s not the time to learn to use a sewing machine.
So to recap: looking for a lightweight dry bag, about 4L in volume, and with an opening larger than 8.25″ flat/5″ open. Shorter than 18″ tall flat/12″ tall open.
Thanks for your recommendations!
Mar 14, 2019 at 10:49 pm #3583551Sea to Summit has very good dry bags. I use one for my light E.B. down jacket &/or vest.
In fact for winter camping my big -30 F. down expedition parka goes into my Sea to Summit pump bag that I use to inflate my REI FLASH All Season Insulated air mattress. Yeah, the pump bag is too big even for that parka so I just compress the parka down and roll the top all the way down to the compressed parka and click the QR buckle. Saves me the weight of another dry bag and does dual duty, the Holy Grail role of backpacking gear..
Mar 15, 2019 at 1:20 am #3583594Hyperlite Mountain Gear has a roll top bag. The small version is 3.7L. Their stuff is usually very well built. But I haven’t found anybody who can speak about their roll top bags with first-hand experience. Interestingly, the HMG dry bags are not “envelope style” — they have a rounded bottom.
Mountain Laurel Designs also has a small one that is 2L. The MLD do have an envelope style. Also interesting to note is that the MLD dry bags are made from 1.5oz sq/yard cuben. That makes the MLD bags the most heavy duty of the bunch.
I’m leaning toward the MLD dry bags for my own purposes, but haven’t purchased any — yet.
Mar 15, 2019 at 3:31 pm #3583676John, perhaps I could sew something for you at a comparable price to the Zpacks bag you mentioned? If that’s of interest, what would be your complete set of dream dimensions? D x W x H, presuming a square bottom and open at the top (i.e. un-rolled-down). 1.5 oz DCF?
Mar 27, 2019 at 3:40 am #3585700John, I use an HMG DCF stuffsack for this purpose. Its been in some serious rain and not gotten wet in the top of my pack. If raining heavy I use a PACKA so the pack is covered anyway.
Best
Paul
Mar 27, 2019 at 5:43 pm #3585773I really like Sea to Summit’s UltraSil dry bags. They are available in a variety of sizes starting at 1 liter and up. The 4-liter size weighs 0.9 oz/26 grams. Their best use is for doing exactly what you’re doing, i.e. packing items inside something else. They won’t take a lot of abrasion or rough use outside of a pack or another bag.
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