What Size For Compression Sack

[Jeff L]

Hello all, I have never used a compression sack but I am going to try one out, probably a sea to summit waterproof one. I have a 10 degree EE quilt/long/extra wide which I have been fitting into a size L sack that came with it which I understand is 14 liters. I have used it because I didn’t want to over compress the quilt but understand from EE compression is ok on a daily basis. I am trying to reduce volume to be able to use a smaller pack so I thought I would give it a go. Any recc on what size compression sack I should get that would fit my quilt that was previously fitting in the 14L uncompressed sack? Sorry if this is a stupid question but I don’t have any good sense about how much the quilt should compress and what size would be good. Thank you for your help!

[Matthew / BPL]

I cannot directly answer your question about what size to use for your quilt but I can offer some personal experience as well as the general thinking from many members here on BPL.

The problem with a compression sack is you end up with a rounded sausage shape which doesn’t fit well into your pack so you end up with some dead spaces in the corners that are hard to fill up. If you use a larger bag (typically a liner like a compactor bag, a nylofume bag, or something made from DCF) your quilt and other items can fit into the pack more efficiently. Then you lean on the bag liner when packing to compress things as well as using any compression on the backpack.

Some people here do use compression sacks but I think the majority use a larger liner. Packing cubes from HMG and some other vendors are popular choice too because of convenient organization and the fact they fill the relatively rectangular shape of most packs. I have no experience with this type of setup but I would be concerned about the zipper as being a possible leak point and would want a liner inside or outside of the cube.

I hope that helps. I’m sure you will get more answers here including a more direct answer about what size might fit your quilt.

[Terran Terran]

I can get a 20*LW EE quilt into a 13 liter  HMG Pod without much trouble. I half zip the Pod and stuff it in.  The zipper does leak at its end point, though inside a DCF pack, it tends to seal itself against the pack. The Pod compresses with the pack. Air goes out, but not back in. I believe the combination makes them pretty waterproof. The trash bag method is about $60 cheaper though I think the Pods are worth the money. I don’t believe that it harms the down, much, but it can cause thin spots. I always give the quilt a good shake to loft it up again.

[David D]

I’m allergic to down so use the EE apex quilt, owning both 20 and 30 degree types in wide.  The standard EE stuff sack for the 30 is too long to fit laterally in my Kakwa.  Like Matthew suggested, using no stuff sack but directly stuffing into a Nylofume bag works.

What works even better is to first stuff it into an oversized EE quilt bag, too large on the diameter. In my case I used the 20 deg sack for the 30 deg quilt.  This lets me precompress it in the larger EE bag without excess length because the oversized bag lets it expand a bit radially, then jam it into the Nylofume.  I find this lets me dictate the compressed shape better in the backpack to avoid lumps on my back and is quicker to pack.

I just got back from 5 day trip and I much preferred this over directly stuffing into the nylofume

I wrote EE and asked their opinion about stuffing into a pod smaller than their stuff sack and they recommended against it (this was for apex)

[Dan]

That sack sounds much larger than necessary. I’m pretty sure I pack my EE quilt in an 8L roll-top S2S bag. Fits perfectly sideways in the bottom of my pack. Mine is not long or extra-wide, so it’s a bit difficult to customize an answer to your particular situation. But I’ve packed multiple quilts and sleeping bags in that bag. I really like the ultra-sil nano bags, which are incredibly light, but they are obviously more delicate. As you mentioned, I only pack my quilt while hiking, you don’t want to leave it compressed longer than necessary.

[David D]

Kakwa is too narrow at the bottom and the standard large stuff bag that comes with the 30 deg is too long to fit

I own 8l and 15l ultrail bags which are great for some uses but this worked best

Nowadays only use the ultrasils as a food bag if there are rodent proof food lockers or if I know its going to be a wet and cold trip, to store my wet clothes in the tent so they don`t create too much condensation (dry clothes stay in the nylofume).

[Terran Terran]

I think stuffing and compressing can create voids in your insulation. Down is more self healing than synthetic as it’s not a continuous sheet. Sometimes with a little finessing, especially after washing. Work it around and shake it out. I’ve left down compressed for several days, shook it out and it was fine. Actually synthetic too.
Of the two methods of packing, I prefer compression to stuffing. It’s not as rough. It’s an even pressure. Using a 13L pod, I’d estimate that it compress’ about 30%. Maybe just over 8L.

[Jeff L]

Thank you everyone for all the information! It is very much appreciated.

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