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TIL most people are using their sleeping bag's stuff sack wrong
I was helping a friend pack up after a trip to the White Mountains last month, and I watched him really fight to cram his bag into its little stuff sack. He was sitting on it, using all his weight. That's when it hit me. I've seen so many people do that, thinking a tighter pack is better. But it's actually bad for the insulation (the fluffy part that keeps you warm). Squishing it down like that over and over can break the tiny fibers and make the bag not as warm over time. The better way is to just loosely stuff it into the bottom of your pack, letting it fill empty spaces. I learned this from a gear repair person at an outdoor store about two years ago, and my old 20-degree bag has held up way better since I stopped using the stuff sack for storage. Has anyone else switched to just stuffing their bag, and did you notice a difference?
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the_morgan16d ago
My old North Face bag from 2012 has been crammed into its sack after every single trip and it still works fine for three season stuff. I get the theory about the fibers, but I've never actually met someone whose bag died from being packed tight. Seems like one of those things that matters a lot more to the person trying to sell you a new one.
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