[at-l] Down Sleeping bags.

[jmayer@rochester.rr.com (Jim Mayer)]

Here's a recipe that works really well.  I got it from a Cliff Jacobson
book.

Ingredients:

  One sleeping bag.
  One plastic bag.
  Two nylon stuff sacks, one slightly larger than the other.

First, stuff the sleeping bag into the smaller of the two stuff sacks. 
Place the first stuff sack (with sleeping bag) into the plastic bag, and
then put both into the second stuff sack.

The idea is keep the plastic bag from being stretched or abraded.  A
plastic bag outside of the stuff sack will probably tear in short order
because of abrasion.  Similarly, a plastic bag inside a stuff sack will
get stretched during the stuffing process and break.  With the two stuff
sacks, the plastic bag is neither stretched nor subject to abrasion, and
even a thin plastic bag will last a long time.

I actually use this technique when winter camping, since the
consequences of a seriously wet bag can be quite severe, and the
Adirondacks are notorious for huge temperature swings.

During the summer I don't usually bother.  I generally just use a seam
sealed silicon nylon stuff sack.  Between that and the trash compactor
(or contractor's) bag that I use as a pack liner I've never had any
problem, though I haven't seen a lot of drenching rain recently either.

Take care.

-- Jim

On Thu, 2002-04-04 at 16:29, Patti wrote:
> Now, this is the most ridiculous question I have for today, but I don't
> understand how to get the down sleeping bag into a stuff sack that is lined
> with a Hefty.  I'm not kidding.  I have been trying to do that for 20 years.
> I think that is the most difficult operation!  What am I doing wrong?  Is my
> stuff sack too small?  I end up getting fed up and putting the bag and stuff
> sack into the Hefty bag and then stuffing it into my pack.
> 
> Patti
> 
> "Make it sweet...every single day."