Bug Out Bag Question

[peterbennett9]

For those of you who keep a Bug Out Bag, do you keep a sleeping bag in said bag?

And if so do you keep the sleeping bag compressed and inside the Bug Out Bag in a permanent state of readiness?

The reason i ask is that surely this would affect the sleeping bags thermal capabilities when its compressed for long periods?

Peter

 

[johnboy]

For those of you who keep a Bug Out Bag, do you keep a sleeping bag in said bag?

And if so do you keep the sleeping bag compressed and inside the Bug Out Bag in a permanent state of readiness?

The reason i ask is that surely this would affect the sleeping bags thermal capabilities when its compressed for long periods?

Peter

With Down bags I'd agree. Keeping one compressed for a long while does cause it to loose loft.

With a Synthetic bag I'm not so sure. I think it depends on the type of insulation fibre used.

Wiggy's for example offer a vacuum packing service for some of their bags inteded for survival kit use..

http://wiggys.com/moreinfo.cfm?Product_ID=10&CFID=285865&CFTOKEN=76399448

HTH

John

 

[peterbennett9]

Ah ic, so not all synthetic insulation is sensitive to long term compression? i have an mountain hardwear lamina 20 and the manufacturer recommends storing it in a lofting bag.

What about the army issue ones? any experience with those?

Peter

 

[johnboy]

What about the army issue ones? any experience with those?

No experience with 'long term' storage.

Why not drop the folk a CQC a polite email and ask them what they think??

http://www.cqc.co.uk/militarysleepingbag.asp

HTH

John

 

[peterbennett9]

thanks for the link, ive sent them an email, il let you know the response!

Peter

 

[Neumo]

Interesting, as I have a old 58 pattern bag that lives in the boot of my car when there is a hint of snow about & lives in the airing cupboard the rest of the year; always rolled up. Is that a good thing to do or should they ideally be stored not rolled up? I will have to look into this as I plan to get a decent bag this year. Yet another corner of bushcraft to look into....

 

[peterbennett9]

Well most manufacturers that iv come across recommend that sleeping bags be stored in a lofting bag or hung up un compressed when being stored for long periods, as long term compression damages the loft with in turn makes the bag less effective. However there are a number of different types of synthetic fill, i would imagine some are more resilient to this than others.

When you say rolled up is it just rolled up loosely or stuffed into a compression bag? I would think just rolling it up would not be as bad

 

[Scots_Charles_River]

I have and old synthetic one in the boot, we have had some 'winter' weaher up here.

Nick

 

[Laurentius]

I have a synthetic one in the back of my car too, just a summer lightweight really, but I have used it in sub zero temperatures before. I supplement it with a fleece liner also in the back of the car. I think it is best to stuff bags, not to roll them.

 

[johnboy]

Interesting, as I have a old 58 pattern bag that lives in the boot of my car when there is a hint of snow about & lives in the airing cupboard the rest of the year; always rolled up. Is that a good thing to do or should they ideally be stored not rolled up? I will have to look into this as I plan to get a decent bag this year. Yet another corner of bushcraft to look into....

I don't think It matters a whole heap for a 58 pattern bag.

For a start the fill is more feathers than high grade down. Also when it's rolled into it's cover it's not particularly tightly stuffed. Although it always seemed to be a mission to get it stowed away correctly on a wet and miserable Woodbury common.

The advice on down bags I think really pertains to bags with a decent grade of down filling that you can compress really well. If you leave em like this the down can suffer a bit of damage and the loft is reduced.

I store all of my sleeping bags regardless of fill type uncompressed in a spare wardrobe. I figure it helps to air them out and keep em in good nick.

If you wanted a bullet proof sleeping bag for long term storage. I'd look at a buffalo system bag. They use fibre pile as the insulation material. Good hard wearing kit and unaffected by longterm compression. They are quite bulky to pack though especially if you use the inner and outer.

HTH

John

 

[RAPPLEBY2000]

I agree buffalo bag is good, and fine wet or dry (BTW, never really mentioned but the Buffalo bag has arm holes so it can be worn a bit like a parka, if the foot end is held with a belt).

as for a BOB, if you are seeing it as a survival kit, to escape from disaster? if so you want the lightest thing so down would be best
(but as mentioned has its flaws and you're looking at carrying a bivibag too).

My opinion, rather than a sleeping bag, for the sake of space/weight, take things that have a double purpose like a blanket or just extra clothes. I quite like this idea.
http://www.combatreform.org/ECOTATSYSTEMS/ecotatwsbmp.htm

otherwise worst case scenario, you've escaped the erupting volcano, zombies, plague, civil war, etc and you're carrying a sleeping bag when perhaps sleeping should wait.
the lighter the BOB bag the faster/further you can travel.
The bag space would be better spent on food water, also if its a genuine life threatening situation, you might not get time or the inclination to sleep, by the time you are safe or far enough from said disaster you could easily find or improvise a comfy bed.

 

[hogstable]

Looks really interesting but quite expensive, freedom shelter looked good but pricey.

Lower tech and lower price seems to be poncho and poncho liner / lightweight sleeping bag.


There was a bug out story online and the person had a converted poncho liner for that reason.


Poncho liners were discussed here http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=28839


And modifying them

The conversion kit mentioned above was designed by "Ranger Rick", have a look at his website for details:

http://www.therangerdigest.com/

Brigade Quatermasters sell the kit, but it seems a bit pricey to get to the UK unless you have a mate in the US Forces ! Their link:

http://www.actiongear.com/cgi-bin/ta...am?rlk=8676584

 

[John Fenna]

The kit I keep in the Van (AKA "Son of Kammo Kampa") includes a tightly rolled pile fibre sleeping bag and although it is kept compressed and rarely sees use it has not suffered from being kept this way. I also have a used and repacked Blizzard bag in the Van for extra warmth and/or for any companions to use - this needs lofting before it gets its full potential going
In my permanently packed "TEOTWAWKI" bag I have a blanket - more versatile than a bag as it can be used as a cloak, sleeping kit, shelter etc etc ...if I have time I would/will grab my down bag as well. Wool blankets do not suffer if stored under compression.
In my "Run For The Hills" bag (a response bag type) I have a survival bag and a Space Blanket for versatility... without compression issues
In my canoe "Disaster Kit" I have a vacuum packed Blizzard Bag - see above.
At home I have 2 duvets and a teddy bear - and too much kit to mention!
I store all my synthetic wadding and down sleeping bags in big bags made from breathable material, loose on top of the wardrobe - compression over a long period will wreck either.

 

[RAPPLEBY2000]

Looks really interesting but quite expensive, freedom shelter looked good but pricey.

Lower tech and lower price seems to be poncho and poncho liner / lightweight sleeping bag.

Agreed, but not as warm...they are rated comfortable at around 20 degrees C designed for use in tropical areas, i.e. not great in winter.

There was a bug out story online and the person had a converted poncho liner for that reason.
Poncho liners were discussed here http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=28839


And modifying them

The conversion kit mentioned above was designed by "Ranger Rick", have a look at his website for details:

http://www.therangerdigest.com/

Brigade Quatermasters sell the kit, but it seems a bit pricey to get to the UK unless you have a mate in the US Forces ! Their link:

http://www.actiongear.com/cgi-bin/ta...am?rlk=8676584

yeah, I've done that, bouight all the stuff locally for much less!
it's a pretty good "just in case" and rolls up very small, but as I say not very warm unless you use 2-3 liners, but then you may as well use a sleeping bag.
the Newer one shown on the link is warmer!
I'm sure you can get warmer versions years ago someone produced a Thinsulate version (thin but warm) possibly Arktis?

 

[Exploriment]

I keep my “good” sleeping bags in Kifaru Stow-Aways, but keep a lesser quality quilt in a Kifaru Pod atop my B.O.B., quite loose, and will just cinch it down if I need to go.