sleeping bag & rucksack sizes

[bigmul]

Hi all,

Having lurked here a while I've seen loads of posts on rucksack sizes, but after going out with my son for a night in the lakes a week or two ago, it seems that I might not be able to get away with a small sack......

I borrowed a friends Vango 70+10 bag and it seemed fairly full, but all I had in it was my sleeping bag inside bivi bag, my tarp, some shorts, pants, socks, waterproofs, food in tupperware box and 2 litres of water.

The sleeping bag (Snugpak 'the sleeping bag') in the Alpkit bivi bag seemed to take up loads of room - this was at the bottom of the bag so could be compressed by all the o0ther stuff on top. The tarp is a 3m x 3m Tatonka and isn't huge when packed. So how do you guys get away with such small packs? Woudl suign something like a Merlin 3 help loads?

Was going to get something liek a 45 litre bag so could use ot for multiple uses, but not sure I could get away with one now! Help!

 

[NatG]

in my 45 litre pack i can fit:

nanok 0degrees sleeping bag, british army issue bivi, tarp, change of clothes, wash kit, food for a night and morning and petrol stove , mug and bowl, knife, phone, book and sometimes a sit map attached to the outside.

the secret is brute forcew followed byt careful planning and packing- for example, the sleeping bag is tall but narrow, so if i put it in long ways, ie. looking down and seeing the end of the stuff sack then i can squidge the bivvy clothes and book down there, put the food and stove on top and then the tarp above that, which is a snug fit i'll admit. It does however mean that when i get somewhere i get my tarp out ffirst, pitch it, get a brew or some food going and then set up my bed- all in order

sometimes i'll sling the bivvy on the outside of the sack and add in an inflatable mattress.

 

[gregorach]

A down sleeping bag makes a big difference! I can get my Rab down bag (1-2 season) / bivy bag combo in an S10 respirator bag.

 

[bigmul]

A down sleeping bag makes a big difference! I can get my Rab down bag (1-2 season) / bivy bag combo in an S10 respirator bag.

That's pretty good going!

I've always used my sleeping bag inside a bivi bag as it's ready to get out and use, however now I'm thinking I might change. I know that there's the possibility of losing some space around a compressed bag, but maybe it's worth the overall space saving. I don't think that I'll be looking to buy a new bag this side of xmas so will need to do something!

 

[discoveringtheforest]

I love snugpaks softie sleeping bags.

I have both a Merlin 3 C 5 Low 0 and Osprey 12 C -10 Low -15.

I used the Osprey in both the himalayas In northern india from jan through to march this year and scottish highlands in winter. It was very comfortable but quite bulky and heavy at 2KG.
Also even in the cold of the mountains I found myself just sleeping in my winter baselayers at times.

Recent Bought a Merlin 3 Which is super light,small and for me, Idea for UK camping at most times of the year.
Ive used it a few times and although its not as thickly cushion and as comfortable it kept me very warm.(Slept close to the fire most times during use and used a thermarest )

I should also mention I use both bags in conjunction with the snug pak bivi.

I think its the only two bags I'll ever need.

Snugpak in my opinion are top of the class.

 

[decorum]

The sleeping bag (Snugpak 'the sleeping bag') in the Alpkit bivi bag seemed to take up loads of room - this was at the bottom of the bag so could be compressed by all the o0ther stuff on top.

Are you using a compression sack on the sleeping bag before putting it into the bivvi bag?

 

[bigmul]

No, not using a compression sack on my bag, just putting it in the bivi bag and then that at the bottom of the bag.

 

[Shewie]

Like decorum mentioned, you`ll need to get it compressed otherwise it will take up half your pack.

You should be able to get it down to about the size of a melon, depending on which snugpak you`ve got of course. Get it compressed first, drop it in your bivvi bag then roll it up nice and tight.


Rich

 

[Sniper]

An alternative might be to put it into a drysac and attach it to the outsid of the ruccy with straps or bungees. Before I got my big ruccy that's the way I did it.... also my tarp was attached outside therefore if I needed shelter in a hurry it was very quick to get to and quick to erect.

 

[bigmul]

I thought that it was best not to put it in a stuff sack as this causes 'lost space' - ie the space which you can't use around the 'hard' stuff sack. If you have heavy things on top of the un-stuffed bag then it should mould to the shampe of the bag - at least that's the theory!

 

[Pantalaimon]

After seeing the poll results about backpack sizes I was wondering about this myself. But then I thought that the basic gear were sleeping bag and mattress (plus tarp and food/water).
Last weekend I tried it without sleepinggear. Only an Eastpack schoolpack (24litres) with a poncho(as tarp), water, food, burner and billycan. It was cold. I improvised a bed but it just was cold. I knew that if someone's cold its easy to just lay somewhere and do nothing, but now I experienced it myself, and at one point I did get over that mental barrier and made a fire(and so improved my situation). I didn't slept really, but next time I build a shelter and see how warm that can be without a sleeping bag/mattress.
But you guys also don't carry a mattress with you?

 

[saddle_tramp]

Id have thought smart packing and side compression straps should sort out 'lost space'

I know that if i carried my sleeping bag uncompressed id be wasting far more space.

As for rucksack size, one option is adapt the closure straps of a larger rucksack, so that the top lid can be fastened further down the front of the pack. I got an old cyclops roc/crusader (the one with zip on pockets). The original clips are near the top, however the straps are sewn, then ran free down the front of the pack, then were sewn again at the bottom. By cutting the straps just below the top stitching, and attaching a 2nd pair of the female clips to the loose ends, a 80 litre pack can be reduced to a 50ish litre, without feeling like its empty and out of shape, but that extra space is there as and when you need it.

 

[Traper]

I take my tarp, sleeping bag, thermarest and bivy bag and roll it all together ( I call it a shelter roll) and I attach it on top or on the bottom of my rucksack.

That way I have fast and easy access to essential shelter kit and plenty of space in rucksack. 35ltr is more then enough.

 

[saddle_tramp]

I would have thought that those items are the very items that you least need fast and easy access to?

 

[Traper]

Why do you think so?
The point is that you do not have to unpack your rucksack to make complete shelter and you can pack everything being protected because the shelter is the last thing that you are packing.

Anyway that works for me fine- but I would like to know what do you think about it

Cheers ;-)

 

[discoveringtheforest]

If it works for you buddy thats good.
Personally I just keep everything inside and carry my axe and sigg bottle on the outside.

Each to there own

 

[saddle_tramp]

I guess to me, my shelter/sleeping bag would be unpacked at the end of the day so at a time when unpacking didnt matter. So the stuff id want easy access to, would be stuff i needed in the day, water, food, waterproofs etc

but i werent meaning to sound critical, we all differ in what suits us best

 

[scanker]

I'm interested in the point about attaching stuff to the outside. Do the people using 35 and 45 litre packs have loads of stuff on the outside of their pack?

I'm interested, because I've previously failed to get all my weekend kit in a 55L rucksack!

 

[Graham_S]

I use a compression dry bag.
It has a valve on it to let the air out so the sleeping bag (or in my case hammock/underblanket/quilt/mossie net) can be compressed but is still malleable enough to conform to the shape of the rucksack.
Clothing goes in a similar bag.
My tarp always goes in the lid pocket so it is easy to get at.
I can get it all in a sabre 45 with ease.
Food and cooking gear goes in the side pockets.

 

[Joonsy]

sleep bag in bivi is ok as long as you get rid of exceess air before packing, don't be tempted to get a sleep bag that is not up to the job especially in winter just because it's small, warm but big is better than small pack but cold, that said a 50-55 ish litre rucksack should be more than ample for one night with nothing attached outside, also total weight of pack is more important than total size of pack.