Stuff or Roll ?

[sleeperman]

I hope this is`nt too trivial, but do you stuff your sleeping bag or do you roll it up, and does it depend on size or weight etc.? Does it compress better one way or the other ? I have`nt got a compression sack for mine yet so can`t experiment. so how do you like it , Stuffed or Rolled ?

[stotRE]

Rolled,tied up and on my shoulder like a swagman:D

[sleeperman]

JOLLY good, thats one to the rollers,,,

[stotRE]

Well i cannot put it into a stuff sack because i do not carry a bergan anymore.

I am making my own canvas haversack at the minute and stoddy is making me a canvas swag.

keeping it 'old skool' :p

[wildrover]

Stuff it (so to speak:D )
Then use the compression straps on the outside of the stuffsack to make it smaller.
Only don't store it compressed for any length of time. Once you have finished your trip roll it loosely and put it in the airing cupboard

[Karl5]

Definitely, definitely stuff it.
If you roll it, you tend to always roll/fold it the same way. That (with time) pushes the stuffing away from the folding/rolling creases and your sleeping bag will have a shorter life.
If you stuff it, you never "fold" the seeping bag at the same place twice.
Also, I find a stuffed sleepingbag to be easier to compress when in a compression-/stuffbag.

As for storinging it at home - Keep it in a big net bag or a large pillowcase to keep the sleepingbag uncompressed and aired.

/ Karl

[John Fenna]

IMHO - Stuff it - for all the reasons already given, but ditch the compression sack.
Using excess compression for extended periods can reduce the ability of the filling to loft propperly.
Use a canoe style dry bag, which gives your sleeping bag extra protection. If your bergan is too small unless you use a copression bag - get a bigger bergan!

[commandocal]

throw it at the bottom of my bergen it will get squashed down and compress itself

[scanker]

Stuff into a compression sack. Keep it in a big cotton bag when not in use.

[Nat]

Stuff into a compression sack, loosen it when not out

[Bootstrap Bob]

I roll mine but not on its own.
I was getting fed up with rolling the sleeping mat and bivvy bag seperately and then stuffing the sleeping bag into its own bag so I combined them all into one. Very time consuming and a pain if it's raining.

The sleeping bag and mat now live inside the bivvy when I'm out and about. All I do is remove the plug from the mat in the morning (make sure its at the open end of the bivvy) and then roll it all up together from the bottom and finish with two straps. Setting up is quicker too, just remove the straps and throw out the roll, the sleeping mat does the rest :)

Don't forget to seperate them all again when you get home for the reasons mentioned above.

[Dougster]

Definitely, definitely stuff it.
If you roll it, you tend to always roll/fold it the same way. That (with time) pushes the stuffing away from the folding/rolling creases and your sleeping bag will have a shorter life.
If you stuff it, you never "fold" the seeping bag at the same place twice.

As for storinging it at home - Keep it in a big net bag or a large pillowcase to keep the sleepingbag uncompressed and aired.

/ Karl

This is the advice from every manufacturer I dealt with when I sold em.

[Mikey P]

Stuff it.

Otherwise, they would be called 'Roll Sacks', wouldn't they? :D

Compress for being on the move; hang or store in large cotton bag when at home.

[EdS]

don't roll sleeping bags it damages the way the filing is laid. Stuff them for short term use, shake well on unstuffing.

Leave un rolled /stuffed for long term storage.

[Graham_S]

I use a dry bag with an air valve in it.
that means I can stuff it into my bag, and compress al the air out.
this leaves it compact, and yet malleable enough that there is no dead space in the bottom of the rucksack.

[sleeperman]

great advice people, I had left mine rolled up compressed & packed, woah. It is now chillin
out & breathing a bit better. So it`s Stuff aaaaand Relax from now on : ) BTW I was a thread virgin before this,, woo woo ye haa .

[RobertRogers]

I agree - stuff it. Rolling it makes creases in the same spots over and over again. This is likely to cause cold areas in the bag.

[Surrey Yeoman]

I roll mine but not on its own.
I was getting fed up with rolling the sleeping mat and bivvy bag seperately and then stuffing the sleeping bag into its own bag so I combined them all into one. Very time consuming and a pain if it's raining.

The sleeping bag and mat now live inside the bivvy when I'm out and about. All I do is remove the plug from the mat in the morning (make sure its at the open end of the bivvy) and then roll it all up together from the bottom and finish with two straps. Setting up is quicker too, just remove the straps and throw out the roll, the sleeping mat does the rest :)

Don't forget to seperate them all again when you get home for the reasons mentioned above.

I use Bootstrap Bob's "swag" method if I'm operating from a vehicle, but strip it all down seperately if I'm backpacking. Sleeping bag gets stuffed and compressed to save space in the bergen, bivy bag gets stuffed into a smallish stuff sack and thermarest gets folded in two lengthways and rolled tightly. Once rolled, I close the valve and it stays rolled.

Sleeping bag and thermarest get released and hung up / inflated at home and stored in a wardrobe.

[SimonM]

Definitely, definitely stuff it.
If you roll it, you tend to always roll/fold it the same way. That (with time) pushes the stuffing away from the folding/rolling creases and your sleeping bag will have a shorter life.
If you stuff it, you never "fold" the seeping bag at the same place twice.
Also, I find a stuffed sleepingbag to be easier to compress when in a compression-/stuffbag.

As for storinging it at home - Keep it in a big net bag or a large pillowcase to keep the sleepingbag uncompressed and aired.

/ Karl


I have run the Duke of Edinburgh's Award in schools for years, before that ACF and have seen so many good sleeping bags ruined (cold spots) because people roll them! :banghead:
DON'T roll them!

Simon

[Shewie]

I stuff it and compress with straps when out and about, then leave it unrolled on top of the wardrobe when I`m back.
I was always under the impression that to roll and especially fold any performance fabric repeatedly in the same way eventually causes weak spots, i.e tents/ goretex coats & trousers / bivvy bags etc.

I would have thought though, when your out for a bimble and your carrying your sack for a few hours, then it doesn`t matter how you pack it in your sack aslong as it gets treated correctly at home. Make sure it gets aired properly then either place it somewhere warm, dry and flat like a wardrobe top or hang it up somewhere.



Rich