Headed out next week. We have a german made vacuum pump and bags with one way ports. Are others using such to act as mini-dry bags?

Once opened how to pack the gear? Disposables and single use like TP and food work well, clothes need to be packed out.

butthead

Basically, using these as small dry bags. Yes - clothing will swell and stuff will be bigger, but hopefully dry when called upon. :)

Some of us use compression dry bags with eVent fabric bottoms. It lets us compress the clothes a fair bit and keep them dry but there is no pump. You might get more compression. Is it a manual pump that you can take with you to compress clothes during the trip?

I started out using a simple stuff sack lined with a suitably sized plastic bag saved from some online purchase. I just compressed the clothes and then rolled down the opening of the plastic bag before tying off the end of the sack.

For myself small bags became a burden that multiplies itself. I switched to just 4 pack bags from 18L to 11L, largest will hold my sleeping bag and Exped mattress plus sleeping clothes. One holds my tent/poles/stakes/footprint. Another changes of clothing. Last is campsite gear/cook gear. Why bother worrying about water intrusion when I use a full pack liner and the inner bags water proof?



butthead

We use standard dry bags and compression sacks for clothing and other stuff, you can squeeze them down pretty tight.

One suitcase packing tip I've applied to packing clothes is to roll each item tightly, rather than standard folding. Noticeably less bulk.

I bought three of the Sea to summit EVent compression sacks. One for my goose down sleeping bag, two for my clothes. Never have had wet gear in my unlined Duluth packs. Fill then with clothes and compress to at least half the size.

I was taught in my youth to use one and two gallon ziplocks for all my clothes. Still do it and it still works.

Tom

Another vote for Sea to Summit E-vent compression sacks. Keeps your stuff dry and compact. Better than a stuff sack with a plastic bag; if you seal a ziplock bag you can no longer compress it. The compression limits infiltration even if the stuff sack develops a leak.

tumblehome: "I was taught in my youth to use one and two gallon ziplocks for all my clothes. Still do it and it still works.


Tom"

+1. In addition to reducing bulk, I find it is easier to keep things sorted within my dry bags by packing similar things into ziplocks. It keeps me from needing to unpack and repack every time I get a pair of socks. And if something gets really dirty/wet I can segregate it from the rest of the stuff in the same dry bag.

Ziplocs tend to become a waste after each trip - they are not strong enough to withstand constant shuffling inside canoe pack and stay reliably waterproof. And it's a lot of unnecessary waste. On the other hand I use the same eVent-type bag for my clothing for 15 years. It looks like a huge ziploc bag, but strong enough that I can step on it to push air out.

butthead: "For myself small bags became a burden that multiplies itself. I switched to just 4 pack bags from 18L to 11L, largest will hold my sleeping bag and Exped mattress plus sleeping clothes. One holds my tent/poles/stakes/footprint. Another changes of clothing. Last is campsite gear/cook gear.

butthead"

Those look like very nice bags. Are they waterproof? Where did you get them

My first impression on reading this headline was a pair of underwear vacuum sealed in case of emergency. Of couse, the emergency requiring one to break the seal of a fresh pair of undies could only be imagined. ... that settles it... I am definitely getting out the food saver and vacuum packing a single pair of undies.

butthead: 4 pack bags from 18L to 11L,

As always, Butthead - your counsel is very helpful and appreciated!

To other poster - I won't bring the battery powered vacuum pump - too heavy and really not needed.

In general - I'm hoping to use opened bags to keep similar items together, and dirty or wet items from wetting others. These bags are quite sturdy, and I imagine using them on future trips - unless I get the great bags butthead showed in the photo, or the ones w/ the one-way vent others mentioned.

THANKS, everyone!!

Kestrel222: "

butthead: "For myself small bags became a burden that multiplies itself. I switched to just 4 pack bags from 18L to 11L, largest will hold my sleeping bag and Exped mattress plus sleeping clothes. One holds my tent/poles/stakes/footprint. Another changes of clothing. Last is campsite gear/cook gear.

butthead"

Those look like very nice bags. Are they waterproof? Where did you get them"

Granite Gear, they are no longer made but are water resistant with waterproof zippers. Simmilar round roll to bags, rectangular bags, and such are available in several styles and sizes.
CCS Zippered Stuff Sacks
GG Zipsack
My bags are 18L, two 13L, and a 12 L, and 4 bags fill my GG Nimbus Trace to the pack top but not the extendable collar.


butthead

butthead:

Gotta love those shoes! Should I ask, what is the soda bottle turned funnel for? Fuel?

chrisstratton: "

butthead:

Gotta love those shoes! Should I ask, what is the soda bottle turned funnel for? Fuel?"

MSR fuel pump protector.
One of many tricks of the trade I've learned from Butthead.

Shoes for camp, Cushe Slipper Shoes. The cut soda bottle is as Banksiana said a fuel pump protector so I keep the pump in the fuel bottle.

butthead

I use one and two-gallon zip lock bags for clothes. Sit on the clothes while closing the ziplock... looks vacuum-packed when done. Reuse the bags to be Environ-friendly.

Yeah, I definitely wouldn’t take a battery powered pump. Granite Gear also makes some nice eVent compression dry bags. We take one for each of our clothes and use some of their zipper stuff sacks inside them for organizing. You just need to leave the zippers slightly open to let air escape when compressing.

I think Cushe went out of business. Also look at Sanuk for very light compact shoes.

Nothing beats the Sea to Summit eVent dry compression sacks. I put all my clothes, under quilt, and top quilt in one XL bag. Compresses down very well and keeps everything dry.