Best back packs?

Far as I know you should not keep any sleeping bag stored in a compressed state...down or synthetic.
 
Any of yall know if you keep down compacted if it loses its "Fluff?"
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Yep, over time, down will lose its loft (loft is the "technical" term for the latent puffiness of outdoor gear :rolleyes: :cool: ) if it's stored in a compressed state for an extended period. However, if you are simply storing it day-to-day and using it every night or every-other night, it will be fine. If the item will be sitting in a closet for weeks or months, though, you definitely don't want to store it in a compacted state. The same goes for synthetic insulators, too.
 
I'd be thinking more airlines than anything...

Is it true you can squeeze a sleeping bag down to something the size of a melon? My cheapie never gets smaller than a 1 foot od dount thats the width of half the bag! :eek:

Marvels of smartness, maybe my fold it in half long ways and roll it up as tight as you can is the wrong way to go about it. :D
 
Yep, it is true that you can get a sleeping bag to roll that small - if it's made to roll that small! :D Down will compact to nearly nothing and nylon and other types of synthetic outer materials that are used can shrink up pretty well, too. It's no surprise that your cheapie bag can't roll that small; odds are, it has a bulky, synthetic fill and a thick shell material. The bags that roll really small have materials that can do so.
As for compressing a sleeping bag for air travel, loss of loft wouldn't be a problem.
I think the most important thing for a sleeping bag, at least, one that will see regular use, is to buy quality and take care of it (wash safely, as needed; don't set it on fire :eek: :p , etc).
 
yea i have seen someon with a sleeping bag that is a bit bigger than a football. dont ask me how it got that way, casue i dont now
 
I've been real happy with the Kelty Moraine. It comes in a 3300 ci and a 3600ci. It's a top loader, but has plenty of external pockets. It was big enough to use as my winter pack, carrying extra student stuff and comm gear, but not too big to scale it down for this summer.
 
Just got a Camelbak Talon and I love it! I can't believe how much gear it holds since it is so much smaller than my Gregory Palisade. The design is awesome! It is very rugged, and has lots of attachmet points for extra gear. It's classified as a top loader, but the way it opens allows greater access to the main compartment than my Gregory. It is very comfortable to wear. I look forward to getting out in the field with it. With the included 3 litre reservoir, this pack meets all my needs. I highly recommend it, especially when you can get one brand new off of ebay for $110. :eek: :D

Soup

Also, don't quote me on this, but i'm pretty sure this pack would work for carry on when flying! I haven't flown in a while and can't remember the exact specs for carry on, but i know i have had bags this size that were never a problem in the past.
 
I got one of the Talon's when they first came out. I love it except for the lack of a waist belt. It made carrying a PRC-113 radio cumbersome. I wound up getting that Kelty Moraine to replace it and now the wife uses it as her carry-on bag for her monthly cross-country flights. She says it works great for carry-on purposes.
 
Thanks guys!

Tell me more about this sleeping bag the size of a football...

Whats the opinion, water bladder inside or just bring some bottles/canteens?
 
i will try and gather some info on the footballs.

i would get a camel and a nalgene. the camels are good for hiking and the nalgenes are good just to have a bottle. or any other water bottle.
 
they are called mummy bags and they are not the only company that makes them. i have one from slumber jack and i like it alot in the chilly wheather. they are nice and warm. and most of them have a draw-string at the top so you can kinda close it up so it does not let the warmth out. if you look for them you will probobly find alot.
 
Sleeping bags that compress to “the size of a football” are going to be high fill down (not synthetic). Also, unless you are looking to go +$200, they are going to be rated not too much less than about 30*. I have a marmot that is 800 fill down that compresses to the size of a football, but was not cheap (in other words, snugpack and wiggy’s are not the only ones making the stuff).

As far as packs, I also have THE pack, and do not find it to be too useful for long hauls. It is a tough pack, but tough = heavy and the suspension is not set up for too much comfort IMHO. I recently picked up an osprey aether 60, and besides the gay color (black and yellow---but can be had in green/black), I love it. it is a 60 liter pack (don’t know the cubic inches), which is much bigger than THE pack, but is probably half or a third the weight of THE pack. If you are fixing to do any serious backpack/living out of the thing, you should really look hard at something w/ good waist belts to save your back/shoulders, hense I would strongly recommend against THE pack. I searched for quite a while, reading a lot and trying on a ton of packs before I settled on the aether. Not saying it is the end-all, but I am convinced that for me, it is the best bag for the money. As said before, the straight-jacket (also heard it called “burrito-wrap”) compression system is the best I’ve seen for flexibility as far as going maxed out capacity to converting it to a very minimalist day pack, and not have all your crap sink to the bottom ala “rocks in a sock.” Also, the main bag fabric used is not as bullet proof as the 1000d courdura on THE pack, but it is not nearly as flimsy feeling (to me) as the stuff used by the ultralight bags. Just seems to be a real good balance of all the aspects (that I think) make a good pack. But as said before, not all bodies are the same so what works for me may suck for you…they can be found at that REI store everyone keeps talking about (and because I didn’t see it mentioned, anything you buy at rei can be returned AFTER you use it. if you think the thing sucks for any reason, take it back for 100% cash back).
 
don't know if anyone mentioned i, get the swedish ruck with the steel tubular frame, from cheaper than dirt, modify, take the frame and leather straps off and put LBE suspenders on, that;s what i did, got the idea from a site, type in google, the swedish rucksack revisited. i did mine a little differently.

Also the swiss rucksacks look ok, i have the water proof one. u could always make one too, that isn't hard, haven;t done it yet, u could use seat belt straps some canvas, or a synthetic stuff sack.
 
A little OT but Snugpak makes a sleeping bag that packs down to nothing (Jungle Bag) and is rated to as low as 2C or comfort at 7C. They seem to have a pretty good rep too.
 
do you need anything else like:

knives
flashlights
clothes
gps
footwear
cooking
tents


the other stuff like that?
 
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