I was packing my sleeping bag wrong for a whole decade and a cold night in the Tetons proved it.

I always just stuffed my bag into its sack, thinking it was fine. On a trip last fall, the temp dropped to 20 degrees and my old bag felt thin and cold. My friend saw me pack up and said, 'You're killing the loft by cramming it in like that.' He showed me how to gently roll it instead. So, is careful rolling actually better for warmth, or is the stuff-sack method just faster and good enough?

3 comments

3 Comments

grayc2710d ago

Been there, done that. I used to stuff my old down bag for years and couldn't figure out why it got so flat. The rolling method is a pain, but it really does keep the insulation from getting crushed and losing its puff. That loft is everything when the temperature drops.

allen.ivan10d ago

My old Marmot down bag from 2012 is proof of this. I stuffed it into its sack after every trip for a solid five years. Honestly, by the end it looked more like a sad pancake than a sleeping bag. I finally switched to rolling it loosely and storing it in a big cotton bag in my closet. Tbh, it took a full season of hanging out like that to get most of its loft back. That crush on the insulation is no joke and it really does ruin the warmth.

troy83210d ago

Yeah, that's the thing I always wonder about. @grayc27 is right about rolling being a pain, but is it really worth it long term? Like, after you got the loft back in your Marmot, did it actually feel as warm as it used to? I mean, idk if the down fibers can ever fully bounce back from being crushed that long. Maybe it's just me but I'd be worried it's permanently damaged even if it looks puffy again.