Evac Dry Bag or Trash Bag??

[gostovp]

My local Sierra Trading post has some Sea to Summit Evac bags on sale (both 13L and 20L) and I'm wondering if that would be good to keep my sleep system in (bag and pad and maybe some extra clothes) while it's in my pack..

I'm wanting to basically put that stuff in some kind of bag to keep it dry, but then be able to stuff it in the bottom of my pack, and then pack the rest of the stuff on top of this and obviously have it compress down as a pack as I pack on top of it....

Does a nice heavier duty black trash bag accomplish the same thing that the Sea to Summit Evac bag would???

 

[Desk Jockey]

I have, use and like a couple of evac bags and their evac compression bags. They have held up well to moderate use and keep contents dry against rain. I have not tested them for submerging but otherwise no complaints. I think a decent contractor trash bag probably does the same job nearly as well.

If you are open to alternatives, I am a big fan of the Kifaru 5 string compression sacks. They compress on the “long access” so they give you a cigar or banana shaped object as opposed to a volley ball to pack around. I find that more to my liking. Not cheap, but very well made and my favorite compression solution. I actually tend to put my whole sleep system in mine - typically a bivy with pad and bag inside - squash it down and jam it into the bottom of my pack.