Horizontal compression sack

[Buckman]

Anybody know of another company besides Kifaru that makes Waterproof horizontal compression sack? Saw a video and the guy said his was from Granite Gear but I checked their website and couldn't find it. Thanks guys.

 

[doverpack12]

Exped has one and I think there is at least one other besides Kifaru as well

 

[larryschwartz]

This will sound like a stupid question, but what besides turning it on its side makes it a horizontal compression sack? Can you show a picture of the bag you are talking about?

 

[colonel00]

I think he means that instead of a typical compression sack where the end is squeezed down, these sacks compress around the side.

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Now the better question is are these really waterproof? Waterproof material, sure, but I don't know that they are what I would call waterproof without a full waterproof closure.

 

[larryschwartz]

That makes sense. Tnx.

 

[Colby Jack]

I've seen the Granite Gear piece at REI. Nice piece of kit. Wanna say it was like $30. I don't think they market it as waterproof.

 

[chopchop]

You can make pretty much any stuff sack into a horizontal compression sack with some cordage and a few knots or cordloc/line loc buckles. This is especially easy to do with outdoor research tough sacks or any other kind of stuff sack with webbing channels already sewn on.

I imagine the kifaru versions are much more refined, and I'm sure they work very well. I haven't dropped the cash for one personally, so I guess I don't know what I'm missing!

 

[AK Troutbum]

So what are the benifits with horizontal compression bags? Is it simply just a different shape, long and skinny as opposed to shorter and fatter?

 

[doverpack12]

You could also use an Event dry sack from granite gear or sea to summit and let the weight of your gear do the compressing for you and this will allow the bag to take the shape of the pack and fill all the voids

 

[Vance in AK]

So what are the benifits with horizontal compression bags? Is it simply just a different shape, long and skinny as opposed to shorter and fatter?

kifaru argues that it is a more efficient shape space wise. The standard compression sack creates a ball shape that is hard to pack around. Picture a box of basketballs. Lots of air space.
The roll shapes fit together better with less wasted space.

 

[colonel00]

Yeah, I don't know if I buy all of that since my regular stuff sacks usually look more like cylinders. And, cylinders still have curves that waste space. Now, one thing I can see as a benefit lies in the fact that they constrict the circumference. Thus, you could have a larger opening and diameter of the sack which would make it easier to load. Whereas a regular compression sack has a fixed diameter and opening and just constricts the length.

 

[Aron Snyder]

Yeah, I don't know if I buy all of that since my regular stuff sacks usually look more like cylinders. And, cylinders still have curves that waste space. Now, one thing I can see as a benefit lies in the fact that they constrict the circumference. Thus, you could have a larger opening and diameter of the sack which would make it easier to load. Whereas a regular compression sack has a fixed diameter and opening and just constricts the length.

If they look like a cylinder, then its not compressed very much.

When they are compressed, they end up looking like a ball.

If you take 5 basketballs and stick them in a pack and then take the same mass the basketball gives you, but make it a cylinder.....you'll have more room left in the pack then you would with the balls.

 

[colonel00]

Perhaps, but I also think it has a lot to do with what you are stuffing and the compress-ability of it. It also has to do with the size of the compression sack chosen for the job too. For instance, here is a 10* Rev X quilt in a Sea to Summit dry sack that is a size small. This is about as small as I could get it and that is also because I was stuffing and compressing as I put the quilt in instead of just having the compression of the bag do the work. I chose to do this because I wanted to keep it around this size. Sure, I could have used a bag a size larger and it would have been more of a ball due to the increased diameter. Larger still and it would flatten down to a pancake or until the compression straps bottomed out.

 

[dotman]

All I know is I like my 5 & 3 string turd sacks. They compress way down and make life easier when packing. I have a woobie in a 3 string and slick in 5 string. Used the same kind of sack Brad posted one year and wasn't excited about it. Now I still don't know why I compress it all way down on the hike in as I have plenty of extra room to just shove it all in a dry sack but when compressed the 5 string fits very nice in the bottom of my bag.

 

[colonel00]

Very good point. I am just a sissy at times when it comes to a down bag/quilt. I just like the piece of mind knowing that the bag or quilt is in a waterproof container even if that is again going in another waterproof bag.

Two years ago on our caribou hunt, as we were rafting out it started to rain. For whatever reason, one of my buddies didn't have his rain jacket on so we pulled over so he could fish it out of a dry bag. In his haste, he didn't get the bag closed properly and a bunch of stuff got wet. My sleeping bag was in there but in its own compression dry sack so it was bone dry. Sure, it was avoidable and a lesson in a lot of different things but if there is one thing I will take extra effort to keep dry, it is my bag/quilt.

 

[Vance in AK]

I know my Wiggys bag compresses pretty small in it's factory stuff sack, but it does look like an oversize cantaloupe.
I want to hive the Kifaru a try at some point.

 

[eltaco]

I wonder, will a down bag fit in the small 5-string kifaru pretty easily? Ive been looking at these for a while, and after weighing all of my gear last week realize there's a couple of ounces to save for me... while likely making my bag more packable.

 

[Buckman]

The reason that I asked this question was as some of you figured out. I am not happy with the shape of my waterproof comp. sack. Its a sea to summit e vent sack and it ends up a big ball. My sleeping bag is big. 0 degree down marmot couloir. It does just fit in a med. stuff sack buy the seams are splitting . I think a horizontal sack would at least be able to get strapped to the bottom of my T-1.

 

[Backpack Hunter]

I'm not a fan of strapping my sleeping bag to the outside of my pack. Having said that I think in addition to Kifaru, Coleman has a horizontal compression sack. Never used it so can't say anything about it.

 

[Nick Muche]

A waterproof horizontal compression sack would be the cat's meow.