For those that bike-pack often, you'll know it's not weight but size that can prohibit what you take with you.
Sleeping bags are a classic "lightweight but massive" object - purely as they are mostly air.
Well, this evening as I was changing the winter duvet to the summer one, I wondered if the 'vacuum space bag' we keep the duvet/pillows/baby clothes in would 'work' on a sleeping bag too...
Sleeping bags are a classic "lightweight but massive" object - purely as they are mostly air.
Well, this evening as I was changing the winter duvet to the summer one, I wondered if the 'vacuum space bag' we keep the duvet/pillows/baby clothes in would 'work' on a sleeping bag too...
Step 1 - use a standard measure of size (in this case, Anchor chocolate squirty cream) for your 'before' shot..
Step 2 - Using a smallish 'space bag' (original - no photocopies here...), jam the sleeping bag into it...
Step 3 - using your knee/elbow etc, squeeze all the air out of the bag. As this is a small size bag, it doesn't have the vacuum port of the bigger bags;it just has a nifty 'one way' valve in the end of it.
Step 4 - put the shrink-wrapped sleeping bag back into its stuff sack, and pull the webbing tighter than you ever thought possible....!
As you can see, the sleeping bag now takes up about a third less space in the stuff sack. Really, as the space-bag is a flat shape, you could even squeeze the sleeping bag flat (rather than round) and stick in in a frame bag/backpack.
And also, because you've squeezed out all the air, it's about 150gm lighter too.
;-)
And also, because you've squeezed out all the air, it's about 150gm lighter too.
;-)