A caution on compression stuff sacks

Compression stuff sacks seem like a great way to mash all that bulky down and fiberfill clothing and sleeping bags into a smaller pack . . . but use some care.  They can cause permanent loss of loft in a sleeping bag, especially synthetic filled bags.  Besides, compression stuff sacks are heavy and expensive.  Try to limit use of compression stuff sacks to fleece and Gore-Tex that won’t be damaged when munched.  Try to avoid sitting on the bag inside your pack at rest stops.  That comfy seat at the rest break may be at the expense of losing some of the loft of your bag.

The Seattle company Feathered Friends comments on compression stuff sacks (from an email to the Mazamas): 

“Compression stuffsacks do indeed cause accelerated crushing of the down plumes.  However, occasional use of a compression stuffsack, say during airline travel or overnight packing, should not noticeably effect the loft of the bag, especially in the higher power down bags (750+ to 800+) and especially during the first few years of owning a new bag. Keep in mind that the smaller and longer you stuff a sleeping bag the harder it is on the down. Also keep in mind that down can only handle a finite number of compression cycles, the higher quality the down, the more compression cycles it can handle. Therefore a down bag can handle a fewer number of compression bag cycles, as compared to regular stuffsack cycles, since the compression in a compression stuffsack is higher. (By the way high quality down can resist about 400% more compression cycles as compared to the best synthetic fills available.)

A neat trick is to use a compression stuffsack as a regular stuffsack and then only crank it down rock solid when you encounter limited space for limited time periods. After your trip, always store your bag dry and lofted, either hanging in a closet, under the bed (beware of cat pee), or in the cotton storage bag which should be provided with a new bag.”