Is it ok to stuff a tent in a compression sack?
I was just wondering if anyone uses a compression sack to stuff their tent into or does it need to be neatly folded and put in the stuff sack the tent came with.
No need for a compression sack for your tent and no need to fold the tent neatly. Just stuff the tent into the stuff sack that the tent comes in.
igne et ferrum est potentas
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The tent is not compressible in the sense of clothing or a sleeping bag, no loft. There is air spaces, but the gain is not going to be as much, but I don't think you will harm it.
As for folding vs scrunching it, IT depends on how the tent packs, some will just lend itself to one way or another (cuban fiber will typically be a scrunch). I've heard at least one manufacture recommend scrunching it, as folding it could weakening the materials on the fold lines
I just stuff mine in my pack. Once you realize that your pack is one big stuff sack, you'll stop thinking about ever using a compression sack again.
Agree...why I use a trash compactor bag...no need for bunch of separate stuff sacks...works for me w my ula circuit..however I do use tent stuff sack it came with to keep inside pack clean and dry.Originally Posted by Ktaadn
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Depends on the tent I guess. Some have metal buckles and what knots. One of my tents BA copper spur Ul1 has a built in strut sewn into the beak vent, it almost goes noticed looking like a extra heavy ply of webbing. If you were to cinch this thing in a compression sack, you'd likely at some point find some damage, as it could poke holes.
I compress my REI quarter dome (since replaced with a Tarp Tent "notch"). I compress it with the rain fly and foot print. A compression bag will reduce the size much more than you can do by yourself stuffing into a normal sack. Although you do wind up with a 'bowling ball'.
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a second thought...
Compressing a sleeping bag, not such a big deal. Sure, you could pop some stitching or damage internal baffles, and that would suck, but it would still keep you warm. But a tent is designed structural for good reason (to protect you from the elements) compressing could also damage zippers, or loosen stitching causing seams to fail and leak, or just out right give way in a gale.
I laughed at your bowling ball reference. I compress my REI Dash 2 and it definitely bowling ball-esque. I may stop doing it after reading some of the concerns about weakening the fabric/seam lines.
A tent, or any material, under compression is...under compression, not in tension, not sure how it would put pressure on seams. Same with harder items like a zipper or a 'vent stay', the pressure against a tent side would be minimal at best, compared to 'hand stuffing'. We're talking about a compression stuff sack, not a concrete core compressor.
With a compression sack, you're only achieving an inch or two anyway.
I will say that over the years, I've watch the seams on the compression bag itself start to stretch a bit, definitely under tension. The nysilk or whatever Tarp Tents are made of, fold so (looking for word) completely, there's no or negligible air space, so I've never even thought about needed compression.
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I recently switched to a compression sack for my tent, it did reduce the size of the package considerably. I currently use a two person tent . went on three day trip in the fall and so no negative effect on the tent
This is not really true as you are neglecting bending. The smaller a bending radius the greater the tension on the outside of the bend.
As a note, I was always taught to stuff your tent and not to neatly fold it because the repetitive folding of a tent creates creases that may increase the chances of a hole or rip in the future.
Nor I, and I get what your sayin' (that's a real brain teaser)...no engineer here. In a perfect world with all things being equal, I get the theory. But with a tent stuffed, twisted, shoved and cinched, I'm think some areas of tension must exist somewhere in that little universe of compression.
Think how quickly a folded map breaks down at the corners and at the folds. Tension, whatever.
It is not good.
Every tent I have had specifically recommended stuffing, and, not rolling or folding because it tends to be the same places that get rolled or folded.
The recommendation always was don't over compress it. Not by stuffing either.
No matter what, don't do it.
Tents are surface tension structures.
Don't damage the surface or the fabric supporting the surface.
Take care of your tent.
Keep it clean. Only use specifically recommended products.
For years, all that was on the "hang tag" with the new tent.
Now, I guess the tent mfg's figure everyone knows. Not so.
I always kept my tent in it's own stuff sack outside my pack.
Next, I got away from tents about the time big mesh pockets appeared. I stuff my tarp in the big mesh outside pocket on my backpack.
I try to keep the wet side exposed to the air. Then, someone in this forum recommended a ShamWow. That just about removes all the dampness. I shake off excess water, then, I wipe it down with the ShamWow, then, the tarp almost always still gets stuffed in the outer mesh pocket of my backpack.
I use a backpack bag liner because I perspire thru the back of my backpack.
The mesh back backpack designs help. One day, I will have a backpack that has a mesh back.
For now, my solid formed plastic "foam-type" back panels help. Either way, I still use a liner in my backpack.
I don't have an individual bag inside the backpack for each item I do have for each category: food, dry clothing, misc. I keep the stove entirely away from my backpack. The fumes can delaminate backpack packcloth. I have no idea what stove fuel can do to cuben. Stove fuel is murder on Gortex products.
Last edited by Connie; 01-09-2015 at 11:56.
I'm thinking of putting the tent body and the tent fly in separate stuff sacks
+1 just stuff it, no need for any kind of sacks.
I like a bag for my tent....it's often wet...(I stuff not fold)
Yep.. Perfect.
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I use an oversized silnylon sack, only to keep the inside of my pack dry, if the tarp is wet, and to keep the the bugnet and tsrp together. The tarp and connected bugnet is kind of haphazardly folded and stuffed loosely into the sack. Any compression on it is from the comptression straps on my pack. If it's wet and the sun is out, during a break, I'll take it out and spread it to dry.
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