Packpack packing

[Jim McMurtrie]

Getting ready for my April Camino and was wondering if using the plastic compression bags make any sense. Obviousely they will add soms weight but look as though they might reduce volume substantially. I'm certain that there are valuable opinions out there

 

[Former member 49149]

Hi Jim. I am not sure what compression bags you mean. I have some dry sacks, varying sizes and colours, supposedly to help me be organised. But then I forget what stuff is which sack... anyway, I sit on them to compress them before closing them. It works!

 

[Deleted member 67185]

Getting ready for my April Camino and was wondering if using the plastic compression bags make any sense. Obviousely they will add soms weight but look as though they might reduce volume substantially. I'm certain that there are valuable opinions out there

No, they really don't make sense. 1. they weigh a good deal more than a lightweight stuff sack. 2. they would quickly become a nuisance when you have to deal with them each time you want to retrieve something.

 

[kelleymac]

I like the compression sacks-- I use one for my down sleeping bag. But remember that they are a tad heavier than a simple stuff sack, will crush stuff, and everything weighs the same no matter how squashed. So it's easy to carry too much weight if you use compression sacks. However, they are handy to get everything into a carry-on sized pack for the airplane. -- I was surprised to see that the albergue in Roncevalles sold compression sacks. My guess is that people buy them at the beginning of their camino, and then realize stuff is heavy no matter how it's squashed down.

 

[blueskywa]

I use a simple stuff sack for my 400g down sleeping bag - compresses to a tiny bundle. Also one for change of clothes at night just to keep them together so I know where everything is...haha not that there's much in there! Buen Camino

 

[Iriebabel]

Hi Jim. I am not sure what compression bags you mean. I have some dry sacks, varying sizes and colours, supposedly to help me be organised. But then I forget what stuff is which sack... anyway, I sit on them to compress them before closing them. It works!

The Plan: I am using the light weight nylon drybags, (Walmart outdoor brand 3 diff sizes in a pack for those in the US) they almost weigh nothing and you can press the air out before sealing the bag will at the very least keep my clothes dry and organized ..shirts and bra in one socks and pants in the other. Small size used for toiletries can hang in the shower without getting wet. Also can use the small size to keep valuables with me and use as a shopping bag at the market. I use a sharpie to remind me what is in each bag . You know they say memory is the first thing to go ...mmm starting early at 50

 

[Anamiri]

Its weight that is key; my thinking is that squashed stuff weighs the same as un-squashed stuff

 

[naplesdon]

A few ziplock type bags aren't bad to keep your stuff dry or keep your wet stuff away from the dry stuff and they don't create the noise of the shopping bag "crinkle noise" early in the morning in the albergue.

 

[Anamiri]

Learnt to hate those shopping bags.....

 

[J F Gregory]

I use 3 small stuff sacks. And found that is all I need for packing. I use a trash compacter liner to line and waterproof everything.

 

[AlwynWellington]

everything weighs the same no matter how squashed

Not quite so @kelleymac as the air squeezed out reduces weight.

A simple experiment will show how much.

I tried them amd found the awkward rigid shape was unwieldy and getting stuff out and then squishing down again added a complexity on the road ai didn't want to cope with.

 

[RJM]

I try to carry so little that it does not need organizing. I figure if I am carrying so much stuff I have to inventory it and organize it in my pack, it is too much.
My sleep system is already in a stuff sack that came with it. My toiletries are in a kit. My poncho is in its own bag. I got a stuff sack with socks and underwear. Another with my extra pants/shorts and shirt. The stuff sacks are thin and light and cheap.
My pack towel is in its own bag.
Nothing weighs much different than anything else. I just drop it in and start walking. The only time I was ever concerned with pack organization was when I was in the army. Was really important then, but then again we would carry packs and gear on our backs weighing up to 50 kilos. A 5-8 kilo pack on the Camino is and should be quite light.
I carry a thick rubbish bin bag just slightly larger than the interior of the pack. If it looks like inclement weather, I line the interior of the pack with it, put everything inside and close it up. Everything stays dry. It is far more important to do that than be concerned with the outside of the pack staying dry. Backpacks dry fast. The stuff inside way harder to dry if it gets wet.

 

[Kanga]

I don't have to squash anything. Surprisingly, air weighs nothing. Well nothing that I can detect!

I do use lightweight dry-bags for a few simple separations, like @RJM.