How much to compress the sleeping bag?

Question

I'm not a newbie at outdoors at all but never paid much attention to this- I've got the straps on the sleeping bag pack for compressing the packed sleeping bag but previously I've never used that much; now I will have to though, so I'm wondering HOW MUCH can I compress the sack without like damaging the actual bag inside? I've managed to compress it to like really, REALLY small... but leaving it like that for a day...is it okay? I'm just wondering about the fabric etc? Cause after opening the pack the fabric looked quite crumpled..but I guess it's not biggie..... ?

Oh, and it's synthetic not down so.....? Wouldn't be a problem, right?

Answer 1

You should store you sleeping bag in a large breathable sack or hanging in a closet. And the more you compress it the sooner it will lose its loft and thus its insulating value. You're not damaging the nylon, you're compressing the insulation inside. My system is designed so that my sleeping bag fills nearly 1/2 of my entire backpack, and like that it would keep its loft for an entire 2000+ mile, 4-5 month PCT backpack from Mexico to Canada, or several years of regular weekend trips. If you want to buy a new one every year, by all means, compress away, but if you want it to last longer, go easy on it.

Answer 2

i compress mine like that and leave them like that even when im not camping i dont think it hurts them

Answer 3

You can leave a compression bag compress for a day no problem. I wouldn't push it much farther than a week though, if your not using it then just leave it expanded. If you don't, the insulation can start to permanently compress and won't keep you as warm.

Answer 4

One of my bags compresses down to the size of a 1qt Nalgene bottle (almost.) I have used it daily for months on end. Stuff it in the morning, open it up when I get to camp, repeat the next day, etc. etc. As long as you allow the bag to re-loft your bag should have a long life as long as you don't store it compressed and you keep it clean.

You can keep it stuffed for a few days if need be while travelling, but I wouldn't push it past a week or so at its fully compressed mode.