Sleeping bag stuff sack?!

Hello, I recently bought a new sleeping bag, the Kelty Mistral -20 F for 90$ on REI Garage. The bag came with a large stuff sack, but I can fit the bag into a smaller one. The other one is quite compact compared to the one it came with, will this compress the down or something like that and possibly compromise the temp rating or comfort?

Here’s  the link to the bag

Teddy Bank wrote:

Here’s  the link to the bag

The sleeping bag you link to isn't down.

Down sleeping bags normally come with a storage sack and a stuff sack. Stuff sack is just for short-term use while travelling. Don't store them in one. Down likes to be fluffed up for storage. 

AndrewArroz wrote:

The sleeping bag you link to isn't down.

Down sleeping bags normally come with a storage sack and a stuff sack. Stuff sack is just for short-term use while travelling. Don't store them in one. Down likes to be fluffed up for storage. 

Seconded. 

Alternatively. You can usually fit your bag into a much smaller sack than the one it came with. You are pretty much limited to the size you can physically pack the bag in to.(for the stuff sack)

Storage sacks notwithstanding, the best way to store a sleeping bag is to hang it completely unrolled so it gets maximum air and fluff. Stuff sacks are only for when they're on your back.

It's a 5lb 5oz bag; I've carried heavier on long hikes--remember how even 15 years ago the lightest sleeping bags weighed that much? There's certainly lighter stuff out there but I don't think it's completely unreasonable weight for the warmth and price.

My understanding was that down is quite robust in terms of recovering from being compressed compared to synthetic fill, which makes your question a bit more pertinent.  You might not be saving as much space as you think by having a smaller more rigid ball of a sleeping bag in your pack.

-- Owner of insulated (edit: I mean synthetic) fill jackets and bags that don't loft up much anymore.

Briggs Lazalde wrote:

Insulated fill jacket and bags? You meaning synthetic or down? Saying Insulated fill is redundant

My mistake, I meant synthetic fill, not insulated fill.

Store the bag in the bigger sack so the loft does not compress when in storage.  When you are going to be using it, go ahead and cram it into the smallest sack you can find.  There are nice compression stuff sacks that make it easier to cram into and then you sinch up straps to get the bag as small as possible.

Matt Himmelstein wrote:

There are nice compression stuff sacks that make it easier to cram into and then you sinch up straps to get the bag as small as possible.

Yeah, I'm not sure if other manufacturers make something similar (haven't had a reason to buy hiking gear in a while) but Sea to Summit makes a sack like this.

Since sleeping bags can compress pretty small, I just put mine at the bottom (without a stuff sack) and then put all my other stuff on top. That way my gear compresses the bag and it becomes a more useful shape to fill in the holes than the cylindrical shape from a stuff sack (and wastes space inside the pack). I also line the inside of my pack with a waterproof bag or trash bag to protect it from getting wet.

I only use a stuff sack if I'm strapping my bag to the outside of my pack, and that's if I'm using a smaller day pack and want to take it overnight. 

Something to think about.

David Kerkeslager wrote:

Yeah, I'm not sure if other manufacturers make something similar (haven't had a reason to buy hiking gear in a while) but Sea to Summit makes a sack like this.

REI makes them also. I have a few and so far they are holding up pretty well to all the hell I put everything I own through 

Mark P. wrote:

Since sleeping bags can compress pretty small, I just put mine at the bottom (without a stuff sack) and then put all my other stuff on top. That way my gear compresses the bag and it becomes a more useful shape to fill in the holes than the cylindrical shape from a stuff sack (and wastes space inside the pack). I also line the inside of my pack with a waterproof bag or trash bag to protect it from getting wet.

I only use a stuff sack if I'm strapping my bag to the outside of my pack, and that's if I'm using a smaller day pack and want to take it overnight. 

Something to think about.

I do the same thing.  You don't really need a stuff sack, and in some cases, just shoving the bag at the bottom of the pack might free up some space. 

There are lots of companies that sell compression sacks.  Granite Gear and Sea to Summit are two of them.  

Hiking in the Sierras where bear containers are mandatory, I have found it easier to put the bear can at the bottom of the pack and then my bag in the main compartment.  The compression sack keeps it small and bundled, and then I put smaller squshy stuff around it.