so I did a search on the net and found alot of people stuff there tent instead of rolling it.

what do you guys do?is it bad for the tent to just stuff it in your pack or in a stuff sack?

Interesting. I did not know people stuffed their tents. I've heard of doing that with sleeping bags, but it has never worked well for me. I roll both. I'm used to it, and rolling gets the tent or bag as small as I need it to be. I am never in such a rush that I can't take a few minutes more to carefully roll my tent as tightly as possible. What are the other advantages to stuffing?

I just pruchased a Tarn 2 from MEC. The instructions specifically state that folding and rolling would better than stuffing. This is to keep the tent from developing creases and keeping it in generally good shape. Now I will fold and roll my tent, but with instructions like that, I assume stuffing of a tent must be an accepted way of packing a tent. I personally have never seen it done.

Gordie

Stuffing of both tents and sleeping bags is common when using compression sacks. By stuffing the tent into a compression sack and then compressing all the air out of the sack(some actually have an air bleed valve)the item can be reduced to a smaller size thus taking up less of the valuable space while tripping. Having said that I personaly roll my tent. Everyone has there own packing methods and we all develope systems that work for our own needs, who is to say whats right or wrong.

I stuff my tent if i'm packing up in the rain or if i'll be setting it back up by the end of the day. I've made it a point to always properly air it out at the end of a trip, and roll it for longterm storage.

sleeping bag i'll stuff. I can't see any packing advantage between rolling vs stuffing a down bag in a compression sack. for longterm use, i'll use the big "laundry bags" they sell down bags in.

I roll it, but I also fold it into thirds and include the groundsheet before rolling - that way it is ready to setup when laid out under a tarp and everything stays bone dry.

We stuff our tent. I was told that this prevents creases in the same spots that will eventually weaken the material and start leaks.

We have a NF Peregrine for 8 years now and still going strong.

I never roll a down bag. I always stuff it in it's carry bag or a compression bag. I do this because when you stuff a down sleeping bag it never gets packed the same way, thus maintaining the uniformity (is this a word?) of the down which is dispersed throughout the bag. If you roll it, the down gets packed the same way all the time and over time the down will eventually clump up. When you arrive back home, shake it out and let dry. If you have the room do not roll it up your down bag in a stuff/compression sack for storage. Fold in half and place in a large tupperware container-preferably with holes for ventilation-and store in a dry place

But I do fold and roll my tent to protect the screens and zippers, and the overall integrity of the tent.

Just my .02

Cheers

Edit: Forgot to include that i treat my tent like the down sleeping bag when storing it away for long periods. I place it loosely in a container.

Shawn

Oh ya, might be common knowledge to a lot of people, but MEC has a collection of articles about this kind of stuff. Different strokes for different folks, but it's nice to read advice from so-called knowledgeables

www.mec.ca

Just click on the 'Learn' tab and any subcategory on the left-hand side. Lots of info on sleeping materials.

Hey I stuff my tent .. Just started this year I like it way better and it works well instead of trying to fold and roll what a pain...

ya, I read over in OAC website a lot of people do that, I was surprised. I tried it ... i'll continue to fold and roll.

Joan

I fold and roll my tent, and stuff my sleeping bags.
I also have shelf space to lay out my sleeping bags horizontally.
Some people insist on hanging a bag, as being more correct.
Either way, I think it better to have your sleeping bag relaxed, then balled up for 6 to 8 months.
I'd do the same for my tent if I had space, but I don't, so it remains balled up...I also make certain it is dry, else it'll get moldy.





Mark Rubino
Mark's Algonquin Park Sampler - Blog
Mark's Algonquin Park Sampler

http://www.ABRweb.ca .. Algonquin Backcountry Recreationalists - Caring for Algonquin's Backcountry

We stuff sleeping bags to pack them and hang the sleeping bags to store them. No strong preference between hanging them and laying them, hanging just fits our available space better.

I still roll the tents. One reason is that I pack the poles and pegs with the tent. I've seen too many tents ripped by poles & pegs being stuffed in after the tent. Granted, that has usually been with group gear on group trips with a bunch of kids, but still I'd prefer to minimize that risk. I guess you could put the pole & pegs in the tent bag first and then stuff the tent, but maybe that would just switch the sequence so the rips happen when pulling the tent out of the bag. I also know that some folks pack poles and pegs separately, but I've never liked that idea. Once the tent is packed in more than 1 bundle, I've doubled the chances of losing something.


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