Tent, Sleeping Pads And Bags - Store In Bags Or Open?

[DayTrip]

I've been reacquiring gear for over night hiking again after I discovered my tent was wrecked and I was wondering if there are pros or cons to hanging these items loose versus keeping them in the stuff bags. My new Big Agnes sleeping pad specifically says to store "open". Does that mean fully unrolled and hanging, loosely folded over a chair, etc? And if that makes sense for sleeping pads I'd expect sleeping bags and tents would be no different.

Curious what everyone is doing with their gear to maximize life and minimize damage and any ideas or contraptions you've come up with to manage the space requirements.

 

[nartreb]

Items with thick down insulation, like sleeping bags and down jackets, should be stored as UNcompressed as possible (until you're packing them for your trip). I keep my down jacket on a hanger, and my various down sleeping bags loosely rumpled inside large bags (if one didn't come with your sleeping bag, use a laundry bag).

Foam insulation is similar - leave it as uncompressed as you have space for. (If your pad is designed with an accordion fold, folding it won't do any harm. For other pads, rolling is better than folding.)

Keep it crumpled up tight enough long enough, and it may lose its ability to fully expand to its original fluffiness. In other words, it won't keep you as warm.

For items made of cloth or sheeting, like tents and tarps, fold loosely to avoid sharp creases when you fold them. Try not to stomp on any folds, and don't store the folded cloth under a weight. Sharp creases weaken any material, including both the structure of the tent and any waterproofing layer. (You can see this by folding a piece of paper back and forth along the same crease a few times. It will become much easier to tear, in fact it may tear off as you fold it.)

 

[TomD]

I think Nartreb has it mostly covered. Couple more things -- synthetic bags should also be kept uncompressed for long periods of storage. Different material, but same effect-long term compression crushes the batts and eventually the bag will lose a significant amount of loft (personal experience-TNF Cat's Meow kept far too long in the stuff sack). Things like bivy sacks and tents that are coated urethane should be stored open and dry as well. Over time, urethane degrades; while unavoidable, keeping things in a cool, dry place will help them last longer (also personal experience-Goretex bivy sack with urethane bottom turned into a sticky mess over time).

 

[1SlowHiker]

I keep my sleeping bag loose in a large garbage bag when i'm not hiking with it.

 

[JCarter]

For sleeping bags, most of mine came with big mesh bags for storage. I have a couple of cotton bags like these for the others. I would be concerned that a non-breathable storage bag might have problems with moisture, but on the other hand, the MAIN thing is I make sure all the tents/bags/pads are completely dry before being packed away. Tents are always rolled, not folded (or folded the minimum number of times). And they're all stored in a climate-controlled space (not an attic/garage/basement that has wild temp & humidity swings). The last bit is really important.