Best Stuff Sacks of 2024

We don’t use compression sacks all that often since the most common use is for packing a sleeping bag or quilt, and we tend to use sleep systems that’re already very compact. But when we do use one, we prefer it to be waterproof. The eVac Compression Dry Bags from Sea to Summit are our favorites because the air-permeable fabric lets air escape from inside the sack while it’s closed, so you can make the bag as small as possible. The 70d material is also very durable, so contents remain safe from abrasion when crammed amongst other gear in a pack or set on the ground. These bags are a bit heavier than other options, like S2S’s Ultra-Sil Dry Compression Bags. But since you typically only need one compression sack in your backpack per trip, the added durability of the eVac sacks can be worth the weight.

We probably don’t need to tell you how great Ziplocs (quart / gallon) are for organizing and protecting things in your backpack, but we’ll do it anyway. Ziplocs are the best! This is the option we use most for repackaging food, holding trash, and isolating small items in our packs. They’re cheap, ultralight, basically water/odor proof, and they can be reused for many trips if treated with care. Of course, Ziplocs aren’t as tough as actual stuff sacks that’ll cost you many times more. But we may or may not have over a thousand miles on the Ziploc we keep our toilet paper in. If you want to increase durability a bit, you could always splurge on the Freezer (quart / gallon) weight.

We don’t like to mess around when it comes to our food, so we’re almost always willing to carry the extra weight of an Ursack Major for added peace of mind. These sacks are made from Spectra fabric, which is quite literally bulletproof. So they can handle just about anything you – or the local wildlife – throw at them. Ursacks are tested and approved by the same group that analyzes bear canisters (the International Grizzly Bear Agency), but it’s important to note that most national parks won’t accept an Ursack in place of a canister where they’re required. We think the Ursack Major is the perfect size for about five days of food, but you can bump up to the MajorXL (15L) or Major2XL (30L) if you’ll be out longer or tend to carry lots of bulky food, like freeze-dried meals.

A pack liner is an awesome tool that will keep the contents of your backpack dry and clean(ish). We used trash compactor bags for this task for many years before making the switch to Nylofume Pack Liners. We prefer Nylofume for several reasons – they’re more durable, they’re clear so you can see contents easily, and they’re super cheap. If you’re the type to throw most of your gear into your pack without a stuff sack, we highly recommend at least using a Nylofume liner to keep things contained and dry. And even if you’re a stuff-sack-for-everything kind of hiker, we still think the negligible weight of a pack liner is worth it for the added protection in downpours.

We love HMG’s Stuff Pods because they’re waterproof and perfectly backpack-shaped for easy organization. We usually only bring one at a time on backpacking trips – a small one for a warm weather sleeping bag/quilt or a large one for a cold weather sleep kit. Putting one of these puppies at the bottom of your backpack with a sleep sack inside creates the perfect soft base for all of your other gear to sit on and can help give your load more structure for a comfortable ride. While Stuff Pods are pricey, we think they’re well worth the cost since they’re so durable and versatile.

Hilltop Packs is a small cottage company that makes a ton of really cool stuff sacks, but we particularly love their food bags. These sacks have wide openings so you can easily see what’s inside, and the button closure can be more convenient than tying and untying an Ursack if knots aren’t your thing. But the best thing about the food bags is that you can get them custom printed with whatever image/color scheme you like. Custom printed bags are not only fun, they’re also especially handy for popular campsites where a lot of food sacks are stored in the same place (such as a bear box), since you’ll easily be able to pick yours out from the crowd.

The ZPacks Dry Bag Pillow does double-duty serving as a dry bag for your clothing during the day and a comfy pillow at night. This bag is a little more expensive than some others on the list, but when you figure in the cost of a separate pillow plus something to store your extra clothes in, we think it’s a pretty great deal. We’ve tried other stuff sack pillows, but we give Zpacks the nod for its low weight and top loading design. The Zpacks Dry Bag pillow comes in medium and medium-plus sizes – we prefer the medium-plus size because it’s a little wider.