REI Co-op  Lightweight Compression Stuff Sack

I bought this for my "REI Polar Pod +25° Long" sleeping bag. It lets me smush the bag down to about ½ the size of the original stuff sack that came with the bag. I've read the reviews of folks who've ripped their compression sacks, but so far mine's holding up!

I own numerous REI compression sacks and use them for everything, from compressing down: my Simms wadders, to my sleeping bag, tent body & rainfly, & extra clothing. The secret to using these bags is: to be gentile, pack items appropriately (ie: wrap sharp, jagged objects inside clothing) and compress the bag slowly - DON'T yank down on the straps too hard or too fast, this will sure cause the bag to tear. *Like alot of UL gear on the market, these bags are made from silnylon, which can tear easy. So, extra caution & care are necessary for the REI Compression Stuff Sacks; just like other UL gear!

Well, I stopped by REI to pick this up on my way to go camping and once at the park continued on to stuff my sleeping bag in it. The first half of my bag went in well enough, but when I gripped the top to stuff it in, it just gave way. The top cinch closure ripped about a third of the way around. I had a previous version of this bag that developed a tear on the top flap. While they have reinforced this area on the current revision, it seems another weakness wasn't fixed.

I bought two of these compression sacks. The first one tore the first night I used it on a bicycle backpacking trip. It ripped at the top horizontal seam of the bag. The second one faired a little better, as at the end of our week long trip it was still in one piece but barely. The nylon threads were visibly strained and stretched to the point where you could see through the bag at the same spot where my first bag tore. I would guess that the days of the second bag are numbered. I expected better durability than bag #1 tearing on night #1 and the other bag hanging by several threads by the end of week #1.

I recommend staying away from these (REI) compression bags. First off, I have a synthetic mummy bag and REI recommended the 16 liter bag. Not even close to being big enough. The 21 liter bag was better, but could be bigger. The material used to manufacture the compression bag is just too thin. Paper thin. It may help in reducing weight, but I feel, every time I stuff my mummy bag into it, my fingers may bust right through the material in the process. It hasn't happened yet, but I'm expecting it. And after only a month of use, the seams on two of the compression straps are already coming apart. It's a poor design, straight up. I wouldn't recommend this to my worst enemy.

Looks really nice, but the quality of these compression sacks is poor. The bag I purchase lasted for only 10 uses? I have had compression sacks last 20 years with heavy use, I know that this fabric is ultralight, but it should be able to last at least 5 years, with occasional use.

my husband managed to tear the top seam less than 5 minutes after opening the package. REI products are typically more durable than this stuff sack.

This gear does an excellent job of compression. I can squeeze my MSR Hubba 1 person tent with fly into a 9 inch X 6 inch space. The sack is easy to load and the 4 compression straps are substantial. The straps are quite easy to tighten and apply equal compression. There is a pull handle on one end that makes it easy to extract the contents of the sack. A nylon cap on each end contains the contents quite nicely. Using the compression sack frees up a lot of space in my pack for other items. I plan on using it on all my camping trips.

I got this compression sack to pack my 2 person tent. Originally I had been using a 15 L stuff sack, but it took up way to much space in my backpack... Needless to say, I was able to reduce the size by less than half with this compression sack. I got the 16 L which works like you would expect it to. I read a review that it was heavy. I greatly disagree. It is very lightweight. Also, the material is very thin and appears to be well stitched. I didn't expect it to be waterproof, which it is not. If you are looking for something waterproof, look for another sack… For packing my tent, it's perfect!

I have read about lots of people having this bag tear.. I haven't yet run into that problem and I have been using it for about a year.. I use it for my tent or sleeping bag. I could see why it might tear, it does feel a bit weak, but again I haven't had that problem yet.. Also, it sometimes gets a bit tangled and can be a little annoying.