Granite Gear eVent Sil Compression DrySack

Awesome waterproof compression drysack. Ultralight and shaped to pack better than ever.

Fighting to fit everything in my pack from day one, I came across these somehow. The rectangular shape helps fill the pack way easier then a bunch of cylinder shaped sacks could from my experience. I had a 25 degree Halo sleeping bag which took up the entire sleeping bag compartment in my Baltoro pack. After compressing down in this sack, it was less than half the size of the original stuff sack, and was basically the size of a six pack of cokes now. Awesome because I was now able to fit my air mattress and a fleece in the same area and still had space.

The fact that it's waterproof is key to me personally. A wet down sleeping bag is downright dangerous, and if conditions aren't warming up, your bag could be wet for days leaving you vulnerable in natures hands. I have two of these drysacks, one for my down bag, and one for my extra clothing layers because what good are your layers if they're wet?

Once I'm camping and packing up daily, I usually just roll the top down and snap the clip. No need to compress if you have the space. Make sure to roll the top 4 times or more to ensure the water stays out in case something were to happen. Even a leaky water bladder could put a damper on your trip if things aren't kept safe inside. 

At night I stuff all my extra layers into one of the sacks and use it as a pillow with my fleece wrapped around it for comfort. 

The only flaw it the little plastic toggles on the end of the compression straps. They are designed to look cool and be used as a grip, but I've pulled them right off many times. You can either pull the string instead of the toggle, or take them off and just tie a knot for gripping purposes. Not like you have to compress them down that tight though. Sometimes I barely compress them so the sack can be flattened out to fit better in different packs. 

Haven't tested it yet, but it's a dry bag.

I purchased this Granite Gear compression/dry sack along with my Big Agnes 30 (degree) sleeping bag at the same time. The personnel at the store helped me get the smallest one that would fit the bag, as compactness was my main concern. The size medium Granite Gear sack was the perfect fit for this sleeping bag, although mine says its 18 liters, as opposed to 16.

The first time out two of the little knobs came right off in my hand when I was compressing the bag. I put them in a safe place so I could fix it later. These knobs are on the ends of the compression strings, to get a better grip when pulling them tight. I was able to fix them at home easily, so it's not too big of a deal. I improved the design by melting the plastic strings on the end and mushrooming them, now they don't pull through.

The first couple of times putting the top on this thing can be a bit confusing, as the compression strings are attached to the bottom of the bag. It's kind of like a puzzle to put it on without crossing the strings. Sometimes I just let them cross and it is OK, but it is not too hard to do it right when you get the hang of it.

Stuffing a sleeping bag into a compression sack is a new experience for me, as I've used the same camping gear for many years and I have not been keeping up with the times. I was surprised when the sales person stuffed that big bag in there and compressed it down to a fraction of its size. I'm a big fan of this type of compression sack now that I know about it, plus this one is a dry bag as well.