I enjoy camping, and for better or worse, have owned a large sleeping bag for around ten years which offers a lot of versatility in the way of zipping and unzipping layers for various temperatures, a hood and more, but unfortunately, packing and unpacking it has been another matter entirely.

I've tried many bags, straps, and compression bags over the years, and with yet another camping excursion on the horizon, I thought I would again try to search out a a better storage solution, and after reading reviews, ended up purchasing the ALPS Mountaineering Compression Sleeping Bag Stuff Sack in Extra Large: XL, 12" x 25", XL Winter Sleeping Bags. On the plus side: it's better than what I was using previously, but not by much.

The set came with the compression sack itself as well as a small black mesh bag for storing the empty compression sack, which was handy. Probably the best aspect of this particular sack is how well it is made. The fabric is nylon ripstop and it held up to a lot of pushing, pulling, and abuse without giving way. The seams are also double-stitched with bar-tacked stress points, and one end has a handle with D-rings, while the other has a small zippered pocket and D-rings.

When you receive the sack, you'll notice that you have what basically looks like a regular compression sack that has been sewn into a flap attached to four cinch straps that end in another flap to cover the reverse end. In short order, what you're supposed to do is to stuff your sleeping bag in the inner compartment, cinch it closed, and then stretch the four cinch straps over the other end and tighten them to form a compressed sack. In practice, however, this did not go easily for me, which I completely blame on the fact that I have an absolutely ginormous sleeping bag. It took me almost 25 minutes of non-stop frustration to finally get the bag completely stuffed into the sack, but after that point, things went very smoothly and I was able to tighten it off without any problem.

The resulting pack was very nice and compact, and I liked that the actual sleeping bag itself felt fully-protected and portable.

All-in-all, even with the frustrations I experienced, I really can't fault the bag itself, and am actually planning to order a smaller version of the same bag to put my pillow and some of the attachments for my sleeping bag in, because I figure it's better using two bags to fit everything in than continuing to struggle each time I go to pack mine up all at once. ;) So as long as you have a more reasonably-sized sleeping bag, I would definitely highly recommend this sack. While my package didn't come with any sizing suggestions, here is what another reviewer said their had listed:

- Small, 7" x 16", Clothes, lightweight bag
- Medium, 9" x 20", Compact 20 Degree bag
- Large, 11" x 23", Most Mummy Bags
- XL, 12" x 25", XL Winter Sleeping Bags

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My first bag from this company, but I'm obviously familiar with the brand. Excellent quality, holds are Kelty double 20 degree sleeping bag perfectly.

I'm a novice backpacker on a budget, which means a lot of my gear is bulky and synthetic. It also means I'm always looking for cheaper, more durable gear. This compression sack addresses both problems!

I have a Suisse Sport Adventurer XL Sleeping Bag purchased right here on Amazon. Although it claims to be "ultralight" and packable, it's quite bulky, especially since I made the rookie mistake of ordering the extra long version when I didn't really need it. The compression sack that came with the bag is flimsy and doesn't compress very well - mostly the sleeping bag just squishes out the sides as you compress it. I've since learned that this is the case with almost all sleeping bags - the compression sacks they come with tend to be useless. With that in mind, I went looking for something more durable, with better compression. At only $15, this ALPS Mountaineering bag seemed worth a shot.

As you can probably tell from the many questions on this item, it's difficult to tell what size you'll need to fit your sleeping bag. I purchased the medium, which some reviewers claimed was huge and others said was too small. I found it was just right to fit the Suisse Sport Adventurer XL. With some extra shoving and swearing, I can also jam in my Twisted Root Flare Underquilt and compress both items together. These bulky synthetic items will always be bulky and synthetic, but the ALPS compression sack compresses them down to about the size of a basketball, which means they'll actually fit into my Kelty Moraine 3600 Pack . This is a huge improvement, as previously I could only compress my sleeping bag alone to about the size of a small beach ball.

As others have mentioned, the zippered pocket on the end of the sack is pretty much useless, especially once the sack is full. With some extra finagling I think I might be able to slide in my Friendly Swede Sleeping Bag Liner (you know, if I actually take the time to fold it up neatly instead of crumpling it into a ball!) or perhaps a small inflatable pillow, but I haven't tried this yet.

What I like most about this compression sack is that it feels very durable. The material is heavy and will not rip easily. The straps are sewn on very well, and I felt like I could put a lot of force on them without fear of tearing out the stitching. Yes, it's heavier than the silnylon compression sacks on the market, but it won't split open the first time you accidentally drag it over some rocks or drop it on a sharp branch. If you care more about how your gear performs than about how much it weighs, you'll appreciate this item. Plus, it's only half the price of most decent silnylon compression sacks.

Overall, I highly recommend this compression sack and will likely purchase another in the future!

Bought this for my sleeping bag because my sleeping bag sack sucked. This is a really good size for a sleeping bag and compresses everything really easily. Good quality, color was pretty close to what's on the photo. A good buy. Haven't tested to see if it is water resistant. Easy to use. Overall good buy.

I decided to get this for my Teton Tracker sleeping bag, which is quite bulky. This compression sack gets it a lot smaller than the one it came with, without straining as much, and seems very sturdy. Also, you can stuff it into the pocket on the end for convenient storage!