I revamped my clothing kit today...I loves the kits okay?

I put together a winter clothing kit and put everything into an Outdoor Research compression bag. Everything included could serve as a change of clothes if I needed to suddenly spend time outside or spare clothes in case the clothes I'm wearing get wet...and some extra yet for sleeping in to keep the other clothes dry. I've taken care to include clothing which is compatible enough so that if I needed to, I could wear almost all of it at once without strangling my limbs.

I got the idea of bundle wrapping clothes from www.onebag.com . I put my own little twist on it and began laying everything out in layers.



It's not really clear in the picture but under that pants shaped pile of clothes is a pair of nylon pants from the MEC which I've waterproofed with Nikwax. By making the pants the outside of the bundle, the clothes inside will be somewhat water resistant. I also considered putting the bundle into a garbage bag and putting that into the compression bag but ultimately decided against it as the bag could trap air and prevent full compression...or cause the bag to pop. It's not dunkable but for winter it's more than enough.

The left leg starting from top to bottom:

• MEC ultralight Wool long sleeve shirt and long underwear
• Wigwam wool socks
• Fox Sox heavy poly socks
• Wright Runners Socks
• Another pair of Runners Socks

The right leg from top to bottom:

• MEC Medium weight poly long johns
• MEC poly base layer t-shirt
• MEC poly loose fit t-shirt
• 2 pair poly wicking boxer briefs
  
  The compression bag can be seen to the left.
  
  I then rolled each leg up individually first, then the waist
  
  
  
  The bundle looks much bigger than the bag but the bag stretches out really well as you can see:
  
  
  
  The only thing left to do was pull in the compression straps. I got it down to about 12 inches long. With summer wear I'll be able to pull it down smaller because I won't have heavy socks or the extra long underwear.
  
  
  I'm sure some of you will think this is excessive but I'm a sweater and it's cold and I'm a huge fan of layered clothing so for me this is not overkill and worth the extra weight...it's not like I carry it around with me every day anyhow.
  
  One extra note. I didn't pack any of my insulated or rain gear in such a bag (or this bag) because I need to have it handy. In addition to the clothes here and the clothes on my person, I'd have a Goretex shell, Goretex pants, a fleece jacket (or two) and the obligatory gloves and toques.
  
  I've been considering adding vapour barrier booties since my feet perspire so much but proper booties are pricey so for now I'm going without...or tossing a couple of bread bags in and go old school.

Interesting concept. One question, could you put the clothes INSIDE of the legs of the waterproofed pants before you rolled it? Seems that might increase the waterproofness of the whole thing. Or maybe it wouldn't compress as well. Just a thought...

It would work and I think would be more water repellent.

I prefer having everything rolled because it's more organized. Even though I have to pull the whole roll out to get at something I always know where it will be. I haven't tested so I'm not sure which method would be more compressible. I imagine it would be a small difference if any...the compression bag squeezes pretty hard.

10-4...

Where did you get the poly boxers?

To be honest I don't remember. I bought them while I was in the US last. They're Jockey brand but I've never seen them anywhere else...and believe me I've looked.

The down side is, as you pointed out, you have to take everything out. That means everything is exposed to the elements. At the very least, I'd want a ground sheet.

Instead of the compression stuff sack, check out the Pneumo bags from Pacific Outdoor. They're a little on the pricey side, but in this type application I think they're worth the money

http://www.rei.com/OM/style/751095?cm_mmc=cse_froogle-_-datafeed-_-product-_-na&mr:trackingCode=EF3CE437-C2A5-DC11-BE2A-001422107090&mr:referralID=NA

They're a combination drysack/compression stuff sack, instead of using straps to minimize the size, it uses an air valve to remove all the air. They're durable, waterproof, quick to open, with no straps to catch on anything. They're much better than normal stuff sacks, without too much of a weight penalty

The weight of the OR compression sack is only 3.8 oz. Compared to the clothes inside this is a drop in the bucket. For winter I don't need a fully waterproof bag and would prefer something which breathes a bit. The summer might be a different story.

The air valve idea is interesting but the problem is that if the bag gets damaged, you have no compression at all.

It's true ironraven that it's a bummer to have to take everything out. In winter 'exposed to the elements' means snow and cold...not too worried about that. I could lay out all the clothes on the snow and repack them and they'd take on a minimum of moisture. If I did have to change clothes in the middle of nowhere I'd likely use my shell as a ground sheet since I'd have to take that off anyhow.