I started with a silnylon dry sack for hanging my food on the AT. It was a vivid pink/purple color and was easy to spot and tell apart.
I bought the same color and brand replacement bag for my 2020 start on the Appalachian Trail. I think it was our second night, camped out and it rained. My food was soaked.
The brand was no longer waterproof.
So I switched to a LightAF bag made of Dyneema. As long as I was an early adopter it was great.
Just the right size. Waterproof. I bought one for Happy6 too.
But.
After a while the light blue/light green sacks became ubiquitous. Which made it hard to tell which was which.
So we got Ecopak sacks from Hilltop.
And
The problem is that the Ecopak delaminates. Hilltop will replace at no charge but …. So I got the Piñata custom from them in Dyneema for Happy6 and a dark blue for myself. I was happy to pay for those.
I used the LiteAF as a clothes bag and a pillow so it wasn’t a waste. 4-5 thousand miles later I had left the inflatable pillow in a hiker box and finally wore that sack out in 2024.
So this year I’ve added the Zpacks clothes sack (zipper, Dyneema with a soft pillow case side on one side) and a Mountain Laurel Designs flat bottom sack for food. The dark blue sack may end up in the gear box.
I’ve also updated my bear hang cable with https://www.lawsonequipment.com/products/ultraglide-bear-line. May well end up just using my old rock sack & line from my LiteAF (light as a feather) kit but ?♂️.
We expect to mostly use our bear canisters going south from “the Bob” but will have food sacks for New Mexico portions we haven’t done.
Notes:
- I see most brands as pretty much the same these days. Shop price and availability.
- Hilltop custom bags are worth the extra cost to get a custom design for use on the AT and PCT in order to spot your food sack.
- Dyneema is worth it for reliable waterproofing and longer lasting sacks.
- Ecopak is fine if you aren’t thru-hiking but really doesn’t work for long term / over a hundred nights use.
- A spare food bag with clothes in it (or my base layer if I’m sleeping in my clothes) makes a good pillow. I’m hoping the Zpacks one works well. That was an impulse purchase.