I have seen a couple of references to folks leaving their sleeping bag loose in the bottom of their pack.I have always put it in a stuff sack and never even really thought about it.I guess that the next time I go out I will have to try it. I am not sure whether it would take up more or less room loose. In a stuff sack it certainly is a lump in the bottom and other items do not settle around it.

The rules have certainly changed since I started with this and so have I. My first trip was an overnight with about 45 pounds and the sleeping bag strapped to the bottom of the pack.