Unfortunately, no. Ever since Apple lowered the power of the port, attaching USB sticks to the iPad (via the Camera Connection Kit) is a crap shoot. You just have to keep trying some until you find one that works. I don't know if the size of the stick has anything to do with it, but I have not heard of people having too much success with larger memory ones.
Sorry, but that's how it's been since the beginning days of iOS 4.x.
Marilyn