Touring - camping supplies

anyone have any reccomendations for sleeping bags/tents for touring? i need some small equipment but good enough for around 30 degrees F.

for a tent you cannont beat the Sierra Designs Clip Flashlight. It is super light, packs small, is easy to set up, and has fair amount of room for two people. The downside is that it is not free standing, therefore you need to be able to stake it down...tent platforms will be a pain. Good luck.

Yeah, I'll stand behind the Flashlight also. I've been in mine when others have collapsed
due to the wind. I've been comfortable in -10*F (had everything on I owned though, lol).
Once I chose the wrong site to set up and during the night, torrential rains came.
The tent floor was above my sleeping bag, my flip flops were awash in a lake in the
vestabule, but I sayed dry. Good tent! Packs small.

As far as bags are concerned Western Mountineering makes a great one! For what your looking for I think you would look at their Extreemlite Series. I do some winter camping here in Minnesota, and have been out in temps as low as -5 degrees and have stayed plenty warm sleeping only in underwear! (I own a Western Mountineering Bristocone, BEST bag I've ever owned).
A key item to also consider is your sleeping pad. Make sure it offers a high degree of thermal insulation. (The ground you lay on actually leaches the heat from your body!) Air matresses are not sufficient for this!

I would also recommend an extreemly long bag. This will allow you to stuff your clothing for the next day in the bottom of the bag. (Nice to climb into while your still warm before getting out of the bag!)



Here's the link.



http://www.westernmountaineering.com/thebags.htm



A second bag to consider is made by Feathered Friends:



http://www.featheredfriends.com/bags/bags.htm



I looked at offerings from both, and went W/Western Mountineering... ;)

Here's another link that offers product reviews:


http://www.outdoorreview.com/pscOutdoor,Equipment/Backpacking,Camping,Hiking/SCT_3676crx.aspx

yeah, i have the Clip CD Flashlight too and it's great. for solo touring there's plenty of room. for 2 it's a bit small unless you're with a significant other. last summer i camped next to the Danube in Bavaria one night and woke up in the middle of the night in a waterbed... i pushed on the tent floor and it had a funny rebound... i looked outside and it was all water... about 3-5 inches of water! almost none got inside and i jumped out and dragged the tent to high ground. my stuff that was outside was in a drybag, but not sealed as it was under the tarp, so some of my clothes got wet, but not my sleeping bag! it can be a little warm in hot climates b/c the ventilation is only so-so... although you can also set it up with only the tarp if it's really warm and there are not many bugs.

as for sleeping bag: i personally have a lightweight down bag from Mountain Equipment Coop(Cananda). it's great: relatively warm, super small and light --- of course being down you have to keep it dry so i stuff mine in a drybag stuffsack (from a Seattle company, forgot the name). it is quite comfy down to -5F or so...

Eureka Backcountry 2, or 1. Small and light. Also reasonably priced. I've been using them for 10 years. On my second one now. I ruined the first one trying to re-waterproof it with this crummy paint on crap. Stick to the spray when re-applying waterproofing.

Backpacking...Moss all the way. I believe they were purchased my MSR but still make the StardomeII. GREAT tent. Too heavy for biking though.

For a tent look for a 3 season 1 1/2 person tent for solo(provides gear room and should weigh 3-4lbs.) or true 2 person if for two people.The key question is do you prefer freestanding(heavier more poles but can be set up anywhere )or non-freestanding(lighter but must be staked down in dirt etc.).Sierra designs makes good staked tents and the clip mentioned previously is their 1 1/2 person model.The North Face make good freestanding tents though my model which I would recommend they no longer make.If you plan on summer use make sure it is well ventilated.For sleeping bags the key decision is down(lighter but more expensive and can't get wet)vs. synthetic(heavier but cheaper and more water resistent).Others have mentioned some good brands .For a synthetic you may want to consider The North Face Cats Meow for a reasonable priced 20-30 degree bag(it is a classic sort of like the Sierra designs Clip Flashlight tent) .

I have used a Marmot Nutshell (3 season) for several years now. It has been great and is light and packs small. It's also free standing, incase you are ever on bedrock or ground with a lot of roots. There are also several places from which to tie it down (which I have done several times!) in a storm.
I have had good luck with Sierra Designs sleeping bags. They pack very small and are extremely light. Like someone else said, buy one that is a little long. In the winter, you can put your water at the bottom of the bag to keep it from freezing or your clothes so they aren't as cold when you put them back on. Also, a bag rated around 30 degrees or so is usually still pretty light, and with polypro undies is warm down to 0 degs outside temp.

No one ever talks about hammocks. There light weight about 2lbs , pack small and a hell of a lot more comfortable. Some say there colder than a tent but I disagree , if it's colder than 40 degrees, I put a windshield reflector and lay on that and my body heat reflects off the windshield reflector , keeping me nice and toasty. I went on a 4 week tour and never had a problem finding trees , I can sleep over rocks, streams, rivers, side of a hill . Pepole with tents can do none of these. I was in three nights of downpours never got wet ,one night with 30 mile an hour winds . On the down side it can be a bit small and there's no where to put gear in the hammock but I just used rain covers for the panniers. Here 's a link http://www.hennessyhammock.com/
There's even a section that tells you what to do if there are no trees.

Yo, I was just about to mention the Hennessy...

But instead I'll just mention that for around $100-$120 you pick up a slumberjack 25 degree down sleeping bag. Check www.Campmor.com. The Slumberjack bags are filled with 650 loft goose down (above average insulation:weight) and weigh about 2.75 pounds. Can't beat that for 100 bones.

As for shelter, Sierra Designs tents are the bee's knees, but the solo tourer might be better served with a hammock.

Live and direct,
BK

Originally posted by llittle
No one ever talks about hammocks.

Interesting suggestion, thanks. You wouldn't need a pad for a hammock, either.

To the original poster, I might add too that there is a new generation of compact synthetic bags out now, with Polarguard. Small enough to stash in a pannier or on a front rack, and light. They're not too pricey for something other than the winter models.

Any of the light 1.5 - 2 man backpacker tents would be good. I like a 2-man version, as there is plenty of room for gear. You might think about price more than brand loyalty among tents from reputable manufacturers in this category. Rei-outlet.com is a good place to hunt for bargains.

Cheers.

Hey check out Kelty tents they dont need to be pegged down they have a tone of room and only weigh about 4.5 pounds. They are also compact. My girlfriend and I love ours and during one of our cycling trips we ran into a large guided tour and the tour company only used Kelty tents. The guids that we talked to said thet they loved them and had had no problems with quality.

This might be slightly off-subject but...

I just received the REI sale catalog last week and there were some swell deals. Of note:

-Marmot 3 season 2 person tent weighing 4+lbs on sale for about $180. No personal experience with it.
-Sierra Designs Omega CD 3-4 season convertible 2 person tent on sale for $209 (I own this tent and it makes me giddy with amazement. I can thoroughly vouch for its superior construction and ability to withstand strong gusty winds)

-footprints for both tents were also on sale. Not bad, eh?

Also interesting for the bike-camper: MSR's Pocket Rocket butane canister stove is on sale for $32. I have never used this stove, but I have had a fine experience with its big brother the Super Fly. MSR's Canister stoves are a great choice for international bike tourers because you can fly with the stove and pick up fuel easily at most destinations. The Pocket Rocket is the lightest and most compact canister design out there (although I prefer the Super Fly simply because I have trust issues).

Peace
BK

by the way, the sale ends October 14th.

Originally posted by Gavin
Hey check out Kelty tents...

I'll second Gavin's reccomendation. There are plenty of good tents out there, Kelty's are among them. I just got back from a week on the road sleeping two people in a Kelty V-3. The tent is reasonably light, intelligently designed, and of good quality for the price.

It is by far the simplest tent to pitch that I have ever come across: Two poles of equal length slide into continuous sleeves. A ball at the end of each pole seats in a blind pocket at one end of the sleeve. The other end secures into a grommet. The rain fly attaches with four plastic buckles. Ground cloths are available.

The 3-person tent sleeps two comfortably with some gear inside and the rest in the vestibules. Campmor has them on sale now. They're worth a look.

Oh ya! My Kelty Tent is the River Bend. For two people it was the #@$%^. Gavin

Well as usual I look for characteristics, not brand names. I have a several different types of tents over my touring years; usually Eureka dome types becuase they are cheap, self standing which means they can stand up even if you are on terrain where it is almost impossoble to peg down (either desert sand or hardscrabble rock/debris). I also like dome tents becuase you can pick them up and move them if you find you have camped in a lousy spot (or change your mind as a result of rain/sun).

When the the weather is lousy i do lash the tent down with bungie cords which give and take in the wind; far, far better than ropes or strings most people use.

roughstuff

Try Eastern Mountain Sports EMS. They saeem to have good stuff reasonable.
Joe
:beer: