Originally Posted by
benashley
I'm in the market to start stocking up on touring supplies & looking for advice on some essentials I'm going to need...
As far as a tent I've had my eye's on the MSR tents.. there 'hoop' tent seems like it could be a good option for a bit extra room for not too much. weight seems to be fairly okay too...
http://www.mec.ca/AST/ShopMEC/Tents/...-hoop-tent.jsp
As far as a sleeping bag I'm still fairly open to whatever's going to be okay for mild summer/fall nights... nothing sub zero. but I'm a fairly tall (6"3) guy and need something that isn't going to make me feel like I'm trapped in a tomb. I've noticed a few of the mummy style sleeping bags have a zip on one side to open it up a little more. something like this would be nice...
I've been looking at the thermarest sleeping mat's, I want something fairly thick (5-8cms). weight here is something I can see being acceptable... nothing better than a soft place to lay your head after a long day in the saddle!
Stoves to me seem like there hit and miss... a lot of people say you cant go without them, & then others will tell you they thought that then it became more of a dead weight than a useful item. Can anyone share some light as to what they've found from their experience?
Also feel free to add anything you cant tour without! Even those little luxuries we could probably live without...
I can tell you what works well for me.
Bag - synthetic + whatever is comfortable.
Tent - Big Agnes Copper Spur UL1
http://www.rei.com/product/827912/bi...-spur-ul1-tent
I'm 6-4" and works for me.
Pad - 3/4 pad, but I agree with you, don't skimp here. A good nights sleep is worth whatever $$ investment it takes.
Stove - Trangia alcohol. Its not dead weight if you plan on using it...are you? It's more of a question of if you are or aren't going to cook. I like the Trangia's because they are super easy to use and don't sound like a F16 taking off, but to each their own.