shelter and backpack suggestions

[soco7tyx7]

i've been on the lookout for a shelter to ease on weight and have been looking at a few. i've been looking at either the MSR Twin Peaks or Trekker Tarp and the GoLight Cave 1. i was wondering if anyone could provide me with some insight as to if these are good investments. i'm also open to any other suggestions about shelters or possible ultralight tents that arent too expensive.

when it comes to backpacks, i'm not too concerned with weight unless of course its extremely heavy. i'm in the market for an internal cuz i've been using external frames for my past trips and want to try something new. i'm not looking to spend too much and found the Mountainsmith Circuit very appealing. if anyone knows if this pack would be a good investment or has any other suggestions i'm open. thanx!

[lumberzac]

I've been using a sil-nylon tarp and an emergency bivy as a ground cloth on almost all my trips this year. The total weight of the setup with stakes is under 2lbs.

As far as pack goes, I’ve been happy with my Golite Race pack for the past few years, but it is now starting to come apart (it doesn’t hold up well to hiking through thick mountain spruce)

[redhawk]

Tarps are the best bet for absolute minimum weight, but if you're like me you like a little more protection and especially bug netting.

Most of the "name" brands are usually technically sound and waterproof.

Myself, I have always preferred Sierra designs for quality and design, but Fvrwlds MSR is a nice tent.

There is also the bivy's which are light weight and give bug protection and can also be used as a sleeping bag cover in a tent or lean to in extremely cold weather to increase the warmth factor.

Sacco uses a tarp most all the time, but he's a couple of cold cuts short of a sandwich!

[sacco]

as hawk said - i'm a tarper. silnylon.

staying dry is the most important thing to me.

personally i think tents are overated.

if they hold in heat, they'll hold in moisture. sorry, condensation is a fact of life.

i also don't like a full floor. any moisture will stay inside the tent and will puddle up.

i prefer the nice porus adirondack earth around me to absorb and disipate the small amounts of water that will (not can, but will) condense on the walls.

i know many other people feel differently, which is o.k. by me.

my name's sacco and i approved this message.

[Neil]

I've been using a sil-nylon tarp and an emergency bivy as a ground cloth on almost all my trips this year. The total weight of the setup with stakes is under 2lbs.

As far as pack goes, I’ve been happy with my Golite Race pack for the past few years, but it is now starting to come apart (it doesn’t hold up well to hiking through thick mountain spruce)

Do you have pics of your set-up or links to www sites? When I first started out in the Dacks I thought I would just use LT's. Did a 3 day trip in July with a sub 30 lb pack. Only carried an old tent fly. Later, after a full LT/ wet snowy night I bought a 7 pound (ugh) tent. I'd love to see what the alternatives are. And Sacco's right esp. if winter tenting.

[sacco]

i'm hitting the catskills next weekend. i'm gonna try and get a partner to take some pics for me of my setup, with my new down quiltbag.

[ken999]

Here's a tarp option.

http://www.kifaru.net/paratarp.htm

I have the 8-man tipi found elsewhere on the site and have to echo Sacco's comments on floorless camping...there's nothing like it!

Check out the backpacks on the Kifaru site also (both hunting and military), you might find something suitible. The owner of Kifaru is the previuos owner of Mountainsmith, so he knows a thing or two about packs. I have two of his hunting packs (Spikecamp and Longhunter Rondevous) and am impressed with the amount of weight I can pack comfortably with each. The suspension/frames are great and the overall bag construction is top notch as all of the Kifaru gear is handmade in Colorado.

Good luck...

[soco7tyx7]

what exactly is silnylon cuz when i hear tarp, i think polyethelyn and i hate that stuff. i'm not really partial to netting or ground clothes so i'm open for about anything and am definitely interested in floorless camping but just havent had the right gear to try it out. also what do you use to hold up the tarp/shelter cuz i'm not crazy about carrying trekking poles or paying for them. do sticks work good for substitutions if they're straight? let me know!

[redhawk]

SILNYLON = SILicone Impregnated NYLON

[soco7tyx7]

well thanx everyone for your input. if anyone has any more suggestions, send them my way!!

[soco7tyx7]

sacco, when you use a tarp, do you bivy it up in summer months in the dacks or just sleep on your pad?

[fvrwld]

I really love my MSR Zoid 2. I usually leave the tent part home and just use the footprint/fly option which is 2lbs 13oz. The Zoid 2 is the 2-man version and is pretty roomy for me and my dog and will fit another person. I never have a problem with condensation when I just use the footprint and fly and rarely have a problem when I use the tent. There is also the Zoid 1.5, the Zoid 1 and the Microzoid. The Micrzoid footprint/fly option weighs 1lb10oz. The footprimt has to be purchased seperately but Gear Headz currently has a special where you can get the foot print for free. Their website (www.4gearheadz.com) is currently under construction. The Phone # is 1-866-749-3730. Mostly anything lighter requires that you use trekpoles. I would imagine you could use sticks but would probably have to carry something to put a sharp point on the sticks. You could also maybe string a rope between two trees, drape the tarp over that and stake it down. I like the Etowah Outfitters 8'x10' 130 oz ultra light tarp.

[lumberzac]

Do you have pics of your set-up or links to www sites? When I first started out in the Dacks I thought I would just use LT's. Did a 3 day trip in July with a sub 30 lb pack. Only carried an old tent fly. Later, after a full LT/ wet snowy night I bought a 7 pound (ugh) tent. I'd love to see what the alternatives are. And Sacco's right esp. if winter tenting.

Sorry I don't have any good pictures of my setup. This website has a bunch of different setups. http://www.equipped.com/tarp-shelters.htm

I generaly use an A-Frame setup except I like to rase the edges of the tarp up off of the ground for better ventilation. After trying a few different setups, I found this to be the easiest and fastest.

This is the bivy I use.

http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?memberId=12500226&productId=99840

I normaly just lay my sleeping bag on top of it. At some point I'd like to get this http://www.rei.com/online/store/Prod...cat=REI_SEARCH for bug season.

[sacco]

i use a silnylon tarp (home made - sometimes you can find the stuff in the dollar bin at walmarts. )

i like to to just find two trees between 7 to 20 feet apart and A-frame between them. sometimes, especially if there's little chance of rain, i'll tie it up lean-to style for more vertical space.
but i agree with zac on the A-frame being the overall best and easiest method.

i use a Z-lite short (which doubles as my backpack frame) http://www.thermarest.com/product_de...x?pID=43&cID=1

and a thermarest pro-lite 4 short

http://www.thermarest.com/product_detail.aspx?pID=41&cID=1

during the summer i just use a fleece liner bag.

during the winter had a 0* bag, but now i'm going to my home made down quilt-bag, with a silk liner.

http://www.adkforum.com/showthread.php?t=1014&page=1&pp=10

i don't have a bivy.

[Rick]

'Zac,
Is that thermolite bivy mad eof the same stuff as emergency space blankets? Is it like a cloth or more like a mylar/foil-like subtstance?

Sacco - when you find sylnylon, how so you finished the edges? Do yo normally fold the material over and just run a stitch once or twice?

Also, do you sew on nylon tabs or punch through with brass grommets (Or use the reamovable nylon gommets?

Thanks