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I am starting over completely from scratch! I used to have a Golite Jam pack, a tarptent from Henry Shires, WM bag, I have to do this more budget friendly now. I want a 20 deg. bag and a new mat. any help would be appreciated! Sorry if this is to much of an opened ended question, and I will be do most of my trips in AZ where I live. Thanks!!
Slo-go'en
10-27-2017, 19:46
Do a search for 20 degree sleeping bags and narrow down the selection to those in your price range and pick one. That's what I did and ended up with a REI branded down bag as my best weight vs cost break point.
It would help if we knew which TarpTent and Western Mountaineering bag you are replacing. I’m assuming that you want an insulated mat to get full benefit from the 20 degree bag?
Wayne
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DownEaster
10-27-2017, 22:03
If you're shopping for a 20° bag, one reasonably-priced sleeping mat compatible with that choice is the Klymit Insulated Static V Lite (https://www.massdrop.com/buy/klymit-insulated-static-v-lite).
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The "Static V" design lets the insulation in the bag below you expand into the spaces between the "V"s, whereas on a flat mat that insulation would be compressed into uselessness.
But that's just one suggestion. You might do OK with a blue closed cell foam roll (https://www.walmart.com/ip/Ozark-Trial-Camping-Pad-Blue/16783660?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&adid=22222222227010668902&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=94350392777&wl4=pla-211570912817&wl5=9031937&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=online&wl12=16783660&wl13=&veh=sem), which is a lot cheaper.
JoeVogel
11-03-2017, 15:56
If you really want to keep your costs down these off brand sleeping bags (http://amzn.to/2zipi5G) on amazon are actually pretty good.
If you don't need something super soft the therm-a-rest Z lite Sol (http://amzn.to/2zixi6D) is what I was using for a really long time. has plenty of insulating power and doubt as a seat! and its only $45
Those kept me warm through plenty of cold PNW nights. I did a lot of camping in central Oregon which is pretty similar to AZ climate.
JoeVogel
11-03-2017, 15:57
If you really want to keep your costs down these off brand sleeping bags (http://amzn.to/2zipi5G) on amazon are actually pretty good.
If you don't need something super soft the therm-a-rest Z lite Sol (http://amzn.to/2zixi6D) is what I was using for a really long time. has plenty of insulating power and doubt as a seat! and its only $45
Those kept me warm through plenty of cold PNW nights. I did a lot of camping in central Oregon which is pretty similar to AZ climate.
*Doubles as a seat :|
Another Kevin
11-05-2017, 09:24
Wow, twice in two days that someone's asking about going ultracheap.
As usual, I really like this gear list (http://blog.gossamergear.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Ultracheap_Henley.pdf) (plus a trowel, dammit!) as a starting point. Everything on it will work. I personally go considerably heavier and more expensive, but as it says over <----there, I'm clueless.
The very first stuff that I'd upgrade off that list are, as you correctly note, the tent and the sleeping bag.
Sleeping bag: The REI Radiant, the Kelty Cosmic, and the EMS Mountain Light have been around for a long time. They all fill the role of "generic 20-degree down bag for less than a fortune." I still use a Radiant that I got some years ago. My daughter uses her Mountain Light. Mags uses his Cosmic. They're good enough in that none of us thinks that spending for better is worth the money; if any of us suddenly came into money, we might leap to Western Mountaineering or something, but these bags surely have seen hard service and still keep us warm at night. (EMS has theirs on sale for $174 this weekend, by the way!)
Tent: Have you considered a tarp and a bug bivy? I'd really miss my Notch if I didn't have it, but sometimes if the bugs aren't too bad, I'll bring a silnylon tarp instead. You can find them for about $50 if you look, or get a benchtop thread injector[1] at Goodwill and a few yards of silnylon and make one yourself.
And keep poking around the thrift stores. You can sometimes find good-as-new gear from people who tried hiking and didn't like it.
[1] Also called a 'sewing machine', but we're guys. We don't sew, we make gear. :)