View Full Version : New to Gear Buying
I am new to backpacking in general, though have been camping countless times before. I am having trouble sorting through all of the gear brands though, so I am requesting some help.
What is a good, light one-person tent; and how much should I be expecting to spend on a tent?
What are some good backpack companies to look for?
Good single-person, stove recommendations?
Thanks a whole lot.
lazy river road
08-31-2009, 13:51
Im new to this whole thing backpacking thing too. Been camping for years but now im ready to take the next step and challenge my self. I bought the MSR Wisper Light international with a 32oz fuel canister. Most would probally say that the stove is to heavy and fuel bottle to big but that was one thing I did not want to run out of on the trail. I am also looking for backpack (which will be my next purchase) and me and my girl friend bought the Marmot Aeros 3p. It cost about $300 and weights a little of over six pounds. Split up between the two of us and it was worth the xtra weight for me to carry for the convience of sleeping room. Looking forward to reading other posts and learning my self....good luck out their smith and hope to see you on the trail
This is what I have and am very happy with it:
http://www.sierratradingpost.com/Product.aspx?baseno=29879&plp=Sierra_Designs_Lightning_Tent_-_%282-Person_3-Season%29&utm_source=GoogleBase&utm_medium=PaidShopping&utm_term=Sierra_Designs_Lightning_Tent_-_%282-Person_3-Season%29&utm_campaign=PCGOOGLEBASE9&codesProcessed=true
It is a discontinued model (why so cheap) but won several awards during it's heyday. I prefer a two-person tent for solo hiking to fit me and all my gear in it comfortably and to have room to sit up / move around during an all day rain or zero day.
Backpacks: Osprey, Gregory, ULA, Gossamer Gear, SixMoonsDesigns, Granite Gear.
Stoves: Lots to choose from. Highly personal. Pros and cons with all of them. I like the Jetboil (today, might change tomorrow! :) )
Snowleopard
08-31-2009, 18:55
Check out the articles! Go to the top of the page and click on Forum, then go to the forums "Articles" and "Released Articles"
Particularly good articles are:
the "What to carry" articles by Sgt Rock: http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=14688
Stoves, article by Mags: http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=20055
Cheap gear by SGT Rock: http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=15329
Hold off on buying lots of expensive stuff. Use as much of the stuff you already own while you're starting out. You will want to go a lightweight as possible, which means taking fewer things as much as it means buying hyper expensive lightweight gear.
Stoves: Will you be doing real cooking? Then a canister stove would be good (i.e., Snowpeak Gigapower). Will you just be boiling water? A homemade alcohol stove will be lightest and cheapest. If you are camping in winter then a white gas stove is best, but is heaviest.
The Weasel
08-31-2009, 19:01
I am new to backpacking in general, though have been camping countless times before. I am having trouble sorting through all of the gear brands though, so I am requesting some help.
What is a good, light one-person tent; and how much should I be expecting to spend on a tent?
What are some good backpack companies to look for?
Good single-person, stove recommendations?
Thanks a whole lot.
A few ideas for you, as a 'noob':
First, subscribe to Backpacker Magazine. You'll start, quickly, to understand what factors make one tent good for you and another not. And other gear. Read it cover to cover, including the ads. It's the best investment you can make.
Second, if you're near an REI, rent equipment (including tents) from them for weekends, and try things out. You will learn features you like and don't.
Third, go on a few weekend hikes where there will be other backpackers in the sites along the way. Look at someone with an interesting stove or spork or sleeping pad and say, "Do you like it?" Backpackers are total gearheads when poked with that question and will talk your leg off about their gear.
Fourth, ignore recommendations here until you've done 1-3. It's hard to make sense of things you haven't used.
Enjoy! It's fun!
The Weasel
Serial 07
08-31-2009, 19:05
1. seedhouse sl 1 or the hubba - for a good one, i would expect to pay $200-250
2. granite gear
3. jetboil
I'll say this to you only because several said it to me in my search for a solo tent... consider a hammock. I had a heavy 2-person tent and wanted a light one person tent, but felt like I was giving up too much, especially for the price, based on what I saw. Began to consider a lighter 2p tent - like the aforementioned SD Lightning - but then couldn't bring myself to get another 2p tent. I broke down and finally read up on hammocks. Have been hanging ever since.
warraghiyagey
08-31-2009, 19:53
Four on the floor. . .
sheepdog
08-31-2009, 19:54
Four on the floor. . .
Is it the meth again???
warraghiyagey
08-31-2009, 19:55
Nice lisp. . . did you mean mess??
Bearwalker
08-31-2009, 19:58
I likah duh hammock! Hennesey Hammock did me right...its not a tent...but snakes have a hard time getting to ya and Im guessing if a bear runs into the side of it the thing should work like a sling shot...
XCskiNYC
08-31-2009, 23:46
What is a good, light one-person tent; and how much should I be expecting to spend on a tent?
New solo tents start at around $100 and go up to $3-, 4-, 500. For a three-season tent, you're probably not going to see much over $400.
If you want to get a nice, inexpensive three-season tent that's a solo and fairly roomy but not super light ("total weight" 3 lbs 14 ozs. according to mfr., 4 lbs 1 oz. on my own scale), there's the Alps Mountaineering Zephyr One that I own and like and has had other positive mentions on WB (there's an excellent video of it on youtube):
http://www.overstock.com/Sports-Toys/ALPS-Mountaineering-Zephyr-1-AL-Tent/3930885/product.html?cid=123620&fp=F&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=11970550
The all-time value champ looks to be the Eureka Spitfire Solo which has had a positive nod from an owner here. You can find it for under $100. There's a short video of it on youtube. The total weight is 3 lbs 4 ozs.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EQ8VIS
Moving up to a higher-cost manufacturer, Big Agnes makes two solo tents that are quite lightweight, the Seedhouse SL 1 (2 lbs 13 ozs, $250) and the Fly Creek UL 1 (2 lbs 3 ozs!!!, $300). MSR has a popular solo tent called the Hubba. Most of the major gear manufacturers have at least one lightweight solo tent. I like the Big Agnes tents, other people will have other favorites.
What I have mentioned so far are double-wall tents. These have an inner wall which, in the case of the Alps Zephyr, is almost totally made of mesh with a small band of solid cloth running around the bottom part of the walls. Other designs, such as the Big Agnes Fly Creek, have more solid cloth and less mesh (maybe a 60/40 ratio). More mesh gives you better ventilation, good for summer camping. Remember, all the tents mentioned thus far are three-season, not intended to use for winter camping.
One of the main jobs of the inner wall is to protect you from insects. They do this quite effectively.
As I'm sure you've noticed the second part of the double-wall tent is the waterproof outer wall, the fly.
The double-wall tents break down into the freestanding and non-freestanding categories. Freestanding tents can stand up without staking. This isn't as much of an advantage as you might think. Also, many freestanding tents have to be staked for an optimal setup.
However, there's another option entirely to double-walled tents and this is tarps and tarp-tents. A tarp probably gives you the ultimate combination of light weight and low price but you need a certain amount of skill to effectively utilize one as your shelter.
Several companies specialize in making tarp tents. As an option with these tents you can purchase poles, but they are usually designed to work with one or two walking poles to support the tent. The tarp tents usually take a bit more skill and practice to set up than double-walled tents. Here are a couple of prominent makers of tarp tents:
http://www.tarptent.com/
http://www.sixmoondesigns.com/
http://www.gossamergear.com/
http://www.golite.com (http://www.golite.com/)
Like you I have been into hiking for a long time but am new to self-supported multi-day backpacking. Here are a couple of general information sites that I've found useful. They are oriented towards the AT but cover other areas as well.
Rainmaker and Brawny's Trailquest Site:
http://www.trailquest.net/ATTrailQuest.html
Russell's site (this has good videos on making your own stove and tarps):
http://www.russellweekendadventurer.com/
Good online gear supplier:
http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Home_
Have fun.
Jonnycat
08-31-2009, 23:53
A few ideas for you, as a 'noob':
First, subscribe to Backpacker Magazine.
You forgot the sarcastic smiley after that one.
I would suggest as others already have the hammock, its obviously a matter of personal choice but if you can get over the apparently natural human insticnt to stuff themselves behind four walls then the comfort of the hammock far outweighs the "security?" offered with a tent. I use security in quotes cause it seems that being in an enclosed area makes tent users feel safer than cowboy camping or hammocking. personally i love being in the open air and being able to look up and veiw the surrounding beauty and will harldy ever step foot in a tent. if you do decide to go with a hammock do your research so that your prepared for what hammock hanging entails exactly.
daddytwosticks
09-01-2009, 07:44
Eureka Spitfire Solo
Snowpeak Giga stove (regular steel one).
:)
A few ideas for you, as a 'noob':
First, subscribe to Backpacker Magazine....... Um, no. Avoid that rag like the plague. Don't waste your money on it. Backpacker magazine is a totally useless publication that has been out of touch with real hikers and their needs for some time. All it does is steer you toward the most expensive gear made by the giant, big-box, corporate conglomerate gear manufacturers on the market. They're all about advertising dollars, period.
To our Noob, welcome aboard. Do your research here, on Backpackgeartest.org (http://www.backpackgeartest.org/), and talk to hikers. Lots of 'em. Get opinions and ideas, initial impressions, etc. Also, get to know a good, reputable, knowledgeable outfitter, one that doesn't steer you toward the most expensive gear because they get a bigger comission on it. Good luck and happy hiking.
Thanks for the word lazy_river_road and summit.
Check out the articles! Go to the top of the page and click on Forum, then go to the forums "Articles" and "Released Articles"
Particularly good articles are:
the "What to carry" articles by Sgt Rock: http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=14688 (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=14688)
Stoves, article by Mags: http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=20055 (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=20055)
Cheap gear by SGT Rock: http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=15329 (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=15329)
Hold off on buying lots of expensive stuff. Use as much of the stuff you already own while you're starting out. You will want to go a lightweight as possible, which means taking fewer things as much as it means buying hyper expensive lightweight gear.
Stoves: Will you be doing real cooking? Then a canister stove would be good (i.e., Snowpeak Gigapower). Will you just be boiling water? A homemade alcohol stove will be lightest and cheapest. If you are camping in winter then a white gas stove is best, but is heaviest.
Just boiling water is in the plans so far. I made a "Cobra Stove" the other day and it worked pretty good. Do you have any preferences to the best homemade alcohol stove?
A few ideas for you, as a 'noob':
First, subscribe to Backpacker Magazine. You'll start, quickly, to understand what factors make one tent good for you and another not. And other gear. Read it cover to cover, including the ads. It's the best investment you can make.
Second, if you're near an REI, rent equipment (including tents) from them for weekends, and try things out. You will learn features you like and don't.
Third, go on a few weekend hikes where there will be other backpackers in the sites along the way. Look at someone with an interesting stove or spork or sleeping pad and say, "Do you like it?" Backpackers are total gearheads when poked with that question and will talk your leg off about their gear.
Fourth, ignore recommendations here until you've done 1-3. It's hard to make sense of things you haven't used.
Enjoy! It's fun!
The Weasel
Though, based on the other comments, Backpacker Magazine might not be the best one to get - I'll take a peek if I see one. Thanks for the other advice.
1. seedhouse sl 1 or the hubba - for a good one, i would expect to pay $200-250
2. granite gear
3. jetboil
Thanks.
I'll say this to you only because several said it to me in my search for a solo tent... consider a hammock. I had a heavy 2-person tent and wanted a light one person tent, but felt like I was giving up too much, especially for the price, based on what I saw. Began to consider a lighter 2p tent - like the aforementioned SD Lightning - but then couldn't bring myself to get another 2p tent. I broke down and finally read up on hammocks. Have been hanging ever since.
I have heard good things about them; I will probably check them out next time I go to the store. I don't want to buy one without trying it though, which may be difficult. Thanks.
New solo tents start at around $100 and go up to $3-, 4-, 500. For a three-season tent, you're probably not going to see much over $400.
If you want to get a nice, inexpensive three-season tent that's a solo and fairly roomy but not super light ("total weight" 3 lbs 14 ozs. according to mfr., 4 lbs 1 oz. on my own scale), there's the Alps Mountaineering Zephyr One that I own and like and has had other positive mentions on WB (there's an excellent video of it on youtube):
http://www.overstock.com/Sports-Toys/ALPS-Mountaineering-Zephyr-1-AL-Tent/3930885/product.html?cid=123620&fp=F&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=11970550 (http://www.overstock.com/Sports-Toys/ALPS-Mountaineering-Zephyr-1-AL-Tent/3930885/product.html?cid=123620&fp=F&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=11970550)
The all-time value champ looks to be the Eureka Spitfire Solo which has had a positive nod from an owner here. You can find it for under $100. There's a short video of it on youtube. The total weight is 3 lbs 4 ozs.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EQ8VIS (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EQ8VIS)
Moving up to a higher-cost manufacturer, Big Agnes makes two solo tents that are quite lightweight, the Seedhouse SL 1 (2 lbs 13 ozs, $250) and the Fly Creek UL 1 (2 lbs 3 ozs!!!, $300). MSR has a popular solo tent called the Hubba. Most of the major gear manufacturers have at least one lightweight solo tent. I like the Big Agnes tents, other people will have other favorites.
What I have mentioned so far are double-wall tents. These have an inner wall which, in the case of the Alps Zephyr, is almost totally made of mesh with a small band of solid cloth running around the bottom part of the walls. Other designs, such as the Big Agnes Fly Creek, have more solid cloth and less mesh (maybe a 60/40 ratio). More mesh gives you better ventilation, good for summer camping. Remember, all the tents mentioned thus far are three-season, not intended to use for winter camping.
One of the main jobs of the inner wall is to protect you from insects. They do this quite effectively.
As I'm sure you've noticed the second part of the double-wall tent is the waterproof outer wall, the fly.
The double-wall tents break down into the freestanding and non-freestanding categories. Freestanding tents can stand up without staking. This isn't as much of an advantage as you might think. Also, many freestanding tents have to be staked for an optimal setup.
However, there's another option entirely to double-walled tents and this is tarps and tarp-tents. A tarp probably gives you the ultimate combination of light weight and low price but you need a certain amount of skill to effectively utilize one as your shelter.
Several companies specialize in making tarp tents. As an option with these tents you can purchase poles, but they are usually designed to work with one or two walking poles to support the tent. The tarp tents usually take a bit more skill and practice to set up than double-walled tents. Here are a couple of prominent makers of tarp tents:
http://www.tarptent.com/ (http://www.tarptent.com/)
http://www.sixmoondesigns.com/ (http://www.sixmoondesigns.com/)
http://www.gossamergear.com/ (http://www.gossamergear.com/)
http://www.golite.com (http://www.golite.com/)
Like you I have been into hiking for a long time but am new to self-supported multi-day backpacking. Here are a couple of general information sites that I've found useful. They are oriented towards the AT but cover other areas as well.
Rainmaker and Brawny's Trailquest Site:
http://www.trailquest.net/ATTrailQuest.html (http://www.trailquest.net/ATTrailQuest.html)
Russell's site (this has good videos on making your own stove and tarps):
http://www.russellweekendadventurer.com/ (http://www.russellweekendadventurer.com/)
Good online gear supplier:
http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Home_ (http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Home_)
Have fun.
Thanks for the lengthy response, helped a lot.
The Weasel
09-01-2009, 09:17
Re Backpacker:
Increasingly, Backpacker has focused on higher-end gear, probably for a lot of reasons. But it's the one magazine where, if you read it for 3-5 months, you pick up a sense of what kinds of gear people get, and you learn what features are desireable. Then, when you've learned what the features - prominent in expensive stuff - are, you'll recognize what a "good buy" is on less expensive stuff that has the same, or similar features. For the price? Worth it. A bible? No.
Speaking of which, in terms of really getting into things, buy "The Complete Walker IV" by Colin Fletcher. That might be the best piece of gear you ever buy.
TW
Re Backpacker:
Increasingly, Backpacker has focused on higher-end gear, probably for a lot of reasons. But it's the one magazine where, if you read it for 3-5 months, you pick up a sense of what kinds of gear people get, and you learn what features are desireable. Then, when you've learned what the features - prominent in expensive stuff - are, you'll recognize what a "good buy" is on less expensive stuff that has the same, or similar features. For the price? Worth it. A bible? No.
Explanation Fail. :datz
Tend to agree, the best gear out there, or at least the most popular, is very rarely mentioned in Backpacker. The reason: they don't spend the bucks to advertise.
I occasionally will browse a BackPacker at B&N, but never buy anymore. Usually only takes about 2-3 minutes to browse. On rare occasions I find an article worth carrying the magazine to one of their chairs to read.
I don't feel guilty, I'm a member at B&N and buy PLENTY from them.:D
Pedaling Fool
09-01-2009, 10:16
Buy kelty packs and tents and headlamps from walmart. Gear is overrated buy cheap good stuff.
rpenczek
09-01-2009, 12:53
One can make tons of mistakes in buying gear. Some folks commented both ways on Backpacking mag. I don't follow the gear suggestions in Backpacker mag (any more), after all it does operate off advertising dollars, however, I do find it useful in finding some cool places to hike.
Anyway, I made some big gear mistakes (my opnion) when I first started purchasing gear. I purchased like a good Scout Master (for a group) vs. like a good individual (for one or two people).
First pack - Jansport Carson - too big, too uncomfortable, but inexpensive
Second pack - Gregory Whitney - Very comfortable, too big, too expensive
Final pack - Granite Gear Nimbus Meridian - Just Right
(Note, purchase pack last rather than like me, first)
Final cost of pack about $720 (for all three) - This Boy Scout was not thrifty. Research research research.
First Stove - MSR Wisperlite and 32 oz fuel bottle
Secon Stove - Snowpeak gigapower and fuel can.
The Wisperlite was not a waste of money, I still use it if I get three of my kids to join me. The fuel bottle was way overkill, 12oz on a weekend or longer is plenty. Or get two 12 oz bottles and let someone share the load.
First cook kit (two pots and one fry pan) in ti. Overkill, I never do any cooking but boil water.
Second cook kit a ti 700 ml mug. Cook in it and drink my coffee from it.
My first bag - Marmot Trestles 15 synthetic. Warm, comfortable, but heavy at 4 lbs. Next bag - Big Agnes Lost Ranger 15 - Warm, comfortable, fairly light (need a big bag, I am 300 LBs). Marmot is still useful for car camping.
My first pad - Therm-a-rest Pro Lite 4 - expensive and ok on comfort. Second pad - Big Agnes insulated air core - Great comfort good price.
My first tent - Eureka Tetragon 3 person - inexpensive, but heavy. My second tent Mountain Hardware Haven 3 - expensive, well built, huge, but overkill and heavy. My final tent Tarptent Rainbow 2 - expensive and light.
You can see a pattern here, I purchased way too much gear and it took me three times (packs and tents) to get it right (for me). I started out with gear I thought would be usable but inexpensive (unhappy while walking, but generally happy while camping) and then got gear that was expensive but heavy trying to help the walking part (still unhappy while walking, but very happy while camping) and finally, got gear that was mid to expensive but lighter and more suited to hiking solo or with one other person (now happy while walking and happy while camping).
Of course, when I have a gearless Scout that wants to try backpacking, I have loaners.
Whiteblaze has helped me find the right gear and cool hiking places. My Indiana based Boy Scouts especially like Grayson Highlands.
rpenczek
09-01-2009, 12:57
One other thing,
Following Mags and Sgt Rock, I could do things less expensive than I am now and I plan to try some of that stuff (cat stove, 32oz gator aid bottle, etc..) so I can teach my Boy Scouts and they can get engaged in backpacking in a less expensive way.
Good luck finding your gear, it is fun and does not need to be expensvie if you research research research.