gear help

[Megapixel]

Hi. I am thinking through gear for our 2011 thru hike and currently we (my wife and I) have down bags and a tarptent. We have hiked with great success with this equipment, but it's been under ideal conditions. I am bit concerned about wet / damp conditions and the down bags insulating properly.

I guess I"m in need of some advice here as I'm not willing to part with our SS Montbell bags due to comfort, but at the same time I'm unexperienced in wet conditions with both the bags and the mentioned tent. I've considered getting a UL Sleeping bag cover, but I'm unsure if it will affect comfort and if it will be worth it's weight.

[bigcranky]

We hike with the same gear (down bags and a Six Moons Designs tarp tent), and have encountered plenty of nasty weather. Two things: (1) site selection is crucial, and (2) down bags are tougher than you think.

Site selection: avoid packed-down heavily used dirt campsites, especially on a slope. Any place that can collect water, or have it running through the site, is bad. (For any tent, really, not just tarptents.)

Bags: we occasionally wake up with the shell fabric damp. No big deal, the down is still in good shape. Even with no rain or condensation, your breathing and insensible perspiration will make the bag a little damp. If the sun is out at lunch, get out the bags and let them dry -- they'll puff up in no time.

Your best bet is to go out camping in the rain this summer. Find a state park, or even just set up in your back yard.

[lunchbx]

it is my understanding that down bags are the best when it comes to keeping you warm even when wet. no extra protection from moister should be necessary as long as your primary shelter (your tarptent) wont fail in a storm. the best way to ensure this is to set it up in your backyard during a rainstorm and see how it holds up.

[Cabin Fever]

it is my understanding that down bags are the best when it comes to keeping you warm even when wet. no extra protection from moister should be necessary as long as your primary shelter (your tarptent) wont fail in a storm. the best way to ensure this is to set it up in your backyard during a rainstorm and see how it holds up.

I think you have the 'not good when wet' backwards. The warmth of a sleeping bag is generated through loft of the fibers inside. Hence bigger sleeping bags with more fill for colder temps. When down gets wet, it doesn't loft so it doesn't capture heat. I think synthetic still lofts when moist. This seems to be the main point of contention between down and synthetic. Down can get wet, but it is lighter and vice versa for synthetic. And down is more expensive.

Someone, correct me if I am wrong.

[Megapixel]

I think you have the 'not good when wet' backwards. The warmth of a sleeping bag is generated through loft of the fibers inside. Hence bigger sleeping bags with more fill for colder temps. When down gets wet, it doesn't loft so it doesn't capture heat. I think synthetic still lofts when moist. This seems to be the main point of contention between down and synthetic. Down can get wet, but it is lighter and vice versa for synthetic. And down is more expensive.

Someone, correct me if I am wrong.

You are correct sir. Hence my concern. Thanks Big Cranky for your thoughts here as well. I won't be able to simulate very cold, wet weather here in southern Florida, but I can simulate a bad thunderstorm most any day now through August. I will do just that.

[stranger]

Tarptents with silnylon floors are more likely to have water pushed through than say silnylon that has an additional waterproof coating.

Tarptent tents by Henry Shires for example...just use silnylon, where as Six Moon Designs offer a heavier, more waterproof floor option.

In any case, as noted above, site selection is very important with a limited shelter. Silicone impregnated nylon is not waterproof, it's highly water resistant, so it works fine as a fly or tarp material, but when it comes to a 180lb hiker sitting in one spot, you can get some water coming through.

However, most people I know, including myself, have had great results in both Tarptent and Six Moon Designs.

[solstice]

Tarptents with silnylon floors are more likely to have water pushed through than say silnylon that has an additional waterproof coating.

Tarptent tents by Henry Shires for example...just use silnylon, where as Six Moon Designs offer a heavier, more waterproof floor option.

In any case, as noted above, site selection is very important with a limited shelter. Silicone impregnated nylon is not waterproof, it's highly water resistant, so it works fine as a fly or tarp material, but when it comes to a 180lb hiker sitting in one spot, you can get some water coming through.

However, most people I know, including myself, have had great results in both Tarptent and Six Moon Designs.

A good idea along those lines is to invest in a lightweight footprint (such as Tyvek). Other than that, the maintenance tips a few posts above this one are good ones. Skip the bag cover. :P Enjoy your hike!

[garlic08]

I exactly agree with Big Cranky. And I had the same concern when I packed my gear for my AT thru. I had used my down bag and tarptent (HS Contrail) on a couple of Western thru hikes and wasn't sure how they would work in Eastern humidity. They worked great, but I also had many months of experience in site selection, having made lots of mistakes earlier. I hiked the AT in a relatively wet year, though not the wettest, and never once got even damp. I had the same gear on the Pacific Northwest Trail last year through many consecutive days of very cold rain in the Cascades, and got the shell a little damp, but never compromised the insulation.

A few years ago I stopped carrying a Tyvek footprint and trusted the silnylon floor, mainly because I became confident enough in finding good, well-drained sites. On the AT, that was usually a breeze, with one or two exceptions in the Whites and then I had to camp on a wood platform--dry but uncomfortable. In my experience, the Tyvek never helped much in really wet conditions anyway.

I can't stress enough that with the lightweight shelter, you trade pack weight for skill and experience. You can't put a silnylon shelter in the same place you can put a coated nylon tent and expect it to work the same. It's a different style of hiking that takes some thought and care.

[jesse]

Ventilation is the key to reducing condensation. Open tarps and quilts work better than closed tents, and bags.

[mtnkngxt]

I'd have to agree that ventilation and site selection are paramount to keeping a dry bag. Also keeping what is inside your pack dry while you hike is equally important.

[TinaLouise]

[QUOTE=less;1026696] we (my wife and I) have down bags and a tarptent. We have hiked with great success with this equipment, but it's been under ideal conditions. I am bit concerned about wet / damp conditions and the down bags insulating properly. [QUOTE]

down is a great insulator as long as it's dry. Once wet, and I'm not talking about the outside but the inside down, it's a bear to get it back dry again. I double bag my down quilts, waterproof sack for everything in my pack and then the quilt is inside a plastic contractors trash bag. Just a little dampness on the outside can be dried during lunch by laying quilt out in the sun.

Something I like to do at home is whenever I hear a storm is coming, I run out back and set up my "camp site". I've tried setting up right before a storm to test out how fast I can get under cover. I've waited until the storm was raging and dressed into exactly what I would be wearing if hiking along with my full backpack and headed out back to set up my camp. I've done this in all type of weather and different temps too. I've also tried cooking in the rain in my back yard. Any way that you can think of to test before you actually get out on the trail will help you to prepare for the "real thing"!! And it's way better to discover in your back yard that some piece of equipment isn't working than to be miles from a way to fix it.

Testing or practice is one of my favorite things to do :D