View Full Version : Gear for two
My fiance and I are planning to thru hike next year. I already have a good amoutn of gear for myself, but we're working on outfitting him and us. Right now I'm shopping for a two-person tent and sleeping bags. He's a big and tall guy, so we need a tent that will fit a large man, me, and all our gear. We're also looking for mateable bags. We're on a tightish budget. After a little shopping I've come up with the Kelty Teton 2 (http://www.campmor.com/kelty-teton-2-tent.shtml#pr-header-24905WC) for the tent and TNF Elkhorn (http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___47672) long bags. Any opinions of these?
halftime
03-04-2011, 23:38
Not familiar with the tent. Would check out the reviews before purchase. Hubba Hubba is a good 2 person tent but is considerable more expensive.
The sleeping bags seem heavey...check out this article from Backpacker Magazine (http://www.backpacker.com/gear/ask_kristin/231).
ChrisFol
03-04-2011, 23:59
I would not go with the bag. It is a zero degree bag and unless you are camping in winter then you are going to be lugging around 5lb sleeping only to over-heat at night.
Personally, I would look at REI Outlet-- they are offering 20% off any one item and there are a few bags there that may interest you.
I sleep very, very cold. The last time I did camped in the mountains in the spring, I was so cold I couldn't sleep at night. I was in a 25 degree sythetic bag with two liners, wearing my down jacket, and I was shivering so hard that sleep was inpossible. That's why I was planning on a 0 degree bag - I can't do this if I can't sleep.
I'll check REI, but I'd also really appreciate some recommendations, if anyone has any.
I would look at the Six Moon Designs Lunar Duo for your tent. It is a little high, but worth every penny and will accommodate both of you well. If your husband is tall you will need a long tent with usuable space, and the Lunar Duo will deliver that space.
http://www.sixmoondesigns.com/tents.html?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage_smd.tpl&product_id=37&category_id=7
As for sleeping bags, you really cannot believe most of the "ratings" that they put on a bag, and especially on the "lower end" bags. What kind of bag were you using when you were freezing?
Alot of people recommend the Campmor down bags as a quality budget bag. They sell them as a 0 and a 20*. Typically a woman will sleep colder than a man, so maybe you could look at getting him the 20* and you could get the 0*. But this will also depend on when abouts you will be leaving out. Of course, the earlier you leave, the more probable that you may need the 0* bag.
According to the Campmor site, both of the bags use mateable #8 YKK zippers so they should be able to be zipped together. Of course during the warmer months if you are not swapping out the bag for a warmer temperature bag you can simply unzip or just drape this bag over you.
http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/SubCategory___40000000226_200368355?ip_navtype=Adv ancedSearch&catFilter=&ip_sortBy=&catType=&searchCategory=browsefilter&manNameFilter=&priceFilter=&filters=Manufacturer+Name~Campmor~Campmor+%286%29&searchKeywords=200368355 (http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/SubCategory___40000000226_200368355?ip_navtype=Adv ancedSearch&catFilter=&ip_sortBy=&catType=&searchCategory=browsefilter&manNameFilter=&priceFilter=&filters=Manufacturer+Name%7ECampmor%7ECampmor+%286 %29&searchKeywords=200368355)
I'd have to go look at my bag to see what it is (haven't used it in a while) but if I remember it was mid-range. Not top of the line, but not bottom either. I just sleep very, very cold. That's a great idea about getting him a 20 and me a 0. Thanks, I never would have thought of that! I'll be going up to Campmor next weekend, so I'll check those out while I'm there.
Sadly, that tent is way outside of our budget. Thanks for the link though.
blackbird04217
03-06-2011, 02:58
I was in a 25 degree sythetic bag with two liners, wearing my down jacket, and I was shivering so hard that sleep was inpossible.
As far as I know, which might not be much - wearing extra clothes inside the bag can decrease the bags performance... At least, I felt that way during my thru, on some cold nights I put on my fleece and actually froze through the night constantly waking with chills... Yet other nights without the fleece or thermals were much warmer even if the thermometer was telling me otherwise...
It does seem odd though, as usually more layers = less heat loss.
I agree that can be the problem if you're talking about compression. It wasn't the case for me though. I definitely got warmer as I added a couple of liners and layers - just nowhere near warm enough.
brotheral
03-06-2011, 06:45
IMO the tent you're looking at is too small for you and your "big and tall" fiance.
Suggest you find more dollars to budget for shelter. Otherwise I think you'll be sorry. Six Moon Designs Lunar Duo is one that I would consider.
Go to Amazon and check out their prices. Do you research.
randyg45
03-06-2011, 13:49
I have a GoLite Eden 2 for sale in the "selling used gear section". It's on the huge end for 2-man tents. 51 sq feet, 48" height... dual vestibules/doors. Very well made. Great customer service.
Brand new. Bargain priced.
How big and tall are we talking?
If you are going to Campmor, I would pull out every tent possible and set it up while you both are there. Grab a pad which is the same height as the pads yall will be using and grab a sleeping bag off the rack. Pile it all in and then yall both crawl inside it and close the tent up and see how it fits. Better to find out that the head and foot rub each end of the tent in the store rather than in the field.
You could check out some of the TarpTents, but they will be in the $230 - $265 range though. The Squall 2 may work for him, or the Rainshadow 2 would probably be a palace for the two of you.
connected bags are fun for a weekend, for a long hike it may be more practical to just use what you have and have him get a good fit/price/weight, also you will probably want more than one bag each to avoid carrying a heavy/hot bag in the warm months
The Hubba Hubba is the tent for you, BUT let me put this delicately, the more you have your own stuff, the more flexible you will be as thru-hikers. Let's say, you stink and want to go into a town and shower and pick up your maildrop, your partners ankle hurts but he wants to go on another 20 miles slowly - or hell, say one of you just can't do all that hiking and wants to yellow blaze 100 miles so the other person can be successful - the more independent you are from each other, the better chance you have for success. I'd almost suggest two single Hubbas but I know you wouldn't go for it - try to plan such that if one person gets off the trail for a bit, stuff can be split easily and carried comfortably.
The Hubba Hubba is the tent for you, BUT let me put this delicately, the more you have your own stuff, the more flexible you will be as thru-hikers. Let's say, you stink and want to go into a town and shower and pick up your maildrop, your partners ankle hurts but he wants to go on another 20 miles slowly - or hell, say one of you just can't do all that hiking and wants to yellow blaze 100 miles so the other person can be successful - the more independent you are from each other, the better chance you have for success. I'd almost suggest two single Hubbas but I know you wouldn't go for it - try to plan such that if one person gets off the trail for a bit, stuff can be split easily and carried comfortably.
Very good advice, even for couples...
ekeverette
03-06-2011, 21:21
i have a brand new marmot limelight 2p tent. gearloft/footprint. great reviews.paid 169.00,will sell for 100.00 bucks. plenty of room.easy set up.
Walkintom
03-06-2011, 22:08
Second the hubba hubba. It's a nice tent for two.
Another benefit: my wife carries the exterior shell and ground tarp. I carry the screen house and poles. Both of us can therefore set up some sort of shelter if we have to be separated for any reason. Admittedly it won't be sufficient in really cold or rainy weather but it's a bit of a safety net that costs nothing to have in place.
Toolshed
03-06-2011, 22:18
How big and tall are we talking?
If you are going to Campmor, I would pull out every tent possible and set it up while you both are there. Grab a pad which is the same height as the pads yall will be using and grab a sleeping bag off the rack. Pile it all in and then yall both crawl inside it and close the tent up and see how it fits. Better to find out that the head and foot rub each end of the tent in the store rather than in the field.
You could check out some of the TarpTents, but they will be in the $230 - $265 range though. The Squall 2 may work for him, or the Rainshadow 2 would probably be a palace for the two of you.
FYI - Campmor has most of it's tents set up already - Around 20 or so (including some family style 4-6P tents).
I figured they would have some set up at least, but I have never been there (I am a good distance away...too far away to warrant a drive...) so I wasn't sure on how thier store is set up. Good to know though, thanks. (Although I wouldn't mind checking it out one day...)
My point was too simply check them all out when there. I understand that money does indeed play a huge role in buying any item, but if it don't fit then you are simply wasting your money. So, if they will be there, spend some time and find what works best...
I'll definitely check out tents when I'm up at Campmor, but due to his work schedule he won't be making the trip up with me for a while. maybe in a month or so. As for how big he is, he's 6'5" and about 230.
Solo tents are out of the question. I understand the independence thing, but we're doing this together or not at all. If, for some reason, he decided to get off the trail while I continued (not that it would happen) I already own a solo tent that I could have shipped to me.
I've gotten a couples of recommendations for tarptents, but the reviews on them are mixed. I worry about how well they keep water out, especially if we end up going for down bags. Also, considering Max's size, I'm not sure about the interior height. Some reviews say they're tall enough to sit up in, some say
I have no idea why that post cut off. At any rate, I'm not sure a tarptent would be big enough or keep the weather out well enough. I was looking at the Cloudburst 2 and the Rainshadow 2 online, but I wish I could see them in person.
Thrasher
03-07-2011, 08:31
Either of those tarptents would work well. I think you'd be really comfortable in the Rainshadow 2.
My wife and I used the six moon designs lunar duo last year and overall it worked great. It was awesome sleeping in it while it rained, and being nice and dry with plenty of room to sit and move around. Lots of headroom. It does take some time to learn to pitch these tents correctly.
We saw another couple in Maine with the Lunar Duo at a hostel. It rained that night, their tent collapsed, and they ended up sleeping inside that night. They did not have it set up correctly.
Sailor (The other one)
03-07-2011, 10:35
Alot of people recommend the Campmor down bags as a quality budget bag. They sell them as a 0 and a 20*. Typically a woman will sleep colder than a man, so maybe you could look at getting him the 20* and you could get the 0*. But this will also depend on when abouts you will be leaving out. Of course, the earlier you leave, the more probable that you may need the 0* bag.
According to the Campmor site, both of the bags use mateable #8 YKK zippers so they should be able to be zipped together. Of course during the warmer months if you are not swapping out the bag for a warmer temperature bag you can simply unzip or just drape this bag over you.
This is our setup. I'm the cold sleeper and use the 0* bag, Mudpie the 20*. They are matable. They've kept us warm down to 23*F on the AT in Georgia with only baselayers, wool socks and wool watch caps on. This was using 2.5" thick insulated pads. We've used the bags in September in Florida and just draped them like blankets.
Hi guys
We have been hiking as a couple for years. At this point we have a system that works great for us. for us. I see you guys are from MD also. We hike around there all the time.
We went through a lot trying to find mateable sleeping bags. Because of the placement of the zippers REI sucks, kelty and lufalaphleladj, Mountain Hardware are OK but Marmot bags are great. one great thing about Marmot bags is that all model from womens short to mens long have the same length zipper and mate so your heads are even, not so in other bags. I can tell you all the bags from the affordable 650 fill to the 900 fill $$$$ bags all mate. The zippers are also in the middle of the side. If the zipper is on the bottom of the side it doesn't work well. also the most critical part of mating is how the zipper goes up to the face. Also my GF and I have different temp bags that we zip together, She is a cold sleeper. Sounds like max is a big guy. I am Wide, I was a competitive swimmer with big shoulders and I have a REI summer bag. I can NOT zip it up with more than a shirt on. The Marmot bags have the widest shoulders of any bag I mentioned. one trick we learned that saves time is to NOT unzip our bags and put them in one backpack. remember you are a team now not two individual hikers.
Also check out what we did with out Zrest. http://whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=67335
mummy shaped pads dont work well for mating bags.
Also we have the TT Double rainbow. Its so long that we put on bag at our feet and the other at our head. I know you cant find them in the store but if you wana do a couples weekend hike we will be glad to let you see it.
Also my brother got us the GSI Doulist. At first I thought it was a little heavy but it saves so much weight and we were able to take other things out of our packs so the weight evened out.
I also have helped to out fit about a dozen friends including 6'6 240# athlete and 6'11" 300# athlete and size 18 boot. I learned a lot about finding gear for big people helping them find gear. You might have to go to a 3 person tent. Anyways if you want to hike, have questions or just want to see a tarp tent in person give me a PM. Good luck getting all your gear.
He's a big and tall guy, so we need a tent that will fit a large man, me, and all our gear.
Mary and I went thru this process and decided to get the Golite Shangri-la 3. Lots of room! For shoulder months, we'll carry the optional floor. In buggy months, we'll swap out the floor for the nest.
http://www.golite.com/Product/ProdDetail.aspx?p=370003110
Tent = 26 ozs
Floor = 19 ozs
Nest = 35 ozs
Being a couple, we can split this load. If one of us departs the trail, the tent alone will be functional for one.
Got it on sale recently with a discount code I found in these forums that may still work.
http://www.golite.com/images_products/600x600/370003110_285_front.jpg
Ladytrekker
03-14-2011, 12:09
Wow on the sleeping bag, I struggled with paying alot for a sleeping bag but I get cold at night and even in Florida my 45 deg I froze at night. I finally purchased a 15 deg Montbell super spiral down on sale for $215 expensive yes but I sacrificed other things for this bag. The best decision I ever made. I have used it on 30, 40 and 50 deg nights and toasty warm in all three conditions. The 50's actually opened it up used it as a blanket it was to warm.
I understand budgets but the choices you make on gear is critical to comfort and joy of your hiking trip.
On the tent make sure you have plenty of height to sit up in if your ever caught in the rain or bugs are really bad it sure is a luxury to be able sit up in your tent.
I have a mid-range zero degree bag (Sierra Designs) and I freeze and shiver all night. I have a 20 degree GoLite quilt and that 800 fill down is way warmer. I freeze a lot less often. The ratings mean nothing. Go for the quality of the down first and foremost. The extra money is well worth it.
I dis agree. I have a 0* marmot 650 fill bag and its warm at 0. I have a REI 20* 800 or 850 and I freeze at 35.
When will you all learn,mb made a change...cause the bags had BIG problem.
FF.WM. IN 25 YR NEVER had to RETOOL....AND THAT SAYS IT ALL IN WHAT YOU PAY FOR.
Some are just fools.
OK but not all of us can shell out that kind of $$$ for a bag site unseen.
I would make a Ray Way 2-person quilt.
The Ray Way tarp and net tent, I can personally vouch for, are really all you need and very spacious. This is what my boyfriend and I use. And with the beaks and an umbrella they can easily give more privacy, if you like. You can build both the tarp and net tent to suit your length needs.
HeartFire
03-15-2011, 07:26
check out the LightHeart Duo. you will be able to fit in it with room to spare
www.lightheartgear.com