View Full Version : Backyard gear test #1
Okay, so I got off work last night at 11 and decided that since it was 64 degrees I'd give my tent a test run. My 6 year old granddaughter, Olivia, joined me. She was almost asleep on the couch waiting for me to put up the tent and fell asleep before I could get the rainfly set and the doors zipped.
Here's what I learned...
1. The tent was easy to set up (Eureka Apex 2XT) but I wonder how to go about it in the rain. Gotta figure out how to put it up with the fly attached.
2. Mosquitos were out in MARCH! Got several bites overnight.
3. I had a pad, Olivia didn't. It was a little too firm at first, but I let out some of the air and it was fine. A little narrow, but I'll learn to live with it.
4. My down sleeping bag is NOT going to work. I felt like I was being suffocated by a nylon cloud and it's slick as a soap maker's butt against the tent bottom and the pad. I couldn't curl up because it is too narrow so I kept getting tangled up in it. Olivia used a Marlboro sleeping bag. I turned it inside (fleece side) out and she slept on top of it inside a fleece liner. I guess it's because I had a pad and she didn't, but under her bag, the floor of the tent got damp. Just under HER bag, nowhere else. As soon as I moved her bag it dried almost immediately.
5. My tiny, zip open travel pillow leaves a lot to be desierd...probably gonna end up using my clothes stuffed in a drawstring sack.
6. I had my fleece pants and a tee shirt on. Got too hot inside the bag for the pants. Olivia peeled out of her pants and tee shirt and slept fine in panties and a cammie undershirt. My little polar baby.
7. A light rain started just before I noticed a hint of daylight. Tent was nice and dry when we got out of it at 7:30. I'm going to leave it up for a little while and check it again later.
All in all, not too bad.
Rocket Jones
03-03-2012, 09:43
Good for you! This is exactly why it helps to have some overnighters and equipment test runs before heading out for a longer trip.
Consider unzipping your bag and laying it over you like a quilt. The bottom can still be used as a footbox if you need it and it's not nearly as constricting as a mummy bag.
Wise Old Owl
03-03-2012, 09:51
My only concern is the Marlboro bag - its more for sleep overs inside the house. The Manufacture is in the USA but makes "throw away" bags for all sorts of vendors... The fill is not rated for any temp. If you are going to do any camping this is a two season bag. "Early Summer Late Summer" Get her a Wallyworld Blue pad and that should keep her dry.
Sounds like you had a good time and learned a lot.
re rain set up: Try to set up before the rain hits or just throw the fly over you and your gear and wait until the worst has passed. If you have a steady rain that will last a while, just go about setting up as you would normally. Use the highest dryest place you can find and don't rush around trying to hurry and hurt yourself. Some rain will get in but you can use a bandana to sop it up and your rain coat will bring water in anyway--its only water.
re dampness on the floor: Every night is different, some are damp-some are dry. You would need a degree in thremo/hydro dynamics to predict how much condensation any given night will produce. I sometimes put the mylar space blanket(the orange one that costs more is worth it) that I carry for quick warmth and shelter on the floor of my tent. It keeps the moisture in the ground from wicking up through the floor. I use small pieces of spongy shelf liner to keep everything from slipping around.
re tent warmth: The XT is a snug tent that will be good in the rain. On dry nights you may want to guy out the fly away from the tent body for better ventilation. You can just roll up one or more sides and let the breeze cool you and keep any dampness moving through. In the morning as you make breakfast, you can set the tent on its side and allow the bottom to dry out a bit before you pack it up.
Hope this helps and hope you have fun camping with your grand daughter--It is so cool to see the outdoor world through a childs eyes. grayfox
MaybeTomorrow
03-03-2012, 10:47
I did an interesting test run about 2 weeks ago when we had temps in the low 30s with rain, then ice, then snow here in NC. Thats not a common weather situation in my area so I got out all my gear and hiked 10 miles and then set camp at dusk. What I learned was that a lot my gear really wasnt up to that weather. Goretex socks, wetted inside and out. Shoes frozen. The temp dropped beyond freezing as the sun went down. Wool socks soaking, Fleece socks, fleece did the best as I could wring it out, shake it and put it back on 90% dry. Maylar socks, if your feet aren't giving off any heat they don't do a thing. It helped to cover my lower legs to keep my feet warmer. Gregory Z55 got wet through and through and tried to make everything else wet. Down bag got partly wet and was mostly useless after.
Things that did work well: Fleece, because you can wring it mostly dry unlike wool. Slick but uncoated nylon nike running pants and jacket, Driducks, plastic mailing bags, poncho/tarp at 6.75 by 4.5' with a single arched pole down the middle and 6 stake outs. Adventure medics mylar blanket
Wise Old Owl
03-03-2012, 10:48
A degree in what? Dampness on the floor is simple wicking. Its fixed by setting the tent up upside down and spraying the hell out of it with silicone water seal from a sporting goods store.
Okay, so I got off work last night at 11 and decided that since it was 64 degrees I'd give my tent a test run....Here's what I learned...
All in all, not too bad.
Yeehaw! Congratulations. You'll tweak your system everyday on the trail by observing what other thru hikers do.
As American Behaviorist B.F. Skinner said "All learning is a series of successive approximations."
I experimented with the down bag several times last night...zipped up and inside it, zipped up laying on top, unzipped laying on the pad using it as a quilt, then finally partially unzipped climbed in too tired to fight with it anymore.
I experimented with the down bag several times last night...zipped up and inside it, zipped up laying on top, unzipped laying on the pad using it as a quilt, then finally partially unzipped climbed in too tired to fight with it anymore.
You have to hone your thru hiker Zen skills...... Be one with the bag Grasshopper.
Just went outside to check the tent. Found one place that a seam has leaked. In three hours of light rain there is a puddle the size of a tea saucer. Looks like besides spraying silicon on the underside I'm going to seam seal as well. Any brand better than another??
SilNet Silicone by McNett
http://www.mcnett.com/SilNet-Silicone-Seam-Sealer-P143.aspx
MuddyWaters
03-03-2012, 11:51
I have an Apex 2xt my son uses for scout car-campouts. Great tent for the price paid and intended use ~$80 several yrs ago. Never sealed it, factory taping hasnt leaked. Been thru some harsh storms, very very wind resistant when staked out too. Just heavy.
Has pretty bad condensation if you zip up the vestibules, and if you dont it will rain into screen inner, so expect condensation and to lay fly out to dry sometimes.
I replaced the heavy fiberglass poles with easton nanolights I made from parts ordered from Quest outfitters. ~70 I recall to make Al poles that shed a lb of wt off the tent, so now his is right at ~5 lbs. Orignially thought that would be OK for him taking to philmont wnen needed (2.5 lbs per scout), but since decided that was both too heavy, and too bulky. We will house scouts for Philmont in a mid that sleeps 4, for about 8 oz per scout weight, not 2.5 lbs.