View Full Version : picking out a tent and sleeping bag for my wife
BigBadger
06-17-2012, 11:50
Howdy all!
My lovely wife who is new to backpacking asked me to find a tent/sleeping system for her. She prefers an enclosed tent to keep bugs and critters away. I'll generally be sleeping in my hammock, but it will be nice to also have the tent for backup either for myself or our 4 year old daughter who will come with us occasionally.
She also has back problems due to moderate/severe scoliosis, so comfort will be key to her enjoyment of the experience.
I spent some time on the REI web site and this tent, sleeping pad and bag looked pretty good for 3 season camping in the Appalachians. Does anyone have an opinion on them? :-?
I'd love to hear more about them before we lay out this sort of cash.
Big Agnes Fly Creek UL2 Tent (http://www.rei.com/product/796087)
Exped SynMat UL 7 Air Pad
(http://www.rei.com/product/811907)
Big Agnes Roxy Ann +15 Sleeping Bag - Women's
(http://www.rei.com/product/811084)
You will get lots of suggestions but those are decent choices and you'd be doing better than a lot of people.
mussleman1234
06-17-2012, 13:37
Check out golite they are havering a good sale right now
WIAPilot
06-17-2012, 14:21
I really like the Big Agnes Copper Spur2 or 3. Pretty light! There may be nights you are forced to share that tent with her due to weather and less than 1 lb difference for more room. You'll probably be packing the tent so wt is important. I just like the way the bottom is constructed with the Big Spur rather than the Fly Creek.
Creek Dancer
06-17-2012, 15:01
The Big Agnes Roxy Ann sleeping bag is probably a good enough bag, but I think it's rather heavy for backpacking. Unless she needs a bag with that shoulder width and girth specifications, which I think are larger than the standard specs, I would check out the Marmot Helium 15 degree down bag. This bag weighs nearly a pound less than the BA Roxy Anne. I own this Marmot bag and its plenty warm and light weight for its rating. I am a cold sleeper and I can trust this bag to keep me warm down to about 15-20 degrees.
I made the mistake of buying a Big Agnes bag that was too big for me. My body heat just could not heat up the bag enough to keep me warm. There was too much empty space inside. I ended up selling it on e-bay.
Good luck and have fun gear shopping!
I love the Roxy Ann bag because it's a little wider than your usual mummy backpacking sleeping bags. It may be heavier, but only by a few ounces. It's also VERY warm. Personally, I like that because I can always unzip it if I get hot, but nothing worse than being too cold out there :) With the scoliosis, your biggest issue is finding a good pad. But those three choices look pretty good.
Creek Dancer
06-17-2012, 15:11
The weight for the size of the BA Fly Creek seem pretty good. The one single door would get old if two adult people were consistently using the tent, but for one person and occasionally another adult or a child, I think it would work well.
Exped makes great stuff and I have hard that the SynMat UL 7 is a good pad. If you intend to use this pad during the winter months, however, you might want to consider a pad with a higher R-value.
T.S.Kobzol
06-17-2012, 15:12
I have Copper Spur 3. It is a great tent we sometimes use while kayak camping. Not sure I would love to carry it on military trip. It would be my upper limit for tent weight. The 3 is just about right for two people. The vestibule is a but finicky but the testify the tent is great.
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T.S.Kobzol
06-17-2012, 15:13
Err strike military and replace with backpacking
I have Copper Spur 3. It is a great tent we sometimes use while kayak camping. Not sure I would love to carry it on military trip. It would be my upper limit for tent weight. The 3 is just about right for two people. The vestibule is a but finicky but the testify the tent is great.
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Snowleopard
06-17-2012, 15:41
If she has back problems she should make an extra effort to go light -- closer to 10lb than 30lb base weight (not counting food and water). When buying new gear, she should make low weight a priority. She should leave behind everything that is not absolutely necessary. If her load is light enough she can use a lighter pack.
What seasons will she be hiking and what temps are expected? A 15F bag might be too warm for summer. Also, that particular bag is a pound heavier than other high quality 20F bags. Would she consider a sleeping quilt for summer (lighter cheaper)?
She should go to a store and try out different air mattresses (take a little nap?); try it at different inflation pressures, sometimes softer is better. Has she tried your hammock?
Tarptent has a couple of tents that are lighter than that BA tent and get good reviews. http://tarptent.com/allproducts.html There are other small cottage gear tent makers. Zpacks makes a tarp/tent with full bug screen with high tech fabric (cuben) that is about 10 oz for a 1 person with some versions less expensive than that BA tent. http://zpacks.com/shelter/hexamid.shtml This also gets excellent reviews but is more minimalist. Zpacks also makes packs that are quite light.
BigBadger
06-17-2012, 18:03
I really like the Big Agnes Copper Spur2 or 3. Pretty light! There may be nights you are forced to share that tent with her due to weather and less than 1 lb difference for more room. You'll probably be packing the tent so wt is important. I just like the way the bottom is constructed with the Big Spur rather than the Fly Creek.
The 1 pound difference kind of scared me off that one. I'll try to get a look at them both in the store. thanks!
BigBadger
06-17-2012, 18:10
Check out golite they are havering a good sale right now
zang, those are good prices. Why is their 2 man over 3 lbs? Are they including the weight of the poles? http://www.golite.com/Shangri-La-2-Tent-P46826.aspx
BigBadger
06-17-2012, 18:15
The Big Agnes Roxy Ann sleeping bag is probably a good enough bag, but I think it's rather heavy for backpacking. Unless she needs a bag with that shoulder width and girth specifications, which I think are larger than the standard specs, I would check out the Marmot Helium 15 degree down bag.
The helium looks nice and saving a pond would be great. I'll show her this one too. thanks
http://www.rei.com/product/762528/marmot-helium-sleeping-bag
chip2012
06-17-2012, 18:17
I believe the Shangri-La 2 Tent is pitched with your trekking poles or tied off the near by trees or limbs. Could be wrong.:)
BigBadger
06-17-2012, 18:17
I love the Roxy Ann bag because it's a little wider than your usual mummy backpacking sleeping bags. It may be heavier, but only by a few ounces. It's also VERY warm. Personally, I like that because I can always unzip it if I get hot, but nothing worse than being too cold out there :) With the scoliosis, your biggest issue is finding a good pad. But those three choices look pretty good.
I liked the feature that allows us to slip a pad in the pocket so that it doesn't slip around.
BigBadger
06-17-2012, 18:29
If she has back problems she should make an extra effort to go light -- closer to 10lb than 30lb base weight (not counting food and water). When buying new gear, she should make low weight a priority. She should leave behind everything that is not absolutely necessary. If her load is light enough she can use a lighter pack.
What seasons will she be hiking and what temps are expected? A 15F bag might be too warm for summer. Also, that particular bag is a pound heavier than other high quality 20F bags. Would she consider a sleeping quilt for summer (lighter cheaper)?
She should go to a store and try out different air mattresses (take a little nap?); try it at different inflation pressures, sometimes softer is better. Has she tried your hammock?
Tarptent has a couple of tents that are lighter than that BA tent and get good reviews. http://tarptent.com/allproducts.html There are other small cottage gear tent makers. Zpacks makes a tarp/tent with full bug screen with high tech fabric (cuben) that is about 10 oz for a 1 person with some versions less expensive than that BA tent. http://zpacks.com/shelter/hexamid.shtml This also gets excellent reviews but is more minimalist. Zpacks also makes packs that are quite light.
I totally agree on the weight thing especially since if it is too heavy, I'll be carrying it! :D She is not digging the hammock even though I tried to turn her on to it. We will be doing spring/summer/fall and don't really want to buy separate gear just for the summer. It sometimes dips down to the 30s at night.
I have the BA Flycreek 2! It's a great tent for one person but would be incredibly tight for two adults. I use this tent as a loner for my friends that occasionally like to accompany me on the trail! Like you, I'm a hammock camper! Wouldn't go back to a tent for all the tea in China!
My husband and I have had good experiences with tarptent products and own several. They are light and durable and I have no problem carrying my own. We also use Western Mountaineer bags, a bit pricey, but very true to temp rating and light as a feather (or feathers!). I use a thermarest z pad. These keep me very light and I don't feel like I've lost any comfort. Just some suggestions to look into if you are looking at weight and lasting products. Sorry, I'm not familiar with the products you've listed, but it sounds as though they are also recommended by others here as being great choices.
Gum
Old Hiker
06-22-2012, 21:27
Check out Lightheart gear - I'm waiting on a SoLong 6 prototype - fly a lot closer to the ground. 1 # 11 oz. I'm 6'2", so I wanted a larger sized enclosed tent. They have several other styles that are smaller/lighter. Judy Gross also has updated the website with a "garage sale" with returns and slightly seconded tents.
Zippy Morocco
06-23-2012, 13:42
Tarptent Squall 2, Western Mountaineering ultralight, Exped Ul 7. This set up might break the bank but is nice. Keeps you around 6 lbs. Including a roomy two person tent. The tent does require trekking poles for set up.
Hi.. Thanks for the suggestion of the Golite site. I found the tent I like..
Shangri-La 1 Tent
They are out of stock at the moment and hopefully will have it again at the sale price. Waiting to hear back from the customer service dept.
Drybones
09-04-2012, 18:34
Of the three items listed I have experience with only the Synmat 7...love it. I believe I sleep better on it than I do in bed.
Drybones
09-04-2012, 18:37
If you have time, watch for sales at the major outfitters and steepandcheap. I got my wife a 15 degree, 2-lb down bag for $134 a while back.