Tried lots of new gear this weekend: TT Moment DW, Neoair Xlite, and more

[kimbur96]

I'm brand new to the world of overnight hiking and all it's gear. I have done lots of reading and research and started to make some purchases which have started to arrive. So this weekend I snuck out for a night at a local water management area to try it all out.

First up was a tarptent Moment DW, great little light weight tent. It was super simple to set up, although i need to perfect my technique. It was a little droopy, but I'll get better. The tent is quite roomy for a solo tent. I'm only 5'3 so I had plenty of room to sit up, even had room beside my bag inside the tent to store some gear I didn't want outside. There was condensation on the outer shell but not the inner tent. It is incredibly light weight which made me treat if very delicately. I am sure it will hold up well and I will get used to how light it is. First impression is it's great.

The neoair Xlite was next on the list of new things to try. I love this little air mattress. I got the women's because it has a slightly higher R value and being from Florida I figured I could use all the help I can get to stay warm in the mountains. I had heard this mattress was incredibly noisy. It was a little noisy, I toss and turn a lot. But i didn't find it to be so loud or noisy that it was bothersome. And it was certainly more comfortable that the static x i had been using. It is a little narrow and i found myself having to make sure i was still centered as i rolled over. It was only one night but I think this is a keeper.

From there it was on the Sea to Summit Aero pillow. I had read on a thread here that the key to this pillow was not to inflate it all the way. With about 90% inflation it was a very comfortable pillow as a side sleeper a pillow is critical. So far so good.

The final new piece was the kitchen items: pocket rocket, titan kettle, mountain house foods. The stove operated flawlessly and boiled water very quickly. it was simple and compact. No complaints. The kettle was good. I had read the top red handle is a little flimsy and i found you had to really wedge it in the up position for it to stay. But it works fine. The meals were lasagna and the breakfast skillet. the lasagna was ok, a little too tomatoey for me, but edible. The breakfast skillet was yummy and on a cold morning I could really enjoy that, but then i have always been partial to breakfast. i do think I will add a separate mug for coffee or hot chocolate. I wanted to enjoy my coffee while the water breakfast skillet was cooking. I'm not doing anything so big that i can't squeeze in mug.

My new Feathered Friends Egret arrives this week so I will have one more thing to report on next week. With that, I think my gear list is for the most part complete. Now I need to take it all out for longer than a weekend close to home.

[Cheyou]

u made some great gear choices

thom

[garlic08]

Good choices and nice review. Part of the learning curve with silnylon is learning that you can really crank down on the stuff when you're pitching it. You cannot harm it. Tighten everything real tight during the evening and again right before you to to bed, and yet again if you get up in the night to answer nature's call. This will minimize sag, and even eliminate if relative humidity is low. Of course, good anchors are important.

[theoilman]

With my TT Moment I stake the ends first. Then I put in the pole. I learned after a couple of times how far to set them that I almost never have to reset them.

[Franco]

"I had heard this mattress was incredibly noisy"
Yes that comment has been posted with evangelical fervour many times and I suspect sometime from people that have never seen one...
The point here is that we need to remember that other people may perceive things very differently than we do, so best to try for oneself.

The first night I slept on the VERY NOISY original Neo Air the two guys I was with also were sleeping for the first time on theirs too.
In the morning we asked each other what the comments about noise were all about because we did not notice them.
Snoring was another matter though...

[Vegan Packer]

This all has such a familiar ring to it. LOL. Remember, I am close by, anytime that you want to see some things that you may be considering but haven't yet purchased.

[Casey & Gina]

Yes that comment has been posted with evangelical fervour many times and I suspect sometime from people that have never seen one...

I think that Therm-a-Rest must have changed the design at some point, or perhaps it is only the XTherm that is so noisy. I had a small version of the XLite and it made no noise, but the large XTherm floor model at a local REI is a very loud crinkly beast. I don't know the details but I can say for sure that the XLite I had was completely silent whereas the only XTherm I've seen was really noisy. Anyways I think that Therm-a-Rest is the way to go if you're going to use an air mattress.

Congratulations on the Egret purchase - nice to see other Feathered Friends users here and I am sure you will love it! Did you get the UL or Nano version? Will be curious to hear your review!

[kimbur96]

Congratulations on the Egret purchase - nice to see other Feathered Friends users here and I am sure you will love it! Did you get the UL or Nano version? Will be curious to hear your review!

I got the UL. I will try it out locally, but the won't see anything even remotely chilly until June when I go to Northern Idaho for some back packing.