Hey we just went on our first backpack trip. we went to the Red River Gorge.
we only stayed one night.
the tent i have now is a bit to small for my comfort. i have eureka solitaire one person tent.
I dont want to us a tarp.
i didnt have a sleeping pad either so if you have any ideas! please tell me!

thanks!!

Here are my suggestions for a tent

Traditional:

Big Agnes Seedhouse SL1 - The seedhouse has a ton of interior room for its weight and has been very storm worthy for me.

Single Wall:

Tarptent Rainbow - This is another big but light solo shelter, but I don't think single walls do as well in the humid east as they do out west.


Here are my suggestions on a sleeping pad

Inflating Mats:

Big Agnes Insulated Air Core - Super Comfy, packs up small, cheaper
Thermarest Prolite 3 - Reasonably Comfy, packs up small

Foam:

Thermarest Ridgerest light and cheap, but bulky and not super comfy.
Thermarest Z-lite light and cheap, but not real comfortable

Edited by Mocs123 on 12/02/2008 09:36:22 MST.

Eric,

We can offer a more informed answer if we know more about your intended use ... especially climate. Also, how much too small was the Solitaire for your comfort.

But you can find w good variety of light weight shelters at TarpTent

Also some at Six Moon Designs and Mountain Laurel Designs

You'll find fans of all these shelters on BPL. I like TarpTents (and they are on sale right now)

Edited by jcolten on 12/02/2008 09:38:43 MST.

Its winter right now in OH and KY that is where are go backpacking it getting below 0 sometimes around here

Brad's list is a good one. All the tents made by TarpTent or Six Moons are very good (especially if you are used to a double walled tent). For a sleeping pad, I would add Gossamer Gear sleeping pads to the list. If you go with an inflatable, and it doesn't contain down, I would recommend a thinlight (from Gossamer Gear) to supplement your pad. You might even double up with a thicker closed cell pad at the temperatures you mentioned (although that adds a fair amount of bulk). A great deal of heat is lost to the ground if your padding is insufficient.

Eric,
I'm from Cleveland. If most of your backpacking is like mine, it takes place between Columbus Day and Easter. If that is the case, a tent may not be your best choice.

At this time of year bugs are generally not an issue. Thus a tarp, especially one that can hug the ground, might work well. I use the fly on my MSR Hubba, but there are lots of other tarp and tarp-ish options too.

The latest writeup on lightweight tents goes to great lengths to dissuade folks in humid climates from buying single wall / tarp tents. They mention this twice. In my experience, Ohio and Kentucky are humid environments, summer and winter. These tents will condense more than you may like.

As for ground pads, most of your heat will be lost downwards, not upwards. Spend your money and weight on ground insulation. A Gossamer Gear Nightlight Pad and a Big Agnes Insulated Air Core together would be a fine winter combination. Especially if you have a pack that will accept one or the other as a 'frame sheet'.

Would you consider a hammock?

You ground dwellers are so cute when you pretend sleeping on the ground is comfortable.

You hammock campers are so cute when you think you're saving weight.

You might check out the Hilleberg line of tents. They are relatively light, double walled and pitch as a unit. Better for humid areas than a single wall tent. Henry Shire's new double wall tarptent, The Scarp 1, might also be worth a look. Montbell and Cascade Designs make excellent self inflating pads that are fairly light and compact but vulnerable to punctures, while Gossamer Gear offers very light closed cell foam pads that are bulkier but impervious to punctures. Tradeoffs.

thanks! for the help

My Sleeping bag got ripped up.. my dog got a hold of it.

any ideas for a new sleeping bag?

How much do you want to spend and what temperature rating are you looking for?

If you can keep it away from your dog, I would recommend Western Mountaineering bags, they are the best I have ever used.

http://www.westernmountaineering.com/