Greetings, I've been reading through posts and wanted to say thanks to those involved in making this a great place. (Liked it enough to be a paying subscriber.)

Anyway, the real reason for the post...

I'm currently in the midst of getting back to backpacking. I started in about 1994, but fell out of it after 2000. I still have all my old equipment. However, as could be expected, it's quite heavy compared to today's standards. Currently I'm focused on my big 3.

My current backpacking shelter is an old Walrus Arch Rival (5+lbs.) It's a great little tent that has served me well, but it's very heavy for a 1 man.

I'm located in Minnesota, and enjoy the colder weather. I occasionally go camping during November-February, and would like to avoid purchasing multiple shelters if possible. (That said, I have a Big Agnes Big House 4 season 3 man. If it's cold enough, I'll just camp as opposed to backpacking and use it.) So, I'm looking for a 3+ season shelter. I've looked at various tarps and bivies and not sure I'm ready to go that route. Many of the tarp tents look very open air, and I'm concerned about having a draft in low temperatures. Also, I like having a complete enclosure around me. Likewise, one of the main reasons for getting back to backpacking is my love of landscape photography. I feel more comfortable with my pack and expensive camera gear in my tent rather than hanging from a tree as would be required with a bivy.

With those requirements does anyone have any recommendations?

Then, sleeping bags... I currently use a Therm-A-Rest 0 degree bag (4lbs) for everything but would like to add a lightweight 3 season bag. Any recommendations for a Minnesota 3 season bag? I like my down bags, but don't think I've ever used anything else.

Thanks for the help!

Ryan

Edited by leadZERO on 05/12/2010 10:15:01 MDT.

The tarptent Moment may work well for you. It is a good 3 season tent, and then for the winter you can use the cross pole to make it a free standing tent that can hold some snow. 28.5 ounces and 35.5 ounces with the free standing pole.

If you're concerned about drafts, a tarptent scarp 1 might be a better bet than a moment.

As for bags, how about a montbell?

I've been looking at the MontBell. I think what I'm really wondering about for the bags is what temp to get... Do I get a 30 degree? 40 degree? 30 plus the 50 degree Thermal Sheet?

The Tarptent Scarp has both solid and mesh liners available to match warmer vs. colder conditions. The Moment would probably let in too much wind and blowing snow for winter usage. (Edit: not to mention limited snow-load capability.)

A GoLite Shangri-La 3 might be a good option if you don't mind either sleeping in a separate bug bivvy, sewing your own bug netting perimeter, or carrying the extra weight (and cash layout) of their "nest" (mesh inner).

Which of these did I choose? Both! :D I couldn't decide, so I'm trying both. I have a Scarp 2 on order, and I'm sewing/velcroing in my own bug netting to the Shangri-La 3.

Here's my current approach to handling year-long temp ranges:
40 F and above: 40F-rated bag or quilt with foam pad
30-40 F: 40F-rated bag with Exped Downmat 7
-20-30F: 0F-rated bag with Exped Downmat 7 (haven't tested below 10 F though)

Edited by AndyF on 05/12/2010 11:23:41 MDT.

Ryan-Where are you located in MN? I live in Plymouth.

I'd recommend Western Mountaineering bags.

If you're set on 4 season/shoulder camping, then maybe look into a hammock if you're going to be using it primarily in MN.

I use a GG Spinnshelter combined with a SMD meteor bivy for all season use.

The Spinnshelter is similar to my old Hut 1 (Shangri-la 1) in that it can be staked very draft free, sheds snow well, but can pitched wide open for hot summer use.

The Meteor bivy adds some more weather protection by providing a ground cloth and second wall.

In the summer the Meteor can be a bug screen or can just be used as a ground cloth.

The combination weighs under 24 oz with everything, bag, a variety of stakes, including 9" long Easton's and additional guy line. I like to be prepared for extreme weather and loose ground:-)

"I've been looking at the MontBell. I think what I'm really wondering about for the bags is what temp to get... Do I get a 30 degree? 40 degree? 30 plus the 50 degree Thermal Sheet?"

Personally, I don't think there is one do it all bag. You can use the two together. I have a warm weather travel bag that is rated at 50 and a golite down quilt that is wishfully rated at 20. In the winter I used them together plus a down sweater and it works out pretty well.

Maybe the hydrogen bag or a spiral down hugger?

So my vote is two bags, maybe 20 and 50 or 30 and 50. Depends on how you sleep and sleeping pad is really important. I have the POE Ether thermo 2/3rds length and i really like it a lot. Couple it with closed cell foam for colder nights.

Edited by justaddfuel on 05/13/2010 08:25:37 MDT.

How about a MLD DuoMid - I just ordered one with some bug netting around the perimeter. I'm also in Minnesota (Minneapolis), and it seemed like the wise thing to do for up north.

I use the two bag philosophy. One 40 deg f summer bag. and one 20 deg f spring//fall bag..

It's important that the outside bag/quilt doesn't compress the inside bag/quilt.
In my scenario, the 40 deg bag is very tight fitting and the 20 deg bag is looser so there is little compression of the inner bags down if I use the 40 deg, bag on the inside.

Both together work well down to very cold temps, but I don't carry a thermometer to get actual figures.

No way would a Duomid work! Just kidding.

Another great shelter for you environment.
The added bug net would not only work for bugs but would reduce drafts, mist and splash.

Edited by brooklynkayak on 05/13/2010 08:40:58 MDT.

For the record I have the oware 9x9 pyramid in sil with bug netting around the perimeter, haven't really had a chance to try it out with real bugs yet (and we in minnesota KNOW bugs) but I really really love it so far for winter, shoulder season. 28oz!

Edited by justaddfuel on 05/13/2010 08:55:39 MDT.

Re: "oware 9x9 pyramid"

Nice. A lot roomier than my Spinnshelter.

Ryan,

I recently replaced all my heavy stuff with new ultra light. After months of research this is what I came up with.

Shelter: I too want more of a full tent with a tub and mosquito netting so I came up with a Gossamer gear THE ONE 19oz but more like 22oz by the time you add the ground sheet and stakes. I was also looking at a Tarptent Sublite at about the same weight.

Sleeping bag: I originally choose a Western Mountain Highlite at 17 oz but after trying one in the store went up a notch to the Western Mountain Carbibou at 20oz because I am a big guy and the Caribou was wider. Both 35 degree bags. Recently slept out were it got to about 35 and I was fine with no extra cloths but my friend had the Highlite with a down sweeter and long underwear and he thought that if it got much colder he would have been cold.

Sleeping pad: I just got the Thermorest Neoair @ 13 oz and love it.

So those three things come in at about 3 ½ lbs. add a good light weight frameless pack at 20 0z and your still under 5 lbs.

A couple of weeks ago we did 50 miles on the PCT in two days, 27 in one day with this light weight stuff. And that’s after a month of sitting at a computer and the other side of 50 years old. No way I could have done that with my old stuff.

"(and we in minnesota KNOW bugs)"

Tell me about it! Although I've not seen anything like the true horror I experienced one July in Lapland. I was wondering why nobody hiked in July. Seven billion bites later I figured it out.

The mosquito, commonly referred to as the state bird in Minnesota.

One July near Ely, MN (at my grandparent's house), I stepped out of the car in the middle of the day to be met by literally a cloud of mosquitoes. It was sunny, dry and hot! Forget the notion that mosquitoes only come out at dusk!! Truth be told, once we entered the BWCA wilderness, it wasn't as bad as my grandparent's house, but long pants, shirt and deet everywhere not covered by clothing is a necessity. I've seen mosquitos in the BWCA in early spring when there was still ice on the lakes and they stick around until the first hard freeze.

+1 on the Duomid. I am in process of selling all my current shelters and converting to pyramid style shelters for the sake of dual use for summer and winter. I have a Duomid on order that I will use an inner netting for mosquito season and then I can leave it at home the rest of the year.

I am also looking at getting a large pyramid (probably a Golite Shangri-la 5) for family/group camping and use the same methodology. These will be my only shelters that I own. No need for anything else... at least for now. ;-)

As for a sleeping system, I have a JRB Sierra Sniveller Down Quilt (25F) that I combine with a 45F Polyfill sleeping bag that I modified into a quilt. I pick either one depending on temps and then use a combination of the two and/or insulated clothing for colder temps. I put the polyfill quilt on the outside of the JRB down quilt so that it is the one that collects the condensation moisture instead of the down. I also use a Titanium Goat bivy over the quilts at colder temps (below 25F).

I have a combination of CCF pads that I use depending on temps. Yes they are bulky, but I don't want to mess with anything that I have to inflate. I would be very upset if I woke up with a deflated pad in the morning!!