Tents and Sleeping bags

Must have been someone else. I drove out there in the morning.

that was GreenButtSkunked who had it, told me next morning he slept like a baby..

Ahhhh ... ok.

Where is GBS these days?  Haven't heard from him in awhile.

-Allen

I have a hennessy hammock.  I love it for go fast, go light hunting trips or other times when I want a very packable shelter.  It can get a little chilly, if the temps drop in the night, if you don't use a pad, as your back is exposed to the air.  But in the summer thats not much of a problem. I have rode out some major rain and windstorms in the coast range while hunting and stayed dry and comfortable. I really like the fact that if you can find two trees near each other you are good to go.  I have used mine on steep slopes where you could never even think about pitching a tent.  Nothing like sleeping in a "bear burrito"  I would not recommend it as "car camping" tent though

Ahhhh ... ok.

Where is GBS these days?  Haven't heard from him in awhile.

-Allen

tell you in private.........

Nothin' but love for Eureka! brand tents.  They've treated me well over the years, and lasted well over many a river trip....

I am more of a minimalist when it comes to the outdoor experience.  But I do have requirements, warmth, and food.  No one is having fun cold and hungry.  I will use a small 3 three person dome, because that means two comfortably.  I also use a large tent rain fly in the summer, just the fly.  It works really well and since it's waterproof nylon folds up to a small 10" x 10" x 3" square.  REI sells a setup with a special name for this type of shelter, and it's really expensive.  I purchased three of these rain fly covers at 2nd hand stores by shelling a few bucks for used tents.  I don't use tents used by someone I don't know, my choice.   Everyone say PEE  ).

As for a sleeping bag, you should get a decent one for the $60.  Make sure the length is sufficient.  Sleeping bags have different cut sizes and are in inches.  It's easy to get a good one that is too short even though it says "adult".  Also get a (closed cell) foam pad.  Pads are really for retaining your heat and blocking the ground cold, comfort they provide as a ground cushion is secondary.
Don't worry about the pad fitting in a hatch, it's closed cell and can't absorb water.

You can also buy a coleman fleece zippered bag to use as a bag inner liner.  It boosts the temp rating and won't take much room.

I'm in the process of planning a three day John Day float with some guys for May.  I'll take pics then to show the kind of camp setup we employ and how the gear is stowed/secured for the float.

Happy camping,
Scott 

 

That John Day float sounds like a hoot. Looking forward to the pics.

REI is having a big sale right now, with a coupon for 20% off one item for members (you can become a member for a one-time fee of $10 bucks I think).  The REI house-brand tents/sleeping bags/sleeping pads are quality stuff for only mildly outrageous prices.  I have learned from hard experience -- buy cheap camping gear and be prepared for cold, wet, uncomfortable nights (and that is the best case scenario).

Might also check out Sierratradingpost.com.  They are a clearinghouse for overstocked/discontinued outdoor gear.  You can find some real bargains on high quality gear there.

For kayak camping/car camping, I'd look for a good 2-3 person backpacking tent, a 20 degree rated synthetic bag (down is warmer and lasts longer, but useless if it gets wet and they take forever to dry, plus down costs more), and a full-size Thermarest-style sleeping pad (I've seen knock-offs for much less $$ than the real thing).

Scott, my wife and I do the John Day most every year, either Service Creek to Clarno or Clarno to Cottonwood.  We sold our raft last year, and will be taking kayaks down this year.  Shoot me an email if you'd like any pointers and advice.  I think I posted a bunch of stuff on the John Day in a thread here sometime last year.

Coleman and Eureka are both excellent tents for the "lower" end.  My favorite tent of all time was a Eureka 3-man dome I used from Boy Scouts through college.  Right now I'm in the market for a smaller tent as well since my family tent is freak'n huge.  I've been seriously considering the Coleman Hooligan 3 (~$90).  It has a large vestibule that is perfect for sheltering the crap you don't necessarily want in the tent, but out of the elements or dew free.  Make sure you honestly assess what kind of camping you plan on or are willing to do and take that into consideration when picking your tent.  A 2 season tent is great for summer only (the second season is really only the addition of a rain fly).  For the northwest I would probably look into 3 season tents exclusively.

I saw decent all "modular" sleeping bag at Joes last summer that looked like the perfect sleeping bag for someone who wants or can only afford one bag for all seasons, the Columbia Bugaboo Systems sleeping bag(~$90).  This bag comes with a pillow and has a liner that can either be used on its own for those really hot days or combined with the sleeping bag for those cold ones too.

Just wanted to emphasize to check out the tent extensively for size.  A two-man tent does not always mean two men can sleep in it.  See the story here for confirmation and a good laugh:

http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php/topic,2237.0.html

The Coleman Trailblazer looks pretty nice as well. It's a little bigger (8x8) and it looks like the rain fly goes all the way to the ground. It's also 10 bucks cheaper than the Hooligan 3.

http://www.colemaneverest.com/coleman/colemancom/detail.asp?product_id=2000000281&categoryid=11020

Looking at REIoutlet.com, there are some deals.  If you can afford them, I'd skip Coleman and buy something like these:

http://www.rei.com/outlet/product/767270

http://www.rei.com/outlet/product/784417

REI products have their iron clad warranty to boot (if it leaks, get your money back or get a new one).  Hardcore tents like this cost more up front, but cheaper than buying a new one every few years. I still have a Sierra Designs purchased in 1994 that works great (though I have seam gripped the seams several times).

When I bought my used tent last year from Second Ascent , they let me set it up on the showroom floor and gave me seam seal--gratis.  I was quite pleased with that kind of service.
Rob.

The Coleman Tents I linked to are guaranteed to keep you dry. I don't know what kind of guarantee that is but I'd rather buy one of those rather than a $150 tent any day.

I've had my current tent (Eureka) for about 10 years and it has been great the whole way. When I was camping in Amsterdam it rained so hard that the entire camp flooded and me and my girlfriend at the time stayed quite dry while most other people left. People were leaving everything they had behind, never seen anything like it before. This is a ~$60 tent, just goes to show that even cheap tents can keep you dry in extreme conditions.

Anyway, Eureka tents are worth every penny in my book.

Just my 2 cents