Camping using my H Revo - am I kidding myself?

Interesting sounding stove and tent. But I don't think I'll ever need a stove camping in a tent, since i won't ever willingly go camping in conditions where one might need a stove for warmth in a tent. I'm only a 3- season camper. I'm not ashamed to admit that. I'm 59 years old, not 19 any more.  I don't need to be able to recount stories of how I endured miserable conditions in lousy weather, since nobody ever listens to my stories anyway.

Me camping in the Winter??? Never gonna happen this side of Armageddon.
I usually plan my camping trips for periods of better weather conditons, like in the middle of Summer. I like July thru Sept

I've been caught in rain storms in the Spring and Fall, and they don't bother me as long as I have my rain gear along. I don't like the snow any more. I avoid it if possible. When I was young, I lived to go downhill skiing. But those days are long past.  I have no use for that white stuff any more. Its just a pain in the arse to me now! No fun.

No, I can't foresee any situation where one might really need a stove for heat when camping, where I'd be along. I've got one of those cannister stoves that folds up very small, about half the size of my fist. Its a Snow Peak. Got it for backpacking.  Good 'nuff for cooking.

In the Summer, it stays light late, and by the time the campfire is burning down, its really late. I hit the fart sack, & snooze right thru til its time to get up and greet the dawn. Then I'm out of my tent for the day. If I'm moving on, I try to get an early start, and that tent will be taken down right after breakfast, whereupon its time to get truckin'!
I don't spend any more time in my tent then that, usually.

Holtfisher---nice to see another guy my age on the board!   Campmor  in (I think) New Jersey has great deals on brand name stuff, REI has a lot of high-tech gear (at high prices) but they have occasional sales, as does Cabela's in Lacey.   Campmor also has "hot deals" for excellent prices on stuff that might be last year's colors, etc.  Outdoor Emporium used to have really low pricing, but after acquiring Sportco, prices have gone up.
   I went a little bit off the deep end after retiring in May and bought a 16foot tipi, spent a week sanding and oiling the poles.  Sort of the opposite end of the spectrum from ultralite gear!!  Can't wait to set it up along the Gorge somewhere and fish for springers and walleye.
    I've missed the NWKA Forum, just got too dam busy and since my job was computer programmer, have spent very little time online.  I intend to write that story of kayak fishing on Vancouver Island in the early 80's, and spend a little time on the forum, swapping lies with you guys.

welcome back, Kalli, you sure were missed. 

Holtfisher---nice to see another guy my age on the board!   Campmor  in (I think) New Jersey has great deals on brand name stuff, REI has a lot of high-tech gear (at high prices) but they have occasional sales, as does Cabela's in Lacey.   Campmor also has "hot deals" for excellent prices on stuff that might be last year's colors, etc.  Outdoor Emporium used to have really low pricing, but after acquiring Sportco, prices have gone up.
   I went a little bit off the deep end after retiring in May and bought a 16foot tipi, spent a week sanding and oiling the poles.  Sort of the opposite end of the spectrum from ultralite gear!!  Can't wait to set it up along the Gorge somewhere and fish for springers and walleye.
    I've missed the NWKA Forum, just got too dam busy and since my job was computer programmer, have spent very little time online.  I intend to write that story of kayak fishing on Vancouver Island in the early 80's, and spend a little time on the forum, swapping lies with you guys.

Kalitype, sure glad to hear from you. Thanks for the info!  Am slowly pulling my gear together. Sixteen foot teepee, that sounds like fun!  Will PM you.
holt

Tent help request: There are an incredible amount of tents out there. Keeping in mind only owning one kayak camping tent for the PNW (likely set up is necessary during rain): What is important to you when considering a 3-4 man three season tent? Say budget is up to $400.00.  Thank you, holt

Many brands have this feature now, but my favorite thing about my Marmot Alpinist (4 season) is that I can set it up, alone, quickly.  You stick the poles in the holes, then lift the tent up and snap the plastic hooks onto the poles.  I can literally set it up in less than a minute.

Alpinist
Lay the tent out, stick the poles in the corner holes, clip on the plastic, done.

The Alpinist doesn't have a rain fly, and doesn't need it, making it that much easier to set up.

There are some videos on that page too.

Like I said, I'm sure other tents incorporate that kind of setup, and it's really easy to deal with in rain/snow/cold. 

I agree with Lee on snap in pole features.   It's very quick and easy to set up by yourself.  I have always subtracted one person from what the tent advertises as an occupancy rating.  If you need to put four people in a four man, by all means you can.  You may be in close quarters with your tent mates, and wake with interior condensation under certain conditions.

A four man used by two offers a lot of comfort.  Consider the weight of a four man vs two man, is it really a factor?  Depends.

Your budget will get you a very nice tent, I have never spent even close to $400.  Consider buying a quality storage dry bag just for the tent and some quality stakes to replace the little token stake kit.  I think everyone has pushed one of those provided stakes into the ground and have them bendo.  I use steel stakes from a military surplus store, those hold.

Nothing is worse than having a tent uprooted and blown into a lake or river!  I have seen this happen on the Deschutes, sleeping bags and clothing inside!  I don't think that particular tent was staked (drunk college kids).  I sure laughed though as it floated down stream, who would have thought a cheap tent could be rated for class II rapids!  Maybe class III if it had been able to float farther down!!
Sorry, off the subject...

I always take an extra rain fly cover in my ventures.  It has many uses in providing dry cover for gear, shade canopy, ground cover, wrap around sleeping bag, sail on kayak.  Take an old rain fly from a tent and weigh it if you want, tons of cover for it's weight and compresses into nothing!  I also don't always take a tent and just use the rain fly for cover in camp.  That is not for everyone in the family, just when it's me on my silly little minimalist ventures.

In a nutshell... subtract one from occupancy, put down ground cover, replace those stupid stakes...
-Scott

Replacing the stakes is usually a good idea; however, the marmot tent I have came with VERY beefy, ultralight, triple beam style stakes, as well as the standard el-cheapo aluminum round hook things.

The beefy stakes looked like these, but without the string

http://www.rei.com/product/682543


I also picked up some snow stakes like these for the thing

http://www.rei.com/product/358111

I like roomy interior & peak height for lowest weight, free standing, two door, 2 large vestibules, high rising bathtub floor with mesh windows & rain fly vents, 2 wall (rainfly & tent body), high wind rating, high quality tents myself.

air circulation is key when you're talking wet people/gear/rain/100% humidity like it is in the PNW 90% of the time, but you don't want to be too exposed with too much mesh wall; that's why I chose the set-up above. Two doors just make life easier with 2+ people, and two large vestibules are a must for keeping stuff you don't want in the tent out of the rain.

In a marine environment, the fly over mesh windows allows good air circulation, but won't expose you to the saturation that happens over night.

Also, the taller the peak height, the less face to face interaction you have with cold condensation in the morning. The more people you have in a tent, the greater the condensation.

My 2 cents,

J

I've been looking at this one for 2 person kayak camping. It's huge and has everthing I mentioned above.

http://www.cascadedesigns.com/msr/tents/basecamp-tents/mo-room-3p/product

REI having closeout sale on that MSR tent---$339. (vs $500).  Only downside is weight--10# and size rolled.  Lotta tent, tho.  I use an older REI 2-person, giving up storage and sit-up room for small pack size.  Everything is compromise!!! Visit REI, they have very nice spec sheets for all tents, comparing all parameters that matter, including price.

I used to do the MSR zoid 2 ultralight....4 pounds and super tiny.

One too many times I woke up and hit the roof and all the condensation falls off onto sleeping bag etc., just not a good way to start your day.

I tend to go pretty big on the tent for kayak camping. If you take it out of the bag, the fly, body, & ground sheet will cram into the smallest nooks in the bow or stern where nothing else fits. polls go in seperate where ever they fit.

5 extra pounds of tent doesn't make much of a difference in a kayak like it does for back packing, so I like the extra comfort of the big one.

I don't like the all mesh body of the mutha hubba, although I like it's weight/size ratio. it, like my all mesh zoid did not offer enough protection from extended heavy rains......after a few days in all mesh in heavy rain, everything is saturated from humidity, and the lower bathtub floors don't help when there's 2 inches of water on the ground.

Also having more room in the tent helps keep things from getting wet....whatever drips isn't going to soak the whole of the interior.....just part. Higher peak height helps keep condensation to a min.

I've pretty much come to the realization that if I don't have to sacrifice size & comfort, I won't.

Good input regarding a tent and many helpful comments.  Putting all the information together the following tent seems plausable.  Does anyone own or have experience with one of these. Or do you have comments on the specs ete?
Cabela's XPG™ Expedition 4-Season Tent $320.00
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0055294518215a&type=product&cmCat=SEARCH_all&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&Ntk=Products&QueryText=tent+xpg&sort=all&_D%3AhasJS=+&N=0&Nty=1&hasJS=true&_DARGS=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcommon%2Fsearch%2Fsearch-box.jsp.form23&_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1
 
Thank you,
Holt

Holt, I can't help you with any Cabela's brand equipment, since I am unfamiliar with it. I picked up most of my backpacking stuff at Brown's Outdoor, in Port Angeles a few years ago. When I first walked into the store, it reminded me of the old REI store in downtown Seattle back in the mid 60's. I was pleased that they had reasonable and competitive pricing.  I'll go back there to shop for any backpacking gear, as I prefer to patronize small local business establishments rather than large chain stores. But that's just my own preference. I don't buy much stuff, anyway.
(Since I am barely working and not making any $$ (a condition I am used to, after having been a surf bum much of my life during my younger years), I am seriously committed to "making do" with whatever gear I already have, as long as it gets the job done).

Buying two yaks, paddles, pfd's etc. (not to mention a newer used vehicle) in three years has more or less emptied the coffers. I don't ever run up consumer credit any further than I can pay off at the end of the month.
(When I find that gym bag full of cash sitting there on the high tide scum line, on one of my early morning beach walks, then I'll spring for new stuff ).

So, although I agree with Nanook about carrying the largest, most comfortable tent that you can stuff in your yak, I only have a 2-person ultralight backpacking tent. I use that for all my tent camping. For now, I'm "stuck" with it. However, I'm tempted to get a cheap bigger tent that has max headroom, for summer/fall car camping and fair weather yak camping. Haven't really needed one yet, though.

I've been using an REI 3 man 3 season for the last two years. I can't afford the MSR either, and I get them at wholesale but I'm looking because although REI tents are good quality for the price, they don't hold up like the expensive MSR tents, and I don't like buying lots of stuff either.

I've used the REI tent 100 times in the last two years and it's starting to fall apart. I used my MSR zoid 150 times a year for 4 years, and it's still in good shape, I just don't really back pack anymore, so I don't use it hardly ever, and I bought it before they made freestanding tents less than 4 pounds. At the time it was the lightest two man tent around, but it's not freestanding so it's a pain in the arse.

If I do more than a week out of a kayak, I take the small/light MSR because I need that extra space & weight in the boat. Less than a week I take the big 3 man.

I use 3 season tents year round. Generally for me it's rain and humidity and the saturation of everything I owne that ruin the trip, I don't do much snow camping. I've always wanted a 4 season tent, but they don't ventilate like the 3 seasons. 4 season is great for snow, but pretty moist for everything else.

I think if low cost is your priority, REI brand and Sierra Designs, and Kelty make some pretty good stuff for less $$. If you got lots of coin, Hilleberg is the pinnacle of tents. Mountain Hardware & MSR would be my mid/high price/high quality combo.

I haven't seen coleman or anything they sell at wallmart ever really being worthy of camping in the PNW. Without a full coverage fly, good materials & waterproofing, you are in for a rough trip if camping more than one night. I'm not knocking anyone who has one, just my opinion.

MSR used to do a 3 season convertible that I really wanted, but never ponied up for, and now they don't make it

Speaking of MSR, the new nesting cooksets are pretty freaking sweet. Talk about saving space:

http://www.cascadedesigns.com/msr/cookware/expedition-cookware/exo-2-system/product