Gear Refresh

[inkynate]

Need to refresh some of my outdoor gear. Have a lot of assorted stuff already, but mostly do shorter hikes and car/near car camping with my kids, I'd like some suggestions from you guys on upgrades for the occasional longer backcountry trek with my mates.

-Tent: Currently have a cheapo 3-man tent in good condition, but it packs big and is heavy. Also have an MSR Skinny Too (1.5-2 man) that I got years ago on super closeout. It's in great shape and serves me well for short/easy trips, but it's also flawed. Not free standing, single walled, and somewhat big/heavy for a multi-night trip when I'm the only occupant. Finally, have a hammock, but no real good tarp/fly setup, (have tarps, but cheap, heavy).

Thinking I want a new solo tent. Willing to spend up to a couple hundred or so, but prefer high value and may spend more if I can find a deal on something really good that will last for years. Preferably free-standing, 3-4 season. Good rain/storm protection important to me. Also open to hearing tarp or bivy suggestions, but leaning towards tent right now.

-I'm getting older and want a new air mattress, suggestions welcome. The old Thermarest Explorer doesn't offer the comfort I'm looking for

-My main sleeping bag is a Kelty Cosmic down 20, which was a good deal and I'm happy with. Probably good here.

-Stove is an MSR Whisperlite, probably 20 yrs old, but still going strong. Also have an MSP Core 4 titanium woodstove. Probably covered with enough options here also, could make an alcohol stove too.

-For water, have an older MSR Miniworks, on the heavier side, but well-maintained. Not sure if I should spend funds here atm.

-Pack. Need help here. Again well-maintained, but my old Gregory Palisades is probably ~7lbs, very tempted to upgrade and slash pack weight. Leaning towards a mid-range purchase here (e.g. Osprey Atmos), but again open to any suggestions.

-Luxary item, but my wife just bought me an Alite Monarch chair. It's awesome, really happy I had it with me for a couple nights last weekend. ~20oz of extra base weight I plan to have on future trips.

Probably blanking on something, but I think those are the big bases I want to cover and hopefully enough background info to point me in the right direction. Thx in advance!

 

[pinnah]

Need to refresh some of my outdoor gear. Have a lot of assorted stuff already, but mostly do shorter hikes and car/near car camping with my kids, I'd like some suggestions from you guys on upgrades for the occasional longer backcountry trek with my mates.

-Tent: Currently have a cheapo 3-man tent in good condition, but it packs big and is heavy. Also have an MSR Skinny Too (1.5-2 man) that I got years ago on super closeout. It's in great shape and serves me well for short/easy trips, but it's also flawed. Not free standing, single walled, and somewhat big/heavy for a multi-night trip when I'm the only occupant. Finally, have a hammock, but no real good tarp/fly setup, (have tarps, but cheap, heavy).

Thinking I want a new solo tent. Willing to spend up to a couple hundred or so, but prefer high value and may spend more if I can find a deal on something really good that will last for years. Preferably free-standing, 3-4 season. Good rain/storm protection important to me. Also open to hearing tarp or bivy suggestions, but leaning towards tent right now.

Nate,

I think you are going to be hard pressed to get both lighter than the Skinny Too and free-standing, particularly if you want 3/4 season.

IMO, 3/4 season is not a concern unless you're doing above treeline camping. I regularly use floorless tarp/tents in the winter and that has convinced me that warmth depends primarily on sleeping bags and jackets, not tent walls. Snowfall is damaging to any tent and all tents need to be dug out. Essentially what you're paying for in a 4 season tent is wind-worthiness, which isn't an issue unless you're above treeline. If you want to reduce weight and worry about rain, I recommend a lightweight summer tent that is weather proof and then use warmer sleeping bags and clothing to push into colder temps. That's what I do.

I've owned both freestanding tents and non-freestanding. Every freestanding tent I've owned needs to be staked out just as much as my non-freestanding tents. Freestanding always weighs more. If you want a bathtub floor to protect against running water and protection from bugs, I would recommend a non-freestanding tarp/tent with an integrated inner bug net and floor. Many of the newer designs can be set up with hiking poles to further cut weight on backpacking trips (and have dedicated poles for car camping). Brands I would look at first are: Big Agnes, Sierra Design, Tarptent.

-I'm getting older and want a new air mattress, suggestions welcome. The old Thermarest Explorer doesn't offer the comfort I'm looking for

I have my eye on a Thermarest Xlite Max, but I've not actually used one. But that's the basic style.

-Stove is an MSR Whisperlite, probably 20 yrs old, but still going strong. Also have an MSP Core 4 titanium woodstove. Probably covered with enough options here also, could make an alcohol stove too.

I find alcohol to be easier and quieter on weekend 3-season trips. Longer discussion there.

-For water, have an older MSR Miniworks, on the heavier side, but well-maintained. Not sure if I should spend funds here atm.

This depends on local conditions. Many thru-hiker types like the Sawyer Mini. I just rely on 2 stage iodine tablets as they are much lighter and very easy to use. This is fine in New England but what is best depends on your local pollutants. The more you describe here, the better we can advise.

-Pack. Need help here. Again well-maintained, but my old Gregory Palisades is probably ~7lbs, very tempted to upgrade and slash pack weight. Leaning towards a mid-range purchase here (e.g. Osprey Atmos), but again open to any suggestions.

I've been carrying a large internal frame pack similar to the Palisades since the mid 80s. On a lark, I picked up used Kelty external frame and upgrade the hip belt (sold on their web site) and to be honest, I'm angry at myself for waiting so long to try it. It's lighter than my internal frame and easier on my aging back. This combined with rigorously carrying less allows for the most comfortable moderate to heavy loads ever.

Hope this helps

 

[Skidoosh]

I would check out some of the exped air mattresses. I don't have one but they look nice. Recently I purchased a big agnes blow up air mattress. It was comfortable to sleep on but I almost passed out after blowing it up. I would also second going with an external frame. I think they get a bad wrap but you can pick one up cheap. For most of my gear if it works I keep using it. There have not been to many giant leaps forward in technology that justify the layout of price in my mind, such as stoves. I like buying second hand or just take the time to pick something up on sale. You might consider doing an overhaul on the MSR.

 

[hlee]

I just got an exped down winterlite mat and the thing is awesome. Weighs 26 oz with an R value of 7.

Check out the Kuiu Storm Star tent. Not cheap, but checks all the other boxes.

I have the Kuiu Ultra 6000 pack, and at less than 4lbs it qualifies as light weight. Basically 1 large compartment with 3 accessory pockets, it doesn't offer much in the way of organization. But, if you want light weight and high capacity, you can't get much better. Also not cheap.

My advice would be to go with what you have. That way you can see how well what you have works, and only replace what really needs to be replaced.

If you are going to be in a wooded area, consider a warbonnet superfly to pair with your hammock.

 

[inkynate]

Thanks for the replies gents, it helps. :thumbup:

Was hoping you might find this thread, Pinnah. I always appreciate your posts. You gave me a lot to think about. On the tent situation, it gets a little frustrating sometimes trying to drive 8 stakes in rocky ground, but the Skinny really isn't bad overall.

I think sitting down and typing out the OP in this thread was helpful in itself. It made me think what I really have before moving forward. I think the triage will be to get a new sleeping pad first because I want that regardless (probably Thermarest, Exped, or Big Agnes,) then think about tent/tarp and pack longer term. Not in a hurry for those so I can take my time and figure out what I want, then jump on a sale or lightly used gear when I see it.

I think my MSR stove & water filter are still fine, so I'll just keep riding those. As needs dictate, it should be easy enough to swap out an alcohol stove and/or purification tablets for longer treks, especially if there is already some redundancy on those items in the group.

The Kuiu stuff looks cool, hadn't heard of them before. Probably a bit out of the $$ range I'm looking at right now though.

If I did decide to throw down bills on a higher end pack, I'm really intrigued by the Aarn packs out of NZ. Would be really cool if they picked up a US distributor. They're definitely different, but the rationale behind the design seems pretty solid.

 

[pinnah]

Nate, you might consider in investing in new tent stakes. Perhaps getting multiple sets.

Car camping is the hardest because the ground is so compacted. I use those large metal spike style stakes that look like a massive nail with a plastic fitting attached. Colgahn sells them among others. I drive them in with a hatchet and they'll penetrate anything shy of asphalt.

In the backcountry, I like aluminum stakes with a Y or T cross-section. They are light, resist bending and hold better in loose soil. Many makers.

I also carry light cordage for "staking" out a tent when you can't drive a stake. In NH, we have tent platforms and we need to tie out the tent corners. In loose sand or on rock (California), we wrap the cordage around large rocks or deadfall to secure the corners.

I think you're on the right track in terms of shelter. I shoot for 3lbs for a complete shelter system for solo. I find it hard to get far below that while getting the protection I prefer.

The only bit of kit I would look closely at is the old Whisperlite. I would double check the pump and would consider getting a replacement at some point. I've seen the plastic fail leading flaming fuel bottles (twice). Otherwise great stoves.

 

[inkynate]

Good tips, ty. I always have cordage and have used various guy lines as needed in the past but hadn't thought to just buy some HD stakes, derp.

I recently picked up the maintenance kit for the Whisperlite and plan to give it a thorough going over. I will also look into the pump, maybe pick up a spare now.

 

[BillyJoeBobJim]

Need to refresh some of my outdoor gear. Have a lot of assorted stuff already, but mostly do shorter hikes and car/near car camping with my kids, I'd like some suggestions from you guys on upgrades for the occasional longer backcountry trek with my mates.

You've received plenty of good advice already, but I'll add some about what works well for me.

-Tent: Currently have a cheapo 3-man tent in good condition, but it packs big and is heavy. Also have an MSR Skinny Too (1.5-2 man) that I got years ago on super closeout. It's in great shape and serves me well for short/easy trips, but it's also flawed. Not free standing, single walled, and somewhat big/heavy for a multi-night trip when I'm the only occupant. Finally, have a hammock, but no real good tarp/fly setup, (have tarps, but cheap, heavy).

Thinking I want a new solo tent. Willing to spend up to a couple hundred or so, but prefer high value and may spend more if I can find a deal on something really good that will last for years. Preferably free-standing, 3-4 season. Good rain/storm protection important to me. Also open to hearing tarp or bivy suggestions, but leaning towards tent right now.

I use a Warbonnet Superfly tarp a lot now. It is an excellent tarp for a hammock and also for sleeping on the ground. I use inner tents from Integral Designs and Mountain Laurel Designs with it and have found them to be one of my favorite shelters. With this setup, I have a bug-free sleep area and much sheltered space outside of the sleeping area. The only thing I really "need" with the Superfly is trees. Yes, I can set it up with poles, but I do not like to do that.

Otherwise, you can pick from a vast assortment of 1-person tents based on size, weight, and features. The Six Moon Designs Skyscape is great for $125 but is not freestanding. The TarpTent products are great but pricy and not freestanding. I have been happy with many tents from Sierra Designs, Mountain Hardware, and Big Agnes.

-I'm getting older and want a new air mattress, suggestions welcome. The old Thermarest Explorer doesn't offer the comfort I'm looking for

I can't really help here. I still use a RidgeRest or Z-Rest mostly.

-My main sleeping bag is a Kelty Cosmic down 20, which was a good deal and I'm happy with. Probably good here.

I use down and Primaloft quilts now.

-Stove is an MSR Whisperlite, probably 20 yrs old, but still going strong. Also have an MSP Core 4 titanium woodstove. Probably covered with enough options here also, could make an alcohol stove too.

That was my first stove. The Whisperlite, XGK, and Dragonfly all worked great, but I changed to canister stoves for a while. Now I carry a wood and alcohol combination. I use various alcohol stoves with a Nomadic Stove Co. Trekker (same as Solo Stove, but slightly lighter). I also bought an MSP Core when they had the special announced on here. It works very well also and you can leave many pieces behind to save some weight and complexity. I always plan to use wood and carry alcohol as a backup.

-For water, have an older MSR Miniworks, on the heavier side, but well-maintained. Not sure if I should spend funds here atm.

Your filter is a very good filter. I still have a few unused Waterworks, but I carry a Sawyer Squeeze and Platypus carbon element now and use them as a gravity filter with a Platypus "dirty water" reservoir.

-Pack. Need help here. Again well-maintained, but my old Gregory Palisades is probably ~7lbs, very tempted to upgrade and slash pack weight. Leaning towards a mid-range purchase here (e.g. Osprey Atmos), but again open to any suggestions.

Great pack. I used a Gregory Shasta with the same suspension for my first AT thru. All Gregory, Osprey, and Granite Gear packs I've had were great. Now I use a Seek Outside Revolution external frame. I cannot say enough good things about it. It is incredibly light for the support and comfortable. It is not too much of a pack for very light trips but can also handle very heavy loads like the Gregory Palisade and Shasta.

-Luxary item, but my wife just bought me an Alite Monarch chair. It's awesome, really happy I had it with me for a couple nights last weekend. ~20oz of extra base weight I plan to have on future trips.

Probably blanking on something, but I think those are the big bases I want to cover and hopefully enough background info to point me in the right direction. Thx in advance!

 

[inkynate]

Thanks for taking the time BillyJoeBobJim! From the responses here it sounds like I'm not too far off the mark, which is good.

You tarp/tent ideas will get some consideration. I was looking at the REI Quarter Dome 1, but decided to hold off for now. I like the idea of getting something to work with my hammock since the Skinny has plenty of life left and I've really only used the hammock for lounging/something for my kids to play on so far, supervised of course

As an update, I went ahead and ordered a Neoair Xlite as my new sleeping pad. For a pack, I figured my Gregory will still be available for heavy loads, so I wanted to try an ultralight. Ordered a Backpack Light 70l from the My Trail Co. startup.

Not much info out there on them since they're so new, but the prior GoLite brand had a good reputation and they're priced so well it seemed worth the chance. Listed at 2lbs, 3.5 oz

If it doesn't work out I'll probably give the external frame packs another look.