Camping and Backpacking GEAR thread

Big fan of the WM Summerlite as well.

 

Love my MW. Super light and plenty warm enough.

 

I've always tried to be a minimalist, but my experience last year at trying to construct a snow shelter with only a stick:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/ultimate-camping-thread.117444/page-275#post-11600214

convinced me that a backpackers snow shovel and snow saw are worth the extra 2 pounds or so.

So I purchased a Backcountry Access snow shovel/saw combo:

24 inches long with saw in handle



32 inches long extended with saw out; total weight 1.9 pounds

I intend to give this a damn good workout in the Cascades during the next month!

Happy Trails!

 

When I was mountaineering we would trade shovels during the trip. So the guy that brought the light plastic shovel had the chance of being dug out with that shovel. We learned to get the real shovels like the one you showed. I have that type on my truck behind the seat.

 

Not sure all y'all have seen this. I just came across it myself. It's a solo survival to do list when your off-roading in remote areas. I learned a lot and added a good portion to my own list. Enjoy to those who haven't seen it!

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/going-alone-single-vehicle-wheeling-safety.454083/

 

This may not completely fit in here, but I finally got some prints done of some of the places I have been. They turned out great!

 

Made my first purchase on the REI card my wife gave me for Christmas....an Osprey Aether 60. Tried on several different packs, but the fit of this one put it at the top of the list. I can hardly wait to give it a workout.

 

Bayphoto. Had a 25% off and they had the Fuji Deep Matte I wanted to use. I have heard good things about MPix though, and may try them out next time.

 

Hell yeah, man!!!

 

Okay, new question. Back in the fall I bought an inexpensive 1 man backpacking tent from Amazon. Turns out, it came from Walmart, but that's not a problem for me. As luck would have it, we had marvelous weather on our trip and I didn't even set my tent up.

The tent weighs in a 4.4 lbs, most of which is from the tent poles. Now I guess that isn't too bad, but I wondered if it would be possible to replace the poles and lose a little weight?

 

Arched poles or straight? Fiberglass or aluminum?

 

Anyone had good luck with a car camping sleeping bag that will let me comfortable sleep in the low degrees around 0-5degrees...

I came across this guy....

$65 Guide Gear -15 Degree Fleece Lined Sleeping Bag for Adults and Kids Warm Winter Cold Weather Lightweight Portable for Camping, Backpacking, Hiking, Outdoors

https://www.amazon.com/Guide-Gear-M...000MZBKI4/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/u-s-military-sleeping-bags-various-conditions.427748/

 

2 Arched poles. I just assumed they're aluminum. After posting my question, I began to look at the weight of other 1 man tents and discovered that it's only 4-6 ounces heavier than many tents of similar construction. You wind up spending a lot more to get much weight loss.

 

Yeah, if they're alu, you could only save 2-4 oz on different ones. Fabric changes between higher end models would amount to a little more than that. Superlight one-mans use trekking poles and don't include the pole weight to hit 1.5 lbs.

 

Thanks, Keith. I kind of figured that might be the case. Took my first big backpacking trip in October, and I'm now a little more aware of the need to cut weight wherever possible. It's a lot easier to cut weight when you make the purchase than afterwards.

 

My Six Moon Designs 'Lunar Solo' and 'Lunar Duo' use my hiking poles. No added poles. But, the poles have to be longer than most poles.

 

Unfortunately, the little tent that I have is a dome design that is designed to use 2 long arched poles. I like to make things and before I bought the tent I have, I thought about making a tarp tent that used my trekking poles, which I also made out of an old camera tripod.

 

Exactly 16oz packed weight in their heavier camo material, including stuff sack, guy lines, and line locks. Uses both of my trekking poles, one set at 48" and the other at 32": http://zpacks.com/shelter/solplex.shtml

I bought their 2 carbon fiber support poles just in case I break a trekking pole. Total weight with tent, 8+2 tent stakes (needs 8 stakes for full pitch, 2 extras), stuff sack, poles, and repair kit is 1.38# max weight. I'm still debating taking the CF poles but I like the insurance for only adding 2.75oz total.