1. TarpTent Cloudburst
2. WM Megalite
3. Expend deluxe down-filled air mattress (pure luxery)

I can only describe one ground setup for now, but hammock is beckoning...

HS Tarptent homebuilt with sewn in polyester floor
Long Marmot Hydrogen
Exped Down Air Mattress

+ 2oz whiskey to help me sleep <heh>

bought a hammock in Mexico that is so wonderful and now I'm thinking of an asym or something to try out in the less than flat spots

Warm weather - Hennessy Hammock

Cooler weather - Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo (e)

Cold weather with more potential for snow than rain - Integral Designs Endurance Bag Cover with Integral Designs 8 x 10 Siltarp

Cool or cold weather trips with wife - MSR Hubba Hubba

Warm to cool, bug-free weather, RayWay tarp. 1 lb.
Warm to cool, buggy, thunderstormy weather, SixMoons Lunar Solo. 2 lb.
High mountains with potential for cold, rain, snow and wind, Sierra Designs Lightyear. 3 lb.
Winter with snow and for mountaineering, Sierra Designs two person Glacier tent (no longer made). 7 lb.

Where comes this "Warm" and "Bug Free" stuff y'all be talking about -- where I come
from those terms are mutually exclusive <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

How about "hot and bug-free" then? Most of the whiny little biters go away once the daytime temps are above 100 degrees and only the ants, scorpions, centipedes and tarantulas are around; and most of them at night. Ants are the daytime summer bugs "big ones, small ones, some as big as yer 'ead".

This is one of the reasons I don't use a tarp that much in the desert and when I do, it is mainly for shade; the creepy crawlies like shade as much as I do.

Last week I tried out my newly purchase bug bivy in conjunction with my tarp. I really like that setup. In fact, I had some of the best sleep I have ever had because with bug bivy I no longer slide off my Thermarest. I set my tarp in a lean-to fashion and so I got to watch the stars at night. Now I am thinking of buying another bivy sack for cooler temperatures. Where I hike it tends to be warm during the day and cool at night, and so I need versatile equipment.

Howie

Gatewood cape with serenity bug tent, that Gossamer Gear Seran Wrap looking groundsheet, POE Aether full length giant carrot insul mat, and my trusty WM Ultralite bag. I don't go fourth season yet. TT Rainbow for more room if needed.

Well, the show's on - can you elaborate now, or would I still need to have my affairs in order first? <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I read the write-up on the NeoAir on the BPL website; it really sounds intriguing. However, one question: any feel for what kind of "frame" it makes in a frameless pack like the Virga? (If you need some help determining the answer to this vital question, I'm sure we can arrange something! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

I know you're tied up with the show, so I realize it may take a while to get caught up on your correspondence.

I love my bibler ahwahnee, a prolite mattress, and a nice marmot 15 degree down bag. 9 lbs total, simple, good for 3 seasons. Only an eejit would camp in the snow anyhow...

Summer setup:


TENT> TarpTent Contrail

BAG> W.M. Megalite

PAD> 1st version Thermarest UL (full length)

Eric

Recently I took a trip to King's Peak in the High Uintahs near Ft. Bridger, WY. I got my dad to come with me if only I could get his pack down around the 20lb mark for the week. I was also able to get mine down considerably due to some new products available for 2009. This is how I did it:

Tent: Carbon Reflex 2 - 2lb. 13oz. minimum weight (my dad took the poles and stakes, and I took the fly and canopy, equalling about 1.5lbs each).
Pad: NeoAir Pad, size regular. Incredibly comfortable, but only 14 oz. This will be a must-have by many on this forum. Just so you know, Cascade Designs is coming out with a new patch kit that will allow the user to repair his/her pad in seconds, but still get the same results as the Hotbond Repair Kit currently sold. This was told to me by the Thermarest Product Manager. The kit will be available on January 1st, 2009.
Sleeping Bag: Marmot Hydrogen (1.5lbs)
Pack: GGR Nimbus Lattitude Vapor (2lbs., 12oz.)

Thus all these items weighed in at around 6.5lbs without sacrificing anything (comfort, livability in the tent, warmth, carrying comfort, packability, etc.).

"Pig",

I must be an "eejit" 'cause I LOVE snow camping. Of course there's the skiing aspect of it that lures me in.

(And baking jelly-filled biscuits at the evening meal is yet another good memory.)

Eric

P.S.
Let's not forget those necessary wintertime o' dark thirty shivering whizzes. Yikes!

So do you like taunting us with items not available until probably next year? <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I also use a lot of different systems, but in the summer my go to system is my BD Betalight(18 oz) and a homemade bug bivy. Torsolite pad and Arc ghost quilt. Winter time is the same Betalight, but change to an Arc expedition quilt and an old thermarest LE 3/4 length. If weather is looking real bad(snow storm), I take my very old Bibler solodome tent. 2 lbs!

After two one-week trips in the Rockies this past month, I'm changing my preferred shelter option. The Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo is OK for Hysson (my dog) and me for 1 or 2-night fair weather trips when we're in the tent only to sleep. But for longer trips, especially when it rains every evening so we're confined to the tent for several hours before bedtime, it's just too cramped. The two of us together also completely overwhelmed the ventilation system, with lots of condensation. This wasn't too bad if I woke up early enough to wipe down the tent walls before Hysson went into the infamous Labrador tail-wag routine, but if Hysson awakened first, the rain inside was worse than outside! A solo tent is obviously just that, made for a solo human, not a human plus an 80-lb. dog!

So I'm going back to my Tarptent Squall 2, despite the extra 10 oz. weight. It's nice and roomy and I've never had a drop of condensation in it, even in really soggy weather. Anyone want to buy a Lunar Solo? (After I clean and de-dog-hair it.) EDIT: It has been sold!

I'm now saving my pennies. Eventually, I may get a Gossamer Gear Squall Classic. GG has finally received spinntex fabric but the design is being tweaked on both the Squall Classic and "The One," so they say it will be a few months before the tents are available. The Squall Classic is what I probably should have gotten in the first place instead of the Lunar Solo!