Glenn got ahead of me.

I saw this post and thought about the scouts I've seen on the trail as well as my own experience. Almost every scout I've seen on the trail, myself included, has been obviously and seriously overloaded.

I kept on, probably because I was already hooked, but many, probably most, did not.

Glenn is right on target. I have not seen the US military sleep system, but heard it works well. I also use the bivy and tarp system, mostly out of habit (tents were too heavy when I started).

Used bivys on two AT thru-hikes and they worked well for me. But there is a learning curve.

When it's hot I just sleep on top of the sleeping bag or on top of the bivy itself.

It's the rare all night heavy rain that's a problem. In daytime you just get up and walk. At night, if you have to get up for a run, getting back in without soaking everything involves having a spare jacket and a well-placed tarp and ground cloth.

It's also a trick getting sleeping bag and pad organized. I use the pad inside the bivy. I put a water bottle in the bottom of the sleeping bag and, standing up, I drop the bag and pad into the bivy. This works well, but it's a problem in heavy rain since it's very hard to do under a tarp.

Light tarps are cheap and easily rigged with light cord and hiking poles.

If the sleep system is available cheap, I'd go for it.

Hope this helps.

Best, jcp