Klymit Pad

I'm slowly collecting gear for my 1st time & overnight hiking trip. Plan on hiking solo on the Buffalo National River Trail my 1st time out on 1-2 night hike. Being military I get a discount on certain venders & was wondering if anybody has tried these products or do you have another suggestion for the price:
Klymit Insulated Static V Pad for $53 plus $12 shipping
Klymit PIllow X $19
Currently have a North Facce Lynx sleeping bag only rated to 40 degrees F but can get the Klymit KSB20 sleeping bag rated to 20 degrees F for $120 will it be worth the $ getting a new sleeping bag?
I have an old coleman external frame I have never used but plan on getting a pack that fits & was thinking about the Gregory Deva 70 & I for $210 plus shipping.
I'm not too worried about weight but being a 45 year old female I want to go light without spending a fortune. Who knows I may do it once & never hike again but then again I may love it! For my tent I have a Light Year 1 that I have used a few times on overnight kayak trips but also thinking about getting a 2 person tent so I can put my gear in the tent however the lightyear seems to be very warm on the river with my current sleeping bag & cheap Kelty sleep pad but then it was also summer time. I would like to do this hike in February. Any suggestions? I can also get deals on Big Agnes, Sierra Design, Mountain Smith, Nemo, & MHM.

Get your pack last, figure out the gear that suits you then take the gear with you to a store and try out several packs. Packs are like shoes, what works for one doesn't mean it will work for you. It also good to know your torso length before you go in.

Try your gear in your back yard or car camping first. This way if a item doesn't work for you you either substitute it for something else.

Good luck and enjoy your trips.

Oh and welcome to backpacking.net!

Cindy, welcome to The Lightweight Backkpacker! Check out the articles and gear lists on the home page of this site, left hand column. You'll find all sorts of advice on gear selection and other aspects of backpacking there.

Another good article for beginners is this one by an experienced thru-hiker who is also an instructor for Andew Skurka:

What about getting a quilt?
There a cottage manufacturer out there that has a solo tent that big enough to hold your gears inside the tent. Lightheartgear.com or something like that. I threw out couple cottage companies so you can compare their prices to the deals you can get.

And welcome aboard!

Lots of lightweight solo tents out there!

I always suggest that folks start their search with www.tarptent.com. I started with their Squall II (34 oz.) model back in late 2005. By now Henry Shires has so many models I can't keep track of them all! He has several solo models, some of them double-wall, all under 2 lbs.

Lightheart, as ETSU says, is another popular brand. So is Six Moon Designs (which has a very similar tent).

For a truly lightweight solo tent, ZPacks still has everyone beat, although since their tents are cuben fiber they cost a lot of $$$.

All these are fully enclosed tents with bathtub floors and bug netting.

OOPS, in my earlier post I gave you the wrong article from PMags. Please read this one first!

Although I also recommend the one I originally posted!

Thanks for the articles, great information! After reading one of the articles I think we are going with the Kelty 20 Dri Down sleeping bags. Still up in the air on the sleeping pads will probably check some out today at the local outdoors store. Haven't really researched the quilts & first I have heard of them but really leaning towards the sleeping pad. Also plan on looking at backpacks today & its overwhelming the information on backpacks. Plan on checking out the Osprey because they are lighter than Gregory but from what I read the fit is more important than the weight of the pack.

On the sleeping pad:
(1) Unless all your trips are in warm weather, you'll need insulation. Recommended for 20*F nights is an R value of close to 5. A lot of failures attributed to sleeping bags are really due to an insufficiently insulated pad. (Been there, done that.)

(2) Try it out on the floor of the store. When you get home with it, spend at least 1 night on the floor at home on the pad in your sleeping bag (if too warm, unzip bag and use as a quilt). Be sure the pad is comfortable while you can still return it. A lot of "established" campsites have ground that's even harder than a bare floor, if that's possible!

(3) At least with the original Klymit pads, the gaps in it may or may not match your body. I'd give it 2 nights on the floor to be sure it works for you.

Osprey makes a very nice pack, and the warranty is top notch. Look at the Exos line for light weight.

The base I work at rents hiking equipment for a pretty reasonable price. It is a cheap way to find out if you like doing the sport.

great point!