Advice with some gear...

Hey all, great forum you have here. First, I use to backpack when I was a teenager so I am not exactly new to it, but haven't been in about five years (I'm 26) and I've really wanted to go lately. I have an old external pack that just doesn't have the features I want, and both my tents are car tents (over 15 lbs), so I have two new purchases to make.

First, the backpack. I think I'm going to stick with an external frame. I have a 3100 cu Kelty Redwing internal frame that I use mainly for a daypack/overnight bag and I love it, but with more gear I like the way external packs sit, the ability to lash gear to them and the ventilation between my back and the pack. With that in mind, how many cubic inches should I look for if I'm packing for 3-5 nights? I do not pack ultralight... I'm not dragging my TV along but I like to hike in ten or so miles, establish a "base camp" and then day hike out from that... and I like certain comforts. I'm considering the Kelty Tioga (5,000 cu) and the Kelty Trekker (3900 cu).

Second, the tent. What I want is a tent I will most likely be packing myself, and for the majority of the time will be the only one using it. However, I want it to sleep two people comfortably and have a decent amount of room if needed, so I am thinking 3-4 person tent with 40+ cubic feet. I can't justify $300 for a tent so REI is out, although I do love their products. So now I'm looking at Kelty (they're gonna love me in a month)... specifically the Gunnison 3.1 (6lb 8oz, 48 cu feet, $165+) & the Grand Mesa 4 (8lbs 4oz, 53 cu feet, $145+). How crazy am I for considering tents this heavy? I know you want to shoot for 3-4 lbs, but like I said I'm willing to sacrifice a little for comfort, and I am a big guy (6'2) who is pretty strong. Any input would be appreciated regarding this and the backpack.

I used to carry type typical heavy weight 40lb+ pack (often 60-80lbs) and had a great time... but I have to say that I enjoy backpacking a lot more now that I have seriously cut my pack weight. I don't bother with a base camp anymore, because I have plenty of energy to carry everything with me wherever I go. But you didn't ask about this.

I much prefer internal frame packs.. but I understand some people have a preference for external frame. Kelty has long been a standard for external frame packs. Both the Trek and Tioga are fine, if heavy packs. If you want something lighter, you might want to check out luxurylite assuming they find a new supplier for their frame material. Will be something like 2lbs rather than 5lbs. The recliner accessory for luxurylite works very nicely.

If you are mostly using your shelter solo, then I would stick with a 2 person and be a bit cozy when you have a second person and have a palace on solo trip. I think 3 person, and especially 4 person if you are mostly going solo is overkill. In most 3 season conditions I recommend ultralight shelters made by companies like tarptent, six moon designs, zpack, and lightheart gear. I have found these shelters provide a comfortable living space while being quite light. There are several nice shelters which weight in at around 2lbs.

Not what you are looking for but might useful to challenge your perspective... love my zpack hexamid... good size for solo (creator shared it with his girlfriend... they are clearly friendly :-), weights less than 1lb (shelter, pole, stakes, groundcloth), and is quick and easy to pitch.

--Mark

Thanks for the information. Regarding the tent, I am definitely leaning towards the Gunnison 3.1... at 6lbs 8 oz I think I can handle it. Ideally I would purchase a decent medium size tent and a tent for solo trips... but that's a little more money than I am willing to spend. If I wanted to go ultralight and that was more important than a great shelter I could probably leave the Gunnison itself at home and go with just the rain fly, poles, and footprint. I've seen this done with certain REI tents so it's probably possible with Kelty tents also.

The tent is probably where I'm going to spoil myself with weight. That and I like having a full 100 oz Camelbak so I don't have to stop and filter water every hour(I drink a lot). I don't spoil myself with special food and I am extremely efficient at finding tools that have multiple uses, so I can probably keep the weight down in other areas.

One reason I do the base camp thing is I have a thing for peaks, and tend to climb any near me if it is nontechnical. I like to climb fast and light, and often have more motivation to do this than people I may be camping with, so the base camp method has always worked well with me.

Thanks for the input though. There will almost certainly be situations where ultralight is the way to go.

I still use an external frame pack for trips more than 10 days in length or if I am taking technical climbng gear of lots of extras for fishing (total pack weight 35-42 lbs) I have a Kelty Trekker frame with extension bar, but ditched the hip belt, shoulder straps and packbag. I replaced the hip belt with a much simplier old one I had from an old Kelty. I bought new lighter shoulder straps. I simply strap on my 1-lb Granite Gear Virga for the packbag - hard to explain but just put the pack on the frame as if the frame were a person and betweeen the hip belt on the Virga and sternum strap, and two side pocket straps, I can get it very securely fastened. So my entire pack weight now is 3.8 pounds (including a large stuff bag strapped to the bottom), instead of 5+ pounds. The advantage is that once at base camp, I take the Virga off the frame and use this for my climbing pack. So I do not have to bring a day-pack. I also made a very light weight packbag for times when I do not use a day-pack. The weight of this arrangement is less than 3.5 pounds. I also have put the extension bar on backwards - makes for a great support to hold a bear cannister.

With a little adjusting, you could also put other packbags on the Trekker frame. A shoe repair shop will place grommets in different places if need be.

I felt that the hip belt and shoulder straps were way over-kill on the Trekker. Good for 65 pounds, but I do not intend on carrying 65 pounds!

If you can find an old Sierra Designs Clip Flashlight 3 you might really like it. It was around 5lbs and quite comfortable for two. For that matter the classic Eureka Timberline 2 is only 5lbs 13 oz, sleeps two comfortably and can be had on sale for under $100. I'd do some more looking, especially at REI clearance, Sierra Trading Post and Backcountry.com clearance for lighter weight alternatives that still have good space.

The Clip Flashlight is my current tent. Weight for mine is about 4 1/2 pounds with the tent, fly, groundcloth and stakes. Setup is simple - six stakes, two poles, takes just a few minutes and there's nothing to fiddle with. I've only used mine solo; it's certainly comfy for one but I don't know about two. It's worked well for me, including during light and torrentital rains.

I'm waiting for delivery of a TarpTent Moment for packing because I want the weight savings. I'll still use the Clip Flashlight for camping from my Jeep, just because of its reliability and simplicity.