what is the best all around shelter system in your opinion, bag, pad, tent, bivy, tarp, hammock what ever you use together as a complete shelter system. I ask this for fun because the variety of methods people use are cool to me.

What a can of worms YOU just opened, my friend! Good luck with the responses....and don't take any criticism too personally... <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

BF

P.S.--I myself use a variety of gear...my favorite at the moment is a Tarptent Cloudburst, Exped Wallcreeper down bag and an Insul-Mat 3/4 synthetic insulated inflateable matress. If the weather is very cold/rainy, i like to mix it up with different bags, tents, pads, etc, etc, etc.....i could go on forever <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Definitely a can of worms here--each of us has our own preferences and prejudices.

Mine:
Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo tarptent
Western Mountaineering Ultralite Super sleeping bag
POE Insulmat Max Thermo (now the Ether Thermo) insulated air mattress, 2/3 length

I combine a Hubba tent, Thermarest 3/4 Prolite 4 (which doubles as a "frame" for my frameless pad), a Thermarest Lite Seat (which does double duty as a trail seat and as an extender for the Prolite), a WM Megalite bag (or sometimes a Mitylite in the summer), and a 2-quart Dromlite water bladder (which I can inflate with air and use as a pillow.)

Not really a can of worms I think. There is no single best. I use different stuff
depending on the season and where I'm going.

Now admittedly, I usually hammock if it's practical where and when I'm going. but that doesn't mean I hammock in the dead of winter or above the treeline.

SUMMER:

UL Travel hammock
SPE with ccf pads & wings
JRB Stealth quilt
JRB 8'X8' fly

SPRING & FALL:

Claytor No Net hammock
ccf pads
MacCat Deluxe fly
Nunatak Arc Alpinist

BUG SEASON:

Hennessy Expedition hammock
JRB 3 Season quilts
poncho/tarp fly

ABOVE TIMBERLINE:

Six Moon Designs Gatewood Cape
Big Agnes Insulated Air Core
Nunatak Arc Alpinist

DESERT:

poncho/tarp fly
Big Agnes Insulated Air Core
JRB No Sniveller or Stealth Quilt

WINTER:

Warmlite 2R
DAM
Nunatak Arc Alpinist
JRB Biker quilt

If I could only own one system it would be the Hennessy becasue by adding the Big Agnes Air Core I could also do desert.

3 SEASON:

1. TarpTent Contrail
2. W. M. Megalite bag
3. Thermarest UL full length (10 years old)

WINTER:

1.Eureka! 3 man dome W/ new aluminum poles (tent is 12 years old)
2.Mountain HardWear 4th Dimension Polarguard Delta -20 bag
3.Thermarest regular 3/4 length pad (+ attatched closed cell sit pad) over RidgeRest closed cell pad

** I "need" a new winter tent like the Hilleberg Jannu

Eric

Old Hex 3 (now Shangri-La 3) in all seasons, with water-resistant bivvy alone in hot weather. In cooler weather, I add a sleeping bag.

If I'm alone and want to cut weight, a SilShelter instead of Hex.

My bag collection consists of a very raggedy (very compact but only marginally light) duck down and feathers job that is good to 50 degrees, a super high-priced 40-degree job, a very old, well-cared for REI bag with (originally 2.5 pounds of down fill) and a NF synthetic once rated at twenty below, but now of dubious value and not used.

Summer:
Tent: MSR Carbon Reflex 1 or 2 (depending on how much weight I'm willing to carry and how many people are going)
Pad: Thermarest NeoAir Regular
Sleeping Bag: Marmot Hydrogen Reg
PIllow: Thermarest Ultralite Stuff Pillow and Western Mtneering Flight Jacket

Winter:
Tent: MSR Hubba HP or Hubba Hubba HP (see above)
Pad: Prolite Plus Reg
Sleeping Bag: Moonstone 800 10degree
Pillow: Thermarest Stuff Pillow and WM Flight Jacket

I do have several other options including a Henessey Ultralite Hammock, Bibler Tripod Bivy, Moss Hooped Outland (if I'm going to experience horrible winter weather), Hilleberg Akto, etc. The above selections are what I use currently.

Um, Jason, I see a couple of model names on there that I'm not familiar with. Care to elaborate?

I'll be a tad bit more specific

3 season, with trees:

Homemade Speer type hammock with MEC silicone scout tarp (top)
and a 27inch wide wal-mart CCF pad in the hammock.

I add a Integral Designs Silponcho *underneath* the hammock as a windblock/insulation shell.
I then in colder weather add, progressively, A) folded crinkled space blankets as insulation
B) a 1 inch thick layer of poly batting in the shape of a hammock bottom. The effect of adding
both is to effectively make an undequilt for the hammock. But I sleep in the hammock fine
with just the ccf pad, poncho and no insulation down to just below freezing. (did it on friday night!)

WINTER

crappy green dometent, with BA insulated Aircore + ccf pad + 25" wide ensolite pad.
dome tent freestands on snow decently, and deals with snow load well.

Of course that's if I'm carrying it. If I don't have to carry it, in winter it's a 12"x12" wall tent with a GSI metals airtight stove in it <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

If I was made of money I'd buy a Kifaru or TiGoat rig for winter though!

For a couple - a 10' x 12' silnylon tarp with a floorless inner tent in cool weather and a floorless bugnet tent in hot weather. Our ground sheet has straps that hold our pads in place and a piece of quilt (8" wide x 72" long) that lies between us. We use a common quilt over us in the summer and add light weight bags under the quilt in cooler weather.

A home built hammock with bug net that is attached with velcro and can be removed and a larger copy of the clark fly. I use a CCF thermarest inside the hammock. If I have nothing to hang it on I can set up the fly on the ground and place the hammock under the fly and hang it on a ridge line. I use a hikeing staff for the front pole and a two foot piece of something (stick) for the foot end. I can stake the fly tight to the ground and use 2 guy lines for each end. It works O.K. but I'm dreaming of owning a Clark with full camo option. When I was young. I never owned a tent. I just carried a piece of visqueen for shelter and used sticks and guy lines. (back in the day we could chop saplings and sleep on pine boughs).

Yeah , as a long term user of the MSR Neo Air and Carbon Reflex 1....
(the Neo Air might just work for me if the specs posted are correct)
Jason, feel free to post a pic when you can . Just join up using the EXMSR moniker so that we know it is you.

Contrail
PO Insulmat Thermo Max/ Exped Domnmat 7
JRB No Sniveler/ WM Ultralite

Franco

I could tell you, but then I would have to kill you, and since I don't know where you live...

Suffice it to say that Cascade Designs has some very exciting new products to introduce at this year's Outdoor Retail Show that will be available in 2009. I will share as I get more info and permission. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

Great. Let me know if you need any help testing it. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

My favorite system is as follows:

Tent: GG classic squall (24oz); incredible waterproof with torrential rains.
Pad: Prolite 4, ¾ (16oz – lower than listed)
Bag: JRB Stealth Quilt w/ poncho hole (16oz)--- I started using this June 1st and have about 20 nights w/ it. This is a great quilt! I’ve only had it down to 50F and it was still warm. Hey Food, I see you love the JRB stuff also.

On longer treks I will swap out pad for GG torsolight (3.5oz) and an open cell pad (3oz 11x17x1.5”). And my list changes again in the winter…

-Barry

In general it looks like this:

THREE SEASON
WM Caribou or WM Ultralite
POE Thermo Ether 6 (just got this...still messing around with pads)
Tarptent Double Rainbow or Tarptent Squall (if I want to drop a few ounces)

WINTER
WM Ultralite or WM Versalite
Thermarest Prolite 4 (3/4 length) and Thermarest Z-lite
Hilleberg Akto

I then tailor these general lists to the specific weather conditions I expect to be in.

3 season
Wanderlustgear 2-4-2
WM Megalite
Z- rest 3/4
4 season
Bibler Awahnee
Marmot Couloir Dryloft
Full pad ?

SUMMER & FALL

Hubba - solo tent for bug protection and windy rain

OR a Sil Tarp 2 (8' x 10') with a either a Goretex bivy sack (Moonstone)

This year I'll be using my new Kestral +30 down bag with Epic shell (Feathered Friends)

I also bought this year another bivy sack an Alpine on sale at REI for $150.00 from O.R.

The best is what works well for you the individual and nothing else.

This setup by Jim Shaw looks pretty comfy.
Not too sure about the weight, but I'm sure he knows what he's doing.



Mine still needs a little work as you can see...

I just bought a Tarp Tent Double Rainbow and I love it, but I prefer using my 8x10 IT Siltarp for backpacking. Bugs have never been a huge problem for me (knock on wood) and I love the feeling of freedom it gives me. If there is little hint of rain I always sleep in the open under the stars.

Tent: AVS Ranger II with optional bug net. If it's not buggy I use my Strion+ ubertarp with segmented boron poles.

Bivy: Jumpstart Micropalace with dual perpendicular zippers. Much more versatile than the single zipper model.

Pad: Self-leveling Hydrocore, 3/4 length. I've never had to inflate the emergency chamber.

Bag: Harriot and Sons Panther Mark IV with hexagonal baffles. The unique inverted design of the foot box is 12% lighter than similar brands.

Yep, I made all that up.

Seriously, after experimenting with lots of flat tarps, shaped tarps, tents, hammocks, and bivys I find myself reaching for my BD One Shot quite a bit lately. Simple design, durable, roomy. The fabric is not truly waterproof but there is no misting through like silnylon. If the rain gets really heavy I just throw my poncho over it. After a long day on the trail I'm really not interested in spending more time in careful sight selection. Been there. I just want to lie down, rest and get away from the bugs. I can simply plop this freestanding tent anywhere that will accommodate its small footprint. If the selected site turns out to have flaws, I just pick it up and move it. Try that with a tarp. No, it doesn't weigh 4 ounces but I'll gladly pay the weight penalty. Since it's so warm I can get away with a lighter quilt or sleeping bag. For me it's the best compromise between weight, size, versatility, stormworthiness, bug protection and ventilation.

One more thing: Since the frame is internal I can throw in my pack, crawl inside, and set it up from inside during a storm, dry as a bone. I actually had to do that last week and it worked great.

Nice skis!

3 season - the garden cottage at the Berwood Hill Inn in Lanesboro, Minnesota.

Winter - the Owls Nest room at the Berwood Hill Inn.

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!