Friday, August 19, 2005

Backpacking Equipment

Since we enjoyed ourselves so much last weekend, we are now researching light-weight backpacking equipment. The first item I plan on buying is a tent. I have been looking at several brands and models so far. They are: Eureka Zeus 2EXO , Eureka Apex 2XTA, Kelty Gunnison 2, REI Half Dome 2 & MSR Hubba Hubba . My search criteria has been based on the following factors:
  • 3-season (no winter camping here :)
  • 2-person (leaning toward one with a little more square footage)
  • 2-door / 2-vestibule (lots of room for gear storage, and possibly the dog)
  • Light-weight (not a huge factor, as we can split the load between us)
  • cost (low to mid $100's if possible. Lets face it, I doubt if I tackle Everest anytime soon in this tent :) We just need something that is durable enough for hiking in the mid-atlantic States).
  • breathability (I hate waking up all sticky from condensation buildup).
  • factory-sealed seams

Anyone with experience in this, your comments are welcome. My thanks goes out to mrhyker at http://www.MidAtlanticHikes.com. He has been very helpful and friendly in his advise.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

RE; Tents. You may need to spend more than you plan but it's like this: A tent is to camping as boots are to hiking. It's the most important piece of equipment in your kit. When the weather goes south, as it often does in the Mon, you'll want to be secure in the knowledge that you'll be getting into a dry tent when the day is done. I meant to mention that "factory sealed seams" should also be a criteria in your tent search..

WVwanderer said...

I agree with you, we shouldn't jump in and buy the first tent that fits our current budget. For this reason, we will probably wait awhile and buy the "right" tent that will last and stand up to the weather.

Anonymous said...

I posted a note about 2 tents but don't see it here. I talked to 2 friends about their tents and here are some remarks:

MSR Hubba-Bubba is large and pretty roomy. It's probably one of the lightest 2 person tents of its size.

Kelty Gunnison 2: Rectangular footprint. Large enough for a "couple". I think it's about 6 inches wider than my REI 1/4 Dome.

Both Ann and Andrew are more than satisfied with their tents.

Anonymous said...

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Cheers,
ultra light backpacking

WVwanderer said...

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