Tents, Sleeping Mats, and Bags

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rifraf
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Re: Tents, Sleeping Mats, and Bags

Postby rifraf » Sun Dec 17, 2017 3:56 pm

Aushiker wrote:My Exped Synmat UL 7S has blown its baffles and its time to move it on and for me to move on from Exped gear. Two of these mats have failed now, not interested in going for number three.

The top of my short list is a Sea to Summit Ultralight Insulated AIr mat, size small, but interested in any feedback on the Klymit mats. I am a side sleeper so a bit curious about their O Zone ...

Anyway what is your current brand and model of mat? Self-inflating types only please.
I think from your bike packing posts that your on tour.
If you need a mattress loan, I'm happy to help you out with a synmat7 UL for your tour, if it helps.
Let me know ASAP and I can get it away to you in the post if you need.
Hate to think your sleeping on the hard ground if you don't have to.
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Re: Tents, Sleeping Mats, and Bags

Postby Aushiker » Sun Dec 17, 2017 9:10 pm

rifraf wrote:Anyway what is your current brand and model of mat? Self-inflating types only please.
I think from your bike packing posts that your on tour.
If you need a mattress loan, I'm happy to help you out with a synmat7 UL for your tour, if it helps.
Let me know ASAP and I can get it away to you in the post if you need.
Hate to think your sleeping on the hard ground if you don't have to.[/quote]

Thanks Aidan for your kind offer but I am back in town now, hence the shopping spree :)

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rifraf
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Re: Tents, Sleeping Mats, and Bags

Postby rifraf » Sun Dec 17, 2017 9:49 pm

Aushiker wrote:
Thanks Aidan for your kind offer but I am back in town now, hence the shopping spree :)
No worries

I look forward to reading of any write up from your trip.
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rifraf
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Re: Tents, Sleeping Mats, and Bags

Postby rifraf » Tue Dec 19, 2017 8:54 pm

uad782 wrote:The Intent Double Skin looks good but no very robust if the wind were to hit it square on. I'm agree with Ron regarding not liking hubs on poles. However, it seems most tents rely on this system. Why can't anyone do a UL version of the Macpac Minaret.
What are you talking about :wink:

My Minaret is an ultralight Olympus :P :lol: :lol:

Whilst I do appreciate the weight of my Microlight, a couple of days of rain mean an unhealthy dose of claustrophobia and un-natural acts of contortion in order to get in and out.

Next tour I'm taking the Minaret :!: :D
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Re: Tents, Sleeping Mats, and Bags

Postby uad782 » Tue Dec 19, 2017 9:37 pm

Hi Rifraf

I bought a minaret and it was delivered last week! I have not opened the packet yet but am interested to measure weight. I am happy to carry the extra 1 kg for the reliability.

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Re: Tents, Sleeping Mats, and Bags

Postby rifraf » Tue Dec 19, 2017 11:05 pm

uad782 wrote:Hi Rifraf

I bought a minaret and it was delivered last week! I have not opened the packet yet but am interested to measure weight. I am happy to carry the extra 1 kg for the reliability.
Hi Uad782,

Whilst you might find the air a little blue from your cursing why your bike feels heavier up the hills, I don't think you'll be disappointed by either the durability of the product or the after sales service should their be any issues.

There is some bulk too to be aware of and curse in its stead.

Its thought a better winter tent than summer and draws complaints about it being a little light on the ventilation stakes and thus prone to more condensation than some would like.

Saying that, I'm yet to hear of the perfect tent and think all products that I've seen and read of, tend to have some compromises.

I had been waiting to hear of both Ronks Tarptent Protrail and/or Andrews Duplex being penultimate and close to the last word in tents, but alas I'll be hanging on to the Minaret for a while yet due to my budget not stretching to much "experimentation" with regards larger ticket items.

The Minaret fails on a few box ticks but on the other hand, it simply works and has a reputation for handling some rough weather with aplomb.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts on it when you've done a trip or two and found any foibles for yourself.

I also look forward to finding, curtesy of perhaps Andrew or RonK, finding the last word in tents and one worth upgrading to. :)
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Re: Tents, Sleeping Mats, and Bags

Postby uad782 » Wed Dec 20, 2017 9:49 pm

Thanks Rifraf

I have owned an Olympus for over 20 years and agree with your comments. It is a durable tent and the Macpac support has been great. I will keep you posted on the Minaret. According to Macpac it weighs 2.1 kg so not much heavier than some ul tents.

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Re: Tents, Sleeping Mats, and Bags

Postby Aushiker » Thu Dec 21, 2017 1:12 am

uad782 wrote:Thanks Rifraf

I have owned an Olympus for over 20 years and agree with your comments. It is a durable tent and the Macpac support has been great. I will keep you posted on the Minaret. According to Macpac it weighs 2.1 kg so not much heavier than some ul tents.
I think you are confusing "lightweight" with ultra-lightweight here. Ultra-lightweight is nothing close to 2 kg. For example the Zpacks Duplex [two person] tent is sub 1 kg coming in at 595 grams plus pegs. Now that is ultra-lightweight two person tent.

Even my Tarptent Double Rainbow which I would consider lightweight and is very spacious comes in at 1.17 kg.

I am not saying the Macpac Minaret is not a bad tent but I would argue strongly it is nothing close to being an ultralight weight tent, net alone a lightweight tent.

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Re: Tents, Sleeping Mats, and Bags

Postby hartleymartin » Thu Dec 21, 2017 1:19 am

Can I please get some recommendations on sleepings mats - in particular I am looking for one that is 60cm or more wide. It seems that most are 50cm and I have found these too narrow for comfort. I don't mind if it is a 3/4 length (120cm) or full-length (180cm+) but I do need something a bit wider than the usual.
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Re: Tents, Sleeping Mats, and Bags

Postby Cheesewheel » Thu Dec 21, 2017 2:13 am

hartleymartin wrote:Can I please get some recommendations on sleepings mats - in particular I am looking for one that is 60cm or more wide. It seems that most are 50cm and I have found these too narrow for comfort. I don't mind if it is a 3/4 length (120cm) or full-length (180cm+) but I do need something a bit wider than the usual.
https://www.massdrop.com/buy/39502

The klymit static v luxe comes in at 76cm wide
Go!Run!GAH!

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Re: Tents, Sleeping Mats, and Bags

Postby rifraf » Thu Dec 21, 2017 4:25 am

hartleymartin wrote:Can I please get some recommendations on sleepings mats - in particular I am looking for one that is 60cm or more wide. It seems that most are 50cm and I have found these too narrow for comfort. I don't mind if it is a 3/4 length (120cm) or full-length (180cm+) but I do need something a bit wider than the usual.
https://www.mountaindesigns.com/store/e ... ats?page=1

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I believe the Sea to Summit was getting good press recently.

Based on comments in here (Thank you RonK) and bushwalk.com (if memory serves) and a plethora of anecdotal Exped Synmat 7UL failures, I grabbed a Sea to Summit Ultralight.

My Synmat 7UL hasn't yet succumbed to the dreaded delamination, but I'm ready for when that day comes.
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Re: Tents, Sleeping Mats, and Bags

Postby RonK » Thu Dec 21, 2017 2:05 pm

rifraf wrote:I had been waiting to hear of both Ronks Tarptent Protrail and/or Andrews Duplex being penultimate and close to the last word in tents, but alas I'll be hanging on to the Minaret for a while yet due to my budget not stretching to much "experimentation" with regards larger ticket items.
...
I also look forward to finding, curtesy of perhaps Andrew or RonK, finding the last word in tents and one worth upgrading to. :)
Nope, the Tarptent Protrail is not the ultimate tent for my purposes. It ticks the right boxes for being ultra-lightweight and packable, but it's really only suitable for use in warmer weather. In cooler weather it's cold and there is a lot of condensation.

Given I now travel in bikepacking mode and that I tend to tour mostly in spring or autumn when weather can be quite variable, my criteria for the ultimate tent are:
- packable
- lightweight
- free-standing
- external poles (with no hubs)
- freestanding
- single pitch
- cross ventilation (2 doors/vestibules).

There are few candidates in a 1P tent which satisfy these criteria. One is the the Big Sky Revolution 1P, followed by the slightly heavier Big Sky Chinook 1P.

The compromise for meeting most these criteria is that neither fall in the ultra-lightweight class, but both still weigh in at under 1.5kg. And they are offered with either (or both) a breathable fabric or mesh inner tent.

They are also offered in 1.5P and 2P versions which still weigh in at under 2kg.
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Re: Tents, Sleeping Mats, and Bags

Postby rifraf » Thu Dec 21, 2017 2:35 pm

Perhaps a poorly worded attempt at humour on my part.

I had thought my next tent was going to be a toss up between the choices both you and Andrew had made as I saw some benefits to both.

I was surprised to hear that both of you had found some of the compromises untenable (or perhaps untentable :oops: ).

I was also somewhat disappointed as I value your opinions on gear and base many of my purchases on both of your commentaries within these pages or via PM.

I thought my next upgrade path was already done and dusted and had only been awaiting to read of all the benefits and purchase justifications from you both in order to toss the coin as it were and make a decision of my own.

I had thought it was going to come down to the Pro-trails packability vs the Duo-plex's extra room and very light weight.

Still I guess the silver lining is I get to prioritise some other gear whilst you two stalwarts of camping gear testing battle it out with the plethora of tents out there.

I'll make do with the Minaret in the meantime which will burn more of the calories I need to lose in its haulage, but be relatively predictable in its weather resistance and weight inducing durability.

I look forward to reading about the trials of your next editions and in the meantime will try to get out more and spin the cranks and put more effort in wearing out the gear that I've got.
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Re: Tents, Sleeping Mats, and Bags

Postby uad782 » Thu Dec 21, 2017 7:29 pm

Hi Andrew,

It is certainly lighter than my Olympus. You are correct it is not UL or close to it. When considering a tent I had Ron's comments about his time at Movora Lakes in my mind where he was cold and miserable. I think he attributed this partly to his tent along with other factors.

Another advantage with the Minaret is I wont use a footprint as the floor is super tough. I also know how solid these tents are having camped on the side of Mt Kosciuzko in winter when the wind/snow has been gale force. When you read reviews some of these UL tents are quite fragile. I am still thinking about getting a UL tent as well but like Rifraf will wait until Ron and yourself find something you like!

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Re: Tents, Sleeping Mats, and Bags

Postby Aushiker » Fri Dec 22, 2017 11:48 pm

uad782 wrote: I am still thinking about getting a UL tent as well but like Rifraf will wait until Ron and yourself find something you like!
I haven't owned a Macpac tent but for a long-time had a Wilderness Equipment Second Arrow so have an idea of where you are coming from.

I have now settled into my Tarptent Double Rainbow which I am happy with so far. It has handled strong winds okay, but I haven't experienced a night of solid rain yet nor full on winter temperatures so the jury is still out.

Image
Camped at Roses-Quallup Beach by Andrew Priest (Aushiker), on Flickr

On the beach at Roses-Quallup it blew quite strongly straight off the ocean for most of the night. The tent stayed up okay despite being pitched on the beach with normal pegs (no sand pegs).

I am however going to get the extra two poles to allow me to pitch it free-standing if required.
Last edited by Aushiker on Sun Dec 24, 2017 10:27 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Tents, Sleeping Mats, and Bags

Postby hartleymartin » Sat Dec 23, 2017 11:17 pm

rifraf wrote:
hartleymartin wrote:Can I please get some recommendations on sleepings mats - in particular I am looking for one that is 60cm or more wide. It seems that most are 50cm and I have found these too narrow for comfort. I don't mind if it is a 3/4 length (120cm) or full-length (180cm+) but I do need something a bit wider than the usual.
https://www.mountaindesigns.com/store/e ... ats?page=1

Free Shipping on all orders within Australian everyday

I believe the Sea to Summit was getting good press recently.

Based on comments in here (Thank you RonK) and bushwalk.com (if memory serves) and a plethora of anecdotal Exped Synmat 7UL failures, I grabbed a Sea to Summit Ultralight.

My Synmat 7UL hasn't yet succumbed to the dreaded delamination, but I'm ready for when that day comes.
This problem was solved for me. My family heard that I wanted a new sleeping mat and bought me one from Kathmandu on special. 120cm x 56cm and supposedly 38mm thick.
Martin Christopher Hartley

http://raleightwenty.webs.com - the top web resource for the Raleigh Twenty

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rifraf
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Re: Tents, Sleeping Mats, and Bags

Postby rifraf » Sat Dec 23, 2017 11:21 pm

hartleymartin wrote: This problem was solved for me. My family heard that I wanted a new sleeping mat and bought me one from Kathmandu on special. 120cm x 56cm and supposedly 38mm thick.
Enjoy :!:

Happy Spinning
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Re: Tents, Sleeping Mats, and Bags

Postby ridingboots » Mon Jan 08, 2018 9:36 pm

Few years ago I purchase a Ultra Light Cot from EBAY - it has lasted well so far and once you work out the art of putting it together it takes no longer then 10 mins to put together and pack up. The best bit is it is super comfy and I always have good night sleep compared to the sleeping mats. I purchase Kathmandu one and it was awful.

I found the YouTube videos on how to put it together very helpful as instructions with bed are crap

Image

Image

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Re: Tents, Sleeping Mats, and Bags

Postby hartleymartin » Tue Jan 09, 2018 1:02 am

Just a question to compare notes: How do you carry your tent poles?

At the moment the only working solution I have is to wrap them up inside my sleeping mat and then strap that bag onto the back rack of my bicycle with a pair of toe-clip straps.

Some years ago, I lost a set of tent poles when I tried to carry them half sticking out of my rear pannier. One other time I attached them to my top-tube with leather straps, but I found that they got in the way.

With regards to the sleeping mat: I did just over 4 years of cadets and only ever slept on a bit of green canvas when camping. My first sleeping mat was a 2cm thick "tombstone" type. I expect moving to a 4cm thick one will be something of an improvement.
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Re: Tents, Sleeping Mats, and Bags

Postby LG » Tue Jan 09, 2018 12:16 pm

As per your suggestion for tent poles and sleeping mat, or I have carried them in a dry bag oriented crossways on top of the rear panniers, strapped on properly. Ortlieb make a purpose built bag for this setup which I recently invested in ready for the next trip.

https://www.pushys.com.au/ortlieb-rack- ... lsrc=aw.ds
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Re: Tents, Sleeping Mats, and Bags

Postby Aushiker » Fri Jan 19, 2018 2:59 pm

Big Agnes have a new range of insulated self-inflating air mattress, the Insulated AXL Air.

Image

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Re: Tents, Sleeping Mats, and Bags

Postby Aushiker » Mon Jan 22, 2018 1:44 pm

Image

Massdrop have a drop on Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XTherm Sleeping Pads. Delivered price to Australia is ~ AU$182

As always one should do their research on the pricing.

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Re: Tents, Sleeping Mats, and Bags

Postby Telemike » Mon Jan 22, 2018 2:10 pm

When i tried to join the drop it said it does not post outside USA (let me know if i missed something). I need to use an onshipper, which will add about $28USD to the price. It is still a very good deal though.

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Re: Tents, Sleeping Mats, and Bags

Postby LateStarter » Mon Jan 22, 2018 5:46 pm

Anyone near Bondi Junction (NSW) should drop in to Mountain Designs in Oxford St, closing down, lots of cheap stuff including good looking sleeping mats for around $50
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Re: Tents, Sleeping Mats, and Bags

Postby Aushiker » Tue Jan 23, 2018 11:35 am

Telemike wrote:When i tried to join the drop it said it does not post outside USA (let me know if i missed something). I need to use an onshipper, which will add about $28USD to the price. It is still a very good deal though.
Apologies for missing that. It seems my tablet was not sharing my location so it popped up with shipping costs and I missed it was US shipping costs and not Australia shipping costs.

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