Kelty V2 Tent
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We looked at dozens of tent designs. Marmot makes the best, Walrus, Outdoor Research and North Face are excellent as well. Eureka and Kelty make some excellent and some crap as well. Buy based on the quality of the tent not the name brand. Our first choice was a Marmot but we were near the limit of our budget and bought discontinued Kelty's for only $130. They had the full coverage fly, double vestibules, aluminum poles and door zipper arangement we were looking for. |
| Thermarest Mattress |
Several types will do, but the short length, thin "Hikers" thermarest won hands down in the comfort/warmth/size tradeoff. Don't get the ultra-light one. It has a perforated foam core that is not as durable or comfortable. It's not that much lighter that it matters, unless you are climbing a mountian with it. |
| Footprint |
Footprints aren't usually needed. We didn't waste money on getting a fitted one matched to our tent but we wanted to pack as small as possible, so we bought cheap nylon tarps just a bit smaller than the tent floor. All the footprint does is protect the underside of the tent floor from dirt so all that is really needed is a cheap piece of plastic. |
| Tent Liner |
We always use a liner. A sheet of plastic about 2 foot longer and wider than the tent floor is about right. It goes on the floor of the tent and you put your mattresses, sleeping bags and anything else in the tent on top of it. The idea is that moisture from your breathing, any rain that does get past the fly and tent walls as well as condensation from the cool ground ends up under it instead of under your sleeping bag. The extra foot of material is placed over the foot and sides of your sleeping bag and whatever gear you have inside the tend so that any condensation runs down the sides of the tent and under the plastic. To save space we bought Cheap Nylon tarps that were the right size. Nylon stuffs smaller than plastic. |
| Sleeping Bag |
Every one of us bought a different bag. It should be tapered to save weight and the smaller foot area is warmer as well. The temprature rating is about 10 degrees optimistic. Get one 10 Degrees cooler than you expect to sleep in. A 20 degree rating is good if you are heading to Maine in the late spring/summer like we did. In warmer weather a full length zipper lets you open it like a blanket. Mine is a tapered, "almost Mummy" style. I can sleep with the zipper on top in the summer and unzip to be cooler or even on the bottom and zip it up about 2 feet from the bottom to keep my feet toasty, while the rest is open and on top of me like a blanket while I sleep on the Thermarest pad. Constance bought a down bag because it is the most comfortable over the widest range of tempratures but the rest of us wern't so confident about keeping it perfectly dry and went with synthetic bags. |
Kelty, Noah's tarp 12
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The Moss Parawing is the best but it's expensive. Campmor has a cheap Parawing style tarp but it's too heavy and the edges tend to flap in the breeze. The Kelty splits tha difference in quality and performance and is a light grey material that is thin enough to let in light so it's not so gloomy underneath on a rainy day. The 12 foot size, measured diagonally, is a bit small 14 foot is about right. We bought 12's, but I prefer a 14. |
| Tent stakes |
The choice of stake is determined by the ground you expect to set up on. The aluminium "question marks" that came with our Kelty's work well for most situations but you will want something with a bit more holding power in sand. We got a pack of small Aluminum "V" cross-sectioned stakes that hold well. 2 go on the upwind "storm lines" of the tent and 2 stake down the low corners of the Noah's tarp in good weather. We double up on the tarp stakes when we expect wind. |
| Guy Lines |
Most top end tents come with useable guy lines. On some mid range and all cheap tents you are better off throwing the cords away and starting over! Good camping supply places will have replacements that can hold a proper knot. 3MM climbers accessory cord is excellent though a bit bulky. It's easy to untangle and holds a knot well. We also bring along some of the cheap "Camp" cord or "Parachute" cord for all those little things that aren't worth cutting up the, more expensive, climbers accessory cord. |
| Flashlights |
The Mini-Maglight is all the light we have needed. They come with a spare bulb in the cap and the metal construction holds up. The 2 "AA" battery size gives about 8 hours light per set of good batteries. If that dosen't last you for weeks than you are staying up way too late. I never thought I would be skinnydipping in the predawn twilight till I started canoe camping. It sure beats the hell out of staying up till midnight, sleeping late and then fighting the afternoon winds that seem to be a standard feature of all the best canoeing destinations. |
| T.P. can |
I've never seen a waterproof Toilet Paper can so pack it on a dry bag. When we go as a group we pack one with the campsite gear. Once in camp it goes in a prominent place so that, if it's missing, we know the "designated area" back in the woods is occupied. |
| Trowel |
Unless your campsite has an outhouse or pit toilet you will need a shovel to dig a "Cat-Hole". The little plastic trowels that they sell in the campstores suck. They might be OK for backpackers that have to save every ounce, but a good garden trowel or a folding metal trowel is much better. |
