How to camp lightweight and sleep more comfortably? any advice please?

[Daveymac]

Thanks again for the replies!
Hello, from a very cold Dublin!!

i think i can reduce my weight by forking out some €$$$ on a lighter tent, and even a lighter inflatable pad...
I am a little nervous that an ultra light tent might be very fragile...


Have any of you credit card toured down the west coast? is it expensive?
Do any of the campsites/national parks have simple dorm accommodation ?

Thank you!

[Daveymac]

Thanks again for the replies!
Hello, from a very cold Dublin!!

i think i can reduce my weight by forking out some €$$$ on a lighter tent, and even a lighter inflatable pad...
I am a little nervous that an ultra light tent might be very fragile...


Have any of you credit card toured down the west coast? is it expensive?
Do any of the campsites/national parks have simple dorm accommodation ?

Thank you!

[John Nelson]

The problem with credit-card touring in the US West is that you can't always find some place to stay, and some of the places you do find will be expensive. So you have to carry camping gear anyway. And as long as you're carrying it, you might as well use it, especially in a camping paradise like the West Coast.

You will find a few simple dorm accommodations, but not many.

[Calum]

I'm a side sleeper. I use a NEMO Cosmo air sleeping pad and an inflatable pillow. Work really well for me.
Good luck!

[Daveymac]

Thanks Lachlan...
I will check out that Nemo Cosmo pad..
Like u , i am a side-sleeper!

[Daveymac]

I was researching online & found an amazingly light tent...
The Z Pack Hexamid solo plus tent... It weighs just over 300grams!

[Calum]

Looks great! One consideration: It's not freestanding. Not sure how important that is to you, but I often camp in situations where I can't get pegs into the ground. For example, I camp on rocky ground or put the tent on concrete below a gazebo (or similar) in city parks - I'm lazy and do this to avoid condensation in the morning! So has to be freestanding for me. I have a Big Agnes Copper Spur at the moment. Not perfect but works pretty well.

[zzzz]

I have the Zpacks solo +.

A couple of things. It's light but its not 300 grams light. It's right around a pound and that's w the Ti stakes. And Lachlan is correct, the fact that it's not freestanding and has to be staked can be a problem.  I have stayed pretty dry in it in a overnight rain but it doesn't have a fly so don't touch those sides. Also, it's pretty tough to get a taught pitch on the thing. And I'm sure you noticed the price tag is around twice what many other quality light weight tents cost.

I'm reading the paragraph above and thinking that's a pretty lousy sales pitch but overall I've been happy with it. There's going to be some trade-offs when you buy a tent 1/3 or  1/4 of the weight of what else is on the market.

Paradoxically, I bought it because I spend every night I can in a hotel. Whatever tent I got it was going to be for emergency use only & mostly dead weight so I wanted the lightest thing I could buy. I've taken 3 month long trips with it and I've slept in it a grand total of 5 nights.

I did notice that they have retrofited their Duplex tent so that for a $100 upcharge you can get it in a free standing configuration. And having the Duplex that has 2 doors and some more room would be nice, the one I have is pretty tight for space.

pm

[LucyM]

A few years ago I treated myself to the Exped Synmat 7 Ultralite - packs much smaller and lighter than my old thermarest and blows up much thicker so really comfy - do find it a wee bit slippy though - the fabric of my sleeping bag slides off it but my tent is so small I can't go very far.

[Daveymac]

Good evening! Thanks again for the feedback..
My Vango Banshee tent is not freestanding and to be fair I only had an issue with it in one campground last summer...i had to use a combo of attaching one side to a tree and various rocks...i managed in the end..

I think i will camp if i have to and try to enjoy it and if dorm or sleeping accomodation is available, I will treat myself to it!
I like the idea of cutting my weight down significantly and so travelling more quickly and with less strain!

I will check out that Exped pad Lucy...thank you!

Is there any point bringing a lightweight fleece blanket to wrap around the pad?

Cheers m'dears!

Dublin Dave.

[LucyM]

If my towel is dry - I lay this on top of my mat and that helps.

[Daveymac]

Its always the simple ideas Lucy..
I think if i make my tent more cosy i might sleep better!

[pmac]

I've used luxury lite cot, now owned by thermarest and sold by REI, on a couple of bike tours.  At 2.2 lbs it is heavier than ultralight pads, but not too much of a weight penalty in the big scheme of things.  It does take a little longer to assemble, but not to bad once you get the hang of it.  The big advantage, at least to me, is that it will get you off the ground.  Sometime I also carry a very light closed cell foam pad as well. It really is pretty comfortable for my 60+ year old bones.  I also use a small blow up pillow.

[paddleboy17]

I've used luxury lite cot, now owned by thermarest and sold by REI, on a couple of bike tours.  At 2.2 lbs it is heavier than ultralight pads, but not too much of a weight penalty in the big scheme of things.  It does take a little longer to assemble, but not to bad once you get the hang of it.  The big advantage, at least to me, is that it will get you off the ground.  Sometime I also carry a very light closed cell foam pad as well. It really is pretty comfortable for my 60+ year old bones.  I also use a small blow up pillow.

Pmac,

This seems like an interesting solution.  Have you done any cool weather camping this way?  There will be some air infiltration from the underside.  I am curious if you noticed and how you responded.

I have used a cot on a couple of car camping trips (Michigan in mid May), and cool nights were brutal.  I have been using a hammock the last two years, and air infiltration is a major problem if you don't handle it right.  I have a Big Agnes sleeping bar, and it has pocket for my Thermarest, and that make a big difference.  Of course I did not know anything about that when I used a cot on a car camping trip.

[pmac]

I used the cot during tour on the Idaho Hot Springs Route last year.  It did get pretty cold, but the use of closed cell foam pad for insulation helped.