How much does your sleeping gear weigh?

[CACyclist]

I am planning on a Northern Tier trip in the summer of 2022 and will be buying new gear.    Just curious, for those of you who have done a similar trip, how much did your Tent + Sleeping bag + Pad weigh? 
I am 6 ft 2 so will probably want a slightly longer tent and sleeping bag.    also, I am 62 yrs old and somewhat less flexible than in my younger days, so a little extra tent height is probably a good thing.  Budget is probably $1,000 max for the tent, footer, sleeping bag, and sleeping pad.   Will probably spend 70 nights camping, and 20 nights motel/with friends.

New to this forum - if this question has been addressed elsewhere, let me know! Thanks.

[John Nettles]

Welcome to the ACA Forums! Sounds like you have wonderful trip coming up.

My gear varies depending on the trip I am taking.  For your trip, I would take something like a MSR Hubba Hubba NX 2-person tent (or REI equivalent), a Thermarest NeoAir air mattress, and my Western Mountaineering Megalite sleeping bag. I strongly prefer quality and durability over price and lightness.  For me, the gear above is a pretty good balance between durability and lightness.  You should note that tents are being made that are so flimsy anymore that do not expect them to last much more than 100 nights, if that.

I frequently buy lightly used (like new) equipment for 50% of the new cost.  Just set up an automatic email alert on eBay and when the specific item you are looking for, i.e. a 2 person Hubba Hubba NX tent for less than $200, it will email you. 

Whatever sleeping bag you choose, try to get one without a side baffle so the down can be shaken from the top to the bottom on hotter nights and back to the top on cooler nights. I really like Western Mountaineering as they have top quality and have a true lifetime warranty, even if you are not the original owner.  Therefore, you can buy a used bag on eBay and if you have an issue, it would be covered under warranty as if you were the original owner. Another thing you might consider is a sleeping bag liner to keep the inside of the bag cleaner when you are unable to take a shower some nights.

I will let you look up the weight but all the above are fairly light and, when used, easily under $1000. You probably could buy some new and some used for under $1000.

Tailwinds, John

[Inge]

For me at the moment - things weigh around 4 kg. I have a Tarptent SS2. Because just like you the height in a tent for me is important as well. I have a mat from Thermarest NeoAir - Xtherm - and a sleeping bag made by Cumulus (a company in Poland).

Suggestion from John to see if you can score things used sounds like a good idea considering your budget. Or otherwise maybe an older season tent with a good price.

With the sleeping bag make sure you get a liner so that the actual bag stays clean and you only have to wash the liner.

Have fun planning your trip in the meantime.

[staehpj1]

I have used a variety of setups most of the with no tent, but rather a bivy and tarp.  When I did use a tent on some solo trips I sometimes used the following:

• Eureka Spitfire 1 - 2lb 9oz
• Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite (size R) - 12oz
• Mountain Hardwear Phantom +45 - 1lb 1oz
• Exped Air Pillow (size M) - 3oz

That totals about six and a half pounds.  I have used a MSR Fling tent at times that added 3/4 of a pound or so.  FWIW I do not add a lot of extra stuff like footprints and whatnot.  Also I find this setup good for me down to overnight lows into the teens F despite the conservative 45F rating on the bag.

Neither of those tents are still made. 

My bivy setup uses either a Borah Side zipper ultralight bivy (7oz) or a Ti Goat Ptarmigan Bug Bivy (5.3oz).  I have used tarps ranging between 4.9 and 7 ounces, but have recently gone to a bigger (Sea2Summit Escapist M 6'6" x 8'6") 12.3 ounce tarp for more coverage.

I find that I really like sleeping on top of the bivy most of the time when the weather and the bugs allow and climb inside if I need to.  I often don't bother to pitch the tarp if the weather doesn't look threatening and just keep it handy.  If the rain should kick up during the night I pull the tarp over me and my gear.  Obviously the ability to do that often depends on when and where you are travelling, but I did it a lot especially biking and backpacking in the west and southwest.

I never did the math on the prices and do not remember what I paid for any of the individual setups, but the tent was cheap and I don't think any of the setups exceeded your range.  I may be wrong but I think they were generally well under the $1k max.

[Pat Lamb]

I shared a tent on my TransAm -- about 5 pounds for the two of us -- and sleeping bag and Thermarest were between 3.5-4 pounds together.

Some of these implied questions border on "what size belt should I buy?" because the answers depend so heavily on who's asking it.  I found an old (but well-kept) 20 degree bag pretty chilly when it frosted.  Bundled up in tights, base layer, skull cap, and sleeping bag liner, I managed to get to sleep anyway.  Of course, I slept on top of the bag when it was 85 degrees at 11:00, and still sweated through the night.  If you have some gear, you might try what you have on an at-home campout some spring night to see how much of a bag you need in similar temperatures.

On the NT, I'd expect mosquitoes.  Lots of them.  The kind that can bite through thin tent fabric.  I'd suggest a tent for sleeping in warm conditions when an elbow or ankle might brush up against the tent, as opposed to a bivy where bare skin WILL be exposed.  Also, a two person tent (of appropriate length) has enough room for me, whereas I feel claustrophobic in a single.  (Another reason I'm not a bivy fan!)  It's also easier to dress or change in a crowded campground if you've got a bit of headroom.

[staehpj1]

Some of these implied questions border on "what size belt should I buy?" because the answers depend so heavily on who's asking it.

Yep.

On the NT, I'd expect mosquitoes.  Lots of them.  The kind that can bite through thin tent fabric.  I'd suggest a tent for sleeping in warm conditions when an elbow or ankle might brush up against the tent, as opposed to a bivy where bare skin WILL be exposed.

I've never been bitten through even my ultralight 7 ounce bivy, even in places like the everglades, gulf coast bayous, or the Adirondacks.  They can bite through the mesh of the 5.3 ounce bug bivy when I use it, so I keep it off of my skin when bugs are bad.  I do that with a combination of clothing and/or sleeping bag, ties to hold the mesh up, and/or sometimes a hat with a bill.  I typically don't like to have much bare skin exposed and sweating any way and always sleep in at very least a tech tee shirt and running shorts.  If the bugs are terrible I might partially cover my legs just enough to keep the mesh off of them.

Also, a two person tent (of appropriate length) has enough room for me, whereas I feel claustrophobic in a single.  (Another reason I'm not a bivy fan!)  It's also easier to dress or change in a crowded campground if you've got a bit of headroom.

These are definitely bigger concerns for some than for others.  Some folks feel the need for sprawling room, for bringing gear inside, and so on.  It is important to them.  I figure once I crawl in I am either sleeping or maybe reading and reading is most often an audiobook.  Even very rainy days I am likely to be bored and roll out with only a little delay.  You need to figure out which category you fit in.  For me carrying a bunch of bulk and weight for tent space is a waste, for someone else it might be a luxury, and for another it might be a necessity.

FWIW, I am not a fan of bivies that are like tiny tents.  Mine are more like just a big sleeping bag cover with some mesh for ventilation.  They move with you so I don't really find them any more claustrophobic than being in the sleeping bag.  Also I really like cowboy camping out in the open without even the mesh of the bivy when I can.  With a bivy I can do that and climb in if the bugs get bad, the wind chill gets bad, or a shower kicks up.

The best answers are different for everyone.

[John Nelson]

Tent+footprint: 4 pounds
Sleeping bag: 2.4 pounds
Pad: 0.8 pounds
Pillow: 0.2 pounds

Total: 7.4 pounds

[staehpj1]

I decided to run the numbers...

Setup with the regular bivy, stuff sack, tarp with cords and stakes, sleeping bag, pad, and pillow - 2lb 9.3oz total
Setup with the bug bivy, stuff sack, tarp with cords and stakes, sleeping bag, pad, and pillow - 2lb 7.6oz total
Setup with the Eureka Spitfire1 tent, sleeping bag, pad, and pillow - 4lb 9oz total
Setup with the MSR Fling tent (2 man single wall), sleeping bag, pad, and pillow - 5lb 6oz total

All of these have been used for three season and would be fine for me for winter on the Southern Tier.  I used a different bivy on the ST and was fine with lots of overnight frosts, one night down to at least 18F (according to my thermometer, the locals said it was colder), and a few other fairly cold nights.

FWIW, I find that bag a lot warmer than other bags I have used that are rated much lower.  Additionally, I supplement it with clothing either worn or piled on top of me inside the bivy.  Also I find a bivy warmer than a tent.  I find that a pair of warm dry socks helps a great deal as well.

[dkoloko]

When I look to buy I have the following maximum weights in mind:

Tent: (1-man) 3 lb
Sleeping pad: 1 lb
Sleeping bag: 2 lb

I have bicycled the entire Northern Tier.

[jwrushman]

Hennessey hammock and suspension = 1286 g
Warbonnet Superfly tarp = 928 g
Warbonnet 3/4 length underquilt = 354 g
Warbonnet top quilt = 562 g
Total = 3130 g = 6.9 lbs

Did modified Northern Tier (started in New Jersey), June -> August -> cold weather wasn't a problem for me.  Bugs occasionally were bad (Saco MT, Luther MI). 

[CACyclist]

Thanks for all the replies so far! I look forward to additional notes/suggestions from you long-distance pros out there.   FYI, this trip will mark a return to long distance touring for me....  my most recent trip was 2 weeks in New England in 1984.  Before that..... Bikecentennial 76 from Yorktown to Pueblo!  I have no idea what gear I had then.  I'm sure it was cheap, and relatively heavy.  So long ago!  I had a 10 speed Fuji.  Only one of our group of 8 wore a helmet.   I was not in shape for that trip when it started, but by the time we got to Charlottesville (day 3?) I was fine.  Younger days!

[cyclist alan]

For me, it weighs around 4 kg

[TCS]

CACyclist -

Exciting!  Fun!  Inspiring!  Please journal @CGOAB and keep us posted.

My gear is older, kinda bulky and heavyish.  Well, so am I!  Anyway, inspired by your inquiry, I made a quick state of the industry survey.  For one large* it looks like one could outfit themselves with a roomy-for-one tent and synthetic sleeping bag each a skosh over 2# and a comfy sleeping pad in the neighborhood of 1#.  Color me impressed.



*AKA a Cleveland.  You know, $1000.   

[driftlessregion]

I'm 68 years old so weight is very important to me, but must also function well. I too am 6'2" which affects weight of what I buy. Every thing here is much lighter than what I used just 3 years ago.
Tent  4# 4 oz
bag   30 degree bag  2# 1 oz ;  50 degree bag   1# 10 oz
pad   1# 8 oz
It's a lot of work comparing equipment. good luck.

[canalligators]

Do what you need to do, to sleep well.  If you’re well rested, you can put up with a lot of crap during the day.  And you’ll make better decisions.