RE: [pct-l] tents

["Robinson, Brian A" <brian.robinson@compaq.com>]

Please allow me a comment on this one.  (Roy, who is my father, subscribes
via the digest list and may comment later.)

I've also chosen the tarp/bivy system, not coincidently ;-)  But, first off,
I'll grant that buying an ultra-light tent looks like a great way to go.
Please don't interpret any of the rest of this as an attack.  It's an
alternative for consideration.  Make your own decisions.

Without a doubt, the tarp and bivy weigh as much as or more than most
thru-hiker tents.  But the tent is not the only piece of equipment in a
thru-hiker's pack.  My tarp is a poncho which also serves as rain gear.   Is
there a ground cloth under that $500 tent?  If not, that ultra-light floor
may not last the trip.  To be fair, I also use a ground cloth under my
tarp/bivy, but it's a $3 space blanket that I don't mind replacing a couple
times per summer.  Then there's the poles.  I use my telescoping trekking
poles.  Most tents require their own poles.

Then there's the flexibility factors.  Are you going to use a drift box?  If
so, the bivy goes in the drift box most of the time.  In good weather, I
sleep on top of my tarp, under the stars.   I save weight using a 35 degree
sleeping bag, which is usually fine by itself in July and August.  Adding
the bivy (and wearing all my clothes) allows me to continue using it in
colder conditions.  And knowing that I could quickly retreat to my bivy in
the middle of the night allows me to sleep under the stars even when it
"might" rain.

Brian Robinson
PCT '97

PS  In '97 my Dad and I used a tent in the Sierra, and I'd do it again.  The
mosquito protection alone is more than enough reason, but this Jardin-esque
style I'm supporting is dangerous in the snow.  Read the '98ers journals.
Leftover winter snow is bad enough, but the Sierra in June could bring a
storm dumping 2-3 feet of new snow.   Those who choose to bring minimal
equipment must lace up their Nikes and "run" for the nearest motel before
conditions get too bad.


> -----Original Message-----
> From:	reynolds@ilan.com [SMTP:reynolds@ilan.com]
> Sent:	Sunday, December 27, 1998 12:12 PM
> To:	ROYROBIN@aol.com
> Cc:	pct-l@backcountry.net
> Subject:	Re: [pct-l] tents
> 
> ROYROBIN ( on using a tarp and bivy sack instead of a tent)
> OK, so how much does your bivy and tarp weigh? The lightest bivvy I can
> find on the internet is 1#9oz with most about 2 pounds. Most tarps are
> another pound making your total about 2.5-3 pounds. Now the Stephenson 2x
> is 2.5 pounds and the 2R 3.5 pounds,each a full 2 person plus all gear
> tent. The 2R is certainly a 4 season tent. The 2x -a single wall version
> of
> the 2R - would be called a 4 season tent by most people. True, these tents
> cost $500 but for a 4-6 mont trip aren't they worth it?
> 
> This Wanderlust Nomad Lite, at 1.5 pounds looks way lighter than a
> bivy/tarp system and, wgile it is certainly not a  four season tent, will
> keep the 'skeerers away
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> *
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