Looking for recommendation on good tent and sleeping bag

[+ICHTHYS]

My father-in-law is doing a bike across America next year and needs a good tent and sleeping bag to use. He doesn't need to carry it on the bike with him.

 

He wants something small, light and easy to set up for the tent. Possibly a two man tent or just a one man tent.

 

The tent may be used for overnight hiking in the future, so size and weight can factor in.

 

Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

[+Beaverbeliever]

I have a TrailDome II for a tent by Kelty. It is 1 man, and very simple to use. I put it up by myself in 5 mins. I think it was about $112.00, but I am not sure.

[+DeskJocky]

That isn't an easy question. It is what will work for you. I have a few sleeping bags. It all depends on what temperature he will be sleeping in. I have a off-brand 40 degree bag that isn't bad. I have a 20 degree Kelty bag that I like and I also have a 35 degree Western Mountaineering bag that I love. It all depends on how cold you sleep, if there is a chance your bag may get wet, your budget and a few other things that I can't easily think of.

 

If there is a chance your bag will get wet, I wouldn't get a down bag; it will take longer to dry. Will it get very dirty and stinky? Look at the cleaning requirements. Can you sleep in a smaller bag? If so, get a mummy bag. You will save on weight. Full zipper of half zipper? Fulls are nice, but usually are heavier and cost more money and can be a pain sometimes. Do you want a hood for your head? I love that feature when it is cold. Only the top of my face is exposed. You can always get a colder bag (higher temperature rating) and augment that with more clothes when you sleep.

 

Tents are the same way. Again, no easy recommendations. Free standing or a tent that requires staking. You planning on storing gear in your tent? If so get a bigger tent. If you plan on storing it outside, get a vestibule. Three seasons or four? Probably three. Do you need room to set up in your tent?

 

I used a EMS Starlight for years. I just upgraded to a MSR Hubba-Hubba but I haven't had a bag night in it yet. I like to so far. I fit in it just fine, I can quickly set it up. I also is a free standing which enables me more options for placement.

[+TXKLAW]

For comfort and ease of set up I really like the hennesyhammocks.com hammock/tent with an appropriate temperature rated sleeping bag. Wonderful nights rest without having to remove all the rocks and sticks. Downfall... you need two trees or other support system. Generally not a problem in forested areas, but could be an issue in desert terrain.

[+TotemLake]

You're going to want something that works as a standalone. Although it wasn't part of your equation, something to consider is some bikers have tents that will allow them to put the bike inside. THIS will probably not be light enough for backpacking but will ensure his bicycle isn't stolen while he's sleeping...but that is the nature of specialty tents. I'd leave alone hammock tents for the simple reason you need a support structure to make appropriate use of them and you can't always guarantee this.

 

As for sleeping bags, you'll need to determine his coldest average night and work with something that will cover that range. I would probably go with a little warmer and add a liner to make up the difference. Again, get something that if it gets wet, he can still stay warm. That leaves out goose down.

 

A pad also goes a long way to lighten the temp requirement of the bag. Even though you'll be trading weight for degrees, your dad will have a more comfortable sleep. The liner and a decent pad can subtract upto at least 25 degrees off the need for a sleeping bag.

[Shiraz-mataz]

I won't bother delving into the sleeping bag issue - there are countless possibilities!

 

As for shelters though, I have a recommendation for you. I have several tents but for the cross-country trip I would suggest using a Kelty Gunnison 2. It is a "two" person tent which means it is perfect for one person. It is not too heavy at just over four pounds - that is about my upper limit for backpacking tent weight. What I love about this tent is that it only has two shock-corded poles which cross over the top of the tent. Then the tent has quick clips to hook onto the poles. This results in a very fast setup since you don't have to thread the poles through the sleeves that some tents have. The rain fly is thrown over the top if desired. Just over a hundred bucks and you can find them online from different sources.

 

Good luck!