tent+underwear

[Nikola Sijan]

Hello everyone!
I'm trying to switch from 'regular' to light backpacking. The total weight of my backpack is around 25 lbs, including food and water. I possess Eureka Mountain lite tent for 2 persons (3.2 kgs) but my wife is unable to accompany me for my next trip, so I'm considering to buy a lighter solo tent.

Having considered couple of options I came to conclusion that there is no tent which satisfies my requirement.
MY requirements are:
-double wall tent
-weighing less that 4 lbs
-under $300
-with fly reaching the ground in order to avoid wind blowing under it (I was surprised how many tents don't have fly reaching the ground-all tarpent products, hubba hubba and many more)
-with at least one large vestibule for 45 litres backpack and shoes)
-comfortable enough for my size 187cm (I believe that is 6'3)
-good headroom clearance (which excluded Akto)
Do you guys have any suggestions?

2. since I'll be hiking during the summer, I estimated that at least 3 liters of water per day will be required-before I reach a spring or village. Do you reckon it will be enough? (Surprisingly I've noticed that many hikers don't add weight of the water to their overall backpack weight.)

3.how do you deal with underwear on summer hikes? I've bought Icebreak Beast underwear and it looked pretty ok for the summer but of course after couple of days it became smelly. How do you wash it and get rid of 'yellow' and in some cases 'brown' stains? Do you think that Ex Officio synthetic underwear would be better option for long hike?

[Andy F]

1. The new Tarptent Scarp has a fly which reaches the ground, plus it has a solid inner tent anyway. It's also designed to handle significant wind with the optional extra poles.

The Tarptent Moment should do for 3 season use though, unless you're in fairly extreme winds?

2. Hard to tell. You might need 4-8 liters per day, depending on the conditions, hiking difficulty, and your physiology.

3. Wash with some vinegar to get rid of smell. Darker colors get rid of the stains. :) A non-chlorine bleach might work on white.

[Allison Sayre]

My MSR Hubba's fly reaches all the way to the ground, you have to pull on the tabs to make it do so but it definitely does.

I highly recommend the Ex-Officio undies, very comfortable and easy to clean. I usually wash them with Dr. Bronner's on the trail.

[obx hiker]

i thought for sure this was an April Fools Day thread. Hey silnylon tent/underpants would also make a nice vbl. You could use the hoop poles as hiking sticks….. nevermind

[Angela Zukowski]

Black underwear… all the way!

And on trail laundry def. helps.

I don't add water weight because it varies, but I do keep it in mind at the back of my head… I always allow for at least 1 liter (2.2 lbs).

I'm generally happy with consuming about 3 L on an 18-20 mile day hike in the summer. I try to drink a lot in the morning before leaving. Of course, I keep my water weight low because here I generally have access to at least one water source by midday. So I rarely carry that much in the first place… but I'd say that's about what I drink, if I had to estimate.

[James Naphas]

I don't get why you're concerned with the fly not reaching the ground. Unless you're talking about winter camping most of the time you want the wind to blow through to keep condensation down. As long as the fly keeps out windblown rain you should be OK.

On water, carry what you need to be absolutely sure you'll get to the next water source, then treat there. How much you'll need is pretty dependent on how much you as an individual tends to consume, plus overhead coverage, weather and how strenuous the trail is. You'll consume much more on a hot day hiking in the sun on a steep trail than a cool day in the forest on a more or less flat trail. There are times when I go through a liter an hour or more, other times when I'm drinking that much over a couple of hours.

I wear nylon compression shorts as underwear to avoid chaffing. I wash them out every couple of days in a big ziplock with Dr. Bronners.

[Frank Steele]

Wool undies can go several days without washing and they don't get funky.

I second the Moment, it is bomber proof in the wind. How heavy a rain are you expecting? The TT Sublite Tyvek model can handle moderate rain and even though is a single wall it breaths well. Someone even seam sealed the entire top half to prevent misting in hard rain.

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