Need help: gear for going around the world

I'd recommend the Sierra Designs Lightning. It's more blowing-rain-proof, snow-strong, and blowing-snow/sand proof than the tarptents and REI tent. It only has 1 door, but you only have 1 person. It's a little short for 2 people over 6 feet, but 1 can lay diagonally with 1.25 feet to spare. The vestibule isn't big or easy to walk out of with it's offset zipper, but that offset also allows whatever you stored under it to stay protected when you enter or exit.

It weights 1 oz under 4 lbs, but has a tough 70 denier absolutely waterproof (PU coated) floor, is free standing, and saves the weight of the trekking poles.

It's a little too warm for summer, and a little too cold for the winter. It could have more vertical walls for the summer, but then it wouldn't take winter snow loading. ie: A good "go anywhere" compromise tent.

Hey there, I don't have a specific tent recommendation but I do have a couple ideas. For pitching a non free-standing tent indoors you could use duct tape. If on carpet you could maybe get some of those velcro hold downs they use in the shops or at trade shows. That may be a lot of hassle so a free standing tent is probably best.

As for the Tarptent Rainbow/Double Rainbow maybe you could see if Henry would sew in 4 grommets/eyelets at the corners so that you could use traditional collapsible aluminum poles in place of trekking poles. There are a few online sources for aluminum tent poles so that you can build a couple poles to fit. Not sure if that is worth it either.

I definitely would not go with a single wall tent for this trip. I would want something with as much mesh as possible for the heat and for use indoors. The mesh will be colder in the winter but trying to sleep in the heat and humidity you will see in some of those places can be a real drag.

I would avoid tents with complex pole systems like the Hubba Hubba. I would go with a traditional cross pole design with no fussy joints, swivels, or pivots in the poles to worry about. If you bend or break a straight pole it would be an easy fix and any pole you could track down within an inch or two in length could be substituted until you can get a proper replacement. Bus and truck travel where your pack is being tossed on the bottom of the pile or dropped from the roof should be expected.

Just a few thoughts from experience.

Ryan

Good call John. I think the Lightning fits the bill perfectly. Sierra Designs tents are top quality and the floor in my experience is tough and very waterproof. No fussy poles either.

Hey yeah, I like what you guys have said, thanks. The Lightning looks like a pretty good answer for all my questions.

I want to throw something out into left field: what about the Golite Xanadu 2? Granted, it's a single-wall, but just like the Double Rainbow, both those doors open up big and wide, which some BPGearTest-ers have really liked. Not to mention, it's HUGE compared with the other double-wall options I'm considering, for just about the same weight! Would this be a huge MISTAKE in terms of breathability? When I'm in the humid, hot tropics and it isn't raining, I figure those huge double-doors will be able to keep me cool enough. When it rains, and I have to batten down the hatches, I figure the Xanadu won't be any warmer than a double-wall with the fly pitched tightly around it. Not to mention, the huge interior volume should partially mitigate these issues too. Right? Is there something I'm missing?

Any thoughts?

Hey Ian, Sounds like you're in for a great trip. I'm (and I'm sure others, too) envious. (^J^)/"

Like always the gear that you bring is determined by the places that you go. But don't forget that a lot of the places that you are going are big countries, and what goes in one area might not go in another. China, for instance, is a gigantic country (think the US in terms of size and variation). The terrain and climate in the south is completely different from the north and west. In November you can have tropical weather in the south and snow in the north. The Gobi desert will be freezing at night. Elevation will also make a difference. Kenya and Guatemala can be quite cold higher up. So can India.

As for hot and humid weather in the tropics mesh is probably a given. I've tried to use a Hilleberg Akto in the 110º F, 95% humidity here in the Japanese summers in the lowlands and the poor ventilation just turns you into steamed dumplings (higher up it is no problem, though). You may also want to carefully consider the color of the fly… dark green and other dark colors will make for very hot interiors. That being said, there really isn't anything that can make really hot and humid weather more comfortable. A hammock might come in useful…

I think the suggestion by others for a shelter with simple parts is wise. The simpler the setup, the easier it is to fix and the less prone it will be for breakage.

More than a huge interior spece, a good vestibule would be important. Especially one with a wide doorway that can be opened wide for views and ventilation. Some tents, like Hilleberg's and Terra Nova's can have the inner tent pulled back to widen the floor space.

And definitely get something with an attached floor! Once you experience leeches on the forest floor in the Philippines, you will be glad you did! It's an experience to be savored! (@V@)

Another thing, a few of the givens that are talked about here on BPL in terms of clothing no longer hold sway in the tropics. In areas where it is hot and humid all the time, nothing beats cotton or linen, not even the so-called synthetic "desert weaves" and such. Sythetics just don't breath as well. And the the water holding property of cotton is actually an advantage in this case… it helps cool you down. Not mention the awful stench you will be carrying around with synthetics all the time.

For hot, dry weather with lots of exposure to the sun long sleeves and long pants prevent sun burns. Sandals will help prevent foot fungi and such. Hygiene, as in keeping your hands clean and such is extremely important. You don't want to get any germs and infections! And one thing I find indispensible here in the Japanese summers is a long (about a yard long) cotton face towel that I hang around my neck both to protect the back of my neck from the sun and to wipe the torrents of sweat from my face while walking. Wetting the towel and draping it from or tying it around my head help to cool things down, and also helps keep flying insects at bay, especially the ones that love to get in your ears. Also, make sure your pack has a good open-weave back panel for good ventilation. The Go-lite line is pretty good, but even then can be very sweaty, due to the back-hugging designs.

There is very little talk here in the forums about tropical weather and the gear and techniques needed. Quite a few methods are different from the usual ideas discussed.

"When it rains, and I have to batten down the hatches, I figure the Xanadu won't be any warmer than a double-wall with the fly pitched tightly around it. Is there something I'm missing?"

Yes. The fly for the lightning comes down to about 6" off the ground, but is seperated from the inner by about 10-12" on the narrow ends, and about 20-24" on the wide end (assuming you guy out the sides – which I consider MANDATORY in the hot / humid summers here) – so it gets good ventilation even in "thunderstorm" mode (I had NO water ingress with a fully guyed out pitch during a thunderstorm with 50 mph winds (according to the storm watch data aftewards) in a big mowed field on a Scout trip). Also, the door can be tied back when the zipper is half way down, but the vestibule space creates a big enough overhang that no rain enters the tent until it's blowing almost horizontally. When it IS blowing horizontally, (or bouncing off rocks) then the 12" high nylon sidewalls are great – they stop all the splash, dessert dust, etc. If it's hot and just normal "pleasant breeze"-to-"slightly windy" then I wish they were only 3" high like the Hubba Hubba. However, in the spring/fall/winter the higher nylon walls make it tolerably warm.

Maybe what you need is a summer tent, and a winter tent that you can arrange to have shipped to you somewhere along your route.

I love my TorsoLite, but I've never had occasion to use it for more than a week at a time, and on the World Race I may be camping for weeks and weeks on end. I suspect I'll soon want something a little thicker and a little longer for sustained usage. So . . .

I'm looking now at the BA Air Core Mummy and the POE Ether Compact 6. I realize these are both basically 1-season pads, but this is fine in my eyes because most of the time I'll be in very warm climates, and the lack of insulation in these pads will probably help, rather than hurt. Right?

So, I've read through some feedback for these pads, including the stuff here, but just wanted to solicit some more. Right now I'm heavily leaning toward the POE Ether Compact because
1) It doesn't have any reviews indicating leaks, unlike the BA Air Core,
2) It's a good deal lighter than the other, and
3) It's POE, which (I think) has been around much longer than BA, is the brand that was contracted for the TorsoLite.

In fact, doesn't it use the same 50D diamond ripstop fabric used in the TorsoLite? I'm making all these comparisons only because the TorsoLite has legendary durability, right? (I mean, I've used mine for like 40 nights and it seems to be doing great)

So, any thoughts? I'd love to have a pad I can count on once I'm out in the 3rd world. Thanks.

For your trip I would get a tent that has a frame structure with a full bug netting inner and a fly that can be battened down when it needs to or aired out for more ventilation. Just because the weather is supposed to be in a certain range doesn't mean it is going to.

As for a pad, the Big Agnes Insulated Aircore works really well and from what I have heard if they do fail they fail pretty quickly.