Replacing my gears

"1- since these type of shelters are floorless, how can I prevent, in case of rain or snow, my sleeping gears from getting wet?. I saw people mention bivy bags, and stuff like that. Are these designed to prevent your quilt and sleeping pad from getting wet?"

If you pitch on flat ground in a well drained area, you usually don't have an issue with water running under your floorless tent.
If you live in a very high rainfall area and you think this might be an issue, you can get what's called a bathtub floor groundsheet with raised edges which will protect you from running water.

1 – I use bivy. Sleeping pad and quilt go inside, which keeps them dry from any dampness on ground.

If it's not going to rain, I don't bother with tent. Much prefer just sleeping out. You can see stars, experience nature,… In the winter it's raining about half the time so I have to use floorless pyramid then.

I think MLD solomid would be good, but I make my own.

3 – Thermarest Prolite – 1 pound – maybe not the lightest weight or warmest or most comfortable, but that's what I use.

4 – yes, that's all you need. Maybe try things out in more moderate weather to see what works for you. Or take a couple extra warm things and after a while if they're not necesary then you can quit bringing them. Obviously, you want to be prepared for worse than expected weather.

With quilt, you need good hat.

how tall are you?

MLD Solomid is a great choice — unless you're tall and need one of the larger options.

are you a side, back, or stomach sleeper?

if you are a back sleeper a standard NeoAir Xlite is a good choice, albeit pricey. (I'm a side sleeper and need something wider)

Enlightened Equipment is the go-to quilt maker.

Bivies – I like them, not everyone does. Worth trying, but if they don't, ground sheets and net tents are the alternatives.

Keep an eye on the Gear Swap sub forum here to save money.

Thanks a lot Justin. I am a little confused now,
I thought the point of Bivy is to protect from water, but you mentioned bathtub floor groundsheet. Whats the difference between them?.

Thanks a lot Jerry. Very Helpful.

Thanks a lot Katherine.
I am 5.8 tall.
Is the net tent something similar to this?:

http://www.mountainlaureldesigns.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=47&products_id=127

and where to find those ground sheets?

Also, is any net tent supposed to work with, lets say for example, with any pyramid tent like MLD solomid?.

Mazen, a Bivy is a waterproof or water resistant bag that goes over your sleeping bag, kind of like a sleeping bag cover.
http://www.integraldesigns.com/product_detail.cfm?id=821
A bathtub groundsheet is a regular waterproof groundsheet that has raised edges to prevent running water from getting on top of the sheet.
http://www.bearpawwd.com/shelters_floors/bathtub_floor.html

Usually the rain just soaks right into the ground unless it rains so hard that the ground gets completely saturated, then it starts pudding and you can get running water flowing over the ground and possibly over a flat groundsheet and towards your bag.
Or if the ground is very hard packed (not soft like a forest floor) you can get water pooling and running off.

yes, that link is the MLD net tent that matches the MLD Solomid.

Other net tents may also work with it, but not all. So, if you, say, could pick up a cheap used bear paw wilderness net tent, you'd want to double-check the specs and compatibility. (personally, I'd only bother with a net tent if I were expecting a lot of bugs).

ground sheets — others can chime in on this…polcryo window stuff at the hardware store, right?

re bivies:
* yes they do give a bit of water resistance/protection, how much depends on the top fabric– probably more of an issue with a tarp than a pyramid.
* I like mine because it gives me a nice tucked-in feeling with a quilt.
* On clear nights makes the option of not pitching the tarp (or pyramid) easy.

Good video for setting up your tarp, worth watching if you haven't used a tarp for awhile.

Thanks to all of you.
Great instructions and suggestions.

"1- since these type of shelters are floorless, how can I prevent, in case of rain or snow, my sleeping gears from getting wet?. I saw people mention bivy bags, and stuff like that. Are these designed to prevent your quilt and sleeping pad from getting wet?"
Well, yes and no. Bivys were first designed as specialist/minimalists gear for climbing around a waxed/oiled blanket. They do pretty well for one night but can build up a bit of condensation. Rain does not usually penetrate these, but you will usually get the feeling that they leak. They work well with wool blankets or synthetics but tend to wet down. You end up paying in the weight of the quilt/bag what you would have saved with the bivy vs a larger tarp. In very cold weather, they are warmer when coupled with a VBL. Some of the Bug-Bivies do fairly well and come in at around 6oz or so. I think they also have a bathtub floor and can be usefull under a tarp.

As a shelter, I can recommend Zpacks.com. He makes some fair all-around shelters with additional floors and screening, if needed. I usually use a DIY shaped tarp at about 16oz. I use a simple painters drop cloth (~2.5oz) for when the ground is wet. Small and compact (about half the size as the Hexamid) but not the lightest thing out there. I also have the Hexamid Solo tent for when I expect a lot of rain (4 out of 5 days), though. Joe at Zpacks makes some nice UL packs lately and some quilts and bags, too.

"2- Any recommendation for a quilt."
EE Enigma. Best bang for the buck.

"3- Any recommendation for a sleeping pad."
NeoAir for three seasons. I don't get out in winter much, but use a NightLight/Luna pad over this to prevent edge bleeding of heat at below 10F-20F. My quilt/bag goes between the two layers…more'r'less. I have been known to put the XFrame in my 0F bag, also.

Whatever you do, you need to balance your system to the worst case you can expect to encounter when you are out.

Even at 0F, I expect some water. Sun, body heat, cooking, etc will all melt the top layer of snow. Fabrics will stick to snow overnight. Ice may form inside your bag. In rain with a tarp, choose higher ground, preferably on a slight mound, though any slope will work OK. Avoid low spots, dips and water funnels. Check the ground for any signs of old water flows, mud spots, or moisture loving plants and avoid them. Choose sheltered areas as much as possible, remembering to watch out for water. BTW, I use a tarp even in winter, usually.

Mike Clelland(NOLs instructor and author),he has some great free videos on lightening up be sure to watch(his clothing system,the entire contents of his pack,water treatment and part 1 and 2 on the dinky stuff for ideas),this is an article he wrote The fastest way to backpack weight loss ,this is pmags Lightweight Backpacking 101 and The Frugal Backpacker – The $300 Gear Challenge .These are some other articles and videos for you to check out

Backpacking for Cheap: Gear for the Gearless

Backpacking Checklist (Gear List): 3-Season, 3-Day

Lightweight Backpacking 101: An Introductory Manual for Lightening Your Load Today (1st Edition – August 2001)

Cheap Ultralight Gear List

Ultimate Hiking Gear & Skills Clinic

Oregon Field Guide: Ultralight Hiking

Lightweight Testimony: Lighter, Farther, Faster
Jamie Shortt talks about his progression and shows his gear list for each stage, Lightweight Testimony: My Journey into Lightweight Backpacking
CleverHiker Light weight Basics
CleverHiker Trail Skills

Anna, still wonderful. Glad to see you here.

Thanks Ken, very kind of you to say :)

I'm with you, Ken–you can replace your gear, but there's no replacing the Linkster. I've missed your presence, Anna Marie.

Thanks Gary, I hope you have been well and had some great hikes this summer ;)

I found so many designs for Enlightened Enigma quilts.
I want something for 3-4 seasons, Would quilt rated 30 F do the job?

Also they have so many models, Any recommendation?

The variables depend on you, your plans and your budget:

What the lowest temp you're likely to encounter backpacking?

Do you sleep warm or cold?

Do you want the option to unzip the foot box?

Height/Weight: Reg is probably fine for your height. I forget if you mentioned weight. I'm a tossing and turning side sleeper at 135# and the Reg width is fine for me.

Do you want treated down? (I'd go for it. Wish I had, but it was still so new to the market when I ordered mine)

How much fill power can you afford?

What colors do you like! Get at least one black side for speedy drying in the sun. (i got both sides black)

What's available in the size/temp rating you need on Gear Swap?

Talk to Tim and/or Peter. Tim gave me good guidance on the temp rating for *me* (I sleep cold — I got 20 degree for approx 3 season)

Oh, and for your pad, let me amend my comment above. If you're going on winter trips you might want the NeoAir Xtherm instead of the NeoAir Xlight.

Alternatively you could supplement the R value of the Xlight with closed-cell foam. Compare the price/weight.

Do we add the R value?
i,e if I have two pads, and each has R=1, does this mean when I put the two on top of each other I will have a pad with R value =2?

Based on a quick look, I think the Xtherm is better in terms of Value/price.

Anyway, I would like to thank you, I would make so many stupid mistakes if I did not seek help here. Your assistance and information are invaluable.

+5 Nice to see you back Anna-Link!

It's my understanding that R values are stackable. So R1+R1=R2.

X therm looks like a nice option and I may exchange all of my sleeping pads for it one of these days. In the meantime, I use the Prolite 3/4 lenght pad. It's a nice compromise of weight, simplicity, and durability; it's advertised at 11oz but mine is closer to 12. I bag up my hiking clothes at night and put them under my feet.

Hi Mazen. For temp rating you'll have to base that on what the lowest temperature you're likely to encounter is, and then whether you tend to sleep cold, normal, or warm.

The different models of Enigma just indicate the down fill power, so the standard is most affordable, the Pro is less weight but costs more, and Elite is the lightest but most expensive.

If you want to be able to open up the footbox, which can make it easier to control your temperature when it's warmer out, consider the Revelation instead.

Each person is different so you can't select quilt based on the lowest temperature you'll encounter, but that should get you close.

You have to do several trips at fairly cold temperatures, determine if you were comfortable enough, maybe get a warmer quilt or more clothing to be comfortable at the coldest temperature you'll encounter.

You can get a quilt with a lower temperature rating, or you can use a quilt with a higher temperature rating and wear more clothes inside.

Thanks to all of you.