Small/Light Camping gear

roundthebend

Hi
I've got an interest in some cycle touring with a tent rather than B&B. Probably only 2 or 3 days. I don't want a trailer. I'm also looking at kit which can work on my motorbike for weekend trips.

I'm after some advice for tents, sleeping bags and camping mattresses.

I'm thinking of a Vango Omega 350 tent.
Sleeping bag I'd look at the Alpkit SkyeHigh range, maybe the Pipedream.
For camping mat's, I'm not sure. I think the Thermarest mat's are nice and light, and compact as well as being comfy. But They're pricey.

Looking for tips on all 3 items.

mercia_man

That Vango three-person tent at 5.15 kg is much too heavy to lug around for cycle touring. I would suggest 2-2.5kg for a two-person tent and sub 2kg for a solo tent. I have a brilliant Terra Nova Solar 2 for solo camping at not much over 1kg - you can just squeeze in two people - but it is very expensive. Wild Country are the budget arm of Terra Nova and do a solo tent called the Zephyros which is highly rated. Alpkit now do a nice line in cheap and light tents although the inner tents have a lot of mesh - good for light weight and ventilation, not so good at keeping out cold wind and rain. I think they are well worth considering. For cycle touring you need a good sized porch or bell end to store wet panniers and kit, and also for cooking.

Alpkit down sleeping bags are a good option. I have a Pipedream. It's excellent. Much cheaper than the equivalent RAB, Mountain Equipment etc.

I used Thermarest self-inflating mattresses for years combined with a Thermarest chair kit which converts your mattress into a really comfortable chair for evening use. Highly recommended. I later got an Exped Synmat Ultralight combined with an Exped pillow pump for inflating. More comfortable than a Thermarest and you can use it with the chair kit with a bit of fiddling. But is is expensive and a bit fragile.

roundthebend

Thanks @Mercia Man

Rapid_Rob

I have the Wild Country Zephyros 2, toured with it a few times, with no problems. Only downside is it isn't self-supporting so you need to use your guylines, but I haven't had an issue with that yet. Weighs 1.8kg, and easily fits me and all my gear. Panniers/bags can be stored between the inner and outer at the ends if needed.

Pipedream bag looks good, I have found that the Robens Caucasus bags are good value for money, but this depends on what temperatures you will be going down to. Pipedream does look better all round, just depends what your budget is!

Mats- Again, as above thermarests are very good, and sort of the default answer! I have a Nemo Tensor 20R, which is very comfy, packs up small and is light. Compared to my previous self-inflating mats it's like a proper mattress!

Anyway, seems like I've just recommended what I've got, but there's plenty of choice out there. Its just finding the balance between cost/weight/space/warmth!

roundthebend

Rapid_Rob wrote:

.....

Great info, thanks.

roundthebend

Vango Banshee 300 looks like another good option. I already have an older version of the 200 and I think it's a bit smaller than I'd like, so I'd tolerate the extra size and weight.

Thoughts?

mercia_man

Here's a review and pix of the Banshee 300. Looks a decent budget tent for motorcycle camping and for two-person cycle camping. It's got a good porch area for kit storage and cooking. But at 2.88 kg it's too big and heavy, in my view, for solo cycle camping.

http://beardedgit.com/?p=8054

vwillrocku

I bought a Big Agnes Copper Spur UL 1 tent this year for Alps cycling tour at around US$300 and it weights around 1.2kg or something. Really strong and it survived under heavy rain and wind. If you want the one with a little more space, there is a UL2 2 person version and just weights a little bit more. This brand is not as common as MSR but it is cheaper and it is a real free standing tent and don't need hiking poles to stand.
For the sleeping pad, I don't recommend self inflation one as it is heavier. I bought a Klymit Insulated Static V Lite which is 556g and can be blew to full for 3 mins. It was very well insulated against cold as the air chambers are really thick. It was around US$100.

brain52

This article might be helpful to you regarding choosing a camping tent. I did suggest you go rather go for a pop-up canopy. They are usually very easy to set up and fold. However, they are not as durable as most other camping tent.