sleeping bag ?? and tent

[RUGER]

my parents are looking for christmas ideas for me.

i'm thinking of a sleeping bag. this bag will be for cold weather mostly truck camping and i'll keep my old +30 for the summer.

i was wondering if anybody knows anything about 'trekker'. the only place i can find any info on it is from cabelas. cabelas is the only place i could find that sales them too. i was thinking of the the large -20 rectangular. it seems to be a great deal for 90 bucks.

for a tent i'm looking at the eureka apex 3-xta from 'thetentstore' online. i know it only has 2 poles and more would be stronger in the wind but this seems to be a descent tent. eureka is offering a $30 rebate so it would be like a $120 tent.

in my area(san luis obispo county, ca) i ranges from 100+ in the summer to below freezing in the winter for local trips. i do alot of runs in the sierras too.

what would you recomend instead for around the same price range.

thanks in advance.

happy trails
rich *ruger*

[DaGimp]

I have two dents ....both dome...one is a 10X17 for when I camp with woman and child...

My preffered camping is me sleeping in my shell....no tent to worry about pitching in mud/dark/wind...

[Suprsizit]

The Military "Mummy Bags " are hard to beat. They have two differant bags, a cold weather and a lighter bag. The cold weather bag with a light wool or fannel blanket inside is all you need for the really cold weather. The lighter one for summer use.
Should be able to get them both for around $100..

Be sure to get the outter cover shell also, sure helps to keep them clean and dry from dampnest, not water proof though..

[Malltero]

I dont buy "real" camping shit from cabellas. If you looking for a nice tent that isnt a oversized leaky hotel, check out the tents back packers use.

For sleeping bags northface is IMHO the best. I have the cats meow.... total kick ass sleeping bag.

EDIT: I see your looking at a real tent. Doh

[RUGER]

thank you for your replys.

i'm still curious(sp) about the 'trekker' sleeping bag. i agree north face is badass.

happy trails
rich *ruger*

[ironpig70]

to make your bag perform at it's prime also buy a sleeping pad it keeps the cold air from coming thur the floor of your tent and into your bag.

[Lap Kitty :)]

What do you mean by really cold weather? I have a Sierra Designs zero degree bag that I use along with a fleece liner for winter camping. I've used it up to -20 below zero on a few occasions. Kept me pretty warm, my feet got a bit cold, but they wern't too bad, just uncomfortable.

As for a tent, I use a 3 season Marmot Zeinth. I've used it in the winter with snow and it works fine. When there's more than a foot of snow on the ground, I just make an igloo.

I've done some camping since I move here from Minnesota, but it was in Georiga, and it was in the 30's at night. I'm going to go coastal camping in the beach soon. That otta be fun.

[Tall Grille]

My opinion,

North Face: You are paying for a name, OK Quality, I have their Mt. Light Jacket, I bought it 7 years ago before they started selling to all the wannabee's, now I have a $400 jacket that I won't wear anywhere but the woods cause I don't want to be thought of as one of the loosers that wears North Face Products.

for a tenet I have the Sierra Desighns Meteore Light CD, has done me very well in 3+ season camping here in New England (easily -20deg at night and very windy)

My bag is a Sierra Desighns zero degree rating. has done me well, Definitely get the Mummy Sack not the rect. be sure it is large enough for you. My old bag was too small and everytime I moved the top zipper would unzip about 12 inches.

[Priest]

The Trekker bags are made by Slumberjack. This past winter I bought two 0 degree Slumberjack bags for the lady and I and we couldn't be more happy with them (used them 6 or so times in temps down to the mid 20's). The ones I have are the heavy duck canvas and the quality is really good. They are plenty warm for us (and she is almost always cold). My only observation about them is that they are quite big when rolled up but we always camp out of the truck so it isn't a big deal. I think I gave about $75 a pop for them.


If you want a good quality tent but don't want to spend a lot of money check out Coleman. I have two Coleman tents (1 small, 1 large) that have been through some pretty sever weather (hails storms, intense rain, and minor snow) and I have 0 complaints. Make sure that what ever tent you get has the tarp material floor.... this will ensure that you are kept warm. A nylon floor is going to mean you are getting wet.


Good luck!

[TexasBlake]

I really like Slumberjack bags.

For tents I pretty much go with what is the lightest. I used to do lots of backpacking, so I got the lighest two person tent I could find.

ALso with tents, look for the kind that the poles snap in, not the kind where you run the poles through the fabric. See if you can set up the tent while in the store. Go to a high quality camping store like REI or somthing. My tent I could set up by myself, in teh rain and wind, in like 4 minutes. It fawking rules.

[Serious One]

Definitely out of your price range, but you should at least look at Mountain Hardware.

I run a guide service and only run their stuff. Have been doing so for years and have been very satisfied.

Buy it once and buy it good.

You ain't gonna skimp on tires are you, so you'd better keep yourself warm and dry when you're camping. If you don't, you won't go out as much as you would like.

[Todd W]

Saw this and am considering getting it for the GF for xmas..

Thought you may be interested too.

Slumberjack Blue Thunder Series 0 Degree Regular Mummy Sleeping Bag


Anyone have any expierence with this bag?

[Gen. Nonsense]

Also check out Black Diamond for your shelter needs. Far better than NF tents IMO.

[mobil1syn]

ok people, what does the temp rating mean on the sleeping bag? the lower the better i would imagine, but do you really need a -20 if your never going to see it?

[Lap Kitty :)]

Originally posted by mobil1syn
ok people, what does the temp rating mean on the sleeping bag? the lower the better i would imagine, but do you really need a -20 if your never going to see it?

No. If you're only going to be camping in warm temps were you never see temps cooler than 40 at night, then get a 30 degree bag. It'll be cheaper and lighter.

[Priest]

Originally posted by mobil1syn
ok people, what does the temp rating mean on the sleeping bag? the lower the better i would imagine, but do you really need a -20 if your never going to see it?

When I bought the 0 degree bags this past year I told the woman that if these bags weren't warm enough then we didn't need to be out there....