Gear test

[bakerjw]

This last week I received my new Eureka Midori Solo tent, a Klymit Static V2 pad and an Outdoor Vitals Summit 20 degree sleeping bag. Not all the lightest available, but saving a few hundred dollars at the expense of perhaps a pound was worth it.

So I naturally had to give it a trial run to see how well the gear would work. The overnight lows this weekend were in the mid 20's so I did a backyard trial. There is no sense hauling a bunch of gear out into the middle of nowhere only to find out that the 20 degree bag was really a 30 degree one.

Friday night. About 2:00 AM I found out that we have an owl in the area. Not a screech owl, but just a regular hooting owl. Quite annoying. I was quite warm in the bag wearing an exercise warm up suit and some thermal cycling socks. The tent had ice crystals on the fly from the moisture in my breath. I was warm so the bag worked and ended up bailing into the house where it was quiet.

Saturday night, the lows dipped into the 20's again. Ear plugs inserted (owl be damned), I was out at it again. Even though the bag is a mummy style, I was able to sleep on my side. The Klymit pad wasn't as slippery as many people have stated. A bathroom break in the middle of the night to break things up a bit went well too. Got back in the bag and was warm quickly. With the bag cinched up tight with nose and mouth exposed, it was another comfortable night outside. I awoke to daylight and ice on my mustache. That was a surprise, here I was warm as could be with ice on my face... The tent fly was once again covered in frost on the inside.

I now have no reservations of going off into the mountains in 20 degree weather and having a comfortable night. The only thing that might present an issue is if I have to assemble the tent in the rain. I am toying with the idea of taking a 10'x10' fly along which would help in that case but haven't made a firm decision on it yet.

[Racingguy04]

nice! sounds like a good test! You might try and vent your fly some, some condensation is inevitable, especially in winter, but if you can increase air circulation a bit, you should decrease ice build up and stay warmer too.

As far as setting up in the rain, taking a tarp to set your tent up under is definitely an option, other options are to lay the fly over the tent and pole while you set it up. Or my prefered method is to find a sheltered spot, under a tree or rock, and set the tent up with the fly in the sheltered area, and then put it where I want it to be. Obviously, you need to be careful if there's lightning around. The other option is to keep moving hoping that the rain stops before you absolutely have to stop and set up camp.