Tent
REI Quarter Dome T2+ and Sierra Designs Flashlight 1
I used two tents on the trail because I was with Jeff in the beginning and solo'd the final leg of the trip. I bought the REI Quarter Dome T2+ on clearance and I don't think they make it anymore, so keep that in mind. I bought the tent primarily because it was pretty light for a big two person tent - about 5 pounds. That sounds like a lot but because Jeff and I split the shared gear, it really didn't weigh that much. Jeff carried the tent, which was probably about 3 pounds and I carried the poles and stakes. We loved our two man tent. The T2+ is wider and longer than the regular T2, so it was plenty roomy inside. On rainy nights (of which we had several), it was easy to get all our stuff either under the two vestibules or inside with us. The tent has two doors, which is awesome since I tend to get up in the night to pee. It also has pockets on the interior for stashing little things like eyeglasses and headlamps. I can't really review how it does in bad weather because aside from a few minor rain showers, we didn't experience any bad weather. I did use it on an over night hike at Lake Tahoe and can vouch for the fact that it does fine in the wind - you just have to make sure you set it up with one of the ends facing into the wind. At one point, a big gust hit the tent and it buckled slightly but then it bounced right back up. I have zero complaints about this tent and would recommend it highly except for the fact that they don't make it anymore.
Update - As of September 2014, REI is still selling the Quarter Dome T2+. I think they're only selling them through their outlet though.
On the other hand, I have mixed feelings about the Sierra Designs Flashlight 1. It's a non-freestanding, single wall tent and it definitely has all the issues that come along with that kind of tent. I bought it primarily for the weight. I can use my trekking poles to set it up, which reduces the carried weight considerably. I think it was just over 2 pounds. Nice. The lightness and the fact that it could squash up into a 6 x 8" ball were wonderful. It was also very easy to set up, although the toggles for the foot poles were a little tricky at times. When the conditions are ideal, this is a great tent. Soft ground, away from water, I loved it. The biggest issue with single walled tents is that they condense badly inside and it's no fun dealing with a wet tent. I found that this was only a problem when I camped near a body of water. The humidity would cause really bad condensation on the inside walls. But if I camped in a dry spot, I never had condensation problems - even when I had the tent completely zipped up during a rain storm. When the conditions were less than ideal, I was less than enthused by it. The biggest problem I ran into was setting it up on hard or rocky ground. Because it's not freestanding, you have to use the tent stakes on all points or it won't stand up. There are 7 anchor points and I had two nights where I couldn't get any of the stakes to go into the ground more than an inch. It made for a droopy tent. I have to admit though that on one of those nights, I got hit by a pretty fierce thunderstorm and the tent withstood it even though it wasn't properly staked. Inside, the tent is plenty roomy and I could sit up without any issues. The vestibule is tiny though and probably only good for shoes. But I could bring my backpack inside no problem. The tent has lots of features that were designed to cut weight yet still offer a nice shelter. For example, the side walls are mesh and you can only zip up the walls 3/4 of the way. I think they did this to deal with condensation issues and to make the tent lighter. But the roofline of the tent juts out far enough to keep rain from getting inside. I experienced one bad rainstorm in this tent and I didn't get wet. As with the REI tent, it's important to set it up with the "head" side into the wind. I had ZERO problems with the weather in this tent. I would recommend the tent for people looking for a light one person tent but with disclaimers about the non-freestanding and single wall issues. Overall, not half bad for the price.
Backpack
North Face Stamina 65
I'm a little hesitant to review my backpack because North Face discontinued this pack years and years ago. I bought it in 2000 at the North Face outlet in Berkeley. I've been waiting a long time to use it and didn't want to drop a bunch of money on a new backpack and, in the end, I'm so glad I kept the pack all these years because I ADORE it. For its time, the North Face Stamina was probably top of the line. I think it retailed for $280, which was a lot in 2000. I got mine for about $180 and, at the time, I felt like that was a lot of money. Despite its age, the pack only weighs about 1 oz. more than a comparable Osprey pack of today. Not bad for a nearly 15 year old bag. There are so many things I love about this pack, I'm not sure where to begin. First of all, its rugged. The materials used to make it are TOUGH. I scraped it against trees and rocks and it never showed any wear at all. The frame is also super strong. I would think this pack could handle loads up to 65 pounds easily. It's BIG. What I love the most about it is that it's a big, simple pack. It doesn't have very many pockets and doesn't have gizmos for hanging things off the pack (like trekking poles, water bottles, etc.) but it makes up for that by being voluminous inside. I don't like things hanging off my pack and the big size of the pack meant that I could put everything inside, no problem. The top lid is similarly big. I could put tons of little things in it. The lid also has two mesh pockets that were great for organizing small things. Everyone who sees my pack comments that they wish they had those little interior pockets. The lid also has a "secret" pocket for storing stuff like wallets and cell phones. It has a HUGE sleeping bag compartment that is reinforced with extra water proofing. And it's a true extra compartment in that it's completely sealed from the rest of the bag. The back pad and hip belt get huge props for making this an incredibly comfortable backpack. The back pad isn't fancy like today's bags. It doesn't have vents or air channels. It's just a thick sheet of super comfortable foam and I love it. It molds perfectly to my back. The hip belt is hefty and padded with nearly 2 inches of foam. I never got sore spots on my hips, which a lot of backpackers complain about. The only issue with the hip belt is that it's the old school side pull type, so getting it adjusted was kind of an ordeal. The shoulder straps are a bit spartan though and I did get sore spots on my arms where they rubbed. Inside, it has a big hydration sleeve that easily accommodates a 3 L Platypus. I only have two complaints about the pack. First, it has two side pockets that are nearly useless. They're long and skinny and when the pack is full, it's really hard to get anything into them. I used them to store my rain gear and my toiletries and they did OK. The pack also has an odd feature in that it has one water bottle holder on the right side. It really needs one on each side to keep your load balanced. It's a complete mystery to me why North Face did this. Also, when the side pocket on the right side is full, you can't use the water bottle holder very easily because there's not enough room for a tall water bottle. If this bag was still available I would recommend it highly. I love, love, love my backpack.
For scale, I'm 5'3".
Sleeping Bag
Big Agnes Fria 15
This is my first ever down sleeping bag. I got a 15 degree bag because I tend to be a cold sleeper. The bag has tons of nice features, the best one being a built in pillow compartment. I stuffed my extra clothes in there at night to make a pretty decent pillow. The weather in Oregon was generally pretty warm, so I mostly just opened up the bag and used it as a blanket. The bag was far too warm on most nights. But I did have two nights that got really chilly - one night I actually zipped the bag all the way up including the hood. I never got cold.
To cut down on weight and bulk, Big Agnes doesn't put insulation on the bottom of their bags. I have mixed feelings about this. The idea is that your sleeping pad should provide insulation on the bottom, thus you don't need down on that side. The bag has a sleeve for inserting your sleeping pad to keep it in place. But at the end of a long day, I generally didn't want to wrestle with this feature and when I did, I found it difficult to roll around at night. Having your sleeping pad attached to your bag makes it almost impossible to lay on your side because the bag and hood don't move and you end up suffocating or getting weirdly half twisted in the bag. In addition, when I didn't use the sleeping pad sleeve, I could easily roll over and have the non-insulated side exposed. Brrr. I also found that the Z Lite sleeping pad and the Big Agnes bag were not a good match because the lack of insulation on the bottom of the bag meant that I was sleeping directly on the not-so-soft bumps of the Z Lite. Plus the Z Lite is only so-so insulation wise. This sleeping bag is best used with an air pad, in my opinion. In a way, my sleeping bag is a bit like my Flashlight 1 tent. When used in exactly the way the manufacturer intends you to, it's great. But deviate from that and it only works so-so. I also wished the bag would compress down a bit more than it did. But it's a 15 degree bag, so it's only going to get so small I guess. I will be trying a 25 degree bag next time and save the Big Agnes bag for cooler temperatures.
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