Camping, backpacking, hiking, et al

[Hungary Jack]

I just bought my fifth tent--an REI Quarterdome T3. It's a 3-man, 3-season deal that weighs about 5 pounds. Two doors+vestibules, mesh canopy with a beefy fly. I'll use it on my cooler trips with Smokey. I think we'll both appreciate the extra room.

How are you liking this tent? Im gona make a purchase pretty soon. Looking for a 3 man 3 season. Probably most of my camping will be done at the lake but im also planning a rafting, hiking, camping trip to colorado this summer.

Looking at:

North Face

Bug Town

Seedhouse

I haven't used it yet, unfortunately. During my recent car camping trip to the Shawnee we used a humongous Coleman tent that Smokey had earned for fundraising. It rained incessantly after midnight on Saturday and Smokey hadn't seam-sealed his Coleman tent, so the thing leaked like sieve. I would have been better off in the T3.

I chose the T3 to replace a TNF Roadrunner 2 that had 10 years on it. I examined lots of 2-man tents, but I found them all too small or too heavy. The T3 gives 2 people tons of room but offers the weight of 2-person tent.

The new TNF Roadrunner 2 is smaller and heavier than my version. They went all mesh with the canopy while adding 2 brow poles, which gives much more headroom. The fly is bigger and heavier, which probably accounts for the additional weight. Still a nice tent, but too heavy IMO.

The TNF Rock looks like a decent option. The weight is reasonable for a 3-man tent. The double doors are a must, IMO.

BA was a close second. They make great gear. Period.

You might want to check Sunnysports.com and Hermithut for bargains on these tents. Overstock.com is another.

[Diddy]

I ended up buying the Bug Town, got it for $167 on Steep and Cheep. Pretty sweet, i was literly a mouse click away from paying $252 for it at backcountry.com when it poped up on SAC how sweet is that!

[Popeye_Card]

I am considering 3 main places for my summer trip, which would be a week-long (9 days, with the two weekends) backpacking/hiking trip. Probably the longest single trip I'd want to do is 3 days, with other assorted day hikes mixed in.

Beartooth Wilderness (Wyoming/Montana)
Mt. Cloud Wilderness (Bighorn Mountains, Wyoming)
Grand Tetons (to do the Grand Teton Crest trail)

Anyone with much experience with these places? (I'm looking at you, HJ) I'd be looking to go over July 4th week to save a vacation day, so I'm fearful that the Tetons might be a bit crowded. I like National Forrests because the rules are much more relaxed, and they're not nearly as crowded.

I've done some hiking in the Tetons in the past, and would like to do more. I've only driven through the Beartooths and Bighorns, but I'd like to do some hikes there.

Ack. I really haven't backpacked much at all in the Rockies, regretfully. Some time in the Southwest, but mostly day hiking in Colorado Front Range, Gore, and Sawatch. All of those trips sound great, especially the Teton Crest. The Bighorns strike me as a very out-of-the-way place.

Another place to consider might be Great Basin NP in Nevada. Near there is the Ruby Mountain Range, which supposedly is very pristine.

The Bighorns are one of my options since I've got a buddy who will be staying in Sheridan, WY this summer. I've also talked with a guy from Wyoming in the past who said the Bighorns have always been his favorite to spend time in (he was a big horseback rider).

I decided to go with the Cloud Peak wilderness and Beartooth wilderness, doing a 2 day backpack at the former, and a 3 day at the latter. I'm so psyched up for this trip.

Cloud Peak:

[SHOW]

Beartooths:

[SHOW]

Maybe when I get back, I'll do a photo essay. There will be some brewpub stops as well, of course.

[Radbird]

Maybe when I get back, I'll do a photo essay. There will be some brewpub stops as well, of course.

Swing through Boulder while you're out this way and we'll go try a few of these.

http://www.mountainsunpub.com/beer.htm

[Hungary Jack]

Man, Popeye, those places look great. I hope you have good weather. The nice thing about the Montana peaks is that you get high altitude scenery without the lung-crushing altitudes (>10k ft) you find in the CO Rockies and the high Sierra. I'd love to do the Four Pass Loop outside Aspen this summer, and someday hit the John Muir Trail, but both of those trails rarely drop you below 10k. Those climbs are a [expletive] with a pack on.

[Popeye_Card]

Maybe when I get back, I'll do a photo essay. There will be some brewpub stops as well, of course.

Swing through Boulder while you're out this way and we'll go try a few of these.

http://www.mountainsunpub.com/beer.htm

I don't think we'll be passing through Boulder this time. Going out through South Dakota, back through Nebraska. Never coming as far south as Colorado.

Man, Popeye, those places look great. I hope you have good weather. The nice thing about the Montana peaks is that you get high altitude scenery without the lung-crushing altitudes (>10k ft) you find in the CO Rockies and the high Sierra. I'd love to do the Four Pass Loop outside Aspen this summer, and someday hit the John Muir Trail, but both of those trails rarely drop you below 10k. Those climbs are a [expletive] with a pack on.

Yeah, I'm a bit nervous about the first backpack at Cloud Peak, which puts us at a 9k altitude for sleeping without getting acclimated (sp?) first. But hopefully we'll be alright. I think the highest we'll get in the Beartooths is 11.5k, and ~10k for sleeping, so hopefully we'll be alright there after being in the mountains a few days.

The issue with Montana and Wyoming weather is that there's a thunderstorm in the mountains almost every afternoon. I've been lucky in the past out there during day hikes, but I don't think I can get by with 5 full days of hiking without running into at least a couple heavy showers.

[Radbird]

Maybe when I get back, I'll do a photo essay. There will be some brewpub stops as well, of course.

Swing through Boulder while you're out this way and we'll go try a few of these.

http://www.mountainsunpub.com/beer.htm

I don't think we'll be passing through Boulder this time. Going out through South Dakota, back through Nebraska. Never coming as far south as Colorado.

Sounds like poor planning to me. I mean, how many brewpubs do SD and Neb have???

[Leroy]

Um, Sioux Falls has one.

[Popeye_Card]

Maybe when I get back, I'll do a photo essay. There will be some brewpub stops as well, of course.

Swing through Boulder while you're out this way and we'll go try a few of these.

http://www.mountainsunpub.com/beer.htm

I don't think we'll be passing through Boulder this time. Going out through South Dakota, back through Nebraska. Never coming as far south as Colorado.

Sounds like poor planning to me. I mean, how many brewpubs do SD and Neb have???

Wyoming has a few, and there's one in Red Lodge, MT that's pretty good. The trips through SD and NE will hopefully be quick and painless with as few stops as possible.

[lukethedrifter]

Can I come along?