I have a 17 year old rei half dome tent and a cheapo amazon inflatable pad…and they are huge. Any suggestions on tents and pads that pack smaller? Thanks!
by whiskey_brick
I have a 17 year old rei half dome tent and a cheapo amazon inflatable pad…and they are huge. Any suggestions on tents and pads that pack smaller? Thanks!
by whiskey_brick
17 Comments
Klymit static V is a good cheap option for a much smaller pad. The uninsulated one isn’t very warm though and only for summer use. I’ve used their insulated one for about 6 seasons and I like it. There are much smaller and lighter pads out there, but they also tend to be more expensive and fragile.
Big Agnes copperspur bikepack is a killer tent for bikepacking. Quite a bit lighter than your tent and the shorter pole segments make it fit much better on handlebars. Really expensive, but well constructed. You get what you pay for.
Alpkit is my go to kit. Not the cheapest but good quality.
Hah…I do overnights with the same tent. Nice and roomy at least. Good news, it’s not just huge it’s also heavy! I did go with an on sale Nemo Quasar 3d pad. That helped weight and space some.
Dursten X-mid dome 1 is a great light tent..<2#.
Check out nemo tents and pads. Pricy but worth it.
If you want compact and light for a tent there is no getting around paying a premium for it. Big Agnes makes great, lightweight tents. I have their Tiger Wall UL3 Bikepack (shorter poles) tent and it’s fantastic
I use a Durston X-Dome 1+ and a Nemo Tensor MW. I’m pretty content with that combo.
Durston XDome or Big Agnes Copper Spur, both close to 2 lbs and pack pretty small. Lots of small pag options but I like a larger 25″ wide pad and zenBivy quilt, because I’m a side sleeper that rotates a lot at night.
Msr hubba 1 person and an inflatable klymit pad. Tiny volume for each.
Paria Bryce has a cheap and fairly lightweight 1 or 2 person tent, less than 200.
As another user said durston x mid is great option but a bit pricier.
Sleeping pads, Nemo tensor is popular but around 200 dollars. For very small pads they tend to be above 150 but rei is running a 20 percent sale at the moment and can get items down a bit cheaper.
Closed cell foam pads are cheap, durable, and lightweight. They are bulky but you can store them in more exposed positions than an air mattress.
Big Agnes Divide is 4×8″ / 2L and $100 on amazon. If you want a super-small trekking pole tent the Lanshan is well regarded, and is only 4.5L $120 on amazon, trekking pole sold separately ($50-60).
Thermarest Neoair Xlite Nxt weighs 13oz (370g) with a decent R-value of 4.5. Won’t be as durable as heavier options, however.
An Outdoor Research Helium Bivy (17oz, 480g) is less of a coffin than most bivvies due to the single pole it uses. You will have more condensation in some conditions, but it will be lighter than any tent.
Total volume of these two together will be <1/4 the volume of your current setup.
For solo? Assuming you don’t need a free standing tent, take a look at Mier Lanshan 1P on Amazon. It uses a trekking pole.
I have like a 16 year old NeoAir pad which rolls up slightly smaller than a Nalgene. It’s kinda pricey but they still make them.
I’ve used a Thermarest NeoAir XTherm sleeping pad, wide version, for a few years. No puncture issues, I think it had an R value of 5.7 at the time, now i see current models are 7.3. Weight is around 1 lb, and packs easily and compactly on the bike. The ground gets cold at high elevations, even down in the desert, don’t skimp with this layer.
I’m using an Enlightened Equipment 10 degree down quilt.
My main tent is the BA Copper Spur 2-person tent, around 2.5 lbs. I leave the stuff sack at home, just stuff the tent and fly at the bottom of a pannier. Poles get stashed on top of my rack or in my harness at the handlebars. These are the normal poles, not the bikepacking version. I also have a first gen. Durston Xmid 1-person, but have yet to try it. I also bought his carbon fiber tent pole because who takes trekking poles bikepacking? None of these were purchased at full-price, thankfully.
Any $200 tent in a compression sack.
I used a MSR freelite 2 on my last trip and no real complaints. It weighs about a kilo so I’m thinking of moving to either a zpacks Plex or a xmid pro because it seems like an easy place to save a ton of weight.
Tarptent has some good options