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Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: ozy clint on March 15, 2010, 03:58:00 AM
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gday guys, i'm planning a trip to NZ next year for a tahr hunt. (in north america it's pronounced- big horn, stone or dall sheep or mountain goat, :cool: ) they live in the same sort of 'up there' country. with that country comes the weather...you know the deal.
any way i need a 4 season tent to backpack with. any suggestions and features to look for?
also i need a sleeping bag for the same hunt. expected minimums may be down to -20C.
basically, what would you use if you were backpacking for big horns, stones, dall or goats?
for less confronting backpack hunts here in OZ i'm looking for a bivy fly. i've already got a bivy bag to go over my sleeping bag, so all i need is a fly to give some dry shelter, cooking area, etc.
i've been looking at the kifaru supertarp fly. something like that is what i need. i see they are a USA brand, so can you guys comment on their gear? any others to check out?
thanks for the help,
ozy.
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Yes, first off, you 99% do NOT want a 4-season tent. 4-Season tents are too big and heavy for realistic backpacking.
-20C, ummmm, dang whats the conversion?
Solo or a partner? Kifaru makes good stuff. Heleburg makes some of the finest tents.
Need more info!
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Clint, if mountain hunting when it is -20C, crampons, rope and 'biners should be on the list. When it is that cold here, that means a meter of snow is on the ground up high.
Most goat and sheep hunting is done prior to the big snows here, with Stones and Dalls starting usually in mid August.We don't have the option here in BC of having a helicopter to drop off/pick up, so timing and gear selection is a little different than what it may be in NZ.
Steve is right about a four season tent for packing, but if you are going to be out in the equivalent of a North American mountain January you'll want it.Be prepared for a tent weighing at least 4.5 kgs. If it is cold and dry, a down bag is the only way to go. I think both Vaude and Exped/Outdoor Research is available in Australia.
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For the sleeping bag look into "Wiggies". For the price it is one of the best bags on the market.
You can't go wrong with NorthFace for products such as tents. Perhaps a bit more than most in cost but they have a super awesome warranty and take really good care of their customers.
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Is it a solo hunt - that makes a big difference.
Like Daz said we usually start hunting here in the Yukon in aug NO SNOW TILL MID to END of SEPT.
so to give you help would be to know this:
solo hunt -
wood available for fire -
good bag (will keep you warm in a good tent).
a good three season tent with a tarp ove will work in a pinch and be lighter.
Jer
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We just got the REI Mountain 3 tent for AK. The salesman at the store was laying on it, shaking it like he was choking a snake and all, and it looked great.
It ain't light, but the construction seems bombproof.
If I were getting a bivy fly I would not go kifaru, a sil tarp is a sil tarp but kifaru charges a mint for their products. MSR and other companies make good tarps. I have a cheap one that I tied guy lines too for bivy hunting (what I do 99% of the time).
A hiking stick and a few rocks are all it takes to give you more room to stretch and such than you could ever use.
Good luck, and tell us what you choose.
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We hunt the high country in september and often get some snow, and it freezes at night, but it usualy gets up in the 60's (F) during the day.
I use a Black diamond Megalight with or without the floor for a tent. Its good for 2 guys and gear. There are alot of options for tents. Kiafaru, Titanium Goat, Black diamiond all make teepee types that I like, or you can go for a dome type for a little more weight. I have a silnylon tarp and bivey also for the daypack for spike camp adventures or unexpected delays. My hunting partner has the Sea to Summit Tarp poncho and likes it alot.
There are a ton of companies making Down bags. With a wide range of price. Feathered Friends and Western Mountaineering would likely be the top with everyone else below that. I use a Northface bag. The temp range of a bag is also very subjective. For me a 15-20°F bag is pretty warm for all my use. I wear Longjohns if it gets cold, and because I hate the clammy feel of nylon against the skin.
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I have a lot of Kifaru gear including their supertarp. Its great stuff well made,tough and certainly made for the foot hunter. Cant go wrong but it sure cost!
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kifaru is the best stuff I have seen for all seasons...light weight. You can get a kifaru and one of their stoves for less weight than many other manufactures 2 or 3 man tents (usually a minimum if you have gear). It is pretty pricey though...I'll get one someday :rolleyes:
If price is an issue (when is it not?), Timberline by Eureka is pretty bomb proof and fairly cheap...but a little weighty.
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Ditto to earlier post on Wiggies sleeping bags and North Face Tents. I have a two man three season North Face tent that has kept me dry and alive in 3 day long blizzards on the face of a glacier. If you buy the mountain tent the come with wind pads between the tent and fly and you won't get the slapping and flopping that can rip a tent apart. Buy the bright orange ones. That way search and rescue can find it easily if you need help.
The Wiggies bags are used by American SF troopers in all climates. The should tell you about the quality. Make sure and take a Thermarest to keep you off the bottom of the tent too. It works as a pad and heat barrier to keep the cold from seeping into your bag and bones.
I use both of these on every high country trip I take and never worry about being cold or in trouble in either the tent or the bag.
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I just got a 2 man REI Arete 2 ASL. Its a 4 season lightweight tent made for backpacking. Its shy of 5 lbs and the reviews are fantastic. I agree with what the others had said about getting a good pad to sleep on. That will defintaly make it more comfortable for you.
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I would stay away from fiberglass poles....they can break and shatter (under tension into many sharp missiles) in high winds. Aluminum poles are strong...can bend (easily fixed) in high winds but will generally not break.
Most sleeping bag ratings are trash...go for a ratting of much colder than you are expecting. You will not regret having a warm sleeping bag.
Also a good pad is a must.
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Originally posted by KentuckyWolf:
I would stay away from fiberglass poles....they can break and shatter (under tension into many sharp missiles) in high winds. Aluminum poles are strong...can bend (easily fixed) in high winds but will generally not break.
Most sleeping bag ratings are trash...go for a ratting of much colder than you are expecting. You will not regret having a warm sleeping bag.
Also a good pad is a must.
I agree! Most sleeping bag ratings are trash. Not sure why that is though.
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I just bought a MSR Hubba Hubba tent, though it's still in the mail so I don't know how it will work out in the field. While researching tents, this one and the Big Agnes Seedhouse both had great reviews, but the MSR seemed to better fit my needs. One thing I like about both these tents is the fly can be setup by itself, like using a tarp shelter or with the tent. Another brand to look at is the Go Lite shelters. The Hilleberg tents are top of the line, but expensive, though you will likely never buy another tent.
If you want just a fly shelter, a plain tarp works pretty good, cheap and light. There are some youtube videos showing different ways to set them up. There seems to be a movement towards tipis as well, with some guys running stoves in them.
For sleeping bags, I've got a Big Agnes Salathe and use a Thermarest Ultra-lite pad underneath. The BA bags don't have insulation on the bottom so you need a good pad, the BA pads are cut to fit the bags specifically. It would be hard to beat the Wiggy's or Feathered Friends bags, but remember that it will likely be damp in NZ even up high and down may not be the best choice. As already stated, the temperature ratings are generally optimistic, buy one rated for colder than you expect. Take into account if you sleep warm or cold as well. The great thing is you have tons of choices when it comes to tents and bags, making a decision is the hard part!
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Originally posted by KentuckyWolf:
I would stay away from fiberglass poles....they can break and shatter (under tension into many sharp missiles) in high winds. Aluminum poles are strong...can bend (easily fixed) in high winds but will generally not break.
Most sleeping bag ratings are trash...go for a ratting of much colder than you are expecting. You will not regret having a warm sleeping bag.
Also a good pad is a must.
It's because they rate them in a perfect world where all of the insulation is evenly spread and there are no gaps caused by clumping... PRECISELY why I recommend the wiggies. The insulation is all one continuous piece and there's no clumping, even after vacuum sealing or stuffing in a compression sack. Try that with down.
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If going for a tent, though it is rated 3-season, the Sierra Designs Clip Flashlight 2 is hard to beat. Really only large enough for one unless you know your partner real well, it is fine for one and some gear. Only weighs 3.5 to 4 pounds. Lighter than that and I go with a tarp. I will also second a quality bag, Marmot, Western Mountaineering are good brands and a place to start a search.
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I've got a North Face Expedition 4 season tent and it must weigh 9 pounds. It went on one goat hunt and also one sheep hunt where it was left at the drop point while we spiked out of a 3 season. It's just too much to pack.
Why do you think you need the 4 season. If you're sure, you can buy mine.
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clint just buy what ya need when ya get here as it will be heaps cheap as the us dollar is worth more than our dollar :thumbsup: the place to get it from is the NZ hunting and fishing store they are everywhere. jeff
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I've never hunted sheep. However, all of the guys that I read about that are bivying for sheep usually recommend a free-standing tent as you many not have anything to tie off on. You could also just go the bivy route. My tent is a 3 season Big Agnes and is light and keeps the water out.
Marmot makes very good down bags. I have a Marmot bag but its only rated to +20F. Super light and warm.
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I like Big Agnes stuff.
I have a Seedhouse 2. They have a couple newer, lighter models now. Copper Spur and Fly Creek I believe.
I use a BA Deep Creek down bag. It is 15F, waterproof and used the BA Insulated Air Core pad. VERY, VERY comfortable sleeping arragement for the high country.
I'd really, really like to have a Kifaru tipi, but the price keeps me out. My buddy has a TiGoat tipi that I can use any time, so I live with second best for the price :goldtooth:
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Just bought a Eureka Tundraline, which is based on the 80’s Canondale Aroostook, for canoe wilderness tripping. This is supposed to be a great tent for nasty weather but it’s heavy at 12 lbs.
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For tents, there are a lot of great choices. Mountain Hardware, NorthFace, Bibler, GoLite, Marmot, Big Agnes, Black Diamond. I used to do a lot of mountaineering and extended back country ski trips, when I lived in Alaska. I used a Mountain Hardware Trango for most of the time, but it was heavy. I'd split the load with a buddy. I used an Outdoor Research bivy sack a lot, too.
For sleeping bags, Western Mountaineering and Feathered Friends make some of the tops. I've got a Feathered Friends bag with 800 fill and Goretex. I've used it in soaking conditions in Southeast Alaska and never got wet.
One thing to definitely splurge on is your sleeping pad. I'd rather pack an extra 2 pounds of thick sleeping pad, than go with a thinnner one. A good nights sleep more than makes up for the extra weight. You'll also sleep a lot warmer.
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i've already got a pad. it's a thermarest prolite plus, in the small size.
looks like i've got some researching to do!
i'd say that there will be 2-3 of us in the hunting party. one day i may want to go solo.
no wood up in tahr country.
-20C would be the coldest overnight minimum that i would expect. warmer through the day. anything between -20C and 10C is possible.
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Kifaru Super Tarps are a real versitile system,I've got that setup,no regrets.I've never seen anything that beats it.
Tim
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some must have features are.
free standing, able to put the fly up 1st.
i really like the hilleberg 'jannu' or 'tarra'
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A couple things to think about reguarding a shelter that can accept a stove;
_in the winter you don't need as much spare clothing because you can dry you'r wet stuff out.
-you don't have to pack another stove or fuel to cook with.
-you don't have to pack a water filter,you can boil water when you have the stove burning anyway.
-you can use a wood stove with spark screens in area's where no camp fires are allowed
Tim
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Go to ALASKA OUTDOOR FORUMS and then to the GEAR section. Lots of good reports on hard used equipment. They rate Hilleberg products as supreme.
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I borrowed a Hillenberg Jannu tent for a Colorado back pack trip. Extremely well made and easy to put up. A true 4 season tent and pack weight is around 6 pounds. Also bought a campmor ultra light tarp and it has really held up well. In the 80's had a cheaper "4 season" tent collapse due to high winds and 5" of wet snow.
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Take a look at these.Quality and very light.
www.tarptent.com (http://www.tarptent.com)