Sub 3lb shelter and sleep system

[Justin Crossley]

This year dirtytough and myself are going even lighter than we have in the past. Our goal is to get our camp weight with pack under 10 lbs. This makes it possible for us to go for about five to seven days of hunting under 40 lbs. total pack weight. What do you guys think?

Therm-a-Rest Xtherm 15 oz.
Nunatak Arc Ghost 32* Quilt 14 oz.
Ti Goat Raven Omni Bivy 7 oz.
Zpacks Heximid solo plus tarp 7.1 oz. including 10 stakes.

Total weight is 43.1 oz.
or 2 lbs 11.1 oz.

 

[RockChucker30]

Sounds great, but try the system out several times before your trip. A lot of people go UL then rebound a bit for more comfort or durability.

 

[trk3263]

Looks like a great setup. How water resistant have you found the Raven to be?

 

[Becca]

Sounds great, but try the system out several times before your trip. A lot of people go UL then rebound a bit for more comfort or durability.

Agreed. If this system works for you, awesome. But I find I sometimes would rather carry a little extra weight in to sleep well and be comfortable. Not a matter of packing the ritz Carlton in with you, but a few little "extras" here and there are sometimes the deciding factor for me on how hard I can hunt, and whether I can stick it out another day or two. Just my $0.02....

 

[Justin Crossley]

I already go ultra light. I have done seven days with a pack weight of 42.5 lbs. including water. We hiked 70 miles on that trip and saw 48 different bears.
Last year my elk hunting pack for seven days weighed 45 lbs. (That included everything I wasn't wearing)
I'm of the mind that I'll hunt harder if I can get there with less weight on my back and show up to camp with more energy.

This system will actually be more comfortable than my current setup.
The Xtherm vs the Prolight3 will have a higher R value and more padding.
The Heximid and bivy vs a Tarptent will give me more room to move around and sit up under my shelter.

 

[luke moffat]

Looks like a good setup Justin. Personally I'd swap to a shorter 9 oz pad and go for a warmer 6 oz heavier quilt of the 15-20 degree rating variety, but it can freeze in any month up here, so climate comes into play for me.

 

[ohhiitznik]

I'm there as well.
Klymit Static V 20 oz
Kifaru Woobie 20 oz
Tyvek DIY Bivy 8 oz
Kifaru Supertarp 17 oz or SO LBO 16 oz
65oz for my sleep system

Kifaru BT1 Custom Cut with XTL/Grabit/Medium belt pouch 5 lbs 12 oz

9lbs 13oz total. Pretty light and still good comfort.

 

[Justin Crossley]

Looks like a good setup Justin. Personally I'd swap to a shorter 9 oz pad and go for a warmer 6 oz heavier quilt of the 15-20 degree rating variety, but it can freeze in any month up here, so climate comes into play for me.

That would also be a good way to go Luke.
For me the longer pad and lighter bag should work better though. I don't really like sleeping on the short pads and I am also going to get a down coat that I can wear to up the rating of my quilt. I'm a really warm sleeper though and think the 32* quilt will probably be warm for me. I also already have the Marmot Helium 15* bag so if I expect really cold weather I can opt for that bag.

 

[Justin Crossley]

Looks like a great setup. How water resistant have you found the Raven to be?

This will be the first time for me to use a Bivy with a tarp. I usually just use a tarp. I mostly want the bivy to help keep drafts out while using the quilt and also for a little extra protection if it gets really windy.

Last year I was camped in a pass at 6000 ft. in Washington the night that the thunderstorms went through that started all the fires near Wenatchee. I was just under a tarp and stayed dry all night.

 

[Lawnboi]

Im right at around that 65 or so ounce range. But my sleeping bag also doubles as my insulation layer And with a fully waterproof bivy it opens up options and gives me that extra piece of mind with the tarp.

Paratarp +stakes 14oz
Woobie Express 160z
zlite pad (hopefully getting a neo air xlite) 12oz
ID bugaboo bivy 20oz

 

[trk3263]

This will be the first time for me to use a Bivy with a tarp. I usually just use a tarp. I mostly want the bivy to help keep drafts out while using the quilt and also for a little extra protection if it gets really windy.

Last year I was camped in a pass at 6000 ft. in Washington the night that the thunderstorms went through that started all the fires near Wenatchee. I was just under a tarp and stayed dry all night.

Ah ok. I used my Raven last year for 14 days but no rain. I have mostly used a tarp bivy setup and never a problem with water. The reason I ask is I often think I could just throw my bivy and quilt in my pack and bivy out away from camp if I get into a big herd. I know it is not bomb proof but I am trying to figure out how much water protection it actually has.
I just need a few more nice days here in Central Oregon and maybe I will get the hose or sprinklers out and test it.

We need a gear review page on here...

 

[luke moffat]

Im right at around that 65 or so ounce range. But my sleeping bag also doubles as my insulation layer And with a fully waterproof bivy it opens up options and gives me that extra piece of mind with the tarp.

Paratarp +stakes 14oz
Woobie Express 160z
zlite pad (hopefully getting a neo air xlite) 12oz
ID bugaboo bivy 20oz

Lawnboi, the paratarp is listed at 13.4 oz without guy lines or stakes. What stakes and how many are you using to be at just 14 oz. Seems just adding guylines and seam sealing will get your north of 15 oz before stakes...just curious.

 

[fillthefreezer]

This year dirtytough and myself are going even lighter than we have in the past. Our goal is to get our camp weight with pack under 10 lbs. This makes it possible for us to go for about five to seven days of hunting under 40 lbs. total pack weight. What do you guys think?

Therm-a-Rest Xtherm 15 oz.
Nunatak Arc Ghost 32* Quilt 14 oz.
Ti Goat Raven Omni Bivy 7 oz.
Zpacks Heximid solo plus tarp 7.1 oz. including 10 stakes.

Total weight is 43.1 oz.
or 2 lbs 11.1 oz.

man that is light, sounds like a solid system.
maybe im just a puss for comfort. my system will be at 5.06lbs this year unless i make an overhaul

 

[unm1136]

I agree that it is a trade off of comfort vs. weight. This year I ran a custom dangerbird hammock (32 oz), and a hammock gear underquilt quilt and topquilt (38.5 oz total, for a total of 68.5 oz. I was completely comfortable, but before I start getting out of state tags and the cost involved with those, I plan to upgrade the hammock to a Darien UL (14.5 oz), and a hammock gear cuben fiber winter palace tarp (8.5 oz). with the same underquilt and topquilt. New total weight would be 61.5 oz.

I vastly prefer sleeping in a hammock to sleeping on the ground. When there are no trees I can pitch the tarp and toss a sit pad under my torso. Given how sturdy Kifaru's pack stays are, I am contemplating figuring a way to use my pack to secure one side of the hammock, and a rock climbing cam setup, or using a couple of lightweight poles for hammock stand. Come to think of it a garington insulator will weight next to nothing and will work on the ground if using a heavy mil plastic, and will work on the hammock.

pat

 

[HellsCanyon]

Justin I've been looking at at a similar system for this year:
BA Q-core SL (18 oz)
enlightened equipment 20* quilt (23.5 oz)
SO LBO: 16 oz + 2 oz in stakes
TI Goat Raven Omni Bivy: 6-7 oz (Might just roll a Cuben ground sheet).
Total: 66.5 oz or 4.1 lbs for a solid three season shelter.

Not the lightest out there but it's light, cost effective, and functional... Hell I've been rolling a 2 lb sleeping pad for the last few years. My current pad and sleeping bag weigh in more than the combined list above so I'm really looking forward to lightening this system up a bit.

Mike

 

[Whisky]

TI Goat Raven Omni Bivy: 6-7 oz (Might just roll a Cuben ground sheet).

Mike

Mike, you and I have been contemplating the same thing for a while I think. Bivy, or not. With the LBO, I think I've decided to just get a tyvek or cuben sheet and no bivy. It's lighter than a bivy, and it will also serve dual purpose in the kill kit as a place to put meat on when de-boning. I think (hope) the LBO will offer enough protection to not require a bivy, if pitched properly.

When I add it all up, if I have to buy a bivy to use with the LBO, I'm no better off weight wise than if I just stick with my 3lb Scarp 1.

 

[HellsCanyon]

Mike, you and I have been contemplating the same thing for a while I think. Bivy, or not. With the LBO, I think I've decided to just get a tyvek or cuben sheet and no bivy. It's lighter than a bivy, and it will also serve dual purpose in the kill kit as a place to put meat on when de-boning. I think (hope) the LBO will offer enough protection to not require a bivy, if pitched properly.

When I add it all up, if I have to buy a bivy to use with the LBO, I'm no better off weight wise than if I just stick with my 3lb Scarp 1.

You make a good point Whisky and I've been thinking about the same thing. Only reason I lean more towards the bivy is bug protection. Especially if I roll a quilt! Sleeping bag I might not be so inclined to run a bivy but I definitely want some ways to keep things from crawling into my sleeping bag with me! 1-2 oz for a ground sheet vs. 6-7 oz for a bivy has me thinking more like Luke. A slight weight penalty for more peace of mind and better sleep.

And even running that TI Goat Raven Omni bivy at 6-7 oz combined with the LBO you'll still be a full 1.5 lbs lighter than your 3 lb Scarp setup.

Mike

 

[Whisky]

You make a good point Whisky and I've been thinking about the same thing. Only reason I lean more towards the bivy is bug protection. Especially if I roll a quilt! Sleeping bag I might not be so inclined to run a bivy but I definitely want some ways to keep things from crawling into my sleeping bag with me! 1-2 oz for a ground sheet vs. 6-7 oz for a bivy has me thinking more like Luke. A slight weight penalty for more peace of mind and better sleep.

And even running that TI Goat Raven Omni bivy at 6-7 oz combined with the LBO you'll still be a full 1.5 lbs lighter than your 3 lb Scarp setup.

Mike

Mike, here is what I was thinking for weights.....

I was factoring in
LBO - 16 oz
Vestibule with stove jack added (+2oz) - 10oz
8 stakes and 1 carbon fiber pole - ~10 oz

So with that, you're looking at 2.25 lbs, which ain't bad at all. Add in a bivy and you're pushing 3 lbs, which still ain't bad. I'd be gaining more room and more versatility, and like you say, can always run it without the vestibule for early season. But I am going to try it without a bivy at first and see how that goes. If I get wet or bugged by bugs, I'll be looking at bivys again.

 

[fillthefreezer]

the zpack tents just dont look very solid to me, i dont know how much faith id have to stick out a storm in one?

 

[HellsCanyon]

Mike, here is what I was thinking for weights.....

I was factoring in
LBO - 16 oz
Vestibule with stove jack added (+2oz) - 10oz
8 stakes and 1 carbon fiber pole - ~10 oz

So with that, you're looking at 2.25 lbs, which ain't bad at all. Add in a bivy and you're pushing 3 lbs, which still ain't bad. I'd be gaining more room and more versatility, and like you say, can always run it without the vestibule for early season. But I am going to try it without a bivy at first and see how that goes. If I get wet or bugged by bugs, I'll be looking at bivys again.

Yeah I am seeing where you're coming from. I am planning on using my treking pole for the pole and not running a vestibule until October hits most likely. Using 1/2 oz titanium stakes I'll be running right at 20 oz not counting treking poles so I'll be running a tad bit lighter than yourself.

Mike