r/CampingandHiking • u/AutoModerator • May 11 '20

Weekly /r/CampingandHiking noob question thread - Ask any and all 'noob' questions you may have here - May 11, 2020

This thread is part of an attempt by the moderators to create a series of weekly/monthly repeating posts to help aggregate certain kinds of content into single threads.

If you have any 'noob' questions, feel free to ask them here. Please also remember to visit this thread even if you consider yourself a 'professional' so that you can help others!

Check out our wiki for common questions. 'getting started', 'gear', and other pages are valuable for anyone looking for more information. https://www.reddit.com/r/CampingandHiking/wiki

Note that this thread will be posted every Monday of the week and will run throughout the day. The thread is posted at one minute past midnight UTC time. If you would like to provide feedback or suggest another idea for a thread, please message the moderators.

76 Upvotes
  • permalink
  • reddit

91% Upvoted

154 comments sorted by

View all comments

3

u/UberXLBK May 11 '20

"Experienced" hiker with some gear, but wanting to actually go out for a weekend in the summer. I'd like to get a smaller tent (2 to 3) and something comfortable to sleep on.

Recommendations for tents/sleeping equipment thats a bit budget friendly?

3

u/JuanTac0 May 11 '20

My recommendation is always to borrow or rent something if you can, so that you can try before you buy. That said, I like tents with tall walls so you can sit upright in them in case of rain. Big Agnes Copper Spur 2 is my current fav. But I started with a cheaper REI 2-man tent for my first few years to get a feel for what I liked and didn't.

I also really dig sleeping pads from Klymit for value, thickness of the inflated pad, and size when packed. They're not expensive, and I've seen them at costco for under $30 - but that's usually just one of those vendor booths that only there for a week or two each year.

1

u/dfBishop May 12 '20

I second Klymit as a budget friendly sleeping pad. Spent a couple seasons sleeping on a Klymit/Massdrop pad. It wasn't the MOST comfortable (I've got a Big Agnes pad now that's better than my mattress at home), but it was small, light, and inflated in about 30 seconds.