db wrote on Apr 26^th, 2010 at 7:31am:


Db, You sly dog. Oh ye tempter!! I love the BWJ's. I like everything about them. Informative, opinionated and yes I even like the ads. I EVEN like (and admire) Stu and his self promotion. He's running a business with products and services he wholly believes in. Of course he's going to toot his horn. What could be more American than that?

If you still have them in the fall I would be interested.

Al

mastertangler wrote on Apr 26^th, 2010 at 11:41am:

The magic words ... "ON SALE."  At least that got my attention, but I did do a little research.   The tent (Twilight 2P) is usually priced in the $250 range, but I picked it up for about 1/2 that.

My current tent (REI Half Dome 2 Plus) is perfect for my use, but is showing a bit of wear (maybe that could be related to the 80+ nights of use) and has developed a SMALL annoying leak (which I can't seem to plug).  Now I'm talking SMALL (perhaps a tablespoon of rain gets through after an all-night downpour).

These are the features of my REI that I was looking to replicate (some of which REI have chosen to engineer-out of the current version of that tent).

Two-person tent (which I use to sleep solo)
Light weight:  in the 5 pound class (packed weight)
Two-doors/two vestibules (love the extra dry storage area of two vestibules)
Center line height ~ 40 inches (allows you to sit up inside the tent)
Length: ~ 90 inches (provides head/foot buffer room so tent is not against tent wall)
Aluminum pole(s): REI uses 2, Marmot uses 1 with a multi-hub system (more later)
Adjustable vents: both have 2; Marmot is adjustable from inside the rain fly
Window (quick weather check before departing tent)
Tub floor (4 inches or more)
Extra tie-down points for stormy conditions
Color coded tent poles/anchor points (no question about which direction your tent will be pointed when erected)
Ground cloth specifically designed for tent
Gear loft and mesh pockets: This is the one deficit for the Marmot ... it has a gear loft but sets too low for practical use, but it has more mesh pockets than the REI.

Marmot additional comment:  

As mentioned above, this tent comes with a single pole with multiple (3) hubs.  The two end hubs form a "Y" shape which makes the ends (head/foot) of the tent much more vertical.  Most tents (including my REI) simply continue the pole arc to the ground, which tends to make the end-points much less useful because of the "slant."  The middle hub provides a middle hoop which put the ends of the door zipper loops closer to a pole for less shape distortion when opening/closing doors.  

Since the ground cloth was designed for the tent, it provides a "quick pitch" option where only the ground cloth and rain fly are use.  (Some of my other tents have this feature.)  This could be a useful option to throwing up a tarp for mid-day rain squalls.  I think I might be able to take the tent down while covered by the fly so at least part of my tent can be packed away dry when its raining.  But the real use of this feature is during "low bug" season, where then actual tent can be left behind to save space/weight (a bit more common situation when hiking the Rockies).

dd

BTW:  4 more pair of smart wool socks are on order and I CARRY 2 fry pans (but I HAVE at least 4).

marlin55388 wrote on Apr 26^th, 2010 at 6:01pm:

Window units (one upstairs/one down)

I do have a hammock strung up for testing purposes.

Only 1 canoe in it at the moment (I gave one away to a friend of mine to make room for the next acquisition.)

dd

A big hearty thanks to Snow Dog and Kingfisher for pointing me in the right direction on a sleep system I probably would of never even known existed.

I went for the Big Agnes "Fish hawk" bag (30 degree) and insulated mat. A few things struck me right off the bat. As per S_D's comments you can roll around all you want and everything stays in place. This is especially important with a bag that is so light. I can also now understand how S_D could get the 15 degree bag and not feel overheated. I'm so glad I didn't get the 40 degree bag. For $20 more the 30 degree bag has much more in the way of features.........fold away hood, draft chest collar etc.

While I liked the self inflating aspect of the therm-a-rest I'm certainly not going to miss the 4lb chunky bundle. That is going to be super to leave that at home and to be honest I didn't really notice any difference in comfort levels. The Big Agnes mat is at least 1/3 the size and likely only a 1/4 of the therm. I got the insulated mat partly because I think the addition of the exterior insulation would help to make it less prone to puncture both when in use and in the storing process. I also like the versatility of the insulation being one-sided so you have the option of using its insulating properties in accordance with conditions.

I'm tickled about the whole set-up (Tickled....see/ southern slang words....meaning mighty pleased). If I ever meet S_D or KF on a portage I will be glad to take a load across