Myself and a friend are keen walkers & campers and for xmas i bought my friend Wainwrights Coast to Coast which we intend to so over next 6 months. We need a new tent and possibly extra groundsheet too so would appreciate some advice.
We are traveling by public transport and camping either at campsites or wild so need to keep our weights down. I don't know anything about different material tents or coatings but i know we would like a lightweight one and as waterproof as possible with porch area for the bags but still as small as possible for 2. Budget, as ever, is as cheap as poss, ,£100.
The reason i mention a groundsheet is my friend gets very cold easily and so i thought i would look into an extra groundsheet to ease the cold from the ground. Again as lightweight as possible but enough to have an effect. Needs to be water proof too. And again i don't know what the difference is between the types of materials so any advice would helpful or even a pointer to forum posts with this info would be helpful.
good reviews and not to heavy.as to extra ground sheet don't think it will help with cold but a self inflating mat is good and there are light weight ones plus you could use the space blankets they use on runners at the end of races under the mat to help with insulation.
Thanks for the tip. The tent looks good, smaller than i expected for headroom but maybe to save on size thats the way we could go. Our last tent seemed to let in wet from the ground, maybe the coating was no good. The fly sheet says 4000mm and ground sheet 5000m but i dont know if those values are good or bad, so you? If the groundsheet will keep water out then your idea of a matt just below the sleeping bag is a good idea, cheaper and lighter.
Just trying to find sites on google which help explain things like materials, the waterproof values, sleeping bag types, matt types etc so if anyone knows a good site please let me know.if anyone knows a good site please let me know.
anything above 1000mm is meant to be waterproof so 4000 for the tent is good as to headroom hiking tents tend to be lower but there is room to sit up in that one. it also comes in a 3man if you want more space and is only half a kg more weight
Damp on the groundsheet could be caused by condensation inside the tent rather than the groundsheet letting in water, thats quite common. I'd second the self inflating mat suggestion for added warmth, I think it would be more effective than extra groundsheet.
Whatever you get its a good idea to have a trial run not to far from home (we've always used the garden!), just to make sure everythings ok. Have fun!
The way to reduce condensation is to get a tent that has ventilation panels and also, use the panels, don't close them up.
I agree, a SI mat is the warmest thing to lie on. You can increase the comfort slightly by putting two of them side by side inside an old double envelope style sleeping bag and then lying on top of the lot.
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Topic: Need New Tent & Ground sheet
