I'm going to bivy out for elk this year and am looking for advice. I have hunted for years from a base camp, but this time I am taking my camp on my back. Could you please suggest a tent and water filter, one which you have used and have confidence in. I'll be going to CO late Aug/first 2 weeks of Sep. Hunting at around 11K'. Thanks for any help.

I have a Big Agnes Seedhouse SL2 tent.
It is a two man tent that weighs just over 3 lbs. Its light, waterproof, stands up to heavy winds.
The Katadyn Hiker Pro filter is 11 ounces and has all the adapters to fill either Nalgene bottles or Camel Baks.

+1 to what Kc said!

+1 on the Katadyn (formerly Pur) Hiker. For a tent, check out some of the lightweight backpacking tents by Black Diamond.

I won't go with a bivvy, don't see the need or better said I can see the inconvenience.

My 2-man tent is made by Kelty, it's rated as a 4-season job, and is very comfortable and standed out the foul weather very well.

Thanks to all who responded.

After reading probably a hundred threads/posts about tents and filters, I have decided to get a big agnes sl2 tent and a katadyn hiker pro filter.

question - where can i find these at a reasonable cost?

next question - what do you folks use for a camp stove to boil water (for mtn hse meals and coffee/etc)? I would appreciate any suggestions.

thanks.......

I use an MSR Pocket Rocket for boiling water. it's about the smallest, lightest stove you'll find, and reliable. I have a Snopeak Ti pot that's the same diameter as a fuel cannister and carry the fuel in the pot.

REI and Campmor have good prices, both mail order. If you have an REI store nearby, you can go in and try out a few different stoves and water filters to see which you like.

LBGuy,

Check out the Jet Boil system...very fast, very functional.

LB Guy,

You can get the Big Agnes, Katadyn, and Jetboil at REI.

KC,

What does the Big Agnes sl2 wiegh with tent & poles, foot print, and rain fly?

AzGuy,

The tent with fly and poles weighs 2lbs 14 ounces.
The footprint is 6.5 ounces.
You can also set up what they call a "fast fly"
just poles and fly that is 2lbs 2 ounces.

KC

Another option is to buy some "Klearwater" instead of a water filter. This stuff has no taste,you can put some in your water, 15 minutes later-drink! It sure beats packing a big ol filter. No bad taste left in your mouth. It is some amazing stuff! Hope this helps.

Thanks for all the help. Great place to visit for good info. Good hunting/hiking to all.

This is just about the most minimalist functional cookset I've seen
http://www.ultralightoutfitters.com/stove.html

I have a 2 persons Trek four season dome tent (weights 5.5 lbs), I have already used it in a couple of winter hunts in the patagonia (andes mountains) and couldn´t be more satisfied with it (once I had to face a really ugly snow storm in it and this little tent stood firmly without any problem)

Depending on the type of hunt I might be doing, I usually carry an outdoor research advanced bivy which proved to be a great purchase, used it many times when night found me way away from my tent ... roomy and trustable

An what I ALWAYS have inside my rucksack is a heatsheet emergency bivy (packed it measures just 3¨x 2" x 2", you can carry it even in any of your pockets), just for any emergency it might arise

I don´t filter water, but for purifing it I carry those tablets that can be found almost everywhere, just drop a couple in my hidration pack whenever I fill it and forget about that matter ....

Thanks again for the great replies. Great site this!

Just a quick heads up on the cannister style stoves (pocket rocket types). These are handy and I love mine for the warm to cold weather, but when it gets good and cold and at elevation, the cans don't always flow all that great, especially when getting near empty. For those days, I use a White Gas. They are heavier and take more space, but if you know you are in for some nasty cold, it is a safer bet.

I spent several nights this summer in a Hennessy Hammock. Most comfortable nights I have ever spent in the outdoors. Stayed completely dry during a driving rain storm.

I have no experience with this product in cold weather conditions but check the link on their site for setting it up for cold weather camping.

http://www.hennessyhammock.com/

I will be purchasing the over liner and under liner before I venture out in cold weather conditions.

Also check out the automatic fly tensioner. The idea really works, I didn't buy the funnels but improvised some from a 2 liter gatorade bottle and some bailing wire. Water dripping off the rain fly filled the water bottles and lowered the fly, keeping the blowing rain out.

Good luck,
Jeff Collins

Jeff Collins

quote:

Originally posted by jnc91:

Also check out the automatic fly tensioner. The idea really works, I didn't buy the funnels but improvised some from a 2 liter gatorade bottle and some bailing wire. Water dripping off the rain fly filled the water bottles and lowered the fly, keeping the blowing rain out.

Good luck,
Jeff Collins

Jeff Collins

That's a good idea! Have to give that a try next time out...

thanks again guys. i just returned from 12 days in southern colorado, camping for elk at around 11k feet. it never got really cold, and never froze even once! the pocket rocket, sl2 tent, and hiker pro water filter worked as expected, without any problems. my pack was a lot heavier than i thought it would be, but i made it up and down ok. thanks again for getting me started on this bivy stuff. have a great hunt.