I had high hopes for the evening but I had a hell of a long drive to get there. The thing about driving is, it gives you time to think.
My tried-and-true sleeping bag is a Big Agnes. (The model I bought is probably discontinued, link just goes to the brand.) It is, by far, the most comfortable backcountry sleeping bag I’ve ever had. But it’s a mummy bag, and mummy bags are usually something this side of strangulation as far as I’m concerned. The Big Agnes is MUCH roomier than most but it’s still not like a blanket on your bed. It has a unique (at least when I bought it) feature in that you inflate an air mattress (about 1 ½ inches thick) and insert it into a pocket in the bottom of the sleeping bag itself. It’s very cool and definitely better than a Thermarest pad. No air mattress is as nice as a real mattress but my Big Agnes is as nice as you can get for small size and moderate weight. I’ve had mine for several years and it has served me well.
However, now that I’ve already gone for the giant cot why not get myself a nicer sleeping bag/pad? And for that matter if I’ve got a cot big enough to almost be a full-size bed why not eschew mummy bags and get nice big square-shaped sleeping bag? Also, my Big Agnes is rated for 40° and the last time I slept in it the temperature was about 15°. I was miserably cold. The fact that I camped well beyond the specifications of my gear is not the fault of the sleeping bag, but it’s an experience I’d rather not repeat.
You can see where this is going can’t you?
Rather than my usual cheapskate method of trying to repurpose the gear I have; I changed plans and made a beeline for an outdoor supply shop. Part of the reason I chose to do this is that where I live it’s damn near impossible to buy a decent sleeping bag and I was near the city where I could browse a large selection.
In less time than it takes to say “burning cash” I’d bought a new sleeping pad and a new sleeping bag. In keeping with my “overland equipment” plan I bought big, heavy, and luxurious!
Check out the size of this ridiculous, monstrous, almost insanely comfortable pad:
It’s a TETON Sports Outfitter XXL Camp Pad. Don’t let the marketing drivel fool you. This is not lightweight. It is not small. It is way too big to be sitting on a pretty snowdrift with artistically arranged plaid pillows. (Who puts little pillows on snow?)
This thing is huge. It’s going to be in the trunk of your car and if you own a small car it’ll take up most of it. It’s HUGE. I have a huge truck so I have plenty of space. And besides that, why the hell should I suffer?
Did I mention that it’s 2 1/2″ thick and real padding? No shit! It’s 2 1/2 inches of “fuck backpacking I’m here to snore” comfort. Not some “inflate it and pretend that’s comfy” version of 2 1/2″. Damn it’s nice. Not all bed/mattress combos in houses are this comfy!
(Oddly, I felt guilty buying this luxury. Isn’t that weird? In a world full of snowflakes who get triggered if they hear a scary word, I was in the sporting goods store feeling decadent for buying a pad that’s more than “minimally adequate”. Go figure.)
Now came the question of the sleeping bag. Compared to expensive backcountry mummy bags an indulgent fluffy giant old-school square bag is actually pretty cheap. No kidding, like half the price or less of a good backpacking bag.) I was half a mind to get a bag rated for summertime (like 40° or something) but then I remembered the lesson of my last campout. Even though I intend to use it mostly for summer, I know how my luck plays out!
Check out this ridiculous, gorgeous, fluffy, indulgent, luxurious, sleeping bag:
Yeah, I know! I’m livin’ the dream! It’s a TETON Sports Celsius XL Sleeping Bag and (since the Dodge is doing the hauling instead of me) I went the extra mile (and only a few bucks more) to get the one with rated for ZERO degrees. (I have a backcountry bag rated for -40 and yes, I’ve used it in very cold nights, but the last several years I’ve gambled on my 40 degree Big Agnes because any -40 bag is going to be bulky. I figure zero is plenty for anything this side of ice fishing. It’s super conservative, and overkill, for canoeing.)
After years of sleeping on the ground, feeling every rock, rolling over pinecones, and worrying about every ounce that I carry, it was amazingly liberating just to buy whatever the hell I wanted. Worry about nothing but comfort and your whole world changes.
Oh yeah, it comes with a nice compression bag too. Bonus. Lot’s of nice little details indicating good quality. My only complaint was the color. It’s shit brown. My Big Agnes is “flaming gay pink”. Who picks out these colors? Regardless, color is irrelevant. I’m all about comfort on this trip.
Also, it was pretty cool that I can buy the same brand of all three things. I wanted them to fit together as a system. (At the time it was just an experiment, but I can report now that all three things really are perfectly matched; cot, bag, pad. They all fit together perfectly.)
It was like Christmastime!
In the immortal words of Roy D Mercer, “How big ol boy are ya?” I’m 6′ 2″, 235, so is there enough room in the sleeping bag? I have a mummy style and it’s a claustrophobic and hard to get comfortable in.
Without going into details I’m no lightweight myself. If you’re smaller than Herman Munster, the bag and cot and pad I selected are all fine. Mummy bags suck. They only make sense to save weight, encumbrance, or heat in extreme conditions. The big square bag I bought is as roomy as any single bag can get. Give it a try and you’ll never want to use a mummy again.
What tent do you have?
This trip was my first use of a newly purchased tent. It is a Gazelle T4 Camping Hub Tent. I specifically purchased it for this trip and selected it to fit around my massive TETON Sports Outfitter XXL Camp Cot. I intended the two to work together as a system and indeed they go together like peas in a pod. The T4 tent and the XXL cot add up to a palatial setup for a solo overlander (as I’ve called my current anti-backpacking approach to camping).
I plan a review of the T4 whenever I get around to it. It served me very well. The tent’s main selling point is 90 second setup… which is not marketing hype. It really sets up that quickly.
In my case, the cot is the driving force. The Outfitter XXL is literally larger than a twin sized mattress (according to the internet it’s also larger than something called a Twin XL mattress). If I weren’t going for the cot but still overlanding I might prefer the slightly more modest T3. Be aware that the cot consumes half that massive tent. It’s an elephant sized cot; which is what I wanted. (I don’t think the cot would fit in a T3.)
The setup time is why I picked the T4 among many good choices. I didn’t want gear that would take too much effort to setup. I want to “go wherever I feel” and not be tied to plans. I suspect if it’s a hassle to setup camp I might backslide into the expensive habit of renting hotels. The T4 is perfect for that. Even without practice, I could “make camp” in no time. I’d erect the T4 tent in 2 minutes or less (I timed it) and that’s including fully staked down with rain fly installed and dawdling to take photos. Then I’d unfold the Outfitter XXL cot in perhaps 3-5 minutes. It occupies about half the massive T4. Add 45 seconds to unroll my new TETON Sports Outfitter XXL Camp Pad and TETON Sports Celsius XXL Sleeping Bag (take care to get the 0 degree version… don’t let Amazon lead you astray). I also went to a hardware store and bought 7′ of their cheapest outdoor “runner carpet”. That goes in the half of the tent that’s not the cot… just to protect the floor (which is removable and probably so strong it doesn’t need protection).
So the good part is that I can go in 15 minutes from truck engine shutdown to “the most luxurious sleeping arrangements possible”. It all fits perfectly with a cot/bag system that’s nicer than any other camping I’ve done (nicer than many hotels).
The only drawback is that it’s huge. Backpacking is out! Also the door is weird. I don’t think I can do better for easy setup & luxury but if you can tolerate a longer tent setup time there are options with better doors. (But also they tend to cost more.) The T4 is fully self supporting, which is excellent and rare in a tent that size; but it’s geometric design creates an triangular shaped door (there are 2 doors). If you’re staying many nights and are willing to depend on staking things down (I’m not, I sometimes camp where there are tons of rocks) there are some tents with a more pleasant exit/entry door.
One more thing… I can, and do, setup everything solo. The hardest part is the cot, not the tent. Another vote for the strangely shaped T4 over a more traditional tent.
Also, I didn’t ride it out to see how it would handle a very very very aggressive windstorm. I was in conditions that would shred many family tents and might even pummel a 300 pound elk hunters. Heck, people in 35′ fifth wheels were bailing out. I just collapsed the T4 and moved on. Reviews say the T4 should handle serious wind but I haven’t tested that first hand. Nor can I say how it would handle say a foot of snow. (I’m sure 6″ wouldn’t matter.)
Last observation, it’s built very well. Stitching and fit seems to be top quality; very impressive for a world where a lot of stuff seems like it was thrown together in a rush in a Chinese sweat shop. The TV seems pretty well built… though I haven’t used it more than this first trip.
I hope that helps.
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