Best Tent / Best Bag

[jackelope]

The EE quilts are definitely the way to go. Longwalker has this stuff dialed in for sure. I like the Big Agnes Copper Spur UL2 but the zpacks gets great reviews. I've never seen one. I personally wouldn't buy a 1 man tent. Buy a 2 man and have  room for your gear inside your tent. 

[danderson]

I just picked up a Big Agnes Fly Creek UL 2, weight is under 2 pounds, cant wait to use it.

[jjhunter]

Take a loo at the link I posted . It's a hard shelter to beat

Do you set yours up with trekking poles?

[longwalker]

Yes. I always pack in with two trekking poles anyway. I've always used tents that require trekking poles. Anything I can get duel use out of saves weight

[Bmcox86]

Looks like the quilt is the way to fly!   

Do you use yours open or like a bag?   Is the pad still required if you use it like a bag?   

I like my head covered so I would probably get a long for another 1.5 oz?

Pads still required if you use it like a bag, i always sleep bad in a sleeping bag so I got the quilt, mine has a foot box that I keep zippered up and I have a thermarest xtherm pad. A long would cover your head or you could wear a beanie to keep your head warm.

[SilkOnTheDrySide]

You can always go floorless with a bivy setup as well.

Have you thought about a pad?

There are a few quality options out there, but I can tell you I've been running the marmot helium in a bivy setup for three seasons now and been very happy!


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[PacificNWhunter]

PM sent

[CementFinisher]

MSR Hubba NX Solo. Free standing. run it with fly and ground cloth for more light weight. add the  tent body for more protection. ive used mine in as four season and also tested it in heavy snow load situations and never had to remove snow.
bags- if you pan on mostly dry or snow conditions then Feathered Friends Ibis EX 0
very wet rainy conditions- Mountain Hardwear HyperLamina Torch

No not the most light gear bug, gives versatility and comfort at a lower weight

[The scout]

 I run the big agnes copper spur ul1. complete pack weight is 3 lb's. it is big enough for me and my weapon inside witch was my goal. it has a double vestibule with a little zipper door out the back to access the back vestibule. I can fit my pack and boots under the front vestibule. I would highly recommend this tent, one of the lightest freestanding tents. very easy and quick to set up. I have also put it through very rough weather conditions for weeks at a time with no leaking issues or condensation issues

[pope]

Be sure to check out gear designed for alpine climbing. Although very pricey, these products are designed to withstand conditions you'll never encounter on an elk hunt, but somehow are engineered to be incredibly light weight. I was going to recommend Bibler tents, but I see they've been bought out by Black Diamond (formerly Chouinard). Black Diamond equipment is designed and tested by some of the world's most demanding alpine climbers, and this has been true for decades. I'm also a fan of Marmot bags, but as has been suggested, you'll have to make your decisions based on the conditions you expect to encounter. For example, I wouldn't purchase a down bag for a hunt west of the crest, and for solo excursions, I would want both a light-weight tent for foul weather and also a reliable bivouac sack for when the weather cooperates and I don't want to carry a tent.

[coachcw]

Comfort goes along way , I like a two man with a floor , the skeeters eat me alive.

[X-Force]

I would recommend looking at Tarptent Moment, Kuiu Super down bag (I like rei magma but its 10oz heavier), and if you are looking for a pad I really like big Agnes Q-Core (not the lightest out there but very comfortable).

Good luck. Post up what you end up picking out!

[j_h_nimrod]

Be sure to check out gear designed for alpine climbing. Although very pricey, these products are designed to withstand conditions you'll never encounter on an elk hunt, but somehow are engineered to be incredibly light weight. I was going to recommend Bibler tents, but I see they've been bought out by Black Diamond (formerly Chouinard). Black Diamond equipment is designed and tested by some of the world's most demanding alpine climbers, and this has been true for decades. I'm also a fan of Marmot bags, but as has been suggested, you'll have to make your decisions based on the conditions you expect to encounter. For example, I wouldn't purchase a down bag for a hunt west of the crest, and for solo excursions, I would want both a light-weight tent for foul weather and also a reliable bivouac sack for when the weather cooperates and I don't want to carry a tent.

When I started light hunting about 20 years ago the mountaineering gear was the only real option. Bibler, Black Diamond, The North Face, Mountain Hardware, Sierra Designs, and all the others still in production or not we're the go to. The hardest thing was finding colors that were not eye shattering.
There are so many options available now that it is more of a "what floats your boat" then otherwise.

I have actually started going with a hammock and tarp for many of my hunts. There have been a lot of places where I could stretch the hammock and sleep comfortable instead of finding a semi-flat rocky shelf to bivy on. Not always perfect, but easier to throw a pad on flat ground without trees then pitch a tent on a rock. Most places I am in have trees so a hammock works great. Sleeping bag, tarp, hammock, and pad run right around 6 pounds.

My bag is a Marmot 20 degree that, with warm clothes, I have used down close to 0. Not real comfortable, but I didn't have a tendancy to sleep in

I have also run a bivy and tarp.

[Karl Blanchard]

BA Qcore SL for a fantastic pad.

[ridgefire]

I have been using a bivy and paratarp but also have the ba flycreek ul2 and would recommend either setup. These tents with a marmot helium and a neoair pad work well for me.