Exped SynMat UL 7 Air Sleeping Pad

Posted on September 6, 2011 by Cathy

Description:

The Exped Synmat UL 7 air pad provides comfort and relief from the cold, hard ground. It is ultra lightweight and can pack down to the size of a half-liter water bottle, which takes less space in your backpack.

Its Exped FlatValve Technology provides two wide FlatValves for inflation and deflation. The intake valve has a built-in flap to prevent air escaping when inflating. It can be inflated within 1-1.5 minutes by mouth, easy. No dizziness, yay! For ideal comfort during use, pushing in the built-in flap at the deflate valve releases little air. Packing the mat up is easy and takes few minutes. With one hand, I use my finger to push the flap open on the outtake valve while I use my free hand to squeeze (or roll) the air out of the mat. Then, I re-roll the flat mat and insert in its packsack.

A packsack and a small repair kit are included in this package. The repair kit contains adhesive and fabric patches. It’s also easy to insert it in the packsack along with the sleeping pad.

Quality materials of this mat provides comfort and slip resistance. Proprietary Exped laminate is airtight and resists degradation. Lofted microfiber insulation is laminated to the top and bottom of the inner walls, providing efficient 4-season warmth and its non-slip finish keeps your body from slipping off the mat.

Warm insulation: Texped-loft microfiber provides insulation and is laminated to the upper and lower sides of the mat. Baffled chambers evenly distribute insulation, eliminating cold spots.

North Face Summer Gear - Altrec Outdoors

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REI Quarter Dome T2 Plus Tent

Posted on April 9, 2011 by Cathy

Our tent Features:

Rectangular floor plan with extra head-room (10 in. longer, 3 in. wider, 1 in. higher than original Quarter Dome T2 tent)
Dry entry/exit vestibule design (prevents water entering into tent when doors are open on a rainy day)
Tension Truss architecture
Preassembled hub/pole set, pole clips and color-coding
DAC Featherlite® NSL aluminum poles
Seam-sealed bathtub design and watertight corners
Abundant pockets to keep your tent tidy
Rflective guy points and adjustable cleat-lock tie-downs on the rainfly
Minimalist shelter by using just the rainfly, and poles
Contains: guylines and tighteners, stakes, pole repair tube, pole/stake bags and tapered, easy-to-stuff compression stuff sack

Description: REI Quarter Dome T2 Plus is so easy to set up that even I can do this without Travis’s help in less than 15 minutes! The hub/pole set are pre-assembled and colored, so attaching the pole clips in the proper place is easy and quick. I love how the poles are attached by a strong rope inside; I can connect them together without any hassle. Also, they break down small enough to fit inside in your backpack. The poles are lightweight but strong, so we don’t worry about them breaking easily.

Since I’m such a neat freak, I love the abundant pockets of our tent! It certainly helps keeping our tent tidy. Plus, both of the two doors can be stash away in their pockets, making the entry/exit easy and snag-free.

We were promised that water wouldn’t drip or sneak through our tent during a rainy weather. During our first backpacking trip at Barr Camp, it was windy and snowed a little overnight. We were pleased to experience no problem with our tent!

Since Travis is 6’2″ feet tall, he often tilts his head to fit in a tent, so we ordered a Plus size for this tent. Travis can now enjoy resting inside the tent without head-tilting or knees bending to fit. As a petite lady, I have plenty of room inside the tent so we are happy with our choice.

However, the footprint is sold separately. We spent an extra $30 for it, because it certainly protects our tent from tear and wear. We’d highly recommend this tent to our friends.

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Marmot Pinnacle +15 Sleeping Bag

Posted on April 6, 2011 by Cathy

Features:

High-loft, 800 fill power goose down
Ultra-lightweight, windproof nylon shell with a Silicon finish
Down-insulated draft collar with easy access draw cord
Down-insulated draft tube
Hidden draft tube pockets
Thermo-Pane Foot Box
3d, 6-Baffle hood with easy access hood draw cord
Down gasket face muff
Stuff and storage sack included
Two-way contoured zipper

Description: Marmot Pinnacle 15 Degree Sleeping Bag is great for three-seasons of camping and/or backpacking. This bag is also lightweight and packs small: it weighs about 2.75 lbs., and it can be rolled down to its smallest space which is about 7.5 x 14 inches. Awesome, huh?

After reading positive reviews online, we both decided to visit a local store and tested these sleeping bags, one for women and other for men. Although it was funny, testing them out actually helps because we know how they feel and how we can move around inside.

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Marmot Pinnacle 15 Degree Sleeping Bag for women is designed to fit a woman’s image with enough room to move around and insulated areas where most women lose heat.

Marmot Pinnacle 15 Degree Sleeping Bags have the hood that wraps around your head reduces the heat loss as well. The ground-level seams prevents any cold air leaks through the zipper line. As we lay inside, it feels roomy, allowing us to move around and find that sleeping position. I also feel warm enough to have a good night’s sleep.

To men and women, we both recommend buying a Marmot Pinnacle 15 Degree Sleeping Bag for camping during a cold weather if you have the budget for it. Marmot is well known for making top of the line sleeping bags. It’s the most comfortable sleeping bag that I have ever used.