What do you sleep in when out in the backcountry?

[KBC]

I'm trying to decide what kind of set up I should put together for hike in hunts. I know this question has been asked a lot but I'm looking for answers specific to BC and the weather here. Each option has it's pros an cons but I'm not rich so I'm not buying each one.

I am leaning a little bit towards a floor-less shelter because the ability to use a stove when it's cold is pretty appealing and I could probably make one and make a stove for it so the cost would be a bit less as well.

The hammock is another appealing option since you could hang it over a creek and not get flooded out.

Cheap and lighter there is the tarp option but then do you add a bivy or just a ground sheet?

Regular backpacking tent? Definitely less bugs to worry about.

The Kifaru Sawtooth sure looks cool...

I don't mind spending some money but $1k is pretty expensive.

Thoughts?

[Squamch]

I've used an old eureka tent. It was a nice tent when I bought it. Now, it's a heavy, old, tent. I'm in the same boat as you, I'd like the lightness of a tarp/bivy set up, but the thought of a stove to dry inevitably soaked gear out is pretty nice!

[Weatherby Fan]

I find it depends entirely where and at what time of the year your hunting in BC, For years all we ever used for early season Sept Alpine hunts in area 8 south of Princeton to the US border(5000-6500') was a 6lb synthetic mummy bag and would curl up under the nearest spruce tree.......if it was frost or going to snow we would put a space blanket over ourselves.....try this up Sheep hunting in Northern BC and your going to die lol ! no trees and lots of rain/fog etc......if your going anywhere its not nice and dry you certainly need a waterproof structure of some sort,

I have two tents, a 3 man and a 1 man, if I'm hunting alone and theres a possibility of being out overnight I throw my 1 man tent in the pack with my sleeping bag and thermorest and away I go,

After our 12 day fly in Stone sheep hunt I was sold on the low profile tents, as we had 40MPH winds and thunder showers fog and we never got wet in our 3 man tent once......soon as I got home I bought the same tent in a one man as I like spending the odd night out Mule Deer hunting on my own.

[guest]

Tarp, and a ground sheet, won't catch me in a dam cocoon.....in g bear country lol. Saved our bacon once allowing us to be quicker on the unwanted intruder .

Ask Brambles I think it was...... about a tent. Wicked story they have. Glad to see they are still here.

Butttt, a tent does provide better protection in a bad storm blowing sideways in the alpine.

Just my 2 cents

[.264winmag]

Plenty of affordable ultralight 3 season shelters on the market. I run a big Agnes fly creek UL1, sturdy and kept me dry so far with minimal condensation inside. Not a warm tent though. Been using a Taiga bivy shelter 2 lately and I really like it. More room inside and a warmer shelter. Condensation can show up if vents aren't open. Could be stretched into a 4 season shelter I think. Both these options are around $300 and are super light.

[mmckimmi]

I would recommend a 3 season tent like .264winmag said. There's tons of great options on the market so do some research to figure out what's best for you.

I've been running a MSR Elixr 2 for the last couple years. The tent isn't the lightest nor the most packable but it's well made and very weather proof which is important to me. Who likes being wet?
What's really cool about the Elixr is that you can run it with just the fly and included ground mat for a super light set up when the weather is warm in the summer months. MSR has a really neat video on youtube detailing this modular system.
The fly vestibule is large enough to cook in or store your pack if you're sharing the tent with a second person. I've used it in the snow in late November with no issues. This included cooking in the vestibule with a dragon fly stove. Just be vewy vewy careful...

To cut down on space I've ditched the tent bag the Exlir comes in and opted to stuff it into two separate compression / stuff sacks. This really cuts down the over all volume the tent takes up.

[Flingin' Sticks]

For the most part I'm running a good 3 season tent (Mountain Hardware hammerhead 2). If you're going to go the tent route make sure you have two vestibules...at the end of a long trip you're going to want to slap you're hunting partner without them crawling over you every time they have to piss.

I also have a Hennessy hammock that I love for early season trips, but I'd never gave it as my only option. Too many places I go have no trees big enough to support it, and I've never had much luck with running it as a bicycle bag. If you know you'll be in thick timber and you can sleep in one comfortably (I sleep better in the hammock than in a tent) then they can be awesome.

[rocksteady]

I sleep on the nude...


You want pics?

[KBC]

I sleep on the nude...


You want pics?

Sure, you want some of my pics?

Thanks for the replies so far. The backpacking tent is running away with it but I did find this https://www.hyperlitemountaingear.co...uct_tabs_specs
If you added the insert with floor might make it the best of a few worlds. The price is way more than I'd like to spend but maybe I could make something similar for a lot less. When you want to avoid bugs you could run it with the insert and later on you could run it floor-less and add a stove.

[KBC]

If you're going to go the tent route make sure you have two vestibules...at the end of a long trip you're going to want to slap you're hunting partner without them crawling over you every time they have to piss.

I snore way too much to share a tent with someone, but maybe it would keep the bears away?