Tent or Bivy?

Everybody has different tastes and requirements, so all the advice you get will be valid, even if it's not what you ultimately follow. <br><br>Another reason I bought a First Light is that I think it will be the perfect tent for hikes with my 8-year-old son. We only go out when the weather looks nice, and I carry all the overnight gear, so a little tent like this (with a mosquito net) will be great for hikes with him. I didn't buy any extras for it.<br><br>As for cartridge stoves, I think they're adequate for anywhere in the Cascades. An 8-oz. cartridge will cook three dinners for a single person in spring, even if you're melting snow (assuming a quick meal like Ramen).<br><br>I've been meaning to test the First Light out in the back yard on one of these rainy evenings to see how much it leaks. My philosophy is that nearly all tents leak, and a lot depends on how you manage your gear inside. A few garbage bags and strategically placed items can go a long way toward keeping your sleeping bag from getting wet from the tent walls. (I mentioned condensation in the tent on the Dome Peak trip, but my sleeping bag was dry in the morning.)<br><br>In the interest of full disclosure, I must confess that I'm one of those guys with a quiver of tents. I've got a bivi sack, a Bibler Eldorado, a pyramid, and now a First Light. I keep looking for lighter gear because I'm not getting any younger!

<br>The EPIC tents are somewhat strange, but I know a guy who has one, and he says in rain the thing leaks like a sieve. Might be ok in the snow...<br><br>

<br><br>You're friend should send it back to Black Diamond if it's not performing as advertised.<br><br>I have the BD Lighthouse. I've used it a few times in heavy rains and it was fine. Condensation is more of a real problem than leaking like a sieve. I'm very happy with mine and actually got rid of my heavier and bulkier Integral Designs, which also collects condensation but the fuzzy inner liner hides it. <br><br>

It certainly is easy to go overboard on the lilghtness thing. Here is bit of what I have learned this spring:<br><br>Granite Gear (Vapor Trail) pack (32 oz). Great!! Has all the ties I need, carries skis diagonal of A-frame, 3200 CC, skis well.<br><br>Marmot bags -- the Hydrogen weighs 1 oz more than the Atom and provides baffle construction. Worth the ounce.<br><br>Silnylon tarp ( 14 oz) and bivy bag 9 (oz) -- too minimal. I'm ready to upgtrade to a small tent. Three nights on volcanoes in a flapping tarp has me thinking that a night's sleep is worth carrying an extra half pound. On Adams I gave up and dug a snow cave in the last light.<br><br>Tiny (4 oz) canister stove with self ignition-- how did I ever live without this one?!

Granite Gear (Vapor Trail) pack (32 oz).  Great!! Has all the ties I need, carries skis diagonal of A-frame, 3200 CC, skis well.

<br>Wow, is that pack very durable? I looked at it yesterday in a store, I'm afraid I'd shred it rapidly.

Another vote for the Marmot Hydrogen - 30 degree, 900 fill, works well for spring and you could stretch it to winter use (wear down booties and fleece gloves to bed).<br><br>MSR Superfly stove with piezo: Cooks fine, at least up to 10,000 ft., but the piezo struggles in the cold - bring a lighter!

Jeff, I don't think any of the ultra light packs are going to last more than a year or two of heavy use. I think the Granite Gear packs are much more durable than the Gossamer series, and not as durable as the Gregory packs. Somewhere between strength and lightness we find the balance appropriate for ourselves. I am old enough and financially able enough to have to put up with a reasonable replacement rate in order to keep my weight down. In a couple years I may be going through 4.7 oz packs, one a weekend!<br><br>That said, I carried 60 lb in it two weeks ago, when a companion suffered heat exhaustion and needed some help with his gear. It carried well and suffered no damage.