Gear sharing as a couple, please help!

imported
#1

Hello all!

This is my third post, and I’m loving Trail Forums.
My very significant other and I will be starting our thru hike this spring and would love weight-sharing advice from all you experienced types.
I found the ‘Couples’ threads to be very enlightening in terms of the social dynamics, but would greatly appreciate advice on the nitty-gritty:

emily and I would like to 1) be able to split up occassionally 2) go as light as possible 3) experience the benefits of sharing weight

mostly, i’m looking for advice on how to do shelter and how to construct our sleeping system.

get summer bags with opposite zippers and zip them together?
use a couple of homemade quilts and velcro them together?
etc…
(i’m finding the problem to bbe that the lightweight bags we can afford all have left side only half-zips)

thanks very much everyone! see you on the trail next season!

casey

#2

Get Ray Jardine’s Book, “Beyond Backpacking.” It’s the ultralight hiking book of choice. The author does most of his backpacking with his wife, so he has lots of good advice about how to hike as a couple, split up gear, etc.

Tell it like it is

#3

Casey all I can comment on is get your self a good 8 X 10 sil-nylon tarp it will weight about one pound and will keep you and yours very dry and warm.As far as sleeping bags I can’t comment there. I hope in some way this helps you. :slight_smile: :slight_smile:

EZ-DOES-IT

#4

In 2004, I hiked with my significant other. We carried a 10X12 sil tarp, 2 ultra light western mountaineering bags, 2 backpacks, 1 soda can stove, one bottle of fuel, six titanium tent stakes, two headlamps, 2 - 4 liter dromedary bags, one pot, two cups two spoons… If you tarp, I would go with the larger tarp rather than the smaller one suggested by Ezy. It is very roomy, you can have guests over for dinner and much better when raining (you both will stink and maybe want to be comfortably dry yet have a little space. We split the gear and food up according to weight. If you plan to separate you may want to include another pot and stove in a bounce box. Good Luck…

aswaH

ASWAH

#5

When I hiked with a sig. other and with other couples we found several ways to make it work. We chose to share a soda can stove, do all our food shopping with combines meals in mind, and share a tarp tent. It worked well for us, and we used a bounce box to send the extra stuff ahead in case we split up. Some of the couples we hiked with had different approaches. One used the go lite nest as their shelter, loved it, it was big and roomy, and also used the golite couples sleep system. They were able to travel very light. Another used a large one man tent as they wanted low weight and screen protection for no-seeums. Whatever you do I suggest you go on a couple of week-long hikes before your big attempt to see what you need, what you don’t need, and make sure whatever you choose works for you both. Good luck!

Grassy Ridge

#6

My husband and I have the option of zipping our sleeping bags together and don’t use it anymore. The space between us only lets more cold air in. You can’t cinch the top closer or use the hoods when the bags are together. I am also a restless sleeper and keep my partner awake in the same bag. If we want some together time - one bag on top as a quilt works for a short time. Then separate bags for sleeping.

Turtle Walking

#7

We’re the opposite. We always zip our bags together. Luckily, we are both fairly quiet sleepers. But I like the extra room you get with the double bag. There is much more shoulder room. When it is cold, my husband generates a lot of heat, enough to make up for the cold spaces. We sleep entwined in a regular bed, so being close in a sleeping bag is only a problem if it is really hot - in which case we sleep on top of the bag.

Ginny

#8

and still checking this thread. thanks for the advice. we are looking at getting a pair of mate-able summer bags. (maybe a couple of Marmot trestles (40) or a couple of Big Agnes Horse Theifs. The problem is that so many lightweight bags only have half zips. but i guess we’ll have to try mating bags first to see if it’s right for us. thanks all, and i hope that this post from me doesn’t “end” the discussion!

casey