some of my kit (still waiting on some more to arrive)

[midas]

[QUOTE=TheDaddy. but if im giving it to my son, maybe a pop up one would be better...[/QUOTE]

The only trouble with the popups is you need to be a magician,or have 3 hand, to recoil them.lol
I've got a Hi Gear,Pitch n go.Camo,2 man,(thats a joke)Totally waterproof.but you need to take a towel to bed to wipe the condensation of the inside.
Nevertheless,its great for an overnight stop.
For when weight is no object got a "Force 8 Bivvie"erect in 20 sec.n let the Jeep do the carrying.....

[saxonaxe]

" ground-dwelling with my DD tarp and a space blanket for a ground sheet"

Yep, I spent a lot of summer nights under a tarp, ( on an exped air mat though 'cos I'm a wimp ) The summer was so good a tent seemed overkill..



" im considering something like this"

Those 'pop-ups' are ok if you have transport right up to where you're going to pitch, but the forth little illustration down on the Amazon website shows it 'folded' and they are a bit of a pain to haul very far because of the size/shape..Good for encouraging nippers to camp out though..

[TheDaddy187]

im happy under a tarp... use to use leaves as a base for bedding, but i got a self inflating mat... folds up pretty small (though takes a good 5 mins to get all the air out when its finished with)
the brand evades me...

[OakAshandThorn]

I find leaves are only useful if they are not compressed, otherwise, you're sleeping on a tick-infested lumpy bed. They make a great fill for a raised bed, but are otherwise not ideal IMO.

[TheDaddy187]

I generally collect up dead leaves and fresh boughs from something evergreen...
layer of dead stuff followed by layer of good stuff then I have a little 2x2m tarp id fold in half and lay on top... then sleeping bag...

Now its just making sure nothing sharp is there... tarp folded then inflatable mat and bag...

In my tent I just check the grounds clear of sharp stuff then mat and bag inside

[Pootle]

I agree with pop ups being a pain to carry, and terrible for condensation.
But I take one family (car) camping and festivals if it's raining. Chuck all the gear in it whilst setting up and it keeps everything from getting soaked.

[TheDaddy187]

i hike to wherever i am camping out...

my pack is set for bad weather setup... everything is placed in an order inside so i can access it while reducing chances of things getting wet that dont need to be... generally its tarp and cord on top... as soon as this is setup i have a rain free space to work under at a more leisurely pace...
then its tent (if i am using one) or ground sheet...

the last thing to come out is my sleeping bag when its safe to do so...

pack setup is as important as camp location and checking the weather reports

[Paul De Fitter]

The ol pop up tent is a bugger to carry !
I think a tent with a bit of a fly/roof type thing over the door is a must, the pop up will let rain straight into the tent any time you open up,

[midas]

The ol pop up tent is a bugger to carry !
I think a tent with a bit of a fly/roof type thing over the door is a must, the pop up will let rain straight into the tent any time you open up,

Agree on awkward to carry,Paul! But I solve the problem of no porch,Usually have my large poncho with me!so a stick n a length of paracord,extends,n forms a covered cooking area, if required n if persistantly raining.