As someone who does
a LOT of backpacking I would like to add my $.02 regarding tent selection.
There are a good number of lightweight backpacker tents (stoves, mattress pads, etc.) out there.
The lightest weight tents tend to be single walled tents. I have one and it works just OK. The problem with single wall tents is they don't breathe as well as double walled tents. Double walled tents are usually those with rain flies and lots of vents at the top to let moisture out.
Single walled tents tend to collect moisture on the inside wall which will drip on you even during a dry night. In the winter you will notice this as ice forming on the inside of the tent.
As for the types of supports, get a free standing tent, one which requires only a limited number of stakes to stay erect. Most tents come with simple aluminum stakes that are not much better than nails. These will not work in sand and will bend if you push them into a rock. Free standing tents are just easier to erect in the varied conditions you might encounter. Don't worry about a vestibule, although nice when backpacking, you can store stuff in your plane at night.
Go to your local camping store and ask the staff to show you how to set it up. That will make life much easier!
Plastic sheet cut to the size of the tent works as a very good moisture barrier but for backpacking I like to use Tyvek, the white stuff they rap houses with. It is both waterproof and very light.
Mattress pads are a personal choice. The
self inflating types are very nice and comfortable but I prefer a
Z-Lite as they can't pop as my self inflating mattress did in the middle of the desert.
Bill aka guide for
Extreme Outdoors Adventures when I?m not working on my -9.