Tent, Sleeping Bag and Portage Pack for the Boundary Waters

Here are my choices for a tent, sleeping bag and portage pack for the Boundary Waters trip, specifically my last Boundary Waters trip. The trip followed a ~160 mile, ~30 miles of portages route from 1879. You can read my previous articles: Lightweight Camping Cook Set for Canoeing and Kayaking and Clothing for the Boundary Waters 2021 about those two topics.

This is perhaps the easiest category for me to write about. My pack and bedroom gear is the most refined gear that I own. I’ve been using pretty much the same for years. On this trip, I did change it up just a bit.

Portage Pack for the Boundary Waters

Before the trip, I purchased a new pack. In the past, I’ve used Cooke Custom Sewing Pioneer Packs. For our family trips, two Pioneer Packs are the perfect size for three people. For one person, the pack at 4700 cu. in. is just too large. Even with the food I carried for 12 days, it was too much room. I ended up buying an Cooke Custom Sewing Explorer at 3350 cu. in. It was still a bit too large for my needs, but it worked out well.

The nice thing about portage specific packs is that they carry well when single portaging with a canoe on your shoulders. I’ve tried using a lightweight backpacking pack in the past and they never jive with the canoe yoke. The CCS Explorer carries well even with the canoe. It’s also built to withstand years of punishment. I believe the first Pioneer Pack I bought is over 20 years old now.

I also really like that these packs are Made in Minnesota.

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Tent for the Boundary Waters

Last year I bought a Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2 [REI, OutdoorPlay, Amazon]. I picked it right before I realized that my business was going to tank from the pandemic. But instead of selling this tent, like I did to lots of other gear, I kept it and used it on this trip. This tent is solid! It weighs 40 ounces, which for a two-person, double-walled tent is light. It’s also really roomy for one person and adequate for two.

I really like the double doors and double vestibules. I loved having the gear storage built into the top of the inner canopy. The rainfly was water tight. Even during a thunderstorm with 30 to 40 mph winds, the tent handled it fine. I pitched the tent into the wind to capture any breeze because it was 90 degrees F before the storm hit, so the tent wasn’t even pitched into the storm like I would normally pitch if I was expecting a storm. As a side note, after the storm the temps dropped to 28 degrees F overnight.

It handled condensation just fine as along as I cracked the doors from the top. It’s easy to pitch and small. I hung a line to dry clothing on using tabs that run between the doors.

I’ve used a lot of tents in my life and can’t see buying different two-person tent again. This is the best I’ve used.

Outside of bug season, I may still use a tarp because it’s 1.5 pounds lighter, but having a full tent might be a luxury that I’m willing to carry in the future. That’s especially true with a tent this light.

Sleeping Bag for the Boundary Waters

On this trip, I used the Enlightened Gear Revelation quilt at 20 degrees F. I’ve had this for a few years now and have liked it. The nice thing about a quilt is because it doesn’t have a bottom, it is lighter. It’s also more comfortable as a side sleeper and roller. I move around a lot at night and with a quilt it’s much easier to do that versus a sleeping bag.

While I do like this quilt, to get this quilt down to 20 degrees F I find I have to wear long underwear and a top. I used my Superior Fleece Alpha Direct piece and my down vest (on two nights on the trip). This is even with the foot completely closed up. and the quilt elastic’d tightly around my sleeping pad. I generally wear different clothing to bed than I paddle in, so changing isn’t a big deal.

The biggest downside to this quilt is I have an early version which had/has a problem with down migration. After it gets used and washed in the bathtub, the down migrates from the inner baffles to the outer baffles. Before the trip, I spent about an hour moving down inward, and I’m still not sure I got it distributed correctly. Newer versions won’t have this problem.

This product is also Made in Minnesota.

For a sleeping pad, I used an Exped SynMat HL. This is a comfy inflatable for a side sleeper. It packs small and weighs only 12.6 ounces. For the size, comfort level, warmth and durability, I find that weight fine. The R-value is 2.9 to 3.3 depending on the standard you follow. The stuff sack and repair kit weighs 1.1 ounces together, so I carry that. To inflate this, you need to use their special Schozzel Pumpbag. They make an ultralight version, but even the smallest one is too big. I’d love to see an 8 liter version, because the 8 liter Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil™ Dry Sack [Amazon, REI] fits my quilt perfectly.

For a pillow, I used the Trekology Ultralight Inflatable Camping Travel Pillow (Read my review) again. I’ve been using this on every trip since I got it. I think on my next trip, I’m going to leave it home and go to using a stuff sack stuffed with clothing and wrapped with a Buff. I carry a buff anyway and it seems like this option was just as comfy. Gone are the days that I use my life vest as a pillow. It’s not that I don’t like the Trekology, but I’m sick of having to inflate and deflate another item.

On that note, I’ve been considering switching my sleeping pad to a Therm-a-Rest Z Lite Sol Foam Sleeping Pad. [REI, Amazon] I get kind of sick of inflating my pad in the tent. I pulled out my winter Ridge Rest recently for a shakedown trip before this BWCA trip and found it not as comfy, but it was fine.

Those are my big three items: tent, sleeping bag and portage pack for the Boundary Waters.