2 Person Sleep System for Bug Out Situation

[space.gamer]

Hey, I hope you can help me. I'm new to camping, let alone SHTF-type situations, and I'm looking for some guidance on a sleep system for my wife and I. I've Googled and YouTubed myself to death and I'm almost more confused now than I was before I started looking - so many YouTube sleep system videos are US-weather based for 1 person.

Anyway, some background:

• I'm looking for a sleep system, for 2 people, for 2 bug-out bags I'm building. As I'm building 2 bug-out bags, I'm thinking weight and items for the sleep system can be shared amongst the 2 bags (e.g. if I bought a tent, I probably would just need 1 2-person tent).

• I want a single system that can be used throughout the year. I'm based in Kent in the UK so typically weather is warmer down here than up in the North or mountainous regions, but we are a coastal town so winds can be quite strong. I'm definitely looking for something that can deal with below-0 temperatures, so I guess I'm looking for -5 to -10 C as a maximum cold temperature, as I believe this will deal with 99.9% of days here in Kent.

• Usage-wise, I'm looking for something for a bug-out situation so I'm not anticipating long-term usage. Perhaps I'm wrong thinking this but I'm expecting this should be something that will suffice or say up to a week, being moved each night, as we travel from our home location to "elsewhere".

• Having something as small as possible would be great to ensure we can put the system in our bags. Small doesn't necessarily mean light so if there happen to be slightly heavier but smaller packaged options, these might suit us. However something relatively comfortable would be nice - so teeny-tiny bivvy-style systems may not suit. FYI, I'm 5'11" 75kg and my wife is 5'8" 85 kg.

• We would be looking for something relatively stealthy so if we went the tent route, I'm not sure a bright yellow tent would suit. Likewise I'm not looking for anything specifically camo, but greens and browns or simple camo would suit, as I would anticipate sleeping out in wooded areas.

• Pricewise, budget is an issue, so I'm not spending £1,000 on a sleep system. However items don't need to be super-budget. I was hoping to get an entire system for £300-£500 pound max.

• Item-wise, I was thinking of a double-skin tent, 2x sleeping pad (yes, two singles and not one double), 2x sleeping bag and 2x sleeping bag liners. Items I've short-listed are:
  
  Vango Nova 200 = £130 https://www.vango.co.uk/gb/camping-equi ... a-200.html
  Big Agnes Rapide SL Insulated Sleeping Pad, Orange, Wide Regular (25X72) = £170 x 2 = £340 https://amzn.eu/d/0HPxvVn
  (NewDoar) AEGISMAX Ultra-Light Goose Down Ultra-compactable Sleeping Bag = £113 x 2 = £226 https://amzn.eu/d/1voEQU9
  Sol Escape Lite Bivvy Shelter (sleeping bag liner) = £50 x 2 = £100 https://amzn.eu/d/fzFiAHs
  Sea To Summit Thermolite Reactor Extreme Sleeping Bag Liner = £53 x 2 = £106 https://amzn.eu/d/0hIstj7
  Dawa 10pcs 7inches Tent Peg Nail Aluminium Alloy Stake = £8 https://amzn.eu/d/4ZLxAEa (not required but I think would be a good replacement for the standard tent pegs)
  
  Based upon the prices I've listed, that's around £900 for the system which is really a bit more than I wanted to spend. Weight-wise it's 6.5kg for everything, which I'd probably split as 4.5kg for me (I'd carry the tent, pegs and one of each item) and 2kg for my wife (who would carry 1 of each item except the tent and pegs).

So I'd appreciate your thoughts and comments on this. Does the listed sleep system give me exactly what I need and should I just suck it up if I want that spec and size? Or is this sleep system overkill? If I needed to, where should I compromise on some of the items, whether some are redundant, or I can swap out for a lower quality item? (Looking at the costs for each item, the sleeping pad is the most expensive item but I believe a very important one)? Does 6.5kg seem a good weight for a 2 person sleep system or it is far too heavy? If you'd swap out some items, it would be great if you could give specific suggestions and better still, website links.

Anyway, thanks in advance.

[Yorkshire Andy]

Down is great till it gets damp.....


Synthetic is probably a safer bet for UK conditions

[Frnc]

Down is great till it gets damp.....


Synthetic is probably a safer bet for UK conditions

Correct, although I had a down bag all through my youth through to mid thirties when my knees packed in. It was still useable after 20 years.

I can give advice on these but I'll have to do it in more than one post. I'll start with that tent.

Vango is a decent make. Should last many years.
2.5 kg isn't superlight, but it's pretty light. 1.25 kg each, aim for 15 kg overall weight. You need to get everything as light as possible within budget. You can get 2 person tents that weigh 1kg but they cost £350-600 and might not last as long. It does say Trail weight 2.08kg by the way, and you could get a few titanium wire pegs.
Flysheet and inner pitch together, handy, but it means one person has to carry it all. The other can carry the pegs and cooking gear. Might as well keep the poles wrapped inside the tent.
It's not freestanding, but that's not the end of the world.
Poles are aluminium which is good. You can buy repair kits with a bit of tube that will slide onto it, if one does fold (unlikely), and spare shock cord. Better than fibreglass.
92 cm high inside is not particularly high, but that's probably because top is flat, it's a tunnel. You presumably won't be able to sit up inside it.
£129 is pretty cheap
15 reviews, all 5 star except one 4 star.
My verdict: a good choice for your purposes and budget.

[space.gamer]

I can give advice on these but I'll have to do it in more than one post. I'll start with that tent.

Vango is a decent make. Should last many years.
....
My verdict: a good choice for your purposes and budget.

Thanks for that detailed comment. Much appreciated. Just a quickie re-some comments though - perhaps for others. As this is aiming to be a Bug Out tent, long-term durability isn't something I'm massively worried about. If I can use it for a week (or a few weeks), then that should be fine.

Anyway, from what you say, I think this tent looks like a strong contender.

[Frnc]

Big Agnes Rapide SL Insulated Sleeping Pad, Orange, Wide Regular (25X72) = £170 x 2 = £340 https://amzn.eu/d/0HPxvVn

Crikey, that's quite a bit of dosh.
R 4.2 is ok for a UK winter.
Weight 680g, not the lightest, but not bad.
Reviews seem good
The only downside is that if it leaks and you can't fix it, you're snookered.

My personal setup is a top rated closed cell foam mat plus a short, ultralight air bed. Combined = 530g, R = about 4, but probably higher. The reason for this combo is if the air bed fails, I still have a foam mat. Combined cost is in the ball park of the Big Agnes.

If you want to check out my gear,
Closed cell mat is Multimat Summit 12 XL, about £40, Rated 5 season. 355g. In a dark bag for stealth as it's bright yellow on one side. The bag is from Multimat. It's not supposed to fit this mat, but it does. Bag is about 50g.
Air bed is Thermorest Uberlite short. The reason for short is saving weight. I'm used to mats that just go from shoulders to knees. My lower legs would be on the closed cell, head on pillow. Weight 170g Costs about £140, (got mine for about £105 but got £50 refund as it didn't have a repair kit or pump.) I should warn you, one long distance hiker, homemadewanderlust (Dixie), reckons they leak, but mine seemed fine when I tested it. I wasn't lying on it, just blew it up and left it a few days. She prefers a different Thermorest, the NeoAir XLite, which isn't a lot heavier or dearer, and has a higher R value, Small is 230g R4.2 £135.

In fact, if you want to risk airbed only, the regular X-lite is £165, R 4.2, and only 354g. https://ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/neo ... eping-mat/

You need to check the Big Agneses will fit in the Vango
Vango says internal width 130
Big Agnes 25 wide x 2 = 50 = 127cm. Not much leeway!

Bear in mind if you only have air beds, you'll either have to have them inflated all the time, or you'll be on the cold floor.

[Frnc]

I can give advice on these but I'll have to do it in more than one post. I'll start with that tent.

Vango is a decent make. Should last many years.
....
My verdict: a good choice for your purposes and budget.

Thanks for that detailed comment. Much appreciated. Just a quickie re-some comments though - perhaps for others. As this is aiming to be a Bug Out tent, long-term durability isn't something I'm massively worried about. If I can use it for a week (or a few weeks), then that should be fine.

Anyway, from what you say, I think this tent looks like a strong contender.

Even for bugout, you want gear that's decent quality, that will last. You might have to bugout longer than you think, or it might encounter harsh weather. Anyway, the Vango is a good all rounder, and inexpensive.

Just bear in mind with each item, weight is critical. But 2.5 kg is OK for a tent for two. For reference, mine is a fairly cheap one, about 1kg, one person, single skin except for the porch, no poles, so you need a trekking pole.

[space.gamer]

My personal setup is a top rated closed cell foam mat plus a short, ultralight air bed. Combined = 530g, R = about 4, but probably higher. The reason for this combo is if the air bed fails, I still have a foam mat. Combined cost is in the ball park of the Big Agnes.

If you want to check out my gear,
Closed cell mat is Multimat Summit 12 XL, about £40, Rated 5 season. 355g. In a dark bag for stealth as it's bright yellow on one side. The bag is from Multimat. It's not supposed to fit this mat, but it does. Bag is about 50g.
Air bed is Thermorest Uberlite short. The reason for short is saving weight. I'm used to mats that just go from shoulders to knees. My lower legs would be on the closed cell, head on pillow. Weight 170g Costs about £140, (got mine for about £105 but got £50 refund as it didn't have a repair kit or pump.) I should warn you, one long distance hiker, homemadewanderlust (Dixie), reckons they leak, but mine seemed fine when I tested it. I wasn't lying on it, just blew it up and left it a few days. She prefers a different Thermorest, the NeoAir XLite, which isn't a lot heavier or dearer, and has a higher R value, Small is 230g R4.2 £135.

I do like the idea of a mat - perhaps I'm thinking this all wrong but I was imagining it would be easier to carry a mat roll at the bottom of my pack vs carrying something inside. However I guess a mat is more visible to others and potentially a little bit less stealthy?

Also I guess a puncture repair of sorts would fix any airbed holes....?

I'm not sure I'm keen on a short, 20" sleeping pad/airmat either. I loved the idea of the cushioned sides of the Wide Big Agnes, I do get what you say about whether 2 Big Agnes' will fit though. Let's hope the measurements are right!

[Frnc]

(NewDoar) AEGISMAX Ultra-Light Goose Down Ultra-compactable Sleeping Bag = £113 x 2 = £226 https://amzn.eu/d/1voEQU9
Sol Escape Lite Bivvy Shelter (sleeping bag liner) = £50 x 2 = £100 https://amzn.eu/d/fzFiAHs
Sea To Summit Thermolite Reactor Extreme Sleeping Bag Liner = £53 x 2 = £106 https://amzn.eu/d/0hIstj7

Sol Escape Lite Bivvy Shelter (sleeping bag liner) = £50 x 2 = £100 https://amzn.eu/d/fzFiAHs

This isn't a sleeping bag liner it's am emergency bivi bag.

Your total cost there is £226 each.
Not sure what the weight adds up to.... Sleeping bags are 0.52kg each, sea to summit liners 0.4kg each, bivi bags 156g, that is over 1kg each, quite a lot.

My gut feeling here is ditch all three, and just get a decent sleeping bag from a more well known brand. You could just go for a quilt. Backpackers use them because when you lie in a sleeping bag, the comression under you renders the insulation near to zero, so you are relying on the mat. These quilts don't look like ones you put on you bed though. they look like a sleeping bag with a bit missing and no hood.
Bag or quilt, for the price of your three items £226 each you could get a more tried and trusted bag (Sea to Summit is a good make by the way, but I got a map case off them I couldn't open!). And save a lot of weight.

Here are some suggestions

342g, 5°C Sea to Summit £255
https://ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/spa ... eping-bag/

370g, 7°C Thermarest £240
https://ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/hyp ... eping-bag/

436g, 10° Sea To Summit £185
https://ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/tra ... eping-bag/

Plenty of other good bags on that site, plus quilts and synthetic.

Personally I have a synthetic half bag, only comes up to my waist. Weighs 230g. The idea is you sleep in a puffy jacket (alpine style). But you can't buy these bags anymore. You can buy down ones, but they are quite expensive.

[Frnc]

Those tent pegs might not be much different to the ones the Vango comes with. Again, you can save a few grams swapping things like that. I have a few ones similar to that, plus a few titanium wire pegs.

What rucksacks do you have?

You want about 50 litres (each) with good back system, light frame, and pockets. I use an old model Kelty Redwing. Another good make is Osprey. Rucksack shouldn't weigh much more than 1.5 kg.

[space.gamer]

Those tent pegs might not be much different to the ones the Vango comes with. Again, you can save a few grams swapping things like that. I have a few ones similar to that, plus a few titanium wire pegs.
What rucksacks do you have?
You want about 50 litres (each) with good back system, light frame, and pockets. I use an old model Kelty Redwing. Another good make is Osprey. Rucksack shouldn't weigh much more than 1.5 kg.

The Pegs were pretty much an afterthought so no issue there.

Backpack-wise, I've got 2x 5.11 Tactical Rush 72 2.0 Backpacks (55L). https://www.511tactical.com/eu-en/rush7 ... kpack.html These are non-negotiable as I've just spend a fortune on these.