New to backpacking starting my gear hunt

Heres another option - http://www.campsaver.com/outlet/espri-le-2p-tent-2-person-3-season

with their current 20% outlet coupon, its $139 shipped, and weighs just over 4 lbs.

I don't have experience with either of the tents i mentioned, but both are from reputable brands and in my opinion look well designed.

A 10 lb tent is about 7 lbs too heavy for a 2 person tent. For less than $300 you can get a pretty awesome tent. Check out- Light Heart Gear, Six Moon Design and Tarptent, to name a few, all make some fantastic tents. If you can't swing that, a 4 lb tent should be doable.

Oh, and you don't need a gun to go into the wilderness. Maybe bear spray in some places though. 30 years I've been playing in the wild and never needed a gun, unless I was hunting something.

I think she meant fun...

Still don't need one. Fun is good too!

backcountry .com has the Mountain Hardware Optic 3.5 tent for just under $214 to your door (no shipping, no tax). That's actually cheaper than you can get the smaller 2.5 for. I have the 3.5 (one of the first to get it) and frankly it's huge, it's very well put together, it's huge, it has a great viewing option, it's huge, and the vestibules are enough to swallow anything you bring and then some. Did I mention it's huge? oh, and it's also not heavy for it's size at sub-5lbs. If you want to stargaze? No sweat. Want to sit back and cook under a vestibule while it's torrentially pouring? Easy peasy. I've enjoyed it for both. You can also fast-fly with the footprint (and those are a lot cheaper than most places sell them for) should you go that route. Retail on it's usually in the $285-315 range so that backcountry deal is a steal.

This is mine during one of our 5-day kayak-camping trips though I also use it when backpacking and motorcycle camping.

Oh, and you don't need a gun to go into the wilderness. ... 30 years I've been playing in the wild and never needed a gun

Scott and I used to have our permits and had them with us when camping outside of Seattle. Not so much for protection as there were two great natural shooting ranges (yes, legal) so that was something we did when we camped. As luck would have it we woke up one morning, wandered the 20 yards or so from the tent to the river to rinse off and wake up a bit when we heard the noise. You guessed it, big fuzzy things. In this case it was momma black bear literally sitting on her butt in front of the tent while her cub wandered around inside exploring the place.

The conversation went something along these lines:

"Scott, where is your .30-30?"

"In the tent...with the bear... Where's your 9mm?"

"In the tent... with the bear... You know, no one's going to believe this."

"True, where is your camera?"

"In the tent... with the bear."

We stood there for about five minutes listening to a few things being knocked over as momma bear yawned.

"We have the right to bear arms and the right to arm bears."

"Very corny..."

After about 10-15 minutes that seemed a lot longer the cub wandered out and headed up the trail. Momma bear shrugged as if to say "Kids... What are ya gonna do?" then she, too, followed.

We had several muddy paw prints (did get pics of those) and for all it knocked a few things around the only damage cub did was to destroy a roll of paper towels much like a cat would. It's a day I don't think I'll ever forget but frankly I'd not have shot it anyhow. If things got that bad a few rounds in the air probably would have scared them off enough to beat feet. I always wondered if it was the same bear that lunched on that families overly annoying yappy dog a few months later at the same site? If so, I owe it one...

Scott and I used to have our permits and had them with us when camping outside of Seattle. Not so much for protection as there were two great natural shooting ranges (yes, legal) so that was something we did when we camped. As luck would have it we woke up one morning, wandered the 20 yards or so from the tent to the river to rinse off and wake up a bit when we heard the noise. You guessed it, big fuzzy things. In this case it was momma black bear literally sitting on her butt in front of the tent while her cub wandered around inside exploring the place.

The conversation went something along these lines:

"Scott, where is your .30-30?"

"In the tent...with the bear... Where's your 9mm?"

"In the tent... with the bear... You know, no one's going to believe this."

"True, where is your camera?"

"In the tent... with the bear."

We stood there for about five minutes listening to a few things being knocked over as momma bear yawned.

"We have the right to bear arms and the right to arm bears."

"Very corny..."

After about 10-15 minutes that seemed a lot longer the cub wandered out and headed up the trail. Momma bear shrugged as if to say "Kids... What are ya gonna do?" then she, too, followed.

We had several muddy paw prints (did get pics of those) and for all it knocked a few things around the only damage cub did was to destroy a roll of paper towels much like a cat would. It's a day I don't think I'll ever forget but frankly I'd not have shot it anyhow. If things got that bad a few rounds in the air probably would have scared them off enough to beat feet. I always wondered if it was the same bear that lunched on that families overly annoying yappy dog a few months later at the same site? If so, I owe it one...

That was a fantastic story, thanks for sharing.

Also folks: He is looking for a cheap tent. Stop trying to convince him to buy a $300 tent, it aint gonna happen.

The takeaway should be this: You will ditch a tent that is over 5 or 6 pounds after one season, thus wasting your money. Scour craigslist, sales on all the websites listed, and expect to pay a little more than you originally wanted for a tent that will last you a decade rather than paying twice.

This can become a really expensive hobby. The gear does last a helluva long time, but the initial investment can be huge, but it really doesnt have to be. When I started I had and old military MOLLE pack that weighs 12lbs EMPTY because I got it for $10. I had an old eddie baur mummy bag that I had to struggle in order to get it to take up ONLY half my pack. I shared a tent with my buddies when I didnt have my own. I used a beer can alcohol stove because it was essentially free. My cookware was whatever aluminum stuff I could find at the thrift store with the handles chopped off. There are ways to get by in the beginning, just try not to waste money on crappy gear that you will have to replace in less that 2 seasons.

I will add my voice to those above: a 10 pound tent would be a huge mistake. Many choices out there 5 pounds or less if on a budget, 3 pounds or less for a bit more. I would second Shaun Squid's comment about a gun--no place for them in the wilderness.

http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3998064&cp=4406646.4413993.4414966.12669395&fg=Sleeps

I know I already put in my two cents, but here is an $80 two-person tent that is under 5 lbs. No vestibule, but a great value in my opinion. There were a lot of other good deals at Dicks too.