Our night in the tent

So, Tom and I had a successful first night in the tent. A few of the reviews for this particular tent had mentioned it was "a stretch to call it a two person tent", but we found it to be a nice size for us (two small to average sized people who are comfortable being close to each other). The vestibule will be nice for holding our shoes and packs, and the nice breathable tent material made for a comfortable night's sleep. It rained a bit, and we stayed perfectly dry thanks to the rain fly (which extends beyond the inner tent liner and doesnt touch, therefore even if we pressed against the side of the tent we wouldnt get wet). There is just enough space to sit up at the top of the tent without bumping our heads, and there is a great little place to hang a flashlight or lantern at the peak of the tent. There are also a number of little pockets, great for holding glasses and flashlights during the night. There is enough room inside for our sleeping pads to lay next to each other with a bit of extra space, and there is room at the end of the tent near our feet that will prove helpful for storing extra clothing or gear, especially on cold or rainy nights. The tent goes up and comes down with incredible ease, as well. It was the first time Tom and I had set it up as a team, and it didnt take us more than 5 minutes (we were also contending with some intense wind).

It was also our first time sleeping outside in our new sleeping bags. I recently purchased a Lafuma Warm 'n Light 30 degree down bag, and Tom has a Kelty Lightyear 20 degree synthetic bag. I found a great price on my bag at the REI Outlet, so I got it even though I was originally leaning towards at 20 degree bag. I think I am going to sew myself a liner to increase the warmth of my bag, and help keep it clean on the trail (I can easily wash my liner after I put my grubby body into it night after night). It got down to about 40 degrees the other night, and I was perfectly toasty. Tom says his feet were warm, but his chest got a bit chilly. We were dressed rather lightly, so we can always pile on more layers as the temperature drops.

But we woke up in time to see the sunrise over the Puget Sound (that is the photo). And I also got to see some seals, which was absolutely fantastic.