Hey folks, I’m super new to this backpacking thing too-just did my first overnighter last month with mostly Decathlon stuff since it’s right by my place. For sleeping, I grabbed the Forclaz MT500 0°C bag and paired it with the MT500 air pad. It was comfy down to about 5°C on a cool spring night, but I layered a fleece liner inside for extra warmth-felt realistic, not too optimistic. No major cold spots if you inflate the pad right.
On tents, I went with the Trek 900 UL 2-person-handles light wind fine (up to 20-25 km/h gusts we had), and the rain fly kept us dry during an all-night drizzle. Condensation was minimal with good venting, but yeah, the Fresh & Black version is more for car camping if you want that total darkness; it’s not a game-changer for backpacking.
Packs: The MT500 50L fits my smaller frame okay (I’m 5′6″), and it transferred weight well for my 10kg load-no hot spots after adjusting the hipbelt. Fabrics seem durable so far, but I added some foam padding to the straps for longer hikes.
For easy wins, I swapped the stock stakes for titanium ones (cheap on Amazon) and seam-sealed the tent right away-total lifesaver. Weights were spot on for what I got; the bag was listed at 1.2kg and mine hit 1.18kg.
Anyone else mod their cook kit? Their screw-on stove worked okay in mild wind, but I might grab a windscreen next time. What’s your go-to non-Decathlon add-on?