I'm going to Northern CA this summer to be on a wildfire crew. This is my rookie season.

Any advice on good camping gear? I need a good mountain tent and sleeping bag.

How important is weight? If you're car camping or just hiking a mile to get away from some of the crowds, then you won't need to worry about getting the lightest possible gear.

One suggestion that might save you money is forget the tent completely. If you're in CA and it's spring/summer the weather will be pretty mild temperature wise. Try constructing a rain fly (basically just two tarps with one forming a slanted "roof" and another used as a groundcloth below). Two good tarps (with grommets) are much cheaper than a full tent and frankly I like the open air much better. Construct it right so the rain doesn't blow in and you'll be try and not as humid as you would be in a tent.

What are you going to need?

Tent? Pack? Bag? Sleeping pad? Stove?

Tent - Eureka makes a nice economical 2 man tent.

Pack - Kelty makes a couple nice internal frame packs and you can pick up the external Yukon for pretty cheap.

Bag - You will be just fine with a military surplus pancho liner. Super light weight and very warm even when wet.

Sleeping pad - Therma-rest is kind of the gold standard that everything else is judged off of. They aren't cheap but will ast you a long time.

Stove - The little MSR whisperlites are about as good as they come and you can't go wrong there. I have a Peak 1 multifuel that has been a workhorse for years with no troubles as well. If you will be more car camping then you might look into a colman camp stove though, more burners and a more stable cooking area is nicer for that kind of camping.

You can get a lot of gear at good prices at Campmor.com

Go to Cabelas either store, online or catelog. They have huge selections. A cot would be a real good thing to have if you're their for any length of time. You can get a dome tent for the weather you'll encounter at a very reasonable cost. Get one with room for your gear and the cot will help there too since you can store gear below your sleeping spot. Be sure to get a tent that you can comfortably stand up in and dry clothes in. Contrary to some beliefs it does rain in Californis and even if it doesn't your clothes will be wet from exertion. I do a lot of extreme hunting and you'll appreciate a good tent, good sleeping pad, decent sleeping bag, and cot if you plan to be out for any length of time and aren't backpacking or moving every day. If you have to pack your gear on your back or move camp every day, I can give you advise on those situations too. Cabelas is a great place to start.

If you are going as part of a wildfire crew, much of the camping arrangements are taken care of. Mostly you will need a sleeping bag suitable for the weather extremes-it gets cold at night up in the hills( agood cot might be a wise investment) -but you will be sleeping in a base camp or spike camp and not humping your gear up and down the ravines. Meal arrangements will be handled by field kitchens or food provided to you on the firelines.

Mostly you go out and bust yer arse on the line and come back to base camp for food and sleep.

heck out this site for more info:

http://www.firerescue1.com/wildland-firefighter/

There were a couple of backpacking threads recently that have good info.

A tent big enough to stand up in is going to be f-in heavy. I second the tarp idea, especially if you need to pack up quick and carry it. It really depends on how often you'll be expected to carry it and also how often you'll be in a larger, well stocked fire camp. As far as fast and light gear goes, REI is better than Cabelas. IME, stuff designed for hunters tends to be heavy and bulky because they assume that ATV or vehicles will be fairly accessible. Backpackers are all about the distance hiking, so the stuff is designed specifically to be light weight, compressible, and fairly rugged.

I worked out of Susanville a couple of summers ago. I love that part of the world. Absolutely beautiful, the Great Basin, up the eastern Sierras, and over to the coast. Congrats.

Thanks for the advice guys. I'm pretty stoked. I've been wanting to do this for a while.

The gear I need to provide is a tent, sleeping bag, and a good pair of boots. Thanks for the advice. REI seems like a good site.

Lots of the fire folk I know like their White's boots, but they are $$. My first season of trail a pair of Cat boots got me through alright, though now I would never trade in my Boreals. Superfeet insoles also help me out a bunch when hauling loads, but I have severe overpronation issues.

Something else I thought of .. Cabelas might be better for non-synthetic clothes, if your in the market for those. REI is backpacker/hiker which means lots of polypro and fleece. Not so good for fire work. But for a bag and a tent I'd stick with REI. Anything would work well for you, just balance weight and comfort.

Are you on a hand crew?