Yeah the sale price was not marked anywhere in the store, just showed up when I checked out. Might be a pricing error but getting the tent and the overpriced Big Agnes footprint seemed like the best deal I was going to find on a tent.
Spent some time at the REI sale. Some really good deals there. $105 off the Baltoro 75. Ended up getting the Big Agnes Fly Creek UL2 with the footprint for around $260 out the door plus a bunch of winter gym/running clothes.
Wouldn't having your trekking pole thing right in the middle of the tent be a pain in the ass? I have looked at some that use the trekking poles for support and kind of like the idea of something like the Veda tents or maybe a Lightheart. http://lightheartgear.com/index.php/tents/lightheart-duo-tents/product/view/6/5
I am very happy with both Western Mountaineering bags I have picked up. Not sure if a treated down or synthetic might be better in a very humid environment down there though.
I am looking at some minimalists tents from Tarptent and trying to figure out what Cuben Fiber is.
A well designed waist belt seems to make all the difference as going from not putting the bag on properly to actually using the belt right and supporting most of the weight on my hips made a huge difference. The Gregory waist belts are also very comfortable.
I am pretty sure the Dana guy was the one Ari was telling me about when we discussed bags when I was in NYC last.
I am thinking Osprey for a lightweight pack. The Kestrel and Atmos series are on my list.
My Gregory is heavy but seemed to be better built that anything I looked at. It is also very comfortable with weight up to 50 pounds so far in trial walks.