tent or no tent?

[double d]

Its always a great question about tents/tarps, but I like to have a tent to protect against rain-wind-insects. But tarp lovers defend their use as well. Maybe do a shake down hike using both.

[Timinator]

Good point about the ticks actually. I think I will use a tent, I hate pullin those buggers off.

As far as the "Kiddie Pool" comment goes, I thought it was pretty funny. The AT is logistically far easier than the PCT or CDT, so a lot of newbies seem to gravitate to it. That said, the actual hiking part can be rather challenging. Besides the rain and insects, the AT is Olympic pool caliber when it comes to elevation gain and loss. Neither the PCT nor the CDT exceed it, and they are longer trails. Surprised?

I live in new england so I'm fully aware of the elevation gain of the AT. I've done plenty of hiking in the whites and other areas of new england.
I'm used to sectioning the CDT which is on another level other than elevation gain and perhaps rainfall. Generally speaking the AT is in comparison a "kiddy pool" as long as you're in shape. For the most part your always within a few miles of civilization, it's difficult to get lost, help is always around, lots of water sources, short resupplies, etc.

[Bansko]

Good point about the ticks actually. I think I will use a tent, I hate pullin those buggers off.

I live in new england so I'm fully aware of the elevation gain of the AT. I've done plenty of hiking in the whites and other areas of new england.
I'm used to sectioning the CDT which is on another level other than elevation gain and perhaps rainfall. Generally speaking the AT is in comparison a "kiddy pool" as long as you're in shape. For the most part your always within a few miles of civilization, it's difficult to get lost, help is always around, lots of water sources, short resupplies, etc.

I completely agree with you. The AT is VERY forgiving when it comes to newbies. On the other hand, the only place I backpacked for almost 15 years before I thru-hiked the AT was in the Wind River Mountains of Wyoming, where I lived. I NEVER went more than a few miles from the trailhead without a map, compass, protractor (remnant from my Army days), GPS, and PLB. Overkill? Sure, but the consequences for mistakes and injuries were much greater, and I often went solo. It wasn't unusual to hike all day and see no one else (in parts of the Southern Winds and on the Reservation). That said, I found the actual hiking more challenging on the AT than in the Winds. The constant ups and downs of the AT required a certain mental and physical toughness if you wanted to go the distance.

[tdoczi]

I believe that you should always bring some sort of shelter. That said, it does not need to be a tent or anything fancy at all. Just some sort of emergency shelter that will keep you warm and dry enough during a soaking wet rainy, snowy, sleety night. Heck, I saw a dude who carried an emergency bivy he made himself for weekend trips out of a couple trash bags taped together... he figured it would get him through a night, maybe two, of terrible weather. He wouldn't be comfortable in it, but he'd be alive, and then he would hike out the next morning to head home. And it weighed maybe 3 or 4 ounces would be my guess. Not a solution for a thru hike, but for a weekend hike it was fine.

That's really all you need, but I am a firm believer that you do need at least something like that.

thats basically my current approach. i'm carrying a $20 survival bivy. figure during the summer at not high elevation itll get me through a night and if i need to then ill hike the 5 miles ( at most) to the nearest road and go home if thats whats in the cards.

the frequency that that event might occur does not come close to equaling how much better it is hiking without a tent, even one that only weights 2 lbs, strapped to my back that i never use.

[Timinator]

The idea of sleeping in a crowded shelter while hiking in the woods does not appeal to me at all sadly.

[One Half]

PennyPincher using a Zpacks tent....

You owe me a new irony meter...my old one just exploded...

Yep. Should really be FrugalFannie. makes more sense.

[Timinator]

I might actually buy a zpacks tent, and bag. How are they? I could get my base weight down to about 6-7lb with that zpacks stuff, not too shabby.

[scrabbler]

I might actually buy a zpacks tent, and bag. How are they? I could get my base weight down to about 6-7lb with that zpacks stuff, not too shabby.

6-7lb base weight, rocking the Zpacks shelter and bag, yet wears 3lb boots - that's gotta be a trail story there.

[Xycon]

I might actually buy a zpacks tent, and bag. How are they? I could get my base weight down to about 6-7lb with that zpacks stuff, not too shabby.

Zpacks tents are very highly regarded as some of the best ultra light shelters you can get. I have one myself. Their bags (i'm assuming you mean backpack?) however, tend to be more criticized. Not due to construction quality but due to the fact that cuben is inherently not the greatest against abrasion. A lot of hikers have had trouble with their cuben backpacks not lasting an entire thru hike.

[fastfoxengineering]

Sounds like an mld poncho tarp might be of an interest to you. Something to consider if your really trying to go very light.

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[Spirit Walker]

Are you planning to be out for a weekend, or a thruhike? It makes a difference. You can be uncomfortable for a night or two with no problem, or you can bail if the weather gets really nasty on a weekend trip, but if you are out for months, you'll want to be able to sleep dry. On an AT thruhike, the average is one in three days has some sort of precipitation. A lot of that is fog/mist which gets under tarps and can soak you. Out west you can cowboy camp pretty easily, because it is so dry, but on the AT, even when you go to sleep on a cloudless night, you are likely to wake up soaked with dew.

[fastfoxengineering]

Are you planning to be out for a weekend, or a thruhike? It makes a difference. You can be uncomfortable for a night or two with no problem, or you can bail if the weather gets really nasty on a weekend trip, but if you are out for months, you'll want to be able to sleep dry. On an AT thruhike, the average is one in three days has some sort of precipitation. A lot of that is fog/mist which gets under tarps and can soak you. Out west you can cowboy camp pretty easily, because it is so dry, but on the AT, even when you go to sleep on a cloudless night, you are likely to wake up soaked with dew.

Fact. In the Northeast. Even on the most beautiful nights, you still wake up and everything is cold and damp.

I've grown to really appreciate synthetic clothing on the east coast. Still use a down quilt though.

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[bigcranky]

I've not seen a Zpacks sleeping bag, but we own two of their tents. Very well made and designed, and so light that if I handed you one in a stuff sack you would think I was joking.

[Dogwood]

I'm looking to reduce weight in my pack, my usual gear is a bit overkill for the AT. Since the AT is well marked and what I consider to be the kiddy pool of the big trails I'm ditching as much stuff as I can.
I'm doing away with gps, cellphone, etc.
I'd like to ditch my fancy 3 lb boots for trail runners as well but I've never once got blisters with my boot/sock combination even when they were waterlogged. I don't think I'm willing to mess with success in this area.
The last thing I'd like to ditch is the tent. It's a 5 lb 4 season 1 man tent, and while it's really nice in diverse weather, I'm in a struggle to justify the weight. The pack feels much lighter without it.
I often just throw down my sleeping pad/bag wherever anyway and just sleep in the open, the bag is heavily weather resistant and I've slept comfortably in all manner of conditions this way.
I know the environment on the AT will probably make this an annoying approach as a long term solution and that I should just bring the tent but I'm hoping somebody can talk me out of it.

Going this route without any shelter at all as a rule is being stupid light. Others may disagree.

[peakbagger]

My friend carried one of these https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iD3P1Gn3sCw while we sectioned and I carried a caribou bivy. Both worked for emergency shelter both had their limitations. My OR was hot and trying to get it to ventilate in the rain was close to impossible without getting wet. It had a bug net. My friends rig was the same, hard to ventilate and keep dry but he didn't have bug netting.

We tried and mostly succeeded to avoid the bubble so tent nights were pretty rare and most of the time as we were off season, we had the shelters to ourselves.

[Timinator]

We tried and mostly succeeded to avoid the bubble

How does one do this?