Tenting vs. Shelters
To those who are regular AT users- all things being equal (available space, weather, no restrictions, etc.), do you prefer sleeping in shelters or tenting?
Shelters, with the assumption that there's no one who really annoys me in there and the bugs aren't terrible. Less time breaking camp in the morning if you don't have to pack up a tent/tarp/hammock, more convenient platform for fixing food, almost always water in the vicinity--shelters are really really nice if you take crowding out of the equation. There's no feeling like showing up to a shelter at dusk to find that you, or maybe you and a friend, have the whole place to yourself for the night.
"Hahk your own hahk." - Ron Haven
"The world is a book, of which those who do not travel read only a page." - St. Augustine
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Tenting. Within a quarter mile of a shelter to take advantage of the comaraderie, water source, picnic table, privy. But for sleeping, shelters generally aren't my friend.
Tents vs shelters
Some thoughts from doing 785 miles SOBO in 2010. I prefer tents and I'll go through several reasons that work for me but not for everyone. Shelters: mice will run right over your face in the night. If you have a beard (I stayed clean shaven) they will eat the crumbs out of it. If you are late getting to the shelter and are used to sleeping in a quiet place, forget it. The first person asleep begins to snore and you will be up an extra hour. I was once in a shelter with just one other person, he at the opposite end. He rolled over every 30 minutes making a big clunk on the shelter floor, waking me up. Other people smell (not me, of course). If they use the original Neoairs it sounds like a bag of potato chips being crushed every time they move. I used the shelters a few times but nearly always had a poor night sleeping unless I had it to myself. Even then, if it is raining hard you will hear it on a metal roof. Unless you can hang netting the mosquitoes will get you. I have a new tent from Light Heart Gear that I am eager to use on my next leg that is two pounds with two doors, room for me and all my gear (the Solong 6 even though I am below average height). Tents have a couple advantages over tarps. The bug netting is continuous with the fabric so you have a secure shelter. If you are not on flat ground (as I wasn't on the night before the Notch in Maine) you may slide a bit but the worst is you end up at one end of the tent, not out in the mud. One fellow from Australia had no problem in the shelters. He said it was from his mandatory military service. You learn to sleep anywhere. He had a small pack. Rolled out a thin pad, sleeping bag and he was out. If you are blessed with that ability you can go light without a tent. Another advantage of a tent is that you can skip past a crowded shelter and camp pretty much anywhere there is suitable ground. The northern half of the Long Trail in Vermont, I am told, has no flat ground so a hammock shelter is recommended there. The AT shelters are great for camaraderie and there is often a good place to cook and share food and stories. You can set up a tent 30 ft away and get the rest needed for a long hike. I hope this addresses the issues you had in mind.Originally Posted by Gramps
I love the camaraderie and social interaction of being at a shelter but prefer sleeping in my tent. In my tent I can stay up and journal, play solitaire, make a phone call, or move around and not have to worry about bothering others. When the shelters are busy, some hikers are loud, have different sleep schedules, etc. Sometimes I'll use a shelter if it's unoccupied or if I hike with someone and we hit it off.
I prefer quiet/solitude for sleeping. My tent/tarp/hammock has no other inhabitants. Shelters are good for a break on a rainy day.
tenting. no brainer
Tent.. I don't particularly like mice running over me while I sleep and shelters are commonly nasty.
The biggest reason is that I start before dawn and I hate to creep around trying not to wake people up.
Last edited by 10-K; 04-03-2013 at 05:55.
Tenting, especially if it is raining. Bought a tent to seek shelter, not carry it around in my pack
That's exactly how i feel...
I've only tried sleeping in a shelter once during a rain storm. We had the shelter all to ourselves but I still didn't sleep well at all. There was an animal making noise on the roof most of the night .... I couldn't sleep.
Hammock near water...shelters suck...
Nobody's mentioned my two strongest reasons for tenting so far. Cold floor and hard floor. I can carry a thin foam pad and sleep comfortably on the thick leaf duff found along most of the AT. Can't do that so well on the shelters' plank floors, especially when it's cold. Shelters are fun for a picnic lunch or dinner with others, fill up the water bottle, use the privy, then move on. I especially enjoy the relief I sometimes see when people find out you're not going to try to cram into the shelter.
So far on this thread, the responses are about split. Interesting.
Tenting for me! Softer, quieter, cleaner. Only takes about 2 minutes to break down and pack my tent so that is not an issue.
I have to say that I honestly prefer shelters for many of the reasons shelter users have listed above. But, that said, I mainly prefer them in the fall, winter and spring when there's hardly, if anyone, there. At that point, the shelters are typically clean with the lower traffic helping maintainers and volunteers clean up the sites. For whatever reason, I've also had less issues with the mice at this time though they're definitely still around. Still, when a loud, really loud snorer moves in for the night I can hardly get a wink in and wish I was tenting. Crowded shelters don't really bother me. Oh and I forgot to mention that rarely have I had to sleep on rocks or roots in a shelter...rarely...
During the summer, we typically tent up for the better protection from bugs and the higher likelihood of a full shelter. Though if it's raining we'll probably try to beat it to the shelter so we won't have to pack up a wet tarp and groundcover.
2,000 miler. Still keepin' on keepin' on.
garlic08... how do you see the responses are about split? I only see SCRUB HIKER going for the shelters. Looks like everyone else, so far, likes having the shelters on the trail but, when it comes to sleeping... it's tents or hammocks all the way!
Spoke to soon... FarmerChef prefers shelters.
Last edited by HikerMom58; 04-03-2013 at 10:16. Reason: FarmerChef's comment
Bottom line...I think it's great that AT hikers have a CHOICE as to where to sleep at night.
I like shelters when its raining for sure. Easier to cook and kick back and watch the rain knowing you don't have to pack up on hike down the trail a little ways. Also ya don't have to set up in the rain and pack up a drenched tent. But my ideal situation is when you can tent within a close proximity of the shelter. So it depends on the situation for me personally.
Some of the newer shelters are pretty awesome to stay at. Some on the LT were like that but some were super leaky and mouse infested. Yikes.
In my experiance, thru hikers much perfer staying in shelters when ever possible. It saves time and effort. I go both ways, depending on the situation at the time.
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I'll stay in the shelters in the winter, though I do notice the cold hard floor.... But they are usually empty and the mice aren't out in force. Otherwise I'll camp or hang nearby for the water, table, and social interaction.
Occasionally (always in winter) I'll pretty much plan on hanging at a shelter for a night (usually Rocky Run here in MD because it's so damn nice) but that's usually more to hike in some good grub and hang out with whoever happens to show up... When I'm actually out hiking I don't stay in shelters at all... I'd just rather do my own thing and not worry about all the other variables on my high mileage trips.
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