Shelter or not, look around the area fro things you may have left hanging to dry.
Shelter or not, look around the area fro things you may have left hanging to dry.
"It's fun to have fun, but you have to know how." ---Dr. Seuss
"Hiking is as close to God as you can get without going to Church." - BobbyJo Sargent aka milkman Sometimes it's nice to take a long walk in THE FOG.
I try to keep stuff on my ground cloth. I agree with July, you will get to the point where you have a system of packing in place and you will know where everything should be. A lot of other good tips mentioned. Always close your pack's zippers, especially the top lid if you have one as it will surely dump everything out if you flip it to get into the main pack compartment. Remember to do this when you sit down on a log for lunch as stuff will spill out behind the log. When you do take a break on a log, check behind it when you leave. I'm not saying I've lost anything that way, but I sure have picked up stuff many a time that has dumped out. If you use it put it back right when you are done with it. Don't stick it on the top wall plate of the shelter. Don't put your stuff down in other out of the way places. Put it back in your pack, in whatever stuff sack, pocket, or compartment that holds it. When you take your stakes out their bag, sleeping pad out of its stuff sack, sleeping bag out of its stuff sack, tent out of it's stuff sack, put each sack in the next one and put the last one back in your pack so it doesn't blow away. Keep paired items together. If your gloves have those little clips on them, use them.
"Sleepy alligator in the noonday sun
Sleepin by the river just like he usually done
Call for his whisky
He can call for his tea
Call all he wanta but he can't call me..."
Robert Hunter & Ron McKernan
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After setting up my pad and sleeping bag, I place my pack on top while I pull out ONLY the items I NEED. There is no reason to spread all of my equipment everywhere. Once I'm done everything besides my sleeping gear goes back into my pack. Then I either place the pack on a hook, against the wall near my feet, or under my lower legs.
I have found that when arriving at a shelter, I will place ONLY my pad on the floor to "reserve' a spot. Maybe change some clothes, and eat. Everything stays in pack that is not being used at the time. Sleep stuff does not come out until I'm ready to lay down. You never no whats going to happen or walk in between the time you get there and the time you want to lay down. Sometimes you might just wanna stick your pad back on your pack and move on...
the Absolute worst thing a person can do is scatter their gear all over the shelter floor.
Well Red-Dog I'm drying out my stuff !! I need the room, maybe the whole shelter, and maybe I have a gun !!
(sarcasm meant)
take a few steps and look back. If you are with someone, perhaps both do a quick "I got this and this" out loud.
If you are a hammock hanger, always look UP the trees you were at to make sure you got your tree straps. Look at the ground where your tarp was to make sure nothing is laying there. Look at the base of the two trees for stuff also.
Better take an extra minute to look around. Make it a habit.
For a couple of bucks, get a weird haircut and waste your life away Bryan Adams....
Hammock hangs are where you go into the woods to meet men you've only known on the internet so you can sit around a campfire to swap sewing tips and recipes. - sargevining on HF
these kinds of comments is what gives hikers a bad reputation, Just another reason to use my tent.
you ever heard of a thing called a clothes line their easy to rig. and it doesn't matter if you got a gun if I need to use the shelter I will push your gear over.
you ever heard of a thing called sharing and showing respect to others.
I could see using a shelter for eating some breakfast/lunch/dinner or maybe to get out of the rain for a few minutes and rest but I can safely say I have no desire to sleep in one. Between the hantavirus, the stinky hikers, the gear-hungry rodents, and the general tension of a bunch of strangers in a small place, sounds like the exact opposite of what I'm hoping to get out of my hike.
W/R/T leaving stuff behind, I'm meticulous about doing a survey of an area before leaving, even if I've only stopped for a minute. I usually start my hike very organized but that organization begins to break down the further out I get. Still haven't left anything behind but I once was hiking with my dad and he left his prized walking stick behind. We ended up going back to get it and hiking about six miles in the dark with naught but the moon and stars to guide.
After last years experience with the norovirus (fortunately did NOT get it), I am done with shelters unless mandatory (ie blizzard after Max Patch - still wish that I had tented)...........I do not want much ever touching the shelter floor.
Agree on putting down something and putting food bag, etc on top of that...........
Stuff sacks work for me, sock bag, food bag, etc, etc..........also try to have my pack pretty well ready to roll in the morning before I go to sleep.
Stake out your sleeping bag sized space and don't stray from it. As far as staying organized, I've been using a few of the Sea to Summit ultra mesh bags. They're incredibly light and you can see what's in them. I'm concerned about how well they'll hold up to long term use but since they were only $12. That said, I also use a few gallon-sized zip locks.
A solution that worked for me was to use my pack cover with it's elastic bungee cord rim as a "basket" to keep my stuff in that I unpacked from my pack in a shelter.
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So many folks use the same gear it is easy to see an exact bag your are using over and over. I have not had much trouble in shelters but at the picnic table I have seen a lot, 4 sporks, 3 long sea to summit spoons, 4 pocket rockets in the red case. Someone who is done starts grabbing all their stuff and not thinking puts in 2 of something. Then some one says where is my ?? please check to see if you picked it up you had one just like mine. Solution, mark your stuff, a tiny red thread on your spoon, a initial on your msr can, same on your bag. U know how many blue and red bags are hanging from the cables at Gooch mt shelter? It is raining now they all look the same. So next evening your open your food bag only to find out OH no this is not my food, WHO HAS mine, or Who's food do I have? Do you know what your fod bag looks like wet?
While I have only stayed in shelters with one other person so gear explosion wasn't an issue. But here's a couple of keys that make losing gear a bit less likely.
1) Take less stuff.
2) Use most of your gear as part of your sleep system. About the only gear that isn't used in my kit is my cook set. Makes misplaced gear less likely.
3) Establish a standard organization strategy. Keep everything in its place.
as far as leaving stuff during breaks, I started buying bright colored lighters and paint tent stakes and similar items red to make it easier to see. Also, on long duration hikes, I keep two food bags. one at the bottom with food for the out days and what I call a day bag with today food stored at the top of the pack. It keeps me from having to dig through my pack at breaks. One final thing, I have everything that I might need for the day in pouches on my hipbelt. the only time I usually get in my pack is lunch to refill food and eat lunch.
Take it out put it back.
I've always painted my tent stakes dayglo orange. One time I turned around when leaving and saw my brown MRE spoon on the ground, now the last inch of it is orange.
76 HawkMtn w/Rangers
14 LHHT
15 Girard/Quebec/LostTurkey/Saylor/Tuscarora/BlackForest
16 Kennerdell/Cranberry-Otter/DollyS/WRim-NCT
17 BearR
18-19,22 AT NOBO 1562.2
22 Hadrian's Wall
23 Cotswold Way
““Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees....” ― John Muir