For hikers who share shelters(tents, etc).

[Dogwood]

I want to hear from couples or two or more people who share one shelter(tent, tarp, etc). For example, do you divide up the shelter wt and components, someone carries the shelter while the other party member takes more of the food, man takes the most wt, etc?

[HooKooDooKu]

If I'm hiking with a buddy, there are several items we might share:
Tent, stove, fuel, set of nesting pots, water filtration/storage, 1st aid, saw (fire wood), map and compass/gps, etc.
I like to stay organized, and that means I like to keep relevant items together. So everything for the tent (including ground cloth, pegs, cordage) is in a single bag, while everything for cooking (stove, fuel, pot set) are in another bag. We then simply divide the shared weight.

Exactly which gear is shared and which is not depends upon the buddy. Some would prefer to sleep alone, so we don't share a tent. Others are already so independant that virtually nothing is shared but the trail.

[burger]

On the CDT, my wife and I split things pretty evenly. For shelter, I had the tarp/stakes/groundcloth, and she had the inner net. She carried the pot and stove, but I had the fuel (alcohol). We each carried our own food for the most part.

[4shot]

I always carry the tent ( a 2+ lb. double rainbow) plus most of the cooking paraphernalia plus maybe 2/3 of the food weight when my wife and I hike together. I don't mind it. However when are going take hammocks on our spring hike so she will be adding tarp, hammock, suspension, and uq. She will lose her sleeping pad due to the switch. I'm sure that I may also add a lb. or two with the conversion. Why switch? I like the idea of having a separate tarp to setup for brief showers and always having a level site.

[Hot Flash]

My man and I split our total weights pretty evenly. He might carry a pound or two more than I do since he likes to have a lot of water on hand, but since our packs are generally around 25 lbs including food and water, there is no need to scale the weight to our body mass. I weigh ~125 and he weighs about ~185.

[fins1838]

Wife carries all food related items. I carry tent (only 2lbs) & water filter. We each carry our own bedding, clothes, water......

[squeezebox]

I remember some other kind of a post from a family of 5 kids, mom and dad. I wonder how they split up carrying stuff. How many tents, stove(s), sharing pads for short people, who filters how much water, who knows what else.

[kayak karl]

my boys and i never split up an item. you got the tent, you got all the tent. you had cooking gear, you had all the cooking gear. this prevented items from be left behind and thinks like "i though you got the poles". we shifted around food to even out weight.

[LIhikers]

My wife and I use a 3 person tent to house us and our 90 pound dog. I carry the tent, she carries the tyvek ground cloth.

[Teacher & Snacktime]

My wife and I use a 3 person tent to house us and our 90 pound dog. I carry the tent, she carries the tyvek ground cloth.

But who carries Tora?

[Ox97GaMe]

+1 with Hookoo.
When Im hiking with a partner and we share gear, I always keep related items together. Because we hike at different paces, this lends to the options for the faster hiker to set up the tent, or get the water and start dinner. This may also be helpful if the faster hiker has the tent and you encounter inclement weather. Get the shelter set up and get out of the weather as soon as possible.

Of course, some may point out that if the slower hiker encounters an issue, the shelter is ahead of them. This should also be a consideration to be discussed with your hiking partner too.

But, if you hike with your partner all day long, gear can be split anyway you wish.

[Teacher & Snacktime]

But, if you hike with your partner all day long, gear can be split anyway you wish.

I was thinking we'd just throw it into the back of your car! :)

[shelb]

We always look at the "common gear" - shelter, stove, fuel, water filter, etc. and split it up accordingly.

[LIhikers]

But who carries Tora?

Nobody! She's a better hiker than me and Kathy put together.

[Bati]

Exactly which gear is shared and which is not depends upon the buddy.

Agreed. And who carries what pieces of each depends. Where there's any chance of a person hiking alone for a stretch (this includes all situations that don't involve young children or people with medical issues limiting their ability to hike alone), I make sure everyone has minimal supplies to make do if separated. This might include a water filter for one person and iodine or drops for the next. Each will have at least a day's worth of snacks and rain jacket/etc. As long as the gear can be split evenly and everyone still arrive at the same place each day, each person would have their own sleeping bag and pad as well as the rest of their own personal gear (excluding extra food and heavy items like tents). When the weight can't be split up evenly, such as when someone's packing a 20+ pound baby, then these items are split up differently. In cases like this, when one hiker (or two if you count the kid) can't survive a night alone with what they are carrying, then you hike together on the trail.

[Bati]

I forgot to mention, since the point when walking with capable adults is to arrive at the same place in a similar mood and around the same time (unless one person prefers to be out at dusk), I frequently adjust the load during a hike. After a resupply when the food bag is heaviest, it may be easiest for one person to take all the extra food while the other person takes the tent. This is particularly true if you have to use a bear canister. If it's pouring down rain and the tent fly gained three pounds with water weight, then you might want to split up the tent differently that day. And if it's 16 miles to the next water source, you might shift things around again.

I'm not overly concerned about leaving things at a campsite though it is more likely if you spend time in crowded shelters where gear can be easily overlooked.

[illabelle]

Each of us carries our own clothes, pad, sleeping bag. Husband carries most of the gear. I carry most of the food. At the beginning of a hike when we're loaded with food, I sometimes have more weight than he does! If I have too much, he'll take some of my water. He's a lot stronger than me, but his back hurts, and he gets tired, and he doesn't like hiking all that much, and ... sometimes he's a baby.

[SunnyWalker]

My son and I took all the items we would "share" and weighed them. Then, based on that total amt we divided them up as close as we could to half of the amt. We each carried our half. Fun!