View Full Version : What Type of Shelter?
In the preliminary planning of a Summer 2014 thru-hike, I'm trying to figure out what type of shelter I should bring considering the amount of actual shelters along the trail. I have:
Lightheart Gear Solong 6
or
BearPaw 6.5'x10' tarp w/ Borah bivy
Which would you take on your LT thru?
Slo-go'en
02-12-2014, 14:36
Which ever gives you the best bug protection.
HikerMom58
02-12-2014, 15:27
Which ever gives you the best bug protection.
+1 on the best bug protection...... TICKS, mosquitoes etc....
you will likely have no problem finding space in LT shelters and "lodges", take the lightest tarp you have. Last year on the LT, I only had to use my cuben fiber tarp one night on the entire hike. Busiest section is the southern 104 miles where LT and AT coincide.
On my LT thru last summer, I had three consecutive nights at the Butler Lodge, Buchanen, and Birch Glenn, that had either a Boy Scout or Girl Scout troop taking up the entire shelter space.
I would take a shelter substantial enough to handle weather and bugs.
Feral Bill
02-12-2014, 21:02
A 6x10 tarp looks a bit small. An 8x10 with a bug net would be my choice.
coach lou
02-12-2014, 22:10
I would also take the roomier one. The Greens are green because it is wet!
another point, I did my LT hike in September... and met only a couple college orientation hiker groups, around RT-9/Bennington. Never met any scout groups or students the rest of the hike. If you do your hike in the summer vacation months, you will see more crowded shelters, from AT thru hikers, students, scouts, locals. Adjust your plans accordingly.
I would also take the roomier one. The Greens are green because it is wet!
Another reason a hammock is awesome on the LT, stay off the wet ground and mud!
ezdoesit
02-13-2014, 12:13
A Hammock what else stay off the ground:)
It seems the Solong would be better bug protection, but from the read-ups and feedback from people who have done the trail usually said that they only brought a tarp because they planned to sleep in the shelters as much as possible. Not that the Solong is heavy, but the tarp/bivy combo would be lighter.
bamboo bob
02-13-2014, 18:39
Lightheart Gear Solong 6 , I have this and have used it a ton, I love it.
MamaBear
02-14-2014, 10:38
Depends on a lot of things, namely what month you're hiking the LT, plus your tolerance for bugs and other people. If it were me, I would take the Lightheart Gear Solong (have the regular Lightheart solo tent and like it!). I personally don't like being bothered by the bugs, and something with netting certainly helps. When we hiked the LT last year, we only tented three nights, twice due to the shelters being full and once due to the bugs, and these were in the first section of our hike. We split our hike between two weeks in early June and three weeks in late July/early August. We didn't run into large groups, except for some Boy Scouts, and their leaders were very conscious of shelter usage and enforced the tenting so others could use the shelters.
Depends on a lot of things, namely what month you're hiking the LT, plus your tolerance for bugs and other people. If it were me, I would take the Lightheart Gear Solong (have the regular Lightheart solo tent and like it!). I personally don't like being bothered by the bugs, and something with netting certainly helps. When we hiked the LT last year, we only tented three nights, twice due to the shelters being full and once due to the bugs, and these were in the first section of our hike. We split our hike between two weeks in early June and three weeks in late July/early August. We didn't run into large groups, except for some Boy Scouts, and their leaders were very conscious of shelter usage and enforced the tenting so others could use the shelters.
It's looking like the hike would be end of July-ish or beginning to mid-August for the start. My natural inclination is to do the tarp/bivy combo. I could use the bivy for bug protection inside and outside of shelters. If I brought my Solong, other than buying a head-net, I would still have to deal with bugs in the shelters, correct?
coach lou
02-14-2014, 11:26
It's looking like the hike would be end of July-ish or beginning to mid-August for the start. My natural inclination is to do the tarp/bivy combo. I could use the bivy for bug protection inside and outside of shelters. If I brought my Solong, other than buying a head-net, I would still have to deal with bugs in the shelters, correct?
End of July Mid august bugs will be reduced..........skeeters will still be troublesome!
4eyedbuzzard
02-14-2014, 14:53
My daughter and I did a short section each in the southern and northern parts around that same time of year in 2011 and had no issues with bugs. We stayed in several shelters and had no bug problems other than the privy at Goddard shelter that was infested with bees and flies (one of the nastiest privies I've ever seen). The bugs were out a bit in the lower elevations at times but not up on the ridge and the shelters were fine without any need for bug nets or anything.