View Full Version : True Tent Tales
maxNcathy
11-09-2007, 09:21
Last week I was in the mood for sleeping outside in my tent as the rains were coming and the winds were getting higher.
Cathy said she had a sore throat so I thought I would postpone sleeping out for another day.
When I looked out in the morning I was surprised to see the fly of the tent flapping some in the wind.I had used 8 inch stakes to anchor it and had guyed it out very carefully..
As I approached the tent to check it out I saw that one stake was pulled out...a guy line was broken..another guy line was in pieces dangling loose from the tent...4 nylon loops were chewed off!!!
What is going on here!
We live out in the country with lots of critters around...was it mice, squirrels,coyotes, wolves, fisher,porcupine,raccoon...?
I don't know. But I set up the tent as I recall after making and eating a juicy salmon sandwich. I think that had something to do with it.
Luckily no tent or fly fabric was chewed on the tent.
Any of You have unexpected things happen while tenting?
Lesson for me I think: wash hands thoroughly before setting up tent.
Mags' friend the snow beast visited.
Where was the chewing along the lines? Could it have just been wear and tear from rubbing on the stakes while moving in the wind? Just a thought...
maxNcathy
11-09-2007, 09:46
Where was the chewing along the lines? Could it have just been wear and tear from rubbing on the stakes while moving in the wind? Just a thought...
No, if you could have seen it you would I am sure totally rule out wear and tear...eg 2 of the loops were the ones that are used to hold the fly back in front of the doors.
This was a nearly new tent...And one 3/4 inch nylon loop was almost chewed through in 3 places.
Where was the chewing along the lines? Could it have just been wear and tear from rubbing on the stakes while moving in the wind? Just a thought...
I'm with Cuffs, sounds like chafed lines.
No, if you could have seen it you would I am sure totally rule out wear and tear...eg 2 of the loops were the ones that are used to hold the fly back in front of the doors.
This was a nearly new tent...And one 3/4 inch nylon loop was almost chewed through in 3 places.I've sailed quite a bit. Expensive, tough and chafe resistant lines can be chafed through very easily and quickly given the right/wrong circumstances.
The door loops would be the ones you held while zipping up? Snowbeast. No doubt.
maxNcathy
11-09-2007, 10:43
The door loops would be the ones you held while zipping up? Snowbeast. No doubt.
Yes, I did handle the door loops..they were not under any stress during the night and they were chewed right off, not just once.
Yes, I did handle the door loops..they were not under any stress during the night and they were chewed right off, not just once.
I change my opinion, as that is weird.
Jarhead16
11-09-2007, 12:06
In the country...salmon...FIELD MICE!!! I was turkey hunting in a field of spruce trees and had eaten a sandwich before my dad took us to the field, wiped my hands clean...on my pants right on top of the crotch area...I was only 5, gimme a break. So, about 30 minutes later...Zip zap a little furry critter runs through the straw in front of me and climbs right up on my pants and starts to nibble, being a little one, I inhaled deeply when my dad caught me and told me to shut up, slapped the mouse and it left. Sounds the same in your case except a tent, not your clothes that you were wearing. Field mice are practically harmless other than they chew whatever smells and/or/tastes good. Hope you get your tent fixed, my dog ripped mine to shreds one afternoon, it was actualy hilarious.
The fact that a stake was pulled out makes me think the gnawer was bigger than a mouse.
Ghosthiker
11-09-2007, 13:54
But I set up the tent as I recall after making and eating a juicy salmon sandwich. I think that had something to do with it.
I learned that lesson a few years ago. Was running some wiring in an old building's attic. The parts that were ran right after lunch were chewed up by mice with-in a month's time. Had to be the food residue on our hands when handling the wire.
Jarhead16
11-09-2007, 15:54
Ahh, yes, the stake...Hmm...Skunks like peculiar smells too, had one on my back porch EATING the soles out of my shoes! I thought I was gonna have to shoot it because there was a case of rabies going crazy in our county. Whatever you do, DO NOT approach a skunk, they are VERY mean.
maxNcathy
11-09-2007, 17:23
Yes, Jarhead, we do have skunks here...and I sure keep my distance. I did not smell anything when I checked the tent but maybe that would be normal if they hadn't sprayed. I don't know.
Jarhead16
11-09-2007, 18:23
Yup, My deck didn't smell either. But, I saw him, and he was pretty vicious with that shoe. They're also rodents so they chew a quite a bit.
Jack Tarlin
11-09-2007, 18:35
Unexpected things that happened while tenting?
Well, there was the time in Northern Virginia that I decided to apply anti-chafing medication in my tent and just then, my headlamp died. After spending five minutes fumbling around in the pitch black trying to find my spare batteries, I gave up, figuring that if I couldn't find my private parts in the dark without a flashlight, then chafe was the least of my problems. Anyway, I found the film cannister that contained my Vitamin E cream, opened it up, and applied it rather liberally to the affected area. It felt cool and quite nice. Then I went to sleep.
Next morning, I had to spend awhile collecting all my stuff from the previous night's pack explosion. Funny thing. I found a taped-up film cannister filled to the brim with Vitamin E creme. I also found a completely empty film cannister.....that had, up until the day before, contained several ounces of Nikwax. The Nikwax was now in a place where Nikwax really didn't belong. :eek:
I now keep my spare batteries in an easy to find place.
And that's about the worst thing that ever happened in my tent, other than finding the 30 pound maggoty groundhog at Trail Days.......but that's another story.
Waterproofing the boys, eh? How long did it take to sweat that off?
Tipi Walter
11-09-2007, 21:18
Waterproofing the boys, eh? How long did it take to sweat that off?
I gotta make sure where I keep the tiger balm.
Any of You have unexpected things happen while tenting?Twice, I have been woken up in the middle of the night. You know like when you jolt awake and know that it was a noise that woke you, but you didn't really hear it? Both times this happened I reached for my flashlight and turned it on pointing out the mosquito netting tent door, with my face probably an inch or two at the most from the door itself.
One of the times was in Switzerland, in the Alps, and when I turned on the lights, a huge cow's face was about 4 inches from mine! Yeooowww! I let out a yell I couldn't help, and the poor, huge cow shifted into reverse so hard because it scared him/her to death as well as me. Talk about a heart pound! I guess I was lucky it didn't trample the tent in its panic.
The other time, very similar, but on the AT, except when I turned on the light a skunk's face was about 4 inches from mine, with the same result, a yell came out of me, and I'll never know why to this day that skunk didn't spray me! It's quite unsettling to turn on a light to find some animal face right up in yours, regardless of the fact there is tent netting between the two of you. :eek: :) :D
Jarhead16
11-13-2007, 23:58
Twice, I have been woken up in the middle of the night. You know like when you jolt awake and know that it was a noise that woke you, but you didn't really hear it? Both times this happened I reached for my flashlight and turned it on pointing out the mosquito netting tent door, with my face probably an inch or two at the most from the door itself.
One of the times was in Switzerland, in the Alps, and when I turned on the lights, a huge cow's face was about 4 inches from mine! Yeooowww! I let out a yell I couldn't help, and the poor, huge cow shifted into reverse so hard because it scared him/her to death as well as me. Talk about a heart pound! I guess I was lucky it didn't trample the tent in its panic.
The other time, very similar, but on the AT, except when I turned on the light a skunk's face was about 4 inches from mine, with the same result, a yell came out of me, and I'll never know why to this day that skunk didn't spray me! It's quite unsettling to turn on a light to find some animal face right up in yours, regardless of the fact there is tent netting between the two of you. :eek: :) :D
Try keeping your face back a bit next time! You might still scream but it might not be so loud.
Try keeping your face back a bit next time! You might still scream but it might not be so loud.Easy for you to say! :p :D
Actually, I don't anything would have "saved the day" with the cow one! The cows that graze in the Alps are huge. This cow's head was as big as I am, and so totally unexpected. I'm surprised I didn't make a new door in my tent! :D
Unzipped once to see an elk butt. It looked at me with a big eye. Took a big dump. Glad the dog survived the choke hold.
Way too close.
troglobil
11-14-2007, 10:26
Along the lines of the cow story. Way back in high school while hiking in Dolly Sodds, I woke one morning to the warm breath of a deer on my face. I had some moldy pieces of Pita bread sitting by me under the tarp that she was eating.
Jarhead16
11-14-2007, 11:36
I think the "scariest" critter story is when I was running at about 9:00 at night during the winter in Georgia. I came over the slight rise in front of my house and started into the bend towards my driveway. Then I hear this horrifying shriek:eek:...I stopped and almost hit the pavement, then i hear scraping hooves and then a HUGE doe catches traction and covers the field next to us, about 150 yards, in around two seconds. SO... I ran like somethin crazy the rest of the way while actually laughing so hard I had to stop in my driveway to catch my breath.
As far as camping, I went with my dad to our school's father-son camp-out. We're all passed out and around 2 am there is the loudest scream in the history of the world. It sounded as if someone was stabbed in the spine or something. So, my dad gets up and walks around and I fell back asleep. Next morning over a cup of hot cocoa, I ask, "What happened last night?" And my dad started laughing harder than I think I have ever seen. One of my friends little brothers was 5 at the time, His dad who was about 250 lbs had gone to the potty. His son came a few minutes later. Neither of the goobers took a light, and Cole didn't wear shoes. So he walks into the bathroom and his HUGE dad stepped on his little foot! It was rather funny.:D