View Full Version : To tent or not to tent....that is the question?
I am planning on a section hike the 3rd week in March of 2009, from Springer to how ever far I get in 7 days. I am still in plannig on that part but thinking around Unicoi gap. I have a perfect 1 person tent ready to go. I was interested in diffrent opinions/ideas on the fact of to use or not to use my tent. I have read about staying in the shelters for which I have the Data book already. I was curious about how the traffic is on the trail? Lite, heavy or what this time or year. Any insite would be greatly appreciated. :D
V/r ZEUS
Lone Wolf
12-15-2008, 21:07
tent for sure. shelters will be packed and they suck
3rd week of March is packed. Shelter space will be tight. In any conditions you should always carry your own tent and never rely on shelters
When I thru-hiked, starting the 24th of March, I found room available in a shelter just twice in my first week.
Absolutely have some form of personal shelter.
Bring the tent. You will like it better.
bigmac_in
12-15-2008, 21:58
Tent
Camping Dave
12-15-2008, 22:00
You have a perfect tent and crummy crowded shelters? Hmmm ... tent.
Doughnut
12-15-2008, 22:20
I reckon it's unamimous (if I spelled that correctly)
Tent for the privacy, avoid bugs, and warmth,
If you get to a shelter and decide to stay there, you do not "have" to put up yor tent, however if more people show up, they'll sure appreciate you vacating for them.
DoughNut
Tent or tarp...don't shelter. Keep the St. Patrick's Party in mind. It has traditionally been at Low Gap, but we haven't started working on details for '09 yet.
Tent for the privacy, avoid bugs, and warmth,Bugs ain't going to be no problem in March.
3rd week of March is packed. Shelter space will be tight. In any conditions you should always carry your own tent and never rely on shelters
Absolutely true, especially in the spring in the south, but realistically all summer long.
In 1993 shelters were full virtually every night, starting April 15. Now that everyone is starting earlier, you can expect the same situation in March and earlier.
On that and other hikes, I found things less crowded as I worked my way north, but the crowds emerged again as I hit New England in the summer. Camp, scout and church groups tended to fill the shelters early.
The only legitimate reason for not building new shelters is that there will never be enough for everyone, therefore everyone has to carry their own, which makes the lean-tos redundant.
Weary
stranger
12-16-2008, 02:03
Even if there is space at a shelter I would recommend tenting out. The best thing about a tent is that you don't have to worry about another hiker snoring next to you, you don't have to deal with mice running over your face at night, you don't have to deal with the breeze on a cold night (usually) and you don't have to worry about some inconsiderate dumb hiker who thinks it's appropriate to show up at 11pm in the rain and want shelter space, even though, the shelter is full anyway.
Plodderman
12-16-2008, 09:24
Hiking the same area in May 09. Tenting for sure.
Tent it, you'd be glad you did.
Weaklings...
I bring a single bungee-cord and bungee my head to a tree and sleep standing up in my sleeping bag.
Regardless of where you choose to sleep at night, always carry some form of shelter for yourself, be it tent, tarp, or hammock. Shelters fill up quickly, and you are not gauranteed a spot. If it's raining, the shelter is full, and you don't have a tent? Well, that's your fault. Prepare to get wet.
Weaklings...
I bring a single bungee-cord and bungee my head to a tree and sleep standing up in my sleeping bag.
What's your preferred specie of tree?:-? and do you use plain rubber bungees or the braided cloth covered type?
Inquiring minds gotta know.
stumpknocker
12-17-2008, 09:18
I am planning on a section hike the 3rd week in March of 2009, from Springer to how ever far I get in 7 days. I am still in plannig on that part but thinking around Unicoi gap. I have a perfect 1 person tent ready to go. I was interested in diffrent opinions/ideas on the fact of to use or not to use my tent. I have read about staying in the shelters for which I have the Data book already. I was curious about how the traffic is on the trail? Lite, heavy or what this time or year. Any insite would be greatly appreciated. :D
V/r ZEUS
If you decide to stay in a shelter at that time of year, plan on stopping early to claim some shelter space. I've seen hikers stop and 2pm just so they could claim a wall space.
The tent works for me, but it seems like a lot of the hikers prefer shelters.
You will also see the shelters filling up in bad weather.
Once again...I prefer my tent in bad weather.
Hope you have a great walk in Georgia!! It's one of my favorite states on the AT. :)
Just Plain Jim
12-17-2008, 14:09
A tent will be 10 degrees [plus] warmer and in March that's a heck of a lot.
Even if you're crazy like me and enjoy some shelter nights, you need to carry your own alternative, for all the reasons mentioned, and more... shelters burn down, and shelters get torn down before they get rebuilt, relocated, or abandoned. There is usually notice at nearby trailheads when a shelter is temporarily or permanently out of commission, but who wants to arrive at a trailhead - sans tent - to find out a shelter ain't where it used to be? Be prepared to be self-reliant.
Jack Tarlin
12-18-2008, 17:46
Looks like other folks have covered this pretty well.
If you're out in March, there will indeed be nights when the shelter is full. This is a VERY busy time on the Trail in Georgia.
But there are all sorts of other reasons to carry your own shelter with you:
*Maybe you get to a shelter and it's not full, but it contains folks you don't
necessarily want to stay with
*Maybe you don't get to the shelter because of weather, illness, injury,
roughness of terrain, etc.
*Maybe the distances between shelters is more than you want to hike
*Maybe you want to stay\sleep by yourself somewhere
Bring a lightweight tent. You can STILL stay in shelters if you want to (tho you'll sleep lots better if you don't!), but you'll have the option of staying by yourself, wherever you want, whether it's near a shelter or somewhere else entirely.
Rockhound
12-18-2008, 19:54
I say stay in shelters. no not really. I just thought there should be a more diverse opinion on this issue.
Blissful
12-18-2008, 20:20
Always bring another form of shelter. Never assume you will have shelter space. And the time you are going is high population time for thrus.
CrumbSnatcher
12-18-2008, 21:23
if i don't stay in the shelter,i won't be able to use my tent for a pillow
Bare Bear
12-18-2008, 21:33
You will be glad you took a tent for more reasons than can be listed here.
paradoxb3
12-19-2008, 13:39
Tent, tarptent, hammock... something....
in addition to not always being guaranteed a space, since you're not quite sure how far 7 days will take you, you may also just plain not MAKE IT to the shelter you were expecting to... and its about to get dark, and the shelter 6 miles up the trail is probably already packed... and are those storm clouds in the distance???
better safe than sorry. its worth the extra few lbs to me, anyway.
funny thing tho, last year when i sectioned springer>GA/NC border the first place i camped was at hawk mtn shelter. there were about 20-25 people there when i came strolling in around 7pm... and 1 person slept in the shelter that night. heh, so you never know. plan accordingly