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View Full Version : You don'treally need a tent; the world is your toilet; cell is essential



John B
07-06-2011, 12:54
http://www.cnn.com/2011/TRAVEL/07/06/12.things.appalachian.trail/index.html?hpt=hp_c2

30 Large
07-06-2011, 13:54
I don't know about anyone else, but I'm not too fond of this article. I can't put my finger on it, but I felt like the writer seemed to be almost talking down on the trail and hikers.

Maybe its just me...

Ender
07-06-2011, 14:21
I was fine with the article, except for the part where they talk about not needing a tent. That right there is just terrible information to be handing out. Everything else seemed pretty spot on though, I thought.

TheRaven
07-06-2011, 15:59
I don't know about anyone else, but I'm not too fond of this article. I can't put my finger on it, but I felt like the writer seemed to be almost talking down on the trail and hikers.

Maybe its just me...

I agree...kind of like a fancy city folk talking down on being dirty and knowing the land sort of attitude

Majortrauma
07-06-2011, 16:46
The writer came across as a smart ass to me. I would not want to hike with this person and the part about not needing a tent is quite misleading.

slims
07-06-2011, 17:22
edolci posted a good comment on the article.
This article covers some of the magic of thru-hiking, but misinforms on an important point. While shelters exist along the trail, backpacking without a shelter is irresponsible. Most of the shelters are small and fill quickly with the northbound thrus. You will not make friends quickly when you show up at 8pm in the rain expecting folks to make room for you because you wanted to lighten your pack. During my 2009 thru, I even heard hikers suggest that those with tents should leave shelters to those without! Be reponsible--carry a shelter (or else be willing to hike another 8-10 miles when you hit a full shelter)

Trailbender
07-06-2011, 17:43
Yeah, with the large array of ultralight shelters today, there is no reason to hike without one of them. I didn't care for shelters, personally. I preferred my tent. I spent maybe 15 nights in shelters on my 5 month thru last year.

House of Payne
07-06-2011, 20:56
A vague disrespect for what actually happens out in the woods on the trail. Looking to sell the story....Not a fan

ShaneP
07-06-2011, 22:53
I liked it from an information perspective. Clear, concise, and to the point. The audience is not AT veterans or necessarily prospective thru hikers. It's the general public. Good, short, topical article.

Jack Tarlin
07-06-2011, 23:34
Actually, from an "information perspective," telling people they don't need to carry a personal shelter cuz they can always rely on getting room in a Trail shelter is really lousy advice, so, no, while this piece may be short and topical, it's not necessarily good. Just because your audience is "the general public" doesn't mean you should give them lousy information or counsel.

SouthMark
07-06-2011, 23:58
Not a bad article especially considering the target audience is the general public who may never set foot on the trail. I did not not detect any disrespect. And as for the no tent business, I think that was the original concept for the trail shelters. Ed Garvey (Appalachian Hiker II) stayed in shelters for his thru hike in 1970. I realize that in modern times tenting is more popular but there are still some thru hikers that stay in shelters almost exclusively but to hike it without some form of backup shelter is asking for trouble.

Pedaling Fool
07-07-2011, 07:21
I liked it from an information perspective. Clear, concise, and to the point. The audience is not AT veterans or necessarily prospective thru hikers. It's the general public. Good, short, topical article.
That's what makes the "No tent required" remark so bad.

Del Q
07-07-2011, 07:42
Not sure how much time this writer has spent in the woods or any long-distance hiking.

For me, carrying a tent is a HUGE PLUS. Although there is a definite cost to lightweight gear, backpacking is tons cheaper than most hobbies. Tents = freedom to camp where you like, and there are some amazing spots to tent, no bugs, no mice or critters crawaling over you (hopefully), not reliant on the shelters (some are pretty nasty) and at times over-crowded or you just dont wan't company, tents are warmer than shelters, its also weird how a few mils of sil nylon or whatever fabric creates a nice little home for the night.

I am finally around 30 lbs all in, what a difference vs years ago (40-42lbs which is nuts in my view)...............including carrying my home away from home / tent

ShaneP
07-07-2011, 21:36
Maybe you guys should actually read the article. The author states that "It's possible to hike the Appalachian Trail without a tent"

He never said "You don't really need a tent" or "No tent required". Those are the paraphrasings of the original poster and some of the respondents. The author then goes on to note some drawbacks of depending on shelters.

SouthMark
07-07-2011, 21:55
Maybe you guys should actually read the article. The author states that "It's possible to hike the Appalachian Trail without a tent"

He never said "You don't really need a tent" or "No tent required". Those are the paraphrasings of the original poster and some of the respondents. The author then goes on to note some drawbacks of depending on shelters.

+1........