View Full Version : no room for gear
NaturalHiker
12-01-2012, 15:03
How okay are you guy's with sleeping with your gear outside of your tent on the AT? Im sure many leave their pack unattended from time to time but i've just heard how populated the AT/certain shelters can be in area's with local's, and have heard a few stories of pack's getting stolen.
I dont want to have to upgrade to a larger tent just to keep my pack inside with me if i can have peace of mind sleeping with my pack outside the tent.
bamboo bob
12-01-2012, 15:10
Stolen packs are a very rare thing. From a tent or near a tent I have never heard of it. "locals" are not to be feared, they help hikers all the time. I would be only slightly more cautious in trail towns in the south simply because there are so many hikers and people in the spring. I would not be as cautious as I am in every town in America every day though. This is not a big worry. You do need to protect your pack from rain and critters.
bubonicplay
12-01-2012, 15:38
Put it under your feet or head.
A good rule of thumb anytime on any trail is to always try and camp at least a mile from a trail head or road crossing, doing so will eliminate most of the trouble makers. I never leave cash and such in my tent, tempt not, worry not.
swjohnsey
12-01-2012, 15:57
You will want your gear inside your tent to keep it dry and away from critters.
NaturalHiker
12-01-2012, 16:18
Hm, alright, what about critter's then if there's no space in my tent. I have a fly creek ul1 and the pack barely fits in the vestibule.
NaturalHiker
12-01-2012, 16:21
I can hang my food bag or keep that in the tent with me, but what about the pack being outside the tent on the AT is what im asking. I would probably just bring an extra trash compactor bag and throw my bag in there before crawling in my tent everynight, how do bivy user's do it on the AT?
NaturalHiker
12-01-2012, 16:27
I love my tent but im thinking about swapping it out for a UL2 or TT Moment for this very reason. Seems like you can nicely fit a pack in either of those tents/vestibules.
How okay are you guys with sleeping with your gear outside of your tent on the AT? Im sure many leave their pack unattended from time to time but i've just heard how populated the AT/certain shelters can be in area's with locals, and have heard a few stories of packs getting stolen.
I dont want to have to upgrade to a larger tent just to keep my pack inside with me if i can have peace of mind sleeping with my pack outside the tent.
I removed the extra apostrophes from your post, no charge.
I deal with my fear of having gear stolen by never leaving my pack fully loaded near a shelter (I rarely use shelters anymore unless I'm alone, or if my friends will be the majority of those in the shelter). I take out my gear upon arriving at any camping spot before heading off in search of water or using the privy. That way, if someone wants my sleeping bag badly enough he'll have to pack it to steal it. If I take my empty pack down to the water source with me, he'll have to try to squeeze it into his own pack. Also - pitch your tent when you arrive. Don't leave it in its stuffsack - it's much easier to run off with that way.
If you stop at a shelter just to take a break in the middle of the day, take your pack with you to the privy or when fetching water.
MuddyWaters
12-01-2012, 16:51
Put your pack under your legs.
If you cant fit your gear inside with you, you may have too much stuff.
sleeping bag, pad, are self explanatory
clothes bag with raingear and any extra clothes is pillow
all thats left is a few minor things like first aid, a small cook kit, and couple of water bottles.
food is hung, or squeezed in too.
you can always hang your pack as well, keeps rodents away from it. Cover it with a trash bag so their little claws cant grip it if they try to drop onto it. Make sure its a very good hang if you hang your pack, dont want to lose it.
I can hang my food bag or keep that in the tent with me, but what about the pack being outside the tent on the AT is what im asking. I would probably just bring an extra trash compactor bag and throw my bag in there before crawling in my tent everynight, how do bivy user's do it on the AT?
You won't see many bivys along the AT. They're too warm for most of the hiking season, and you can't change your clothes easily inside of one, plus they hold in much of the moisture which would usually be vented out of your tent, or at least condensing against the tent's walls instead of the inside of the bivy, transferring instantly to your sleeping bag's shell.
Putting your pack into a plastic bag is a pretty good idea (trash compactor bags are sturdy but heavy, with care a regular trash bag will last for many weeks and can be patched, if necessary, with duct tape). If you do that, make sure that you close off the bag to keep spiders and other pests out. Mice can chew their way in, too.
Sometimes I will hang my pack, upside down and empty, from one of the trees from which I hang my hammock. It doesn't get wet inside that way, but I leave it open for mice, squirrels, etc. to investigate, so I always check inside for spiders, especially farther down south where Black Widow spiders are fairly common - they can sometimes be found underneath toilet seats in the privies, too.
Wise Old Owl
12-01-2012, 16:55
Well I don't use a tent so I carbiner it to the tree at eye level, never had much of an issue...
hikerboy57
12-01-2012, 17:03
maybe this is an issue in the south with the crowds, but ive never had a problem with anyone taking my gear.i have a UL2 and sleep with pack and food inside.stay away from shelters and sites close to roads. the hiking community itself is for the most part self policing. its the locals you're more bound to have trouble with.
Thru-Hiked this year with a Eureka Backcountry 1. That tent has no vestibule and while I can get most of my gear inside the pack doesn't fit too well so I'd just leave it outside with the pack cover on. Never heard of anybody's pack being stolen. I wouldn't worry. Packs get pretty beat up looking and smelly rather fast. The average person wouldn't want to steal something like that.
I use a bivy all the time on the AT. I suspect that most bivy users are also very lightweight and have virtually no gear not in use at night. My pack stuffs into a stuff sack for a pillow, or sometimes under my feet. The only stray gear is my cook pot with has my stove.
bubonicplay
12-01-2012, 19:19
Get a new pack, go lighter, I've personally owned a BA ul1 and had plenty of room for a pack. What a luxury.
Tie a string to the pack and tie the other end around your nuts - if someone tries to take it, including a bear due to the candy that you saved for the evening but didn't eat because you fell asleep, then your screams are sure to scare away even the most determined of scallywags!
The only downside is that if a bear really wants that pack , he may just drag you and your pack several miles through the woods....again, screaming!!!!!!
Hope this was helpful?
Wise Old Owl
12-01-2012, 19:53
Damnn Hoofit if you are not on my Freinds list - ya are now!
Got to have a larf sometimes!!
Happy hiking dudes.....
Slo-go'en
12-01-2012, 20:23
Valuables I bring in the tent with me, everything else I don't need stays in the pack which I either lean up against or hang from a near-by tree. I keep it dry with my pack cover. So long as you don't leave any food in the pack, critters will leave it alone. 99.99% of packs which are reported stolen are due to bears running off with them because they are left unattended with food in them.
Blissful
12-01-2012, 20:26
I leave it under my tent's vestibule. When we didn't have one, we just let it near the tent. No issue. Es as the major contents were in the tent with me.
Avoid camping in areas near roads and with warnings of local issues. Nice thing about a tent - you can pick that obscure area no one knows you're at.
Tie a string to the pack and tie the other end around your nuts - if someone tries to take it, including a bear due to the candy that you saved for the evening but didn't eat because you fell asleep, then your screams are sure to scare away even the most determined of scallywags!
The only downside is that if a bear really wants that pack , he may just drag you and your pack several miles through the woods....again, screaming!!!!!!
Hope this was helpful?
That just hurts reading it!
Wise Old Owl
12-01-2012, 20:42
It needed to be done... some folk post stuff and stuff happens... there is no way John Wayne would have made this post... why I aught to... the Man's Man is dead. sad really....
Tie a string to the pack and tie the other end around your nuts - if someone tries to take it, including a bear due to the candy that you saved for the evening but didn't eat because you fell asleep, then your screams are sure to scare away even the most determined of scallywags!
The only downside is that if a bear really wants that pack , he may just drag you and your pack several miles through the woods....again, screaming!!!!!!
Hope this was helpful?
Love this answer!
cliffordbarnabus
12-01-2012, 22:56
people are good. robberies are rare. just bring what you can't live without....which would be very little....inside with you and leave the rest outside and come what may. also, you can always clip a strap to your tent poles or stakes or (pea)nuts
I usually (but not always) use a hammock. No room for a pack or gear in there. I either hang my pack on the end of my hammock--or throw it under my hammock (with a pack cover or plastic bag of some kind over it). If I have any reason to suspect 4-legged "critters" might steal it--I clip the hip belt around a tree (especially if I am just going off to the privy or to get water) or I use a cord/carabiner to hook the pack to a tree or to my hammock. You can discourage the 2 legged critters from stealing your stuff by making your stuff less attractive (and less visible) and by making your stuff a more challenging target (as some have already mentioned). If someone really ants to steal your stuff--they will find a way.
That being said, I am not aware of much theft in the hiking community---especially if you are not at a shelter or campsite located near a road or 4-wheeler trail (pretty easy for "non-hikers" with wheels to grab stuff and drive off). Most hikers will leave your stuff alone. Hikers tend to be decent enough people who will not bother your stuff. Furthermore, their own packs are heavy enough without stealing someone else's pack (or gear) and carrying it around.
Mrs Baggins
12-02-2012, 03:33
I use a Hubba tent and the pack stays inside with me at the foot of the tent. But then I'm small and don't need the leg room. I hang the food bag. All of my valuables stay in a fanny pack and that goes inside my sleeping bag at my feet - no one is getting that. If my pack is stolen somewhere along the line I have that fanny pack with my money, credit cards, phone, camera, keys, etc.
Same issues apply to hostel stays. Keep your valuables with you and don't worry about your smelly pack.
rusty bumper
12-02-2012, 10:11
At night my pack is almost completely empty and lays nearly flat under as the padding under my feet in my Tarptent Moment. My food bag is hanging outside and my clothes bag is serving as my pillow. I have 2 small stuff sacks containing toiletries, first aid and misc. items that I just set off to the side at the foot end of the tent. A third small stuff sack with my alcohol stove and other cooking/eating items is outside in the vestibule along with my shoes, water bottle, and alcohol bottle. That arrangement leaves me plenty of room inside the tent.
I love my tent but im thinking about swapping it out for a UL2 or TT Moment for this very reason. Seems like you can nicely fit a pack in either of those tents/vestibules.
i have a ul2 and after using it a few times i would say the the tents with side doors would be easier to get in and out,there is enough room for extra gear in them both.i would not want two ppl in one of them,lol.imo
Tie a string to the pack and tie the other end around your nuts - if someone tries to take it, including a bear due to the candy that you saved for the evening but didn't eat because you fell asleep, then your screams are sure to scare away even the most determined of scallywags!
The only downside is that if a bear really wants that pack , he may just drag you and your pack several miles through the woods....again, screaming!!!!!!
Hope this was helpful?
I was told a story of a guy who did something similar. His car was up for repo, so he tied fishing line from his bumper to his big toe, thinking if they started winching the car up the truck he would feel it. But they came in with a snatch truck, lifted the front end up and drove off, taking his big toe with it.
But tying a line to a tree close by could be funny, they pick it up and get ten feet off and get snatched back...
I clip mine to the hammock line to keep it off the ground. If someone started messing with it, it would probably shake me awake.
grateful 2
12-03-2012, 00:04
I know now why they call you Hoofit and not Balls.
Tie a string to the pack and tie the other end around your nuts - if someone tries to take it, including a bear due to the candy that you saved for the evening but didn't eat because you fell asleep, then your screams are sure to scare away even the most determined of scallywags!
The only downside is that if a bear really wants that pack , he may just drag you and your pack several miles through the woods....again, screaming!!!!!!
Hope this was helpful?
grateful 2
12-03-2012, 00:08
I started out with a UL1, and ended up getting both a Lightheart gear so long six and a hexamid twin from Z packs. (I personally like the hexamine twin better because it is lighter.) Both are great tents, and big enough for my gear.
Sold the UL1 for a good price by the way.
I love my tent but im thinking about swapping it out for a UL2 or TT Moment for this very reason. Seems like you can nicely fit a pack in either of those tents/vestibules.
Josh Calhoun
12-03-2012, 13:40
I love my tent but im thinking about swapping it out for a UL2 or TT Moment for this very reason. Seems like you can nicely fit a pack in either of those tents/vestibules.
i have the Ul2 for that very reason. plenty of room for your stuff and not allot of weight difference between the ul1 and the ul2. worth the oz IMO
When using a bivy, my pack generally contains a small bag of non-smelly items (such as my compass and water filter) and my boots. I put the pack cover over it and lean it against a tree so that any rain will run off the pack and onto the ground. I've never had a problem with theft, though the four-footed variety is definitely an issue if you leave smelly stuff in your pack. Be sure to hang your cooking pot with your food if bears are an issue.
When there's no room in the tent and I have a partner, we put our packs back-to back and place the first pack cover on them, then turn them over and use the second pack cover. This keeps the packs dry even if there isn't a good tree availabe to lean them against.