What would you do if you lost gear on the trail?

[ccomplete7]

Just did a day hike to Tray Mountain yesterday and think I may have left my tent there along the trail or at a shelter. Probably gonna drive up there tomorrow and look for it, but $%*! this hurts. Thinking of leaving a lost and found flyer at the trail head too but this is NO BUENO!

[egilbe]

How does one leave their tent behind?

[ccomplete7]

got dark and cold real quick on the way back to the car (day hike) and in pulling my insulating layer out of the bag...pulled out the tent at the top of the bag and set it right on the trail. i was NOT thinking at that moment. first time hiking in the dark too, so TOTAL bonehead thing to do. not to mention i was cramping up and ran out of water about 0.3 miles from the next stream. just bad all around. the wife says i'm DEFINITELY going to look for it as much as i spent (zpacks).

yeah, i'm about to cry. man tears in 3...2...1

[saltysack]

.3 from next stream...really. Why did u pack a tent for a day hike? Best of luck getting it back....damn all I found on my last hike was other trash topped off with a tampon and a pair of shi$$$ underwear!

PS
I picked up all the trash......couldn't bring myself to get the rest....


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ccomplete7]

.3 from next stream...really. Why did u pack a tent for a day hike? Best of luck getting it back....damn all I found on my last hike was other trash topped off with a tampon and a pair of shi$$$ underwear!

PS
I picked up all the trash......couldn't bring myself to get the rest....


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

basically it was a mini-shakedown to load up gear and see how it rode. is there some kind of trail etiquette to leave gear where it might lay assuming the owner mihgt turn around and come get it? or maybe leave said found item at the nearest trailhead?

sorta freakin' out here but DEFINITELY learned a lesson that will stick with me from here on out.

[Old Hiker]

OK, enough - I hope the snarking and name-calling quits. Worry about the beam in your own eye before you worry about the mote in mine type of thing.

I dropped a quilted BDU liner before. It was threaded through my shoulder strap and I didn't notice it had worked its way out and down. I was lucky that Bubble Foot (Thanks, BF !) found it and brought it forward.

Dark, tired, not thinking, been there done that. I've learned once my pack is on my back, I step back several feet and check the area I was packing up in VERY carefully, as well as any places I was sleeping or making food. .

I think this reminds me to start labeling my high end gear with my real name and Trail name. Maybe a phone number as well. Hope you find it or it finds you.

[egilbe]

I'd assume, being this time of year, not many people would be out. I would go back and see if its still there. Bring a flashlight or a head lamp with you.

[MuddyWaters]

What would you do if you lost gear on the trail?


Id assume I would never see it again, and get on with life and buy replacement. I wouldnt drive several hours, and hike several more to look for it, because my time has value to me as well.

Yeah , it hurts.
It will hurt more if you spend the time to go back and look for it and dont find it.

[johnnybgood]

Trail etiquette of a major piece of gear such as yours would be to stand by for a short while hoping the owner returns. In this case...Good Luck !

[July]

What would you do if you lost gear on the trail?


Id assume I would never see it again, and get on with life and buy replacement. I wouldnt drive several hours, and hike several more to look for it, because my time has value to me as well.



Yeah , it hurts.
It will hurt more if you spend the time to go back and look for it and dont find it.

Probably pretty good advice here. If on a longer distance hike you tend to get to know those around you on a daily/weekly basis, I,ve seen items find there way back to the owner through word of mouth. My friend actually dropped a camera late one evening and did not discover it missing till we made camp. On rising the next morning while I packed up camp, she went back to where we filled up water the evening before. After just a few minutes, she came upon 2 hikers and one of the guys had it swinging from his shoulder strap to display it. WOW, made our morning On a day hike, probably just have to suck it up, and add it to lessons learned.

[Another Kevin]

I left my gaiters hanging in The Hemlocks shelter once. I hope Cosmo or whoever cleaned out found someone to make good use of them. It wasn't worth going back for them.

I also once had my camera fall off my pack strap while hiking in the Catskills. (I had it hanging by a cheap keychain 'biner. Subsequently replaced it with a real 'biner with a locking gate.) Another hiker saw it in the trail, picked it up and put it in the register box. I found it when I signed out. God bless him!

[sccamper]

For the cost of a Zpack tent, I would take a day off work and go look for it. You can drive to a parking area at Tray Gap and not be far from the shelter.

I found a stuff sack with a steripen, prescription glasses, contact lens case, meds and toiletries at Deer Park Mountain Shelter. I carried it out and tracked down the owner by the name on the meds. Pharmacy passed my info to the owner which contacted me. I mailed items back and only asked for shipping reimbursement. I got stiffed on the shipping reimbursement but at least I did the right thing. Wish I would have kept his address so I could have sent a nice card.

[Frye]

I don't remember what I did...

Never buy shine from a man in a pickup by the Catawba trailhead. I misplaced a tarp, fleece, awol guide, and a pair of glasses between there and Troutville. =/

I'm sure I had fun though.

At least I didn't fall off Tinkers, I know I was there after dark as I found some photos in the phone.

Best of luck getting your stuff back. =D

[Coffee]

Wow, losing my zPacks tent would sting badly. Good luck on the search.

[McPick]

Oh man... I feel for you on your loss. Me? '06 bad storm. Many hikers crowed into a southern shelter. Everybody was breathing into everybody's face all night. Lots of action in the morning.
Everybody trying to get up and get going. I packed my pack and took off. 4 miles later, just as I crossed a dirt road and climbed up into the trees, one of the guys I knew, Tom, came out of the woods onto the dirt road behind me and called out, "Hey McPck... how's your pack?" I started to call back that it was GREAT, when I realized he was trying to tell me something.

I had a VERY HEAVY (like 3 lbs) and VERY COMFORTABLE Thermarest 'Camper' pad, which I always wrapped in my tent's footprint and strapped to the back of my pack. Not that morning... I left it leaning up against the inside of the shelter. I could see it there in my mind. (DANG!) I did some quick calculations re: distance, (4 miles, mostly down hill to the shelter then 4 miles back to this location, mostly uphill) food, water, etc and decided to go after it. I figured by late afternoon I'd be right back at the road crossing. I started back down the trail.

Within minutes I met up with some of the hikers who had also been in that shelter the previous evening. And there was a guy named Ron, who was smiling at me real big... "Lose something?" he asked in an almost too cheerful manner. "Yeah, left my sleeping pad in the shelter," I remarked as I sped by him. "Oh," he turned and called out towards me after I passed... "Does it look like this one?" I stopped dead in my tracks and whirled around to look at him. Yup... Ron had picked up my pad and fly and carried it, thinking he'd see me at the next shelter that evening.

And see me in the shelter that evening he did. I got everybody's attention and as publicly as I could, I thanked Ron for helping me out that day. I reminded all the hikers at that shelter that we all had a responsibility to one another on the trail (which I witnessed over and over) and that all we could possibly do was be mindful, respectful, helpful when when the opportunity arose, pay it forward. I had a packet of those bar-b-que steak strips. I gave that packet of steak to Ron and expressed my sincere gratitude. Happily, Ron opened it and passed it all around, saying he was pleased could help. However, after carrying my pad for 4 miles, he didn't want to carry the additional weight of the meat!

Later that summer, I lost my favorite Bula headband somewhere in Vermont. It was a US Ski Team band from the Olympics in Utah. I was bummed! Luckily, one of my brothers lived in Park City. He had an extra one and sent it to me.

Like many of you, I pick up bits of trash along the trail. One day I saw a shiny reflection off of what I thought must be a candy bar wrapper, under a fern. Nope, it was a large wristwatch looking device that showed time, temp, forecasts, etc and elevation graphics. It was real fun to watch it show the elevation gain and loss at Mt. Washington and I was able to save that graphic for several weeks. Ultimately, it was too heavy and I really didn't need it, so I never use it now.

If you go after your tent, good luck. Finding it will surely be REAL trail magic!

[ny breakfast]

i'd be in the car by now going back, if it was that valuable to you. if it's going to risk job, etc. and you can make up the loss fast lesson learned

[Dogwood]

What would you do if you lost gear on the trail?

I wish to rephrase that. What do I do when I lose gear on the trail?

I adapt. Or I go back and find it. I've walked back RT 16 miles, 11 miles, 9 miles, and 7 miles to retrieve that which I left or lost behind. I quickly broke myself of leaving things absent mindedly behind though, Rarely, do I leave things behind anymore because I've minmized the amount of differnt kits I utilize, know where each item is in my backpack, don't carry much of anything loosely hanging on the outside of my backpack, and, most of all, I ALWAYS do three checks around the immediate vicinity everywhere after stopping before heading off.

[July]

What would you do if you lost gear on the trail?

I wish to rephrase that. What do I do when I lose gear on the trail?

I adapt. Or I go back and find it. I've walked back RT 16 miles, 11 miles, 9 miles, and 7 miles to retrieve that which I left or lost behind. I quickly broke myself of leaving things absent mindedly behind though, Rarely, do I leave things behind anymore because I've minmized the amount of differnt kits I utilize, know where each item is in my backpack, don't carry much of anything loosely hanging on the outside of my backpack, and, most of all, I ALWAYS do three checks around the immediate vicinity everywhere after stopping before heading off.

\
Sounds like a TOP 1Sgt....

[July]

What would you do if you lost gear on the trail?

I wish to rephrase that. What do I do when I lose gear on the trail?

I adapt. Or I go back and find it. I've walked back RT 16 miles, 11 miles, 9 miles, and 7 miles to retrieve that which I left or lost behind. I quickly broke myself of leaving things absent mindedly behind though, Rarely, do I leave things behind anymore because I've minmized the amount of differnt kits I utilize, know where each item is in my backpack, don't carry much of anything loosely hanging on the outside of my backpack, and, most of all, I ALWAYS do three checks around the immediate vicinity everywhere after stopping before heading off.

Yes Sir.. We jumpin in Cenytal/SW@ America. Humpin them packs. is an Education. Questions?

[squeezebox]

Like I said in another thread, bring a 2nd trash compactor bag, anything that comes out of your pack either gets used immediately or goes into the 2nd trash bag. That way all your stuff is in one place, and no chance of mine vs. yours BS either.