the finer points of shelter etiquette

[Captain]

as i understand it shelters have 15 basic yet mostly unspoken rules

1. no dogs inside the shelter
2. bring a tent in case shelter is full no matter how "alone" you think you will be
3. no cooking inside the shelter
4. if you plan to leave just before dawn,stay out of the shelter and tent off a bit so you dont wake people up when you go yourself
5. first come first serve..period
6. no fires unless in fire rings even then keep it small
7. if you do sleep inside do not clutter your gear to keep other people out
8. limit idle chit chat to those who actually want to idly chit chat back ( a guy stumbling in at8 o clock in the evening after a 35 mile day might not want to be deeply philosophical or gayly peppy)
9. if you bring an mp3 or cd player make sure the volume is low enough on the ear phones were everyone else cant tell exactly what band/song your listening to
10. if you want to leave food or something behind for other hikers to use also be prepared to abandon some form of hang sack and line and hang it before you go leaving a note in the shelter register that its there
11. litterers and people who like to sing to thier mp3s or chat on cell phones will be thrown into a fire, if no fire is present the collection of everyone elses stoves on full blast will do
12. if you leave mouse fodder you must also be comfertable with the snakes that hunt them crawling into your bag at night sharing it with you
13. common sense is to be used at all times no exceptions
14. ask people if its ok if you take pictures , do not assume jsut becuase they share your love of hiking they also share your love of having to take a picture every 5 minutes..at night..with flash ofcourse
15. dont snivel all night complaining about the trail, noone forced you to do this, failing gear , weather, jobs ,family , life is to be somewhat expected but theres enough peolpe who want to just bulldoze the trail completly for parking lots and other junk, you are not doing us any favors by bad mouthing it,even after a 80 mile day straight uphill in the rain and sleet

its probably unwise to say " unspoken" as a lot of people are VERY vocal about each of these but the OFFICIAL rules of the shelters are i believe limited to the usual " no fire except in established rings" " pack out everything you pack in " " make sure to use lime in the privy" and " bear bag all goodies as early in the evening as possible" these are simply the top 15 things i have come across that is guaranteed to piss off fellow hikers please post if you have another to add

[Captain]

and no spelling does not count don't want to hear about that thread title

[Hooch]

and no spelling does not count don't want to hear about that thread title

If you were a donating member you could edit that.

[Peaks]

I'd say don't leave food or other things behind at a shelter. Ultimately they will need to get packed out by someone.

[Skyline]

I'd say don't leave food or other things behind at a shelter. Ultimately they will need to get packed out by someone.

As a shelter maintainer, I absolutely agree.

When you leave behind anything, intentionally or not, it seems to act as a permission slip for those who come behind you to leave all their unwanted stuff. Your small "gift" soon becomes a bigger, heavier, messier large pile of junk. Few if any hikers actually take this stuff. Sometimes the food even attracts unwanted critters big and small.

Eventually, we maintainers wind up having to pack it out. Not fun.

If you are carrying food or gear you don't want or can't use, please don't leave it at shelters. A much better idea would be to leave it in hiker boxes at hostels, motels, etc.

[Dances with Mice]

16. If have any expectation that people will follow these rules, set up your tent.

[Captain]

well put dances

[superman]

I'm pleased to see this list. Even though I don't stay in shelters, I thought shelter etiquette was passé. When I hiked by them I thought they'd been converted to crack head, loud talking, telephone booths. ...and is that music they play?

[KirkMcquest]

Not sure I agree with rule #2. It's a good idea, but I don't think it can be a rule. Seems that If I were to bring a tent, why would I ever choose to sleep in a shelter with a bunch of strangers?
I usually hike off 'peak' season and I enjoy doing away with the extra load of a tent. Never had a problem.

[veteran]

Earth-Shattering-Snorers – that sound like someone trying to start a chainsaw. It's my opinion that it's not okay for you to keep everyone awake all night with your snoring. You know who you are, get a tent and get in it every night so you're not bothering everyone else with your snoring.

[Rain Man]

Earth-Shattering-Snorers – that sound like someone trying to start a chainsaw. It's my opinion that it's not okay for you to keep everyone awake all night with your snoring. You know who you are, get a tent and get in it every night so you're not bothering everyone else with your snoring.

Do you have the same rule for folks who smell bad? Hearing is one sense (which can be closed off easily). Smell is another sense (which can NOT be closed off).

RainMan

.

[KirkMcquest]

Do you have the same rule for folks who smell bad? Hearing is one sense (which can be closed off easily). Smell is another sense (which can NOT be closed off).

RainMan

.

Hmm. You could learn to breath through your mouth, which would solve both problems simultaneously.

[rafe]

I don't dispute rule #5 but if you're going to post that one, then post this one also: there's always room for one more, in a storm. Etiquette doesn't mean arriving early and staking out an inordinate amount of room for yourself and your gear. It also means sharing, particularly so as conditions warrant. I'm not proposing hard rules -- just common sense and courtesy.

[sofaking]

mouth breathers...heh heh.

[Captain]

MISTER sofaking weve been expecting you...we...missed you..

[Appalachian Tater]

Weird things happen in shelters like you wake up because the woman who was sleeping next to you is lying halfway on top of you breathing in your face with bad breath or you realize that the male half of the nice older couple you're talking to when while getting ready to cook dinner is sitting there with no pants on. Or a young couple with fever and chills occupying the center of the space is coughing everywhere without covering their mouths. Best to tent.

[CrumbSnatcher]

as i understand it shelters have 15 basic yet mostly unspoken rules

1. no dogs inside the shelter
2. bring a tent in case shelter is full no matter how "alone" you think you will be
3. no cooking inside the shelter
4. if you plan to leave just before dawn,stay out of the shelter and tent off a bit so you dont wake people up when you go yourself
5. first come first serve..period
6. no fires unless in fire rings even then keep it small
7. if you do sleep inside do not clutter your gear to keep other people out
8. limit idle chit chat to those who actually want to idly chit chat back ( a guy stumbling in at8 o clock in the evening after a 35 mile day might not want to be deeply philosophical or gayly peppy)
9. if you bring an mp3 or cd player make sure the volume is low enough on the ear phones were everyone else cant tell exactly what band/song your listening to
10. if you want to leave food or something behind for other hikers to use also be prepared to abandon some form of hang sack and line and hang it before you go leaving a note in the shelter register that its there
11. litterers and people who like to sing to thier mp3s or chat on cell phones will be thrown into a fire, if no fire is present the collection of everyone elses stoves on full blast will do
12. if you leave mouse fodder you must also be comfertable with the snakes that hunt them crawling into your bag at night sharing it with you
13. common sense is to be used at all times no exceptions
14. ask people if its ok if you take pictures , do not assume jsut becuase they share your love of hiking they also share your love of having to take a picture every 5 minutes..at night..with flash ofcourse
15. dont snivel all night complaining about the trail, noone forced you to do this, failing gear , weather, jobs ,family , life is to be somewhat expected but theres enough peolpe who want to just bulldoze the trail completly for parking lots and other junk, you are not doing us any favors by bad mouthing it,even after a 80 mile day straight uphill in the rain and sleet

its probably unwise to say " unspoken" as a lot of people are VERY vocal about each of these but the OFFICIAL rules of the shelters are i believe limited to the usual " no fire except in established rings" " pack out everything you pack in " " make sure to use lime in the privy" and " bear bag all goodies as early in the evening as possible" these are simply the top 15 things i have come across that is guaranteed to piss off fellow hikers please post if you have another to add

#1 theres no problem with dogs in the shelter,if others have no objection(especially if the dog is well behaved) if the shelter starts to fill up yes i throw up my tent.(prefer to tent anyway)my dog had over 6,000 A.T. miles with no complaints #2 you should always have some form of shelter with you anyway(tent,tarp,etc...) #4 i always left before dawn,and was always very quiet(and very respectful of others) that was always my biggest problem with others.very loud and no respect of others i would be prepared the night before and grab my stuff and pack up away from the shelter. #10 never,never,never leave anything behind,that is littering. the rest of your list is good to go.

[Tin Man]

Don't ask, "who's up for fart baseball?" after lights out.

[Captain]

#1 theres no problem with dogs in the shelter,if others have no objection(especially if the dog is well behaved) if the shelter starts to fill up yes i throw up my tent.(prefer to tent anyway)my dog had over 6,000 A.T. miles with no complaints #2 you should always have some form of shelter with you anyway(tent,tarp,etc...) #4 i always left before dawn,and was always very quiet(and very respectful of others) that was always my biggest problem with others.very loud and no respect of others i would be prepared the night before and grab my stuff and pack up away from the shelter. #10 never,never,never leave anything behind,that is littering. the rest of your list is good to go.

right on, i just put this list together given the impressions i got from others over the past year

[Nearly Normal]

Gearhead and gram weenie chit chat gets old after a while too.