What to do with my pack while sleeping in my tent?

[smokeybones]

This may be a dumb question, but what do i do with my pack when i retire to my tent at night? I've been car camping all my life but im pretty new to hiking and have only stayed in shelters so far. Im preparing for a SOBO thru hike in June and im trying to plan it out to a tee. My tent is a eureka solitaire so there's no space for my pack inside. Do i just put the pack cover on it and lean it against a tree? Hang it from a tree like a bear bag? I'm worried that it i just lean it against a tree it will get excessively wet and muddy if it rains and it might get holes chewed in it by little critters.

Thanks,
Wes

[T.S.Kobzol]

Use it a pillow

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[MuddyWaters]

hang it from a tree
hang if from a bush
hang it on your bearline
put it under your legs
leave it in your vestibule

[Odd Man Out]

If you have packed light enough, the pack will be empty (or nearly so) at night, so under your legs or head, or leaning against the tent pole are all reasonable options.

[Cookerhiker]

...leave it in your vestibule

This.......

[Wombat Farm]

I'd have to say that Odd Man Out has it right on the nose. And what's left inside can be used as a pillow (or for the nights that your feet are throbbing a foot elevator!). Enjoy!

[Papa D]

I'm usually in a Hubba Carbon Reflex or a Six Moons Lunar Solo which are both pretty small solo tents and I have plenty of room for my backpack - - I usually stash it by my feet or put my feet on it. It's also handy in a not so perfect tent site for shimming.

[canoe]

hang it from a tree
hang if from a bush
hang it on your bearline
put it under your legs
leave it in your vestibule

OK Dr Zuess. LOL

[swjohnsey]

Like he said, if you packed right it should be empty. Put it under your feet.

[TJ aka Teej]

Pillow.
But hang your food bag.

[Astro]

And if you pack is still too full to fit in your tent, either get a bigger tent or bring less with you.

[SCRUB HIKER]

If you've got a closed-cell sleeping pad, cut it short (like to the knees or higher) and use the empty pack as the pad for your lower legs and feet.

[Northern Lights]

I bunch it up and stick it under my feet. A little elevation after hiking all day is kind of nice.

[ChuckBrown]

I used my pack as support under my pad, I side sleep. I needed to get my pillow high enough to rest my head on. I do not do this anymore. By the time I got to nh, my tent stank inside from all sweat grime that transferred from my pack to the tent floor, had to wash my tent and reseal when I was in Hanover.

My current tent has vestibule for the pack.

[Don H]

Always kept mine inside the tent.

[Papa D]

Like he said, if you packed right it should be empty. Put it under your feet.

My bag is usually not completely empty at night - - it would still typically contain a a zip lock with first aid items, probably my camera, my rain gear, pack cover, etc. - but yes, more or less empty at night.

[Grampie]

I have the same tent. On my thru-hike i slept in it about 80 times. I would just lean it up against a near by tree, put the rain cover over it and wedge my hiking poles in the grounf in front of it. I had no problems doing this. It's a nice small tent that is light and costs little.

[Omaha_Ace]

I'm really glad all of you are suggesting keeping it in your tent. I've been doing this my whole life and when I saw the question on the board my first reaction was "Uh-oh..."

Food in a tree, bag in the tent (or vestibule obviously if you have one...)

[daddytwosticks]

If your pack is as big as some I've seen on the trail, use it as a bivy!

[max patch]

I left mine outside propped up against a tree with the pack cover on. I somehow left fresh cinnamon rolls in it one nite and a mouse helped himself to it. That was the only issue I had.