What form of emergency shelter do most people carry hiking the AT through the Smokies

[Gambit McCrae]

The first page of this thread was amusing.. shared the Smokies with hundreds of thru hikers this last spring, everyone made room..there were no issues. I didn't bring a tent or any kind of shelter, I was required to stay in the shelter. There are shelters every 8 miles or so in the Smokies and I saw dozens of people a day. I don't even recall too many places in the northern half of the park that a tent COULD be set up at lol

Other then the Smokies, I always have a tent. Either My Tarptent Strato 2 from college or my Hilleberg Anjan 2GT

[HooKooDooKu]

And why wouldn'tt you continue hiking in the storm to get back to your car if you are day hiking?

Injury.

I know I don't venture out into the GSMNP for even a day-hike if I'm not prepared to spend the night in the woods.

However, for a day hike, being "prepared" just means that I have enough layers to keep me warm and to keep me (mostly) dry (rain jacket and rain pants) where I can sit out the night under a tree.

[Casey & Gina]

Shelters are for emergencies - the tent I carry is for nightly use. Not saying that I'd intentionally disregard some regulation that said I was supposed to stay in shelters for a specific section of the trail, but I'd really rather stay in my tent as long as I have the option.

Other then the Smokies, I always have a tent. Either My Tarptent Strato 2 from college or my Hilleberg Anjan 2GT

I wouldn't have guessed you to be a Hilleberg owner - how do you like it? We just got an Anjan 3GT. Looking forward to trying it out once the weather warms up.

[Cheyou]

Shelters are for emergencies - the tent I carry is for nightly use. Not saying that I'd intentionally disregard some regulation that said I was supposed to stay in shelters for a specific section of the trail, but I'd really rather stay in my tent as long as I have the option.



I wouldn't have guessed you to be a Hilleberg owner - how do you like it? We just got an Anjan 3GT. Looking forward to trying it out once the weather warms up.

looks like a nice tent.

Thom

[4eyedbuzzard]

Zombie thread?

[Time Zone]

Zombie thread?

Well, I could have started a new one, but I did a search and my question fit this thread. Trouble is, most of the previous replies addressed a question the OP didn't ask. The OP question (and mine) was what is a good emergency shelter, not preferred, planned shelter. In particular, I felt that based recalling the times I've been up Leconte, there are long stretches there where you can't really set up a tent. It's not like there's a clearing in the woods, let alone a level one. So I was curious what people are prepared to do - if injured (acute or chronic condition), or let's say it's late winter/early spring, and the weather changes quickly and adversely - how soon can hypothermia become an issue? [or can that always be controlled with the right rain gear?] If you're halfway up, do you keep hiking for an hour or two (either up or down, to get to where perhaps some semi-level ground could be found?) Do you set up right in the path of the trail (and if so, set up what?).

Sorry if this comes across as naive. I suppose it is ... I've been out of backpacking a long time, but I've resumed quite a bit of hiking in recent years and I'd like to hit the Smokies and similar places more often going forward. I certainly have a notion that I'd prefer to wait out a storm in a tent ... I'm just not sure how often one would find themselves in a spot near where a tent could be set up. As for injury ... well, let's hope sufficient NSAIDs would enable one to complete a descent.

Thanks.

[Ashepabst]

I take a 8x10 silnylon tarp (Warbonnet Edge) plus a small ground sheet as an emergency shelter. plus a change of shirt and a pack towel should I really need to get dry and warm.

[HDLV]

I don't usually stay at shelters and since ditching my tent for a tarp have actually became more of a cowboy camper than anything. However, even if the forecast looks great I still bring my tarp as a back up. It's 10x8.5 cuben fiber weighing 12.35oz with stuff sack, tie outs and stakes at so its not much of a burden to carry.

[4eyedbuzzard]

Well, I could have started a new one, but I did a search and my question fit this thread. Trouble is, most of the previous replies addressed a question the OP didn't ask. The OP question (and mine) was what is a good emergency shelter, not preferred, planned shelter. In particular, I felt that based recalling the times I've been up Leconte, there are long stretches there where you can't really set up a tent. It's not like there's a clearing in the woods, let alone a level one. So I was curious what people are prepared to do - if injured (acute or chronic condition), or let's say it's late winter/early spring, and the weather changes quickly and adversely - how soon can hypothermia become an issue? [or can that always be controlled with the right rain gear?] If you're halfway up, do you keep hiking for an hour or two (either up or down, to get to where perhaps some semi-level ground could be found?) Do you set up right in the path of the trail (and if so, set up what?).

Sorry if this comes across as naive. I suppose it is ... I've been out of backpacking a long time, but I've resumed quite a bit of hiking in recent years and I'd like to hit the Smokies and similar places more often going forward. I certainly have a notion that I'd prefer to wait out a storm in a tent ... I'm just not sure how often one would find themselves in a spot near where a tent could be set up. As for injury ... well, let's hope sufficient NSAIDs would enable one to complete a descent.

Thanks.

Fair enough on resurrecting the thread. I don't see a tent or tarp as an emergency shelter. It's THE only shelter. Because you can never count on trail shelters/lean-tos being available if weather turns bad. And you ALWAYS have to have a shelter system. I understand the "no clearing nor level ground" situation. We have similar and even worse unique situations in the Whites. Prevention is the best defense. At the first sign of weather deteriorating, start looking for/heading for a site. Yeah, sometimes that means toughing it out for a few miles up, or generally better yet, down - IF you have the time. If not, you may have to set up on the side of a slope (orient the tent to best avoid runoff water from entering). Being dry and uncomfortable on a slope is better than being exposed. Hypothermia has to be prevented. It's not really an option to let it begin, and then try to treat it. By then you'd be cold, wet, and in deep trouble. In a true emergency, etiquette isn't even a passing thought. You do what you need to survive, including putting up a tent right in the middle of the trail. You're the "pilot in command" on your hike. There's no one size fits all answer on what to do.

[Time Zone]

Thanks for your thoughtful reply. What do you think of a bivy - as unplanned shelter? Quicker to deploy than a tent or tarp, and probably fits better on a mountainside trail. OTOH, there's the condensation issue, harder to change out of wet clothes or even move around. Just curious. My guess is I'll rely on an old tent (25 sf, single wall, tough floor). Hard to shake the lure of the compact, low-weight bivy, though.

[illabelle]

cspan, we dayhike in the Smokies frequently, usually an afternoon hike of less than ten miles round trip in temperate weather. We don't carry an emergency shelter. We wear/carry clothes appropriate for the season, current conditions, and elevation. I suppose we feel confident that we can hike back out safely, even if by headlamp. If I were hiking alone, if I were older or more fragile, or if we were headed deep into the backcountry, we might prepare differently.
For a similar hike in the Whites, we would carry an emergency bivy.

[Old Grouse]

And why wouldn'tt you continue hiking in the storm to get back to your car if you are day hiking?

What if I were injured or became lost? What if I came across someone else late in the day who couldn't continue? Be prepared.

[daddytwosticks]

I said it two years ago and I'll say it again...poncho tarp. No set up involved. Just hunker down all covered up. Great multi-purpose gear, especially for a day hiker IMHO.

[Gambit McCrae]

I wouldn't have guessed you to be a Hilleberg owner - how do you like it? We just got an Anjan 3GT. Looking forward to trying it out once the weather warms up.

I have had several, Started with the Nallo 2GT, the Allak and now the Anjan 2GT. I like space, and I like lighter then heavier. The Anjan gives the best of both worlds, along with the quality of Hilleberg, now--it cant be setup in every nook and cranny BUT I have alowasy found a place on the AT to set it up, and it has sustained some torrential downpours. If I had to live in a tent for a year it would be a Hilleberg (bigger than Anjan) for sure.

[martinb]

I said it two years ago and I'll say it again...poncho tarp. No set up involved. Just hunker down all covered up. Great multi-purpose gear, especially for a day hiker IMHO.

This is my method as well. I bring a small pack with headlamp, poncho, probars, lighter, first aid kit, and water filter on all my multi-mile day hikes.

[Dogwood]

http://i.frg.im/sKquznzo/151681658313-0_600.jpg

[Casey & Gina]

http://i.frg.im/sKquznzo/151681658313-0_600.jpg

Is that a "backcountry shower"?

[martinb]

http://i.frg.im/sKquznzo/151681658313-0_600.jpg

Comes with a dryer.

[Del Q]

Tent.

I agree with Lone Wolf, no reason not to carry one....total freedom.

Isn't that one of the big reasons that we backpack?

[Time Zone]

Thanks for the additional responses, all.

Here are a few pictures of the kind of trails I often encounter here in SE TN. These aren't cherry-picked; 95% of the trails (and the surface off of them) look this inhospitable to erecting a tent as an emergency shelter. They're ridgeway trails, basically. A tarp & hammock could be done, but you'd be hanging over rocks - and maybe a steep mountainside. If you could even get in it. I hope this helps explain why I was perplexed about what sort of shelter to use if you're caught in a storm on a trail. These are from the North Chickamauga Creek Gorge on the Cumberland Trail.

20160212_153617s.jpg20160212_153629s.jpg24360826023_5bca3798a5_os.jpg