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Post by andyross on Feb 4, 2017 12:40:24 GMT -8
Im new to this forum so i apoligize if this is a stupid question....i have always slept by myself in a diy 2 person tent. So i have always had room for my gear next to me. My daughter is expressing interest in backpacking with me so my "gear spot" will be filled with another body...plus her gear. I really dont want to carry a bigger tent so im wondering what options i have that i dont know about? What do all ya'll do with gear at night. Im in michigan....i backpack all seasons but mostly winter.
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tigger
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Post by tigger on Feb 4, 2017 14:04:16 GMT -8
I often put my pack itself under my legs/feet for extra insulation, I put my clothing stuff sacks to use as a pillow so I can read more comfortably. The food (no bear issue around here) goes in the vestibule in winter and in summer, gets slung up in a nearby tree from parachute cord.
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Post by cweston on Feb 4, 2017 14:13:24 GMT -8
I usually put my pack in my tent vestibule, if it is large enough, or I cover it and leave it outside. Make sure the pockets are open and there is no food or smell-like-food in it, the better to not tempt critters (and the open pockets might keep a mouse-like critter from chewing through something).
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Post by andyross on Feb 4, 2017 14:18:34 GMT -8
I often put my pack itself under my legs/feet for extra insulation, I put my clothing stuff sacks to use as a pillow so I can read more comfortably. The food (no bear issue around here) goes in the vestibule in winter and in summer, gets slung up in a nearby tree from parachute cord. I have an external frame pack. This sounds a little uncomfortable. Im also wonderimg about side sleeping and how this works in conjunction. My tent doesnt have a vestibule...but i suppose it could be added fairly easily.
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zeke
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Post by zeke on Feb 4, 2017 14:23:17 GMT -8
Hang it from a nearby tree. Up off the ground a few feet, just to keep the ground dwellers away. Cover it to protect against rain or snow. Otherwise, string up a tarp between 2 trees and create your own vestibule.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 4, 2017 16:08:43 GMT -8
When I backpack with others (which is increasingly rare), I bring along a large garbage bag and put it over my pack and lean it next to a nearby tree.
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Post by peakbagger on Feb 4, 2017 16:23:56 GMT -8
When camping near home (black bears are a consideration) I always hang my backpack with all my food items, plus everything else not needed for the night. I usually place boots, trekking poles, and maybe another item or two under the vestibule. A few small items plus some extra clothing for insulation goes in the tent with me.
I don't think this will relate to your situation, but I've had some opportunities to backpack at high elevations, where there's no wildlife to be concerned with. In these cases everything goes under the vestibule. The worst thing that has happened to me in these situation is that I've woken up to boots with a solid frost over them. Due to this experience I've started bringing boots in the tent with me at times.
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zeke
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Post by zeke on Feb 4, 2017 16:30:44 GMT -8
High elevation? Black bear tracks have been found at 11,000 ft in California's Moose lake region. Most hikers don't think there are bears up there, but there are.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 4, 2017 17:37:08 GMT -8
I carry a ZPacks Duplex tent, 1.3 pounds with all the fixings. The food bag, a Ursack / Opsack gets tied to a tree. The water bladders and boots are put in the vestibule. All the rest of the gear goes into the tent. At my head, I will put the 10E bag, and use the cloths bag for a pillow. At my feet there is room for the pack, not tucked under the pads, and the remaining gear. My wife does something similar with her equipment.
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bcpete
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Post by bcpete on Feb 4, 2017 17:44:56 GMT -8
My wife & I have been backpacking without a vestibule on our tent for over 10 years now ... with no room inside the tent for gear or boots. Our solution has been to use an extra large garbage bag for our packs (both of them in one bag), and a medium size garbage bag for our boots.
The backpack bag gets stored right beside the tent, and the boot bag right outside our tent door. Food of course gets stored in a tree - absolutely no food in our packs at night. We will also put bug dope, sunscreen, etc in our food bag at night - we hike in grizzly & black bear country.
We've never had any problems with critters (big & small) with this system. Rain protection is fine of course. This two garbage bag system is the lightest method I can think of - certainly lighter than attaching a vestibule to our tent.
One thing we will never do anymore is leave a pack inside the tent (without food) while we go for a dayhike or scramble. We had one tent destroyed by a marmot a few years ago - it was attracted to the sweat on the pack straps. That wasn't a fun thing to come back to after a long dayhike in a remote part of Jasper - and of course it rained a lot that night. If you do hang your pack up a tree, I wouldn't leave any food inside the pack - we've seen birds peck away at a properly hung pack to get at granola bars in an outside pocket.
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almostthere
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Post by almostthere on Feb 4, 2017 18:00:27 GMT -8
My gear is not so burdensome that it doesn't all fit in the tent. And in California, especially Yosemite or any area with a mandatory bear can law, it's especially important not to leave stuff lying around. The only thing outside the tent/tarp/hammock is usually the stove and the pot over the burner. Everything else is inside the bear can, or inside the shelter with me. Pack is usually always with me. I hang trekking poles or anything with sweat on it, either from the hammock suspension or a bush or tree, out of the reach of marmots -- and in some places it's deer that will go for it so stuff just stays with me. Marmots ate my trekking pole handles -- literally, there were no little shreds left behind.
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swmtnbackpacker
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Post by swmtnbackpacker on Feb 4, 2017 18:11:58 GMT -8
I try not to leave anything out, and being pretty minimalist in gear in the summer, usually use everything in the inner net tent ... or have it accessible. Bagged hiking clothes, unused rain gear, and insulation go in the pillow stuff sack, I'll keep my stove out since it's only used for water and cookware gets hung with the food bag.
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BigLoad
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Post by BigLoad on Feb 4, 2017 18:55:00 GMT -8
Most of my gear is clothing that becomes my pillow. Food and smellables go in the bear bag. Pot and stove either stay outside or go in the pack. The pack might go in the tent, the vestibule or hang from a tree. Water treatment stuff either goes in the pack, or if it's cold, in the sleeping bag. Water goes in the tent. Camera, sunglasses and other odds and ends go in my hat, next to my head.
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rebeccad
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Post by rebeccad on Feb 4, 2017 21:25:45 GMT -8
I try not to leave anything out, and being pretty minimalist in gear in the summer, usually use everything in the inner net tent ... or have it accessible. Bagged hiking clothes, unused rain gear, and insulation go in the pillow stuff sack, I'll keep my stove out since it's only used for water and cookware gets hung with the food bag. That's pretty much it exactly. My internal-frame pack is part of my sleep system--I use a short pad and the pack serves to pad/insulate under my feet. Other than food and the stove/pot (food and utensils/bowls/cups are hung or Ursacked, pot only boils water so is inverted over the stove), all the rest of the gear is in use when I'm sleeping--pad, bag, clothes for pillow. My camera bag goes in the pile at the head of the bed that helps hold the pillow pile up, and my boots and trekking poles are the only other things that go outside. Pole get hung from a branch or stabbed into the ground upright, and boots go in the vestibule. Though I've been thinking of bringing a plastic bag so they could come inside and contribute to the pillow pile, especially on cold nights when I'm wearing most of the clothing.
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Post by Lamebeaver on Feb 5, 2017 5:32:55 GMT -8
You can lean two backpacks against a tree and cover both with a large garbage bag. You can get a 7x7 tent relatively cheap, which will hold both of you and your gear. It will weigh around 6 lbs, but you can split it between the two of you to reduce the weight.
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