[pct-l] Tent on a PCT Hike Thru

[Edward Anderson]

Hello Chuck,

My earliest overnight backpacking experience was a Sierra trip in 1952 when I was in the 10th grade. For that, I had purchased a war-surplus backpack and a cheap kapok-filled sleeping bag.  The pack was poorly designed and was uncomfortable. The sleeping bag was even worse as there apparently was nothing to keep the kapok spread out evenly - I recall that I could see the stars through the bag and had to sleep in my clothes on a cold night to stay warm. For the next year I bought a Kelty pack (One of his first. He was working out of his garage in Glendale, Calif.) and a down sleeping bag.  


During the 1950's I never backpacked with more than one or two companions. More often I went alone. Most of those hikes were in the Sierra, fishing, climbing and exploring off the established trails - going cross-country.  I visited and camped in places where there was no sign that anyone had ever been there before. I loved being alone in unspoiled places like that. I never used a tent, just a tarp large enough to be pulled over my bag if it rained.  I did sometimes suffer from the mosquitoes and other bugs. I didn't use a sleeping pad or an air mattress either.  In those days I just scoped out what we called a "hip hole", and lined it with pine needles. 


Then, when I got married in 1959, we sometimes brought a tent and had air mattresses. Most often we didn't bring the tent and slept under the stars. We enjoyed many great backing adventures in California, Oregon and Washington in the decades to follow.

Today, on the PCT, I bring a lightweight free-standing tent and usually use only the insect netting part, as my horse and I like to see each other and I do like to star-gaze and look at the trees above. I don't stuff,( aggressively compress ) my bag while on the trail. Actually, I carry it in my knapsack along with other survival gear (in case I'm ever separated from my horse, and possibly alone and injured.)  I have, and love, my Thermarest self-inflating, 48" long air mattress. When rolled up in it's bag it takes up very little space in my cantle bag. One thing that I like about it is that, unlike a sleeping pad, it is adjustable - you can decide how soft or hard depending on how much air you put in. The self-inflated amount of air is usually fine for me - but not always.  Sometimes I make adjustments.

Like everything else related to hiking or riding on the PCT, from experience, each person will discover what works best for them. 


Have a great day.  When will you return to the trail this season?

MendoRider

.




________________________________
From: CHUCK CHELIN <steeleye at wildblue.net>
To: Darrell McLaughlin <darrell_mclaughlin at yahoo.com>
Cc: PCT listserve <pct-l at backcountry.net>
Sent: Tuesday, July 26, 2011 7:42 PM
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Tent on a PCT Hike Thru

Good evening, Darrell,

The propensity to sleep under the stars whenever possible is a usually
developed by some combination of, 1) Wanting to enjoy the freedom of being
part of the night – listening to night sounds and staring up at the Milky
Way, and/or, 2) Having sufficient experience to allow a relaxing sleep
without the stress of wondering if something out there in the dark is going
to “getcha”, and/or, 3) Being so firmly motivated to reduce weight that
apprehensions are ignored.

My personal situation is a bit different:  When I first started hiking and
camping with other Boy Scouts in the mid-‘50s the only tents any of us had
were old Army surplus shelter halves which were not only heavy and a
nuisance to erect, but they provided only the most modest protection against
rain, and no protection against bugs.  Being lazy, I eschewed the tent
entirely in favor of sleeping on a poncho – also Army surplus – spread on
the ground; the edge of which could be pulled over the sleeping bag in the
rare event of rain.  If rain threatened I would pitch the poncho as a pup
tent or a lean-to, a practice that I continue to this day.

Most kids today don’t start that way.  Today, useable fully-enclosed and
waterproof tents are readily available and inexpensive -- even for kids --
so fewer are inclined to develop a desire to sleep under the stars.

I sometimes use a tent when camping in bug season, particularly when car or
canoe camping, i.e. when I don’t have to carry the thing.

In balance, sleeping under the stars often requires the use of some kind of
mosquito net; care in selecting a campsite to avoid most of the ants; and
willingness to air the dew off the sleeping bag daily.

In my opinion, the freedom of sleeping out exceeds the associated
aggravations.

Steel-Eye

-Hiking the Pct since before it was the PCT – 1965

-http://www.trailjournals.com/steel-eye

-http://www.trailjournals.com/SteelEye09


On Mon, Jul 25, 2011 at 11:37 AM, Darrell McLaughlin <
darrell_mclaughlin at yahoo.com> wrote:

> Hello All,
>
> I had a general question about taking a tent on a PCT hike thru.Take a tent
> vs not? Sleep on the ground with the bugs and critters or in a tent?  Take
> just a Tarp for rain cover or a tent or both?
>
> Any opinions?
>
> Thanks
> Darrell
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