Okay…I hear in NH and Maine you get a lot of area where you’re supposed to camp on wooden platforms. Does this cause a problem if your tent isn’t freestanding? Also…are all tents pretty much waterproof…and you just have to be sure to seal the seams? Thanks again! and again…and again.
C-Giddy
I stayed at a couple sites with platforms. I did have some trouble setting up my tent since it isn’t free standing.(Eureka Gossamer) I did the best I could tying my ropes to rocks and trees. Luckily I saw no rain on those nights…
If a tent has a rain fly, I can’t imagine that It wouldn’t be waterproof…if you seal your seams you should be fine! Take it out one weekend for a test run if you don’t feel confident. Good luck C-Giddy!!!
Jersey Joe
I found tarping on a platform to be a problem, but in a nice way— like a puzzle! My observations were:
Rain splatter is a bigger problem on a hard, wooden surface. I put the edges of the tarp all the way down.
Rain flow across the platform is also a potential problem, since wood doesn’t absorb water as well as ground. Fortunately, the platforms I saw had about 1/4" gaps (see note below) between the boards. I aligned the ridgeline with the boards so water couldn’t flow in from the sides. I put one end of the tarp at the edge of the platform so water couldn’t flow in that way. That left only one end, which I defended with, uh, FAITH! 
A little extra cord was very useful to tie everything to the platform.
One trick I tried was to make a tapered stick and then jam it between boards like a tent peg. Unfortunately, I forget whether that turned out to be a really clever trick or a really stupid trick… GOOD LUCK!
(Note from above: the " symbol denotes inches, which are about twice-and-a-half times larger than the little wussy units you Europeans use.)
Eric
Take along six 1 1/2 inch screws & a Leatherman tool. Put them into the sides of the platform, not the top. Remember to remove when finshed.
“30-30”
Many of the shelter/tent sites in the Whites already have screw eyes for lashing on the sides of the platforms. I use short lenghts of parachute cord to tie out the corners of my tent (and sometimes tarp). You could also ask the caretaker if you could use the site’s overflow area, they do not have platforms. Or you could camp outside the shelter sites. Its fine to camp elsewhere in The Whites so long as its more than a quarter mile from a backcountry site or Hut and out of site of the trail and any water source.
Celt
Every tent platform north of VT had tiedowns. South of VT they usually didn’t, although there were some really nice PATC ones in southern PA that did. I used a Sierra Designs Clip Flashilight CD which is not freestanding and I never once had a problem with setting up the tent. You’ll almost always find big piles of rocks near the platforms if there isn’t a good way to tie down the tent. Bring some extra cord (parachute cord is the best!) and you’ll be fine.
You should seam-seal your tent even if it is waterproof. Our tent (which is great in the rain, BTW) didn’t leak until Shenandoah, and the leaks happened along the seams, so applying sealer along the seams solved the problem. Do it when the tent is new, because the sealer doesn’t work well in a dirty tent and it is a PITA to clean a grimy tent. Also, make sure that you use the stuff in a well-ventilated area and give your tent some time to air out; seam-sealer is truly nasty stuff.
Oreo
Ditto on the platforms. We just carried extra cord and tie off to the edge of boards, trees anything we could find. Never had a platform we couldn’t set up our Clip Flashlight. Most of the time it was a angle, corner to corner. We sealed our tent and didn’t have a leak from GA to ME. Great little tent. Don’t sweat the platforms. By the time you get there you will be a pro at setting up a tent.
Papa Smurf
17.5 cm sounds better than 7"
:lol
Thanks for the advice re Tarping on the platforms. I hope I still remember it by the time I get up there.
Ross
I’m sure he won’t mind me telling you this, but…I had an email from “Squeaky” (2003er), turns out we both went to the same School, only he was 3 years below me!!! He’s meeting the Flying Scotsman for a beer right near my home so I’ll probably tag along and get some advice.
Ross
On my LT hike last year, almost every site had wooden platforms. Every shelter site. I just have extra long cords that I run over the egde and stake into the ground. Im fast becoming a fan of the platform. You can have all your stuff off the ground. The only draw back is that they are hard, but so is a shelter floor. Check out my photo from LT hike That shows how dry I was on the platform. That night it rain hard for hours.
Chef
platforms with gaps you can tie your cord around the middle of the stake,let it drop down thru crack,twist to 90 degrees,then pull tight.
Onlyone
Yeah, with a little cord its not hard to pitch on a platform. However, I always found the platforms far more offensive than even a well used campsite. Never did figure out the real purpose - except perhaps there was always a fee attached.
steamboat