Just curious as to what you do with your pack while you are in the grocery store/quick mart getting your supplies. Is it usually safe to leave them outside while you shop or should you try to stash them someplace less conspicuous? I will be heading out on my first multi-week trip here in a couple of weeks and this is just one of the concerns I find myself thinking about! Thanks for any and all advice.
Yoda
Josh “Yoda” Dettmer
My son and I usually just put them by the front door, outside, or if it is a small store, just inside the front door. So far no problems encountered.
I guess you could stash them somewhere, I just havent ever even thought of doing that 
I guess I figure that I could outrun anyone carrying my pack
Jim Deane
Jim Deane
i thought of this very problem…and remembered i had an old radio shack motion alarm that you mount on your door with velcro, and when the door opens, (by the no good vandal!) it goes off. just set it in the pack and maybe that will work; at least you’ll hear it getting quieter as the pack leaves the store!
toby
Most stores along the trails know that you have a load to watch and don’t mind you putting them somewhere safe in the store…except the Dairy Queen in Bland, Va. The nasty manager said we were taking up customer space and making the store look bad and told we, the paying customers, that we had to leave our packs outside the building. After some looks from our group the conclusion was made that her wide butt was taking up to much space. Anyway, one tip that seemed to work was hang some dirty luandry off your pack if it has to site outside, but we even went through the supermarkets with our packs on and it was no trouble. Ask if you can set it in the office or behind the customer service counter. It’s really very easy to keep it safe. Take out the camera and valuables. Oh, we would also, near towns with heavy woods, stash our packs in the leaves well away from the trail head. That worked fine. Especially if all you need is a few suplies and it looks like you’ll have to walk it in and back.
Bushwhack
At a local outfitter last year I heard of one AT hiker who had his pack stolen and it really messed up his trip. I would worry about going into a restaurant and leaving the pack outside. I’m glad some grocery stores don’t mind if you bring packs in with you. We were just discussing this topic at home this weekend … and wondering.
Jim Quinlan
Now I wouldn’t be going into Fridays or any high class place where you can’t actually see your pack but most eats that “we” hit know you’re a hiker and let you put your stuff inside. Figure you eat at maybe fourty to fifty places on a thru hike and the DQ was the only bummer. Or if you’re in town you’ll be at a hotel anywho. It’s just to far to go for a quick meal, maybe on a short trip it’s not. Remember, “thru-hiker” won’t go more than .2 to anything. A quote from BoyHowdy, amen.
Bushwhack
My feeling always was, “why would anyone want to steal something that stank this bad?”
I kept my pack within view as much as possible. I also found that most businesses that were used to thru-hikers allowed one to stash a pack somewhere near the front counter where they would not get stolen.
Mr. Boo
When I went grocery shopping, I would ask a cashier if it was ok to leave my pack in the front of the store (inside). Asking generally helps, since you generally have the appearance of an escaped convict or homeless person.
Once while shopping at a large discount store, I place my backpack behind the customer service counter, since it seemed a little more risky there.
I never left my pack in the woods, because it didn’t seem
like much a problem to me. When hitch hiking into town, the pack helps identify you as a hiker, which can make it easier to get a ride.
Resturants aren’t very excited about serving grungy hikers, and with good reason. Most of their customers don’t want to see “homeless” people, and those are the customers who keep their business running. Those that do serve you, are doing it out the kindness of their hearts. The money you spend there doesn’t compensate for their loss in business caused by your apperance and smell. Perhaps the Dairy Queen was more interested in running a business than being friendly to hikers. Realize that not all hikers are considerate as you are, and some businesses have had some bad experiences with past hikers.
Hikers seem to get the impression that their money is what is driving the town’s economy, and that they should be treated with respect becuase of that. I think this attitude is what causes many of the problems in trail towns.
Ted (Waterfall 1999)
Ted
A lot can be said for being clean when heading in for the feed bag. I think I mentioned posts ago about our stop in Kent, Cn. at the Fythe & Drum Inn, we went in the restuarant to get a room and the waiter asked if we wanted to eat in…thier three star eatery. He asked if we were hiking the trail, said we looked plenty clean to him, I asked about the whole tie and jacket thing as we were being stared at by customers in mid fork full, he said we looked clean to him, pick a seat. We had washed up a little a few miles back but still to be invited in a high class joint like that in four day old clothes. A little soap goes a long way AND makes way for others behind us when we show some common courtesy to those we patron.
Bushwhack
While staying on top of Stratton Mountain a bunch of hikers got drunk and rowdy. I left in the morning. Later in Manchester, I ran in to a couple of them and they accused me of stealing one of there walkmans (they probably lost it) anyway they stole my pack at threat of force. Thus ended my thru-hike in 01’.
Lost Cause