I don’t know about anyone else, but I sure enjoy my sleep. I am not a tollerant person when others snore (thus I am divorced hehehe) and I am concerned about sharing a shelter with 5 or 6 freight trains. I rarely read about anyone who exclusively tents each night (except for TN where shelters are mandatory). Has anyone out there just used a tent each night? What are the general feelings about a single wall tent vs a tent with fly? Any feedback would be helpful.
Educ8r
I rarely stayed in shelters. I didn’t like the chaos of people and gear everywhere and lack of privacy.
Single-wall tents are substantially lighter, which is a huge plus, but keep one word in mind as you investigate your options: “condensation”.
Shelters were mandatory in TN? Uhh… yeah, uh… I always stayed in shelters there! For that very reason, in fact. Now that you mention it.
Eric
For me, a tent with a fly is the way to go. I went to Joanne Fab. and bought a 8’by 8’ rip-stop nylon (camo looking). faberic. Now, when you have those ‘3 days in a row’ when it down poors, and you want to stay for a long rest. You will be DRY and WARM! You can do a lot with a water-proof light-weight nylon tarp. Great for making a lean-to too.
Wild Bill
You got to find out for yourself I guess. But I got a tent and even if there is room I set up my tent a few feet from the shelter, just like your thinking, I’m thinking. Mostly shelters are a few minutes from the road and campsites if its legal and are a few miles from the roads. So make you choice, but campsites seem to be a little more on trail talk and the leantos are mostly about town talk. We at the tentsites talk about the trail more.And I really don’t want you near me with a cell phone to. It messes up my karma with the earth, that’s all. Most leanto leak in the front and blow rain in all over the floor like tonight for example. They will still hang there tents up in front of the opening but it still will blow in, and they got a wet tent anyway.And Its first come first serve, so that’s why they call em shelter people, cause you not supose to stay there all day. Hope I helped you out, whatever your goals may be.
Greg
Educ8r. I always carry a tent, except in TN. I guess your husband could of used a tent. There are always two sides to the coin. Pros of Shelters: you know where they are located, you can be sure there is some water close by, you can read about others on the trail in the shelter journals, there may be a privy close by, you may have someone to talk to at night, if you need food cables they are there, you have a place to sit, usually a table to eat or write, a fire ring to make you feel good, there are a lot of advantages in staying in a shelter. Pros of Tents: You can usually hike as far as you want and not stop at a shelter, you can cover more miles, you can go to sleep when you want and not bother others, you can get up when you want and not wake others, you can get up in the middle of the night and answer the call of nature, snoring is not a problem, and if you want you can usually put your tent up close to a shelter and use the table, get water, use the fire ring, privy etc. I carry a REI half dome tent, with a fly and ground cloth(5 lbs), I don’t need a sleeping bag in the warm months, I can sit up in the tent and bring in all my stuff, it keeps them clean and dry. You can also use only the ground cloth and fly if you want to go ultralight. For the extra weight, I enjoy knowing I can hike a little longer, enjoy a little more privacy, and when I bring my dog, he sleeps inside with me. At Standing Indian Shelter, I was by myself, I set up the tent inside the shelter, it was a lot cleaner and the mice didn’t bother me.
Bilko
We have a singlewall, free standing tent (check out Black Diamond Firstlight or Lighthouse). Tenting for us is the way to go but a in few areas it is hard to find a flat level spot. You usually don’t have to limit your campsite to a shelter area. Pick up water late in the day for dinner then look for a flat spot. One of the reasons I hike is to enjoy the woods or wilderness and a shelter seems more like civilization.
Be sure to take earplugs in case you do have to spend the night in a shelter.
Marcia
It’s good advice to always bring a tent or other shelter with you. Don’t rely on shelters.
Peaks
I carry a small one man tent but I do enjoy the dry confort of a shelter. People will bad mouth shelters but they can be a a great comfort during a heavy rain. Loading up outside in a tent during a shower can be a down right nasty event. I do enjoy staying in my tent during good weather cause you can move around and snore the night away. It will take you a good deal more time to take down your tent and pack up from a squating stance rather than standing in a shelter. If you like to head out early, tenting is a plus because you will not bother other hikers. Shelters can be a great place to share trail stories and events. Lots of folks will fix meals at or near the shelter swap some trail info then head back to their tents so you have the best of both worlds.
Swamp Dawg
Even if you don’t carry a tent carry a tarp. Carry a tarp and a tent. I don’t muss with that packing up in the rain or unpacking anymore either. I always set my 6X6 tarp 6 feet, or as high as the wind will let me, first thing, without even taking my pack off even yet, then its a charm to pack up in even a heavy rain,or take a dry break anywhere on the trail and chat with 2 friends under my 6x6 did I say anywhere. Then you set the tent up or hammock or sleep on the soft leaves and forest loom. But tenting is a great expeience, you have your own house I don’t leave no trace. when your all packed up. The earth is just the way it was, no shelter or camp fire ring to look at just a natural forest floor of oak an maple leaves. Single wall tents are like hiking with a Parka on in the rain, sticky feeling all nite long. I sleep in a 3lb Eureka Backcounty I paid $50 for. and leave both the door and the window open, even in 100% humididty and wind driven heavy rains. it feels like your sleeping on some porch in the mountains with a breeze blowing on you and not a drop.Just that point should be enough reason for me.I’m not sleeping in no more clammy single wall tents sweating all nite, Its worth the weight.my down sleeping bag feels like a sponge to after sleeping in a single wall tent, so it must weight more to. Single wall tents are good for freezing cold tempature, cause all condensation freezes and you can brush it right off every morning. But for the A-T, I want to buy one of those new 6X8 silicone impregnated 9oz tarps because my old 6X6 fly is full of campfire holes like I said to set up above my tent, but they are expensive,$60. So I got almost 4 pounds in tent stuff. Just so I can hike as far as I want to on American soil.Thats what my mind keeps telling me the A-T is all about. But I think we about covered it all in this tread,cept it really takes balls to set you tent up in the shelter if not against the law also, also.Bottom line, everyone should have at least a tarp, because its is still the mountains.And even if you carry a super tent, a tarp is so much fun, you don’t know what your missing if you never carried a tarp and some twine. I can see you ditching everything in the pack,and the pack to. But always carry a tarp. Most of my best memories are under tarps. So much freedom the green tunnel has to offer those with tarps. I can tell you that my 10x10 I never used ,My 6X6 fly I found I used over a solid year easy. So I wouldn’t go to big a size, they get to hard to set up then. Better everyone carry their own smaller tarps even if you started together, I’m going to give that 6X8 size a try. But what I’m saying is they get to big to set up between a rock and a hard spot alot to and I might be so used to my 6x6 now, the xtra two feet might be to much. I don’t know either. All I know is for me the 10X10 was to big to set up as much as I wanted to, sometimes it can rain the whole month of May.
Greg
for the past three years I’ve been using a hammock and a tarp. I have the option of setting the tarp up on the ground or set my hammock up any were there are trees to tie it too and i dont have to look for a nice flat spot to set the tent. that gives me lots of freedom.
snowmaker
The one thing that bothered me were people who were bothered by snoring. When sleeping with a large group of people what do you expect-snoring, farting, night owls and early risers. For those that are bothered by snoring and other noises, bring ear plugs or headphones. What I find worse than snoring are those people yelling at 4am at the people who are snoring. The snorers didn’t hear it but everyone else did!!!
Blip
There’s nothing like having your own house with you. My trusty Eureka 2-man isn’t too heavy (5-6 lbs), packs up small, and still has room for me and my gear.
Spike
just mt feelings about it.I always carry a tent I do enjoy the shelters but it is nice to have your own space.plus you never know how crowded it is going to be at any given time.
rob_b47
I probably tented 75% of my time on the AT and defintely preferred it for many of the reasons mentioned previously. I found that when staying in shelters the problem of snorers can be largely overcome by using earplugs. When in the Smokeys you are able to tent closeby if the shelter is full, which it often is.
Downunda
It IS still the mountains, so you should bring some form of shelter with you just in case - tarp, tent, whatever. Just for safety reasons, I don’t think you should rely solely on the shelters.
Also, the general rule in the shelter (supposed to be, anyway) is that there’s always room for one more during a rainstorm. Makes sense - but I’d rather be in my own hammock than be that last guy wandering in who has to sleep on the edge getting dripped on because I didn’t bring anything as back-up.
Jeff
Jeff
It’s nice to have a tent along for several reasons…even if you like the atmosphere of the shelters. It will give you the option to increase/decrease your mileage if you want, it is more private, you can be alone if you feel like it, and (call me paranoid :tongue)if there is something/someone sketchy at the shelter you planned to stay at, you can hike a little further down trail and tent.
I carry a Eureka Zues Exo 1 (single wall & free-standing), sometimes there is a bit of condensation, but I will survive it for the weight (3lb, 8oz).
A freestanding tent is nice as well, although not a necessity. I went on a backpacking trip in iceland…where it is almost always impossible to drive in stakes…those of us who had free-standing tents were much happier in the wind and rain than were those without.
tangent
I have hammocked all but 2 times even when I stayed in aq shelter this year. 2 times I hammocked in the rafters of shelters and had a ball watching folks expretions when I crawled in and out. Gotta love it.
Burn