What do you do with your gear when backpacking?

[photomankc]

When I setup camp I just use the the established site for fire time activity. I setup my hammock off away from it and try to keep my good gear out of sight. I'll setup my fire pit and maybe leave a book or something to let people know someone is around if I'll be away a bit. I seldom go far from camp but sometimes I do for a short loop or hike. This is why I like the camo Clark. With a little distance, you can disappear into the background and prevent people from noticing that you have some expensive gear.

Stealing a persons food and essential equipment on the trail is some downright disgusting behavior. You could leave a person for dead like that with a hard storm or cold weather.

[Dameon]

I have a Treklite double and it is actually long enough that I put all my stuff back in my pack clip a biner to the top of my pack and around the suspension at the foot to keep it from sliding down and I put my pack in the hammock with me at the foot end, works great for me!!!

[froldt]

I generally hang off the trail, so I'm harder to find in the first place, especially as most of my gear is camo or neutral colors. I hang the pack at the foot of my hammock, so the tarp keeps it covered. I can also feel anyone messing with it (though I never really thought about it that way.)

Much (I'm working on all, it seems) of my gear is home-made/significantly altered, so I'm not sure anyone would want my stuff. In the worst case scenario, I'll be able to make more. So even if someone does take all my gear and it is an uncomfortable remainder of the trip, I'll be able to replace it pretty easily.

[Barry]

I hang the pack (covered with rain gear if necessary) from the same tree as the head of the hammock. I carry a small pouch with essentials (book, light, some rope, water, etc.) that I tie to the ridgeline above my head. My coat, clothes I'm wearing, socks etc. go in the hammock with me, sometimes laid over the ridgeline or over me (as an additional cover).

[ringtail-THFKAfood]

My food bag and stove are hung bear bag style.

Everything else is hung on the hammock line or the line under the fly.

[bristolview]

Thanks everyone. The reason for my post was really to see where you keep the gear for weather protection more than anything. In a tent is easy, but hammocks often don't allow for that much room. I was originally thinking that I'd put the pack inside with me, but after a close up look, I'm thinking it might be a bit tight in there (in a Clark). I think I'll end up hanging it from one of the lines in a rain cover or something like that.

>Stealing a persons food and essential equipment on the trail is some
>downright disgusting behavior. You could leave a person for dead like
>that with a hard storm or cold weather.

Yeah, it's pretty low. He/They did leave me with some broken equipment, I think he/they felt guilty. At least it was fairly decent weather, and I had my shelter (since I was in that, making it harder to steal). Got to practice my survival skills of finding my own food and such. I still had my shelter, and that's the most important thing. The rest like food, fuel and water are all available in the woods for us. I wasn't too concerned, just had to work a bit harder than I had planned. (like boiling water instead of passing it through my really nice water filter/pump) Sorry to the local fish, but thanks for dinner. Finding enough for just me wasn't that hard, I was hiking solo. If I were in that situation now, with my wife and daughter... that would be more of a challenge finding enough for a group, but I still think we'd be ok.

Thanks all.

[Rockdawg69]

Hmmm! Perhaps it is time to come up with an anti-theft pack device, a-la James Bond/McGiver - any movement more than 4 feet from origin sets off the alarm. Alternatively, for "really dirty rotten scoundrels" set it 50 feet from sleep point and put a "bouncing betty" underneath. Be sure to put it behind a tree of sufficent diameter. Also works on bears!!!!!!!!!!

[bristolview]

Might be overkill. I think I'll just stick with hanging my pack from one of the hammock lines, or tied to one end inside if there is room. I'm short, so there might be enough room. I'll know in spring.

[Rushthezeppelin]

I went ultralight solo hiking back in college and on the 2nd night in (of 5 or 6), my backpack was stolen. Actually, to be fair... it was traded. I took a very small bivy style tent and left my pack outside next to it. In the night, someone took it and most of my gear. In it's place, was a broken external frame Kelty with only one shoulder strap and no belt. Nice. Cooking gear, gone. Pack gone, knife attached to the shoulder straps gone, food that was inside, gone. My 'New' Kelty (one of my favorite brands BTW) was mostly empty. It had an empty can of Dinty Moore beef stew in it, which became my new cookpot. It also had a decent light weight poncho (not as good as the one in my pack, but it was servicable). This 'trade' gave me an excellent opportunity to hone my survival skills over the next few days (aka scavenging). It did make my hike much lighter, as I ditched the frame of the Kelty and modified it into an ergonomically poor slingbag. No gear, no stove, no cookware, makes for light hiking. I kept going as I was pretty far in already. BUT... I'd rather not do that again, and the experience has left me with an uncanny dislike of having my gear not with me, or at least attached to something to make it at least a little difficult to take.

Man that makes me worried....I've always been lax and trustworthy on the trail but perhaps if I'm doing a solo in a decently traveled area then I should secure my stuff.

[bristolview]

I don't think this is cause to go paranoid, as most people on the trail are great guys. We just need to be aware a bit. I tend to camp off the trail now, not in the established camps and not generally within sight of the trail. I often go over a hill out of sight, and then pitch near cover like bushes. Chances are, my camp won't be seen and I can relax there until my morning hike onward.