carry pack or hide it

[coldfeet]

My friend told me that sometimes he hides his pack on the trail after camping out and goes out on his day trip... Is this what most people do? Paranoid about being ripped off, or forgetting where i hid it.. Do u leave it at a leanto with strangers or by itself.. Guess i can't get the city out of me.. i'm trying.. thx for input

 

[Warren]

Funny, I was just asked this today while at the EMS on Broadway. NYCer's...

I don't give it a second thought and just leave it there. I'm more concerned about what a chipmunk may do or what's happening to my car.

Now, at busy easy to get campsite near a trailhead with signs of partying....

There was a thread some time ago about food stolen from a hang, but I think it was just the brownies or something....

 

[wally2q]

Ripped Off

I always hide my pack & valuables especially. It may be 1 in a 100, but somewhere out there, there are a few "knobs" who still steal on the trails. There are few "worse" situation than those where you get back and someone has been through your stuff.

My rule is: "Don't be lazy and take chances." Walk off a few hundred feet and hide your stuff....

the wall.....

 

[ALGonquin Bob]

Originally, I was a wilderness canoe camper. On long carries, I'd leave my pack or expensive canoe unattended for hours at a time, while I toted my other gear down a mile or two of trail to the next lake. When I began hiking and backpacking a few years ago, it was natural for me to just leave my gear at a lean-to while I dayhiked a peak. I've never had a problem, nor have I heard of any thefts of gear left by anyone else.

 

[ADK4Life]

I find when you go hiking in places like the Whites and the Dacks there are usually decent people around. I doubt you will run into many crooks that go on an 8-10 mile trail looking to score. If most hikers were to find anothers bag they would probably more concerned if the owner of the bag had fallen into some type of trouble. I hope my "most people are generally good" view never gets tainted

 

[coldfeet]

Thx,,, I was expecting to hear answers like that,,, to bad I've been programmed that way,, funny I wasn't even thinking about the car, which I've had 3 stolen already, gotta work on my compass skills this week.

 

[Jay H]

I've left my backpack in some leantos before in the ADKs with nary a problem. I would hang it up or so to keep the small (and sometime large) critters out though.

Jay

 

[jfb]

I prefer to hide my pack when it's practical. I consider this to be cheap insurance. However, if I'm staying in a leanto and just out dayhiking with plans to spend the night there, I'll keep my wallet and car keys with me and hope the rest of my gear is there when I get back.

 

[1ADAM12]

I have never....

had a problem with leaving my gear behind in the 15 years I have been hiking in the Adirondacks Now its a different story if I am really close to a trailhead or parking lot. I usually camp in at the Flowed Lands or Colden and with all the traffic there I am never had anything stolen. The animals on the other hand....well thats another story

Like JFB said.....I always carry my keys and wallet with me and never leave that behind.

 

[Jasonst]

I usually hide mine, but I got to thinking one day... Who wants to carry THIS all the way out of here? What's it worth? I don't think I would be willing to go to all that effort, but hey, I'm one of the honest ones! Also, what kind of thief is wandering around in the wilderness looking for stashed packs? That's a little more work than most thieves are used to...

 

[KayakDan]

We have left our packs in a shelter or campsite,if we are a good distance in on a trail. Since almost all of our backpacking is in late fall and winter,I figure we have serious outdoor people around us. I can't imagine anyone who would gear up,hike 3-4 miles in the snow,would want to steal my stuff and have to carry it back out!
Same thing applies to kayak camping. It's not likely that you would paddle several miles to an island to mess with my tent and sleeping bag. Hey,if you take a cold beer from the cooler,I'm OK with that-just leave some for me!

 

[Rick]

There have been a couple of cases where folks have had stuff taken whilst out on the AT, but then again, I don't consider the AT as true wilderness between VA and MA. Too many truck roads and such that many locals are on - I would be worried as you are too close to population centers.

As far as in the Daks, I have left my gear in my tent or in a leanto and gone off to do peaks with no problems whatsoever.

I have had thoughts once or twice about packing up my whisperlight and such, but then again, wouldn't that just makes it easier for someone to take if the oportunity ever did arise.

On another note, I did learn from Pete Hickey to stash my bike in the woods near trailheads and nobody will usually bother it (or find it)

 

[hillman1]

I've also left my gear in lean-tos and below summits when peakbagging. No problems. I've also left nice ski equipment laying around while snowshoeing, and had the people I was with ask if that was ok. I said noone adds weight to thier pack. I have never had a problem.

 

[WalksWithBlackflies]

I've never had anything stolen when leaving it in Adk lean-tos. However, due to bears, it ain't too bright to leave food in a pack within a lean-to.

 

[Whiteman]

The Disadvantages of Stashing

One hundred years ago, or so, we base-camped along the Boquet R. for an assault on the Dix Range, and we decided to stash our packs off the trail during the hike. The spot was perfect, behind a log or something, seemingly easy to get back to, but well-hidden from any malevolent hiker.

We hiked all five peaks, but the hike was longer than expected, largely because we were driven off the ridge by a severe thunderstorm, and had to come way back up over Hunter Pass. As darkness fell, we reached into the outer pocket of the pack for the trusty flashlight. Fortunately it was working perfectly. Unfortunately, it had also been on for a long long time, and the bulb was now a dim yellow.

Fortunately there were a bunch of girl scouts at the Boquet lean-to who gladly lent their light.

Unfortunately, it was impossible to find the packs. We laid out a nice SAR grid, covered a lot of ground, no luck. We sat down, in utter despair (and really hungry and just a bit tired), ready to surrender, and VOILA, there were the packs right behind the log were sitting on. PHEW. and FUNNY!

The grilled cheese tasted extra good that evening.

I would still stash my pack in a high-traffic area, but not quite so obscurely.

 

[Doc McPeak]

However, due to bears, it ain't too bright to leave food in a pack within a lean-to.

Actually the chipmunks chewing through to get at trailmix are the real villains doing damage there...

Then there's stashing your stuff at the LT you had and coming back to find it occupied. And you go looking for a new spot to camp in...

Or stashing your stuff off trail and someone comes by thinking it has been lost or abandoned...

I've always camped pretty far and left my stuff. I also rarely camp on weekends so there's less traffic. I think if it's right out in the open people figure it belongs to someone nearby and will leave it be.

 

[WalksWithBlackflies]

chipmunks chewing through to get at trailmix are the real villains

Yeah, but I'm not too concerned with a chipmunk visiting me during the night because he got a free meal in the lean-to earlier that day

 

[Pete_Hickey]

There was a thread some time ago about food stolen from a hang, but I think it was just the brownies or something....

No, it wasn't the hash brownies or the pumpkin pie. It was half a dozen bagels and a container of Valencia Organic peanut butter. They were in a hung bag and disappeared. They didn'T touch the beer either.

It happened in Baxter Park, Chimney Pond. We came to the conclusion that it wasn't a hiker that stole them. It was Pamola who took it as a sacred sacrifice which allowed my partner & I to climb his moutain. Hikers don't do things like that.

 

[Rick]

Reading Whiteliefs account at Dix reminded me of my own peril back in '96 when I backpacked across Joshua Tree NP.

I had driven out the day before my trip started with 30 1-gallon jugs of water and stashed them where the California Hiking Trail crossed the old Jeep roads.
Another hiker had mentioned I really need to take compass bearings and count steps and write it all down or else it would be difficult to find my stash (they were semi-buried under piles of rocks to keep the desert coyotes and foxes from breaking into them) I didn't listen, of course.

So I made 5 stashes in all for a 4-day trip. I was pretty proud of myself for mentally noting where I left the stashes (near the big Joshua tree about 100 yards from Road, or Just to the left of big rock pile about 50 yards from road....)

My God am I an idiot.

So day one in late afternoon after 7 mmiles of sand washes and hot sun, I have gone through 2 gallons of water and have one left. I get to my first stash spot - Nothing looks the same as when I was there. Must be the air-conditioning of the car that clouded my mind because everywhereI look there are large piles of rocks.
After 20 mins of searching, I frantically tore off my backpack, realizing it wasn't just a matter of looking under a few rocks. I used my backpack as a marker and worked outward concentrically in a half-circle and finally found my water.
Problem was every tree and every rock looks the same after a day of hiking and it was a good 40 yards further than where I though I left it.


The next 3 days were just as bad. I learned my lesson to listen to old timers and take bearings (or GPS waypoints) now when stashing anything.

 

[Gris]

Yeah, I'm in to stashing too, but I always still take my hydration pack and camera gear and usually the food bag as well (those critters just cannot help themselves).