Pitching Gatewood Cape

[Evan Hunt]

What is the best way to set up a Gatewood cape on a platform, say somewhere along the AT

[John Brochu]

I've bumped this in case anybody has some insight since I'm wondering the same thing.

[Erik Graf]

I use the Gatewood Cape but pitching it on a hard surface where you cannot use stakes would be difficult. I'm leaving in the morning from NC to CO to hike in RMNP. I've planned to use some of the rocks there to tie string to (a loop) to pitch out if I cannot drive a stake.

Being in NC I'm familiar with the shelters. Not understanding why you'd want to pictch in a shelter (if I understood you correctly). A tie off to your surroundings might work – a raised nailhead here (but don't drive one), a crack there, a loop around a rock you can bring into the shelter, looping it through some of the flooring seams?, etc. That's the only thing I can think of….

[Vick Hines]

There are not many platforms, mostly in New England and, there, largely in New Hampshire and Vermont. But when you need to be able to set up on one, it is good to know how.

Setting up on a platform is not as hard as you might think. 1. Usually, there are gaps between the planks. Just tie a loop of cord around a stick that will fit between the cracks, push it through, twist it perpendicular to the crack and tie on to the cord. I don't recommend using tent stakes for this because if a stake slips out of the cord, it will be hard to retrieve. 2. Alteratively, run a tight line from adjacent trees or platform piers, flat to the planks and tie on to that. This does not work as well if there is any wind, but sometimes the boards are laid too close together do use trick #1. 3. If they are spaced just right, you can hammer a stake between them and it will hold pretty well.

[John Brochu]

>>>Being in NC I'm familiar with the shelters. Not understanding why you'd want to pictch in a shelter (if I understood you correctly).

In New Hampshire many of the campsites have tent platforms made of wood.

[John Brochu]

Vick,

Thanks for the ideas.

>>>1. Usually, there are gaps between the planks. Just tie a loop of cord around a stick that will fit between the cracks, push it through, twist it perpendicular to the crack and tie on to the cord.

So are you sacrificing the cord looped to the stick or is it retrievable?

A friend of mine suggested eye screws, but I'm not sure if the land managers will appreciate it if a bunch of UL'rs start leaving little holes in all the tent platforms!

[Vick Hines]

The cord is retrievable. Just remove the stick the same way you put it in or pull one end of the cord. If you use a lark's head knot, it will come free.

Please, don't use eye screws. Those little holes foster rot. If you leave them in place, they will be a nuisance to other hikers.

[Trevor Warmedahl]

I've been using the Gatewood cape for a few trips now and am still expiermenting with different methods of setting up the thing. One of the better methods I've found is
using four rocks to guy out the corners nearest your head and feet. Then I stake out with a stick or spork the side without the door and use my other hiking pole or another rock to guy out the door side after erecting center pole. Having the four corners guyed to rocks allows you to easily adjust the position of the tent. So I suppose this would work in a shelter. I ditched my stakes and can always set up with found objects.

[John Brochu]

So, I managed to use the Gatewood Cape on tent platforms in Maine. In addition to the helpful advice given above, an AT through hiker showed me the following trick:

If you pull your cord to the edge of the platform, you can usually slide it between the boards until it stops at the first support beam. Then under the platform, you clove hitch the cord to a horizontol tent stake so the stake is pulled up snug against the bottom of the boards. Do this again on the opposite side, and the tension between the two anchor points is bombproof.

[John Carter]

Just grab some rocks from outside and use them to tie off the shelter, as you would anytime you can't drive a stake. It's okay if it doesn't hold quite as well since you're in a shelter!

[John Brochu]

A tent platform is not a shelter. It is only a flat wooden platform with no sides and no roof.

see: http://www.randolphmountainclub.org/photos/perch3.JPG

[jim bailey]

Most of the platforms in the Whites have metal eyelet loops around the perimeter of the platforms, spaced every couple of feet, very secure and stable to tie off to. That combined with various size sticks inserted between planking then tying off should be all you really need to do, might want to carry some extra lengths of cord in case you end up short with what you would usually use.
Cheers
Jim

[John Carter]

My apologies, I got confused when I read Erik's post using the word shelter, it made me think of the 3-sided shelters along the AT that I've read about.

Looking at those platforms, I think you are going to need to bring quite a bit of extra guyline just in case. I'm not sure if a Gatewood would fit on one of those platforms if you take into account the distance of the front center guyline. At least one guyline might have to be extended to the ground.

If you brought an extra 5 feet of guyline for each guyout, you could probably still use the ground to stake out the tent. Just pull the line across the edge of the platform and down to the ground. Or, you could put the cape on the edge of one of the sides and guy out the other 5 stakes, then use a large rock for the center guyline. Don't know what that would to to storm-worthiness, though.

[Ken Helwig]

Excuse my ignorance, but why not pitch just pitch the shelter on the good ole hard dirt??????

[John Whynot]

If you stay at a designated campsite in the White Mtns of NH that has tent platforms, you have to set up your tent/tarp on the platforms. Some of the campsites have overflow areas that are bare dirt, that the caretaker will direct you to if the platforms are full.

[jim bailey]

AMC Caretakers are pretty good about directing overnight traffic to sites that would less impact the fragile environment of the Whites, usually they will find something a little better then sloping, hard granite or compacted soil if you are nice to them.

[Ken Helwig]

Thanks for info guys. Did not know that. In the Sierra's there are a few areas where you have to camp in a designated spot (Rae Lakes Loop-Paradise Valley comes to mind) but they have no platforms though. Kind of sounds like a good idea. Lesson impact.

[John Whynot]

Forgot to add to my message above that I had no problem pitching my Lunar Solo at Liberty Springs in NH last year. I have 8, 5 foot lengths of Kelty Triptease to use, and only needed a few lengths. I used a combination of guylines tied to the eye bolts on the side of the platform, pegs inserted between the platform planks and held down with rocks, and guylines tied to the planks. The caretaker had a Henry Shires tarptent set up in similar fashion on his platform (it was his last night, and his wall tent had already been taken down).

[Erik Graf]

"My apologies, I got confused when I read Erik's post using the word shelter, it made me think of the 3-sided shelters along the AT that I've read about."

My fault – he plainly said "platform" and my head went to shelter. Having kayak camped on platforms I'd say the things I mentioned would still work (as would the other ideas which I had not thought of – good ideas).

Sorry again for my mix-up…

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