Weirdos in tents?

Yep, that's me….usually confined to the backyard, but I have had as many as 4 shelters set up at once. Setups were so frequent last year I actually had some neighbors stop by to offer me a job at a local outfitter (seriously).

Hammocks go in the backyard, tents in the front.

My family thinks I'm nuts also- who would sleep out under a tarp with snow and 28 degrees just to test a new sleeping bag? I have to do stuff like this all the time, I just can't help it.

BTW- I might even sleep out tonight- I hit 105* today at my house (Seattle area) and the single window air conditioner that does just fine any other time can't keep up with the heat.

well I guess im not the only weirdo… LOL

I live in oakland, ca… not too many backpackers around here :)

but, I've done a lot of testing in the front yard…

I turn a lot of heads…

luckily, they cant see the pyromania, of alcohol stove testing in my kitchen, I would be reported for sure ! :)

Same here. The wife and the teenage daughter think I am nuts too. You should have seen her face about an hour ago when I said I was going to make a quilt. So far the younger kids still think dads cool.

Yah Jesse, bay area backpackers are a rare breed indeed. ;)

At least you guys haven't had to set up a floorless tarp shelter on the concrete back patio or in your living room because you have no grass! At least not the type you can set up a tent on. ;)

lol @ NATE…

you just hit home, unused dumbells and raiding the pantry for soup cans is a great way to test inside, :)

just pretend your laz-e-boy is a rock and your ent. center is a bush, AND YOUR BACK IN THE SIERRAS! lol

Hardwood floors take stakes quite well, if you pre-drill.

My favorite place is on the trampoline, though. Guy to the springs and no pad needed (plus no need to clean the tent from grass debris or dust).

drilling through hardwood!

your a renter like me arnt't ya :)

Four years ago I finished making a silnylon teepee style shelter and wanted to test it. The next day a huge typhoon hit and I promptly went to the park around the corner and set up the teepee in a sheltered corner amidst some hedges. Man, those winds were strong! But the teepee withstood the test and I sat inside eating dinner. There weren't many people about, but the few who did pass by clutching their umbrellas must have thought I was off the deep end. But then, I'm a foreigner here, and everybody knows foreigners aren't normal.

My teenage daughter came to visit me one afternoon. She walked into my living room to find me inside a quilt and bivvy-bag on the living room floor. I explained i was testing a new set-up. She just looked at me and shook her head. :)

Me. I introduced my neighbor to UL and he's more a gearhead now than I am. We both set up tarps in all configurations, try out wood stoves on my driveway, run back and forth with scales, clothing, gear to show each other, compare weights. We have a gram weenie contest before we go out for an overnighter to see who is carrying the most. We now want to try a SUL/UL night out and see what works. He's going on the JMT in a few weeks. The lucky duck.

I live in a small townhouse near DC and no one around me could possibly fathom why a person would intentionally stay out in the woods any longer than absolutely necessary. For most of them, camping means a 20 foot RV towing one of those hideous third generation Hummers. So I'm sure they gawk at what I would imagine they interpret as space huts being set up and taken down in my 11×9 foot patch of grass.

I too put my tent in the front yard; the dogs won't bother it there and there's more sunlight to dry it after I hose if off. A couple weeks ago I was drying my tent after a trip and the wind came up. I was inside packing away some gear and went out when I noticed my tent had blown against my lamp pole. My neighbor's son was working outside and told me his dad had to rescue my tent out of the street. DOH!!! Luckily, I live on a non thru street, but I still had a little heartattack thinking about my tent in the middle of the road. Stake it out next time dummy!

I to, must admit to belonging here. As my backyard is all flower beds or patio, no grass. The front yard is all the grass I have to experiment with. Like Jonathan, I try multiple setups at one time to see which fits specific needs. As I have lived in this subdivision for 20 years now, I think the neighbors have just learned to ignore the weirdo camping in his front yard.

I must admit to enjoying the weird looks I get when my daughter (2 year old) and I "hike" down to the local dunkin donuts with backpacks, bush hats, hydration tubes etc. This has become a Saturday morning ritual for us and the staff at the dunkin look forward to seeing us.

Anyway, we generally get at least two strange looks from customers… but, what the heck! We sit and share a donut, I drink a coffee, then my little girl puts a few more donuts/bagels in her kids (REI) backpack (along with at least one "little einsteins" doll) and we head back to the house. Probably my favorite 45 mins of the entire week.

Are we weird? No, we're just people who love to backpack!

I live in Boston and just got a tarp. I had to go to the local park to practice pitching it. People didn't seem to care at all.

I taught a young kid about tarps who ran over. I started taking it down and he ran across it with his shoes on…Fortunately the spinnaker was okay.

So glad we have a pretty big back yard for suburbia!

That and I have fences…lol!

Thankfully, I live on 5 acres so no one can judge me for sleeping outside of a perfectly good house/bed. I've even slept next to my bed on a foam pad on the floor. I've slept inside a tent setup in the basement; there is no logical reason to do so.

Love it, Tad! My family used to run out and take pictures of their nutso relative "testing" sleeping bags in deep winter. Not sure if they got bored because all they could see was a bit of my mouth and some frost on the bags, or because it became so commonplace…

I don't the people who own my apartment complex would be too thrilled to find me set up in the yard in the morning…

However, the other people out exercising give me funny looks when I walk past them with a fully loaded backpack. I tried running, but I don't enjoy it, so I decided the best way to get into shape for hiking is to load up my pack and go for walks. I don't think I look like that much of a bum but the reactions I get suggest otherwise. I have all kinds of witty comebacks in the event someone asks what I'm doing but thus far most people have avoided any kind of verbal contact :).

Adam

I throw on a 35lb pack when i walk my dog at night… I have a bunch of "trails" that i map with:

http://www.mapmyrun.com/create_new

ahh urban backpacking… just a teaser to get my fix :)

My last apartment had no yard. I had a new bivy that I just had to test out, so I pitched it on my balcony for the night. I was shocked that I didn't need the insect netting, since it was summer & our local bats usually had a lot to eat.

I was shocked that I didn't need the insect netting, since it was summer & our local bats usually had a lot to eat.

I guess even mosquitoes avoid weirdos in tents and bivvies!