Ways to pack a tent

Scene: filthy weather.

We pack everything into our packs inside the tent. Put on our ponchos and exit.
Pull down tent. Put poles into pole bag and strap securely in side pocket. (In fine weather they go inside my pack, often down the middle of my rolled up mat.)
Pull out stakes, clean and put in stake bag.
Roll up tent starting at exit door. This means the upwind end is on the outside for the next pitch in bad weather. Bag tent, add stake bag inside tent bag.
Open lid of pack, place tent on top of sealed throat, strap down, replace lid over tent, cinch down.
Go.

Cheers

Ryan:

I strap my tent onto the outside of my backpack. When it's raining, I can access and set up my tent without opening up the pack at all. Even better, when striking camp in the rain, I can pack and seal up everything under the protection of my tent — then put on my rain jacket, take the tent down, attach to my pack — and I'm ready to go.

Same here.
My tent is the first bit unpacked at camp and the last to be packed up.
Because all of my solo shelters are relatively light and pack small the go either in the front pocket or across the top . I always pack all of the tent bits (pole/s,pegs, fly,inner) in one bag.
Franco

I am very similar to Roger in bad weather. Roll so when unroll I go away from the wind. Everything but tent in a a liner. close up liner, tent goes on top of that and the the pack is shut.

In nice weather, tent goes above my quilt and below everything else since it's the next to last thing that comes out of my pack.

–mark

For those of you packing your tent on the outside of your pack, have you ever been in a situation where you've ripped it on a snag?

Re: snagging tent…

I've always packed the tent externally, and never snagged it, but I do mostly on trail hikes (not bushwhacking).

Another twist to the OP's question is exactly, physically how do you pack your tent?

I used to fold it until someone informed me that the creases would lead to premature leakage. That made sense to me, so I began stuffing it in a small stuff sack. I then got tired of that stuff sack because it was so small, it was all I could do to get it in. Since then, I've been just stuffing it in the bottom of my pack.

I just bought an Equinox Siltarp and my plans are to use small stuff sack for it.

Ripped ..
This is (to me…) another big advantage of a tent that packs small.
At the front they are lot narrower and shorter than my pack.
Across the top they are about as wide (or a bit smaller) so the pack takes the hit not the tent.
But , just in case, I secure the pull strig of the stuff sack to the pack so that I would know if it comes off.
Franco

I pack my tent in gallon zip loc bag

If it's all wet from rain I might put it outside my pack on top under the top strap

Out of the way so it doesn't get ripped by snags

My pack is silnylon so it's not real snag resistant so I have to be a bit careful with it also

I have lost a pole bag for a Hilleberg Soulo in the steep and brushy. I was actually dropping the pack through the rhododendrons, then lowering myself hand over hand, repeat ad nauseum. When I finally got out I noticed that I lost those poles in the snow.
Don

"For those of you packing your tent on the outside of your pack, have you ever been in a situation where you've ripped it on a snag?"

Never say never, but it's been 7 years now, without a scratch!

I use a ridgerest cut for a packframe and use the other portion to wrap around my moment and carry it on the bottom horizontally on my exodus. I added straps for this reason. I need my mesh side pockets for easy access to water.

I use a poncho tarp so in bad weather i don't pack it! If it is in good weather, I fold it and slip it in the front pocket of my pack with my stakes and cord.

MLD Burn with Duomid under pack via custom loops and shock cord….thanks Ron!

worried about my tent snagging…no…not really, it is after all in a stuff sack ;)and the burn is no wider than my body…as far as setting down…i'm mindful. I'm happy to have the tent be the first and last thing to deal with setting up or packing out….

[oh…and yes! i will get around to cutting those shock cords some day….i'll make sure to weigh it before and after too ;)]

I want to go to the tent being on the outside too because it's the biggest item in my pack so everything must go around it. Which means it has to go in first.

So I have to have everything laid out on the ground waiting for the tent to be put in so I can stack things around it(except sleeping bag).

I use the BA Copper Spur UL2 and it's just awkward long and big packed(love it otherwise). So going outside would be a huge plus to going to a smaller pack.

There no UL(term used lightly) packs out there made to handle an outside horizontal packed tent config(zpacks blast offers small hoops but mostly for a sleeping pad not any real weight). I'd prefer it to not be on the very bottom so it get beat up when you set it down, it should be on the back and up a little so the bottom of the pack takes most of the abuse.

The more stuff that is on the outside the less pack material to cover it all.

suggestions?

Jim:

My two packs (Mountainsmith Ghost and ZPack Z1) both have bottom compression straps. In my 7 years of hiking, I have yet to puncture or tear a tent sack — be it hiking or laying the pack on the ground with tent attached. Indeed, one advantage is that my pack stands up easily when I set it on the ground with a tent strapped on.

I don't really like strapping heavier things to the sleeping pad straps. The tents I use weigh between 2 and 3 lbs. The "boing, boing, boing" motion back there gets kinda annoying on my lightweight pack. It is not much of an issue if I am using a big beefy 5lb 70L pack with hefty straps though.

Ryan:

Much depends on the pack — and esp. the positioning of the bottom compression straps. I never feel any "bounce" at all with either of the two packs I mentioned above (you can easily google Mountainsmith Ghost to see the strap positioning).

But with another light weight pack I used to own — the compression straps were placed much lower — and that resulted in a "bouncy butt kick' the whole way!! Luckily, most UL packs have a top compression strap that can also be used to strap a tent — although only for light weight tarp tents — and not bulky, heavy traditional tents.

My 2008 REI UL Cruise 60 has a "shovel pocket" on the front.

If my Moment is wet when packing I put it in its stuff cack and then in the shovel pocket which protects most of it, the pack lid flap protecting the rest. Pole/stake sack is tied on the side behind my aftermarket side pockets.

Over all goes the pack cover if it's still raining.

…

> packing your tent on the outside of your pack, have you ever been in a situation where you've ripped it on a snag?
Ah, well, my tent is not actually on the outside of the pack. I design my own packs, and the lid is always big enough to cover the tent. And yes, we do go through some pretty horrible scrub at times.

Cheers

I hate putting stuff on the outside of my pack

It can fall off

It can squeak as I walk along

I'de rather have everything inside

Looks great Mike. Do you have to take your pack off every time you take a drink?

Mike W, Is that a Fly Creek UL1 or UL2? The folded panels of the Z-rest look smaller than normal, is there a difference between models? All these photos of MLD packs are tempting.