Rodents attack tent!

Were they Rodents of Unusual Size?

Yes I've heard of it both when the tent was empty and when occupied. Maybe an irresistible scent in there?

"Were they Rodents of Unusual Size?"

I don't think they exist.

Brand new lines…no odor. I think it was the texture they wanted.

Many years ago I arrived at camp in RMNP just as a big t-storm blew in. I had just enough time to set up my tent, cover my pack and get myself out of the rain. 90 minutes later I emerged to find a marmot gnawing away at the hose on my Camelbak bladder.

Big hunkin' rat dental floss…?

I am taking the liberty to broaden the topic somewhat. OK, a lot. I have a couple of car-related semi-amusing animal stories, no tent guylines were involved.

For the night preceding the start of a Wind River backpack trip it was convenient to stay at the USFS campground near the trail head at Elkhart Park. Site was selected, trunk was popped open, tent was removed and set up, then I returned to the car. I should have closed the trunk as a chipmunk (or a golden mantled) was having a good time in there. Nope, he was not raiding my food. He was collecting nesting material in the form of seat cushioning (at least that is what I think it was)! I never have determined where his access point was, all the fabric appears intact.

Story number two. Driving through the Panamint Valley, CA, we came upon a snake in the road. We stopped the car and urged the snake to get off the beaten path. Of course that is not what happened. The snake preferred to crawl underneath the car then it lifted itself up and into the undercarriage of the car! We could not think of a way to dislodge the critter, so, eventually we kept driving. Probably not a good outcome for the snake. Guess I should have just run over it in the first place.

Any trip where there isn't some attempted rodent damage is a rare one for me. And don't get me started about Racoons. Marmots and some other rodents also like salt and will chew trekking pole grips and the like. If you are dumb enough to keep food or other smellables in your tent or shelter just expect this damage. If not, then maybe you are an especially tasty smelling humanoid.

Just keep your food outside – in a can if in bear country, or by using in one of the many choices for reinforced bags, by hanging, or both. And don't let anything sweaty out of your sight in marmot country. Their cuteness is just an adaptation – do not be fooled. They are each and every one of them possessed by demons. They sleep 8 months of the year and have 8 month of mischief to make up for during their waking hours.

maybe after the salt residue left by your hands???

One night near Bishop Pass my friend had a terrible night's sleep – at first he didn't know what the heck that sound was….it was odd….kinda scary….right outside the tent……kind of a metallic clicking…..

Turns out it was a deer chewing on the ALUMINUM of his trekking poles. The darned thing even left tooth marks in the metal.

"Brand new lines…no odor. I think it was the texture they wanted."

Could be odor from hands that set the lines.
Or… there is always odor on fabrics and lines, if only new fabric odor… perhaps they like the smell of new lines and fabrics.

Billy

I was on a camping trip in Northern MN where a friend of mine had mice climb into his tent more than one night, at more than one campsite (many miles apart from each other). I think he had some food in his tent, snacks just in his coat pocket or something, but I don't think they went after any of that, and nobody else had their tents chewed up, despite at least one person having much more food in his. It really seemed like they were just chewing up or pulling at the fibers of the wall, because they made a much larger hole than they needed to sneak in and steal.

"'Were they Rodents of Unusual Size?'

I don't think they exist."

They most certainly do. I also didn't think
they existed until I saw an enlightening documentary, albeit a little unconventional, called "Princess Bride". Besides being educational about ROUS and swamp fires, it somehow managed to incorporate some humor at times.

""'Were they Rodents of Unusual Size?'

I don't think they exist."

They most certainly do. I also didn't think
they existed until I saw an enlightening documentary, albeit a little unconventional, called "Princess Bride". Besides being educational about ROUS and swamp fires, it somehow managed to incorporate some humor at times."

Lol! Indeed. In said documentary "I don't think they exist" immediately preceeds a violent attack by a ROUS.

Seriously though. Are you sure your guyline wasn't simply chafing against a rock all night?

…

I've found that rubbing smooth (not crunchy) salt-free peanut butter onto my tarp cordage not only facilitates easy movement of the cord through the tighteners, it also allows me to see a variety of wildlife up close and personal throughout the nocturnal hours.

Paul,
mystery solved.
You camped in the same spot Stephen Barber previously had.

Now I know what I've been doing wrong all these years, Stephen. I've been lubricating my guy lines with Marmite, or at a push, Vegemite. Not a single solitary animal visitor in the US, but lots of expats asking "Anyone fancy a cup of Bovril?"

"Anyone fancy a cup of Bovril?"
That reminds me of some cold winter days in Piccadilly working as a hotel porter. 50 p (10 bob) was a good tip then.

Ah, but marmite and peanut butter together? Heaven!

While walking in the Northern Territory, I've had Dingo's sniffing around the tent, in Tasmania I've had Possums inside the vestibule but while cycle touring in New Zealand, I had a bush mouse chew through one of my rear panniers but didn't touch the food, so it may of been the material it liked.

I know rodents have teeth that constantly grow and hence need to be constantly filed down. As a result they chew just to chew if they find some material that is the right consistency. I had always assumed this was a kind of "1st world mouse problem" and that a working rodent would get there without special effort. Still mice will sometimes chew your power cords or occasionally get into you car and chew hoses, I guess the novel assortment of materials to chew might be enough reason for them at times.

…