Already answered? Adult tents

Are adults still OK to tent solo? I love my Tiger Wall UL2, but am not thrilled with the idea of sharing it.

Don’t share it, then?  Not sure what you’re asking, here…

“Are adults still OK to tent solo? I love my Tiger Wall UL2, but am not thrilled with the idea of sharing it.”

Yes adults can be solo in a tent. There was a thread on tents at Philmont here on BPL just a few days ago.

“I have an Osprey backpack and include the 3l Water bladder. I see most using Smartwater Bottles? Are camel-back style bladders common or should I skip that if water is prevalent on the trail.”

3 L is a lot to carry. If I fill up on water at breakfast, I can make it to lunch with 1 liter or so. But you know your own needs. I think you see a lot of platyus bottles because they are lighter than many other commercial offerings.  I use a 3 liter platypus hoser with plain cap (not the drinking tube) for overnight storage and 2 smart water bottles for during the day. I myself gave up hydration tubes because they freeze in winter and are finicky in the other three seasons.

You would also need to think through how you get treated water into the 3 liter Osprey. Most crews use chlorine dioxide pills. If the Osprey is easy to fill, you could have your crew water masters take charge of filling it at the end of the day and pitching the 3 chlorine dioxide pills with all the other crew water bottles and group water storage.

Issues like this should get sorted out during your three training hikes.

I don’t use a bladder because I lose track of how much I have left. Having the bottles allows me to keep tabs on my supply without over burdening myself. That said, I now carry an empty 3L bladder for campsites where I can use it as part of a gravity feed filtration system. Cost me like 3-4 oz and almost zero pack volume for that option.

Solo tenting for adults is fine.

I had our whole crew use Smartwater bottles. They’re cheap, light and plenty durable enough. Our crew leader was responsible for making sure the crew had adequate water and that’s time consuming to do with bladders.

Philmont is stuck in the past and does more white gas than canister fuel, but it’s your choice. Remote canister stoves are much safer than white gas. You can’t spill fuel. They also don’t need the maintenance that white gas needs and just simpler to use.

It must be a remote canister stove as ones that attach to the canister are not stable enough for the large Philpots.

Buy your canister fuel on your way to Philmont if possible. It was a one time thing, but the delivery truck broke down and they had no canister fuel when we went. A very kind, generous troop gave us a few full canisters on their way out.

We went in 2019, so that’s as recent as anybody else! Here are my thoughts on gear from a previous thread: https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/what-did-we-learn-about-our-gear-at-philmont/

Solo tenting worked well for our three adults. If there’s a space concern at a particular camp, you could double up, but we didn’t find that to be the case. Just make sure you’re setting up on durable ground (dirt, not vegetation) and you’ll be fine.

I don’t like camelbak bladders because they’re hard to work with when cooking. We used Smartwater bottles for personal water consumption. Then used collapsible Evernew bottles for crew water (cooking).

White gas is definitely not needed. See my thread for details. Canisters work wonderfully.

To the person that said “don’t share,” my tent,  I was under the impression that every person was REQUIRED to double up unless there were odd numbers.

To the person that said “don’t share,” my tent,  I was under the impression that every person was REQUIRED to double up unless there were odd numbers.

Scouts, yes. Adults, no.

While I like my space as much as the next person, I view it as a “lead by example” thing.  Why should I get to have that extra bit of comfort when my Scouts cannot?  That’s not the leadership example I want to be setting.

Just my $0.02 worth.

Why should I as a leader have more comfort? For safety. If I as a 180 lb 6 foot man sleeps in the same two or three man tent as a 6’4″ 220 lb man who has a bit of apnea, I will not sleep well. I will be more tired. When it comes time to make leadership decisions about weather or injuries, I will have less focus. If I have less focus and am less healthy, I am more likely to make a poorer decision. Boys have an easier time sleeping through anything. Adults need more help to stay sharp.

What is special about the Smartwater bottles? Are they more durable? Does the thread on the mouth fit the Sawyer filters best?

Scouts understand the rules for adults and scouts are not the same. If you want to tent with another adult, you’re free to do so. If you want to solo tent, there’s no reason not to.

Philmont wants you to use their tablets for water treatment. The reason for Smartwater bottles is that they are cheap, lighter than other options and you can fit 2 in a backpack side pocket.

As I’ve mentioned before, our crew leader was responsible for checking crew water status. That’s quick and easy if all water is in the side pockets. It’s not just checking at the start of the hike, but also checking that crew members are drinking enough.

If you use bladders, you have to take the pack off and dig into the pack to check.

Brad P

Campers at Philmont may (should) drink as many as 6 to 8 quarts of water a day to remain “Clear and Copious” because of the high altitude and very low humidity.

One-quart water bottles are highly recommended because leaders can monitor the water consumption of their Scouts by observing them drink & refill water bottles without observing if they are “Clear & Copious”, YPT. Not so with hydration bladders inside a pack.

Every camper needs to have the capacity to carry at least 4-quarts of water, 2 during the day as you hike refilling, purifying and rotating and 2 additional quarts for Dry Camps. Collapsible bladders or canteens work well for carrying the 2 additional quarts into Dry Camps.

“Philmont should be enjoyed, not endured.” Moonshine

Right. One liter Smartwater bottles allow you to keep two water bottles in each side pocket, for a total of 4. That was the point I was making. Then the crew leader checks every break.

I have a Fly Creek UL2, which i think is sized similar to a Tiger Wall.  It’s more like a 1.5 person tent.  It would be very uncomfortable to share.

While I agree with the “lead by example” mantra, I don’t think it applies to tenting.

Some have said their Ranger allowed their adults to sleep solo and that may be common among Rangers now, but wasn’t in the past for sound reasons. Things like limited good tent sites, reducing impact on fragile vegetation, team effort, comradery and bear safety.

Seems those used to backpacking solo (cooking solo, tenting solo, etc. though in a group doing the same) have a hard time relying on others, sharing and adjusting to Scouting’s Patrol Method.

As Scout leaders “lead by example” should apply to all aspects of our behavior when in the presence of impressionable youth. What’s good enough for the Scouts is good enough for we leaders.

“Philmont should be enjoyed, not endured.” Moonshine

This whole thread is hilarious to me. Sleeping arrangement standards within an organization like a scout troop are obviously an internal decision. If a particular troop or organization has a particular standard or expectation what are you going to say? “Nah-uh, three out of five backpackinglight users agreed, so I get to ignore the troop rules”?

I was told adults are “on vacation”. We’re with the crew, but we don’t cook, we don’t clean up, we don’t do the bear bags, we’re not in charge of navigation etc. Many things that apply to the scouts do not apply to adults. I’ve never had a scout complain or question these differences. They understand and we’ve never even had to discuss it.

If you want to tent with another adult, do so. If you don’t, tent solo in a 1 person tent. There is room. It might be tight at times, but there’s room.

+1 to what Brad said with the clarification that the adult leader is responsible for safety.

I did have to gently encourage some of the dads in my crew to relax: to not touch the stoves, not help with the bear ropes, not offer advice about cooking, etc. There was also one incident where the crew chief and the designated Scout navigator took us down the wrong trail for about 1/2 a mile before I asked them to stop and check the map again. Then we discussed what they had done wrong at the last junction and how to avoid such mistakes in the future.

I have understood that the prohibition of Scouts sleeping solo in a tent is an application of the current youth protection guidelines.  AFAIK Adults are free to sleep solo in a tent.  My sleep apnea is so bad I would not wish such noise on another adult Scouter.

Avoid BSA organization has lost its way

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