What do you do while you are away from camp?

[Thomas Rasmuson]

I have never had a problem with this before and have never had anything stolen, but i usually put everything away in my tent and don't leave things out. I was wondering what does everyone do with their gear at the base camp when you take off and do day hikes? Like me, do you just leave your gear at camp with no worries or do you lock it up somehow? This is a totally random question, but was interested on what everyone else does?

 

[steve]

I worry about people taking my stuff while I'm not around to watch it. I try to just let go and hope it's still there when I get back, without worrying in the mean time. It's tough, but I'm getting better.

I figure that even if I have to replace half my gear, I'll live happier not worrying about it all the time. I just hope they don't take any life-sustaining gear while I'm out in the middle of nowhere (not likely).

I had a friend who was able to say "if they need this thing more than I do, then they can have it." I'm not to his level yet, but I'd like to be able to worry less and live more.

 

[IntrepidXJ]

I usually have a pretty simple and minimal camp to begin with, so I usually leave it up and haven't had any issues yet.

 

[Thomas Rasmuson]

Yeah I have never had any issues with it before, and I have never really worried about it either, however, this year I am only taking a hammock with me when I go and am ditching the tent. I want to try that out. But I wont have a place to put all of my stuff away in so I was just curious as to what everyone else does with their stuff.

 

[Riggs]

I've never worried about it if I'm at least a mile or two from a road, and have never had a problem. At least by humans. Packrats (the rodent kind) like shiny stuff! And of course food. Are you talking about backpacking only? In a campground, or somewhere near accessible by road I'd put anything real valuable in the car.

When I was bike touring, I'd stash my bike in the woods a little off trails/roads and leave it for several days backpacking. I left a note on it saying it was my only transportation, it wasn't abandoned, and please leave it. Never had a problem.

 

[Thomas Rasmuson]

I've never worried about it if I'm at least a mile or two from a road, and have never had a problem. At least by humans. Packrats (the rodent kind) like shiny stuff! And of course food. Are you talking about backpacking only? In a campground, or somewhere near accessible by road I'd put anything real valuable in the car.

When I was bike touring, I'd stash my bike in the woods a little off trails/roads and leave it for several days backpacking. I left a note on it saying it was my only transportation, it wasn't abandoned, and please leave it. Never had a problem.

I'm talking about just backpacking. Whenever I am car camping I always lock my stuff up.

 

[pixie1339]

When I do day hikes while backpacking I leave whatever I don't need for the hike in my tent, and have never had a problem with anyone messing with it. It's a good idea to put the fly on if you don't have it on already both to hide your gear and protect it from the elements. The exception is my food. If I'm in the mountains, I hang it, and in the desert I take it with me. I think you're way more likely to have critters trying to get into your food supply than people taking your gear.

 

[regehr]

Another danger is freak desert windstorms, one time I was day hiking with hardly a breath of wind and when I got back to the tent, it had just been totally blasted by a gust of wind, my stuff was scattered everywhere.

 

[Nick]

For backpacking, I leave my tent, sleeping bag, pad, stove and then maybe a few things like extra clothes and thing I don't need/aren't concerned about. Everything else like all food, emergency stuff, outer layers, etc. goes with me in the day pack. Once you get all that other stuff out of the pack, I find it's pretty easy to carry everything else, especially if you're using your backpack compressed down as a daypack which is what I do. If everything I left in camp were to disappear, be it by wind or animal or man, I could survive with what I have in my backpack. That's my rule of thumb. I never leave my minimum to survive anywhere when I'm in the backcountry. It stays with me.

As far as actual theft, I've never been too concerned backpacking but largely because I don't leave much 'grabbable' stuff. It'd be kinda tough to steal an unpacked tent, pad and bag, IMO. I remember reading on BCP a while back that someone's friend left a handgun in a tent up at Red Castle and it was gone when they returned.

For car camping, I totally assume that someone may toss our stuff and take things so I just don't bring as nice a stuff when I car camp. I have a dedicated car camping tent, pad, bag, etc. It'd suck if it went missing, but I wouldn't be out $1000+ like my backpacking setup.

 

[powderglut]

Lucky so far in over 40+ years of camping.
We often set up base camps in one place for 5-6 nites at a time. Last year, 10 nites out the Hole in the Rock rd, and even left our stuff for 3 nts while we backpacked the Coyote. Maybe I'm too trusting, because I think that the hiking and canyoneering folks are inherently good folk. Of course those aren't the only types that could swing by your camp. You try and limit your losses should some scumbags decide that your stuff should be theirs. so don't leave any valuables or electronics. But.. I'm not about to break down a camp I'm spending many nights at, especially after a huge day hike. When I get back, I'm ready for food, beer, and my camping chair around a sweet campfire.

So people ... please don't take my shit!!!

 

[andyjaggy]

I've wondered what others do as well. I don't think you usually have to worry about it, in the back country it would take a very persistent thief to be willing to haul an extra tent or other heavy gear back out. I'm sure it's happened, but I bet it's rare.

I do worry about my camera stuff, I generally have a couple grand worth of camera equipment with me that I wouldn't leave laying around, however when going on a day hike you take that with you anyway, so it's not a problem.