carrying a tent

[OnThePath]

should i carry my tent in my pack or on the outside? there is enough room inside. 3 lb tent. and should i carry the bag it came with seems kinda big but should keep the moisture from wetting my other stuff. i am willing to try both ways but wanted to ask experienced hikers.

[Pacific Tortuga]

That is really your call. What ever fits best/most stream lined and balanced.

[OnThePath]

more than anything i was worried about the tent moving/swaying and being on the outside i was thinking in the back. The weight would be farther from my body probably making it feel heavier than it actually is.

[Blissful]

Helps to known what kind of pack you have. Some people here might have it and offer suggestions.

[Grampie]

I used a frame pack on my thru and strapped the tent, in it's bag, to the outside of my pack.
Some folks pack their tent inside the pack and that works for them. A tent isn't something you have to keep dry.

[OnThePath]

i have an osprey aether 70

[jersey joe]

I have seen plenty of people attach their tent on the outside of their pack. I prefer to have everything inside my pack if possible. Usually with a tent, this means taking it out of the tent bag and putting pieces in different parts of the pack.

[tagg]

when i carried a tent, i kept it in my pack, but i stuffed it in a dry sack to keep it from getting the inside of my pack wet. i don't like the way it feels to have gear strapped to the outside of my pack.

[QuarterPounder]

i have an osprey aether 70

I would keep it inside (low and against my back) if it fit. If not, that pack has straps right above the zipper opening for the sleeping bag. That's where I hang my tent.... cuz it won't fit inside... cuz I carry too much crap.

[HDMama]

I carry mine on the outside because I like to pack my backpack inside the tent and close it up before I go out into the rain. Likewise I can set up the tent without opening my pack in the rain. I use my pack compression straps and side pockets to hold it to the pack. I put the tent on one side and the poles/stakes on the other side in a verticle orientation.

[daddytwosticks]

I like to keep the tent fly or tarp outside in a pocket, maybe a mesh pocket. This way if wet, I can dry it out during rest stops. Plus, it won't get everything inside the pack wet if it was rained on.

[Tuckahoe]

I use an external pack and strap the tent to the frame just under the pack bag.

[sbhikes]

I put my tent inside my pack because my pack was very uncomfortable unless I stuffed it full and packed it tight. But when the tent was wet, I put it in an outside pocket, not inside its stuff sack, so that the water would drain out as I walked.

[Blissful]

We used a large Reynolds oven bag as an outer wrap if the tent was wet as my son carried it inside his Osprey.

I carry mine on the outside as I have a small pack.

[Ox97GaMe]

I agree with HD. That is what I do. On the AT, especially early on, you can expect the rain fly to be wet almost every day (rain, snow, or dew). What I found is that if I roll the tent and attach it to the pack, most of the water drips out of it during the day while hiking. If it is a sunny day, the tent and rain fly actually dry out considerably. I have the rain fly and poles on one side of the pack, the tent on the other to balance the weight. If you put the tent inside a dry bag and then inside the pack, you will often be setting up a wet tent when you get to camp.

[Marta]

I put my tent inside my pack because my pack was very uncomfortable unless I stuffed it full and packed it tight. But when the tent was wet, I put it in an outside pocket, not inside its stuff sack, so that the water would drain out as I walked.

I do the same. I always carry poles and stakes separately from the fabric part of the tent, in an outside pocket.