[Philmont]: Phil Tents, etc.

I sent much of this info to the List on Friday but it never posted.

The 2003 Guidebook to Adventure page 8 (Tips on equipment and clothing) has
the following 2 paragraphs:

"Tents must be carried and used while at Philmont. Sudden downpours and
gusty winds require appropriate shelter. Every member of your crew should
know how to pitch, strike and fold a backpacking tent. Philmont issues the
BSA Philmont Backpacker tent. If you bring your own tent it must be a
2-person tent (approximate weight 5 1/2 lbs.) Philmont will allow a single
person tent in the event of an odd numbered crew. (No bivey sacks)."

"A 5' 6" nylon or plastic ground cloth must be used under your tent. Tent
mates can share the ground cloth. It is required that everyone sleep in a
tent. The use of tents provides protection from weather and also is part
of Philmont's Bear and Wildlife safety practice. No food or smellables
should ever be allowed inside a tent."

The 2003 Guidebook on page 14 (Crew Equipment issued at Philmont)
says: BSA Philmont backpacker nylon tent with poles (per each 2 persons),
weight about 5 1/2 pounds."

The 2003 Guidebook on page 15 (Equipment provided by crew) says: "metal
tent pins. 10 per person."

The following 4 points are about the first quoted page 8 para, above -
1. It is the same as 2002, nothing new.
2. The last 2 sentences about a single person tent and no bivey sacks was
added in 2002.
3. The sentence about if you bring your own tent it must be a 2-person
tent was added in 1999 or 2000, and has caused much discussion on this
List. Don't micro-analyze it. Use good judgment and common sense. It
appears Philmont is simply trying to rule out biveys, those very small and
low profile jobs. A tent like the Sierra Designs 1 - 2 person Clip
Flashlight
(http://www.sierradesigns.com/cgi-bin/driver.pl?index=3&conf=tent_show_03)
is fine.
4. The parenthetical phrase indicating the weight probably belongs to the
previous sentence about the Philmont Backpacker tent, and not to the tent
you might bring (common sense tells me).

Now, more about the Philmont Backpacker tent -

The last time the BSA Supply Division catalog listed or showed the Philmont
Backpacker tent was in 1996, and then it was a slightly smaller
version. Perhaps someone could point us to a currently available picture
on the Web.

The Philmont Backpacker tent is a rectangular, A-frame design with 2 poles
at the front and one pole at the rear. It is not free-standing. To
properly set it up, it requires 14 (yes, 14) tent stakes (pins, or whatever
you call them) - that's 1 at each corner of the floor/base, 4 on each side
of the rainfly, and one at each end - front and rear. If each camper
brings 10 tent pins, then each person should have 3 extra pins to
contribute to the crew dining fly, and other uses, and as extra to replace
lost and misplaced pins that the tent-stake-monster always eats.

Don't count on the tie-out guy lines that will be attached to any tent you
check out at Services. Experience tells me that they are often hopelessly
tangled, knotted, and otherwise in need of replacement. And if you don't
want the tent to leak, it should be set up neatly and properly stretched
out at its floor/base and with the 10 guylines. That's one reason the
Guidebook tells you to bring plenty of 1/8" nylon cord.

I used to preach to my crews in training to use the Phil tents, and I have
done so myself, sharing with my 2nd advisor; I used to highly discourage
bringing one's own tent. But after the experience of 6 Expeditions, I am
leaning more and more to advising and letting the Scouts bring their own
tents, if they wish, and provided they are suitable and pass my inspection
beforehand. I've become less pleased with the condition and utility of the
Phil tents, and more and more impressed with other high-tech and
light-weight backpacking tents.

But as a matter of economics, the Phil tents should be fine. Use them, but
pitch them and stake them out properly. It requires a little more care in
set up than most of the freestanding models, but do it right and you'll be
quite satisfied.

Julian Love
T-116, Charlotte, NC

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Received on Sun Apr 20 13:28:02 2003