My lesson learned as a thru-hiker regarding a tent: Freestanding is the way to go!
On my thru-hike in 1990, I had a high quality tent and the most common tent used by thru-hikers on the A.T. that year. But it was not freestanding, and I wish it was. For starters, there were times during my thru-hike, especially in Pennsylvania, when I could not get a single stake two inches into the ground. I had to sleep under the stars, or clouds, a dozen times for this reason. Looking back 30 years later, I am still amazed I never got rained on. (Once there was a little drizzle, and I covered my sleeping bag and ground cloth with the tent fly.)
If you are new to backpacking, a freestanding tent is one which can be set up without putting in any stakes. (However, you should always put stakes in if you can, because stakes make it more taunt which keeps rainwater from getting under the tent. Also, wind can blow away an empty freestanding tent, which I know from experience.)
A non-freestanding tent requires stakes to be put in the ground to hold the tent up. Usually non-freestanding tents do not have the poles crossing over one another.
Here are my thru-hiking camping stats:
69 nights in a tent
65 nights in a wooden A.T. lean-to
14 nights on a ground cloth under the stars or clouds
10 nights in a hiker hostel
3 nights in a motel
2 nights in homes
163 nights total of my 164 day journey!
The reason I spent all but two of those 14 nights under the stars: I could not get stakes into the ground.
Now tenting was my preference! I desired to camp in more remote places. When hiking in the afternoon, I would always check my map, and if I foresaw I would be on a mountain or in an area without water sources nearby that evening, I would study my map and find a water source where I could load up before ascending a mountain or heading into the remote area. Thus when camping that night away from any A.T. shelters or campgrounds, I would be stocked up with water. I loved that! I had many special wilderness experiences.
But in more remote areas, primarily more in the northern half, there would be many rocks or roots which would make it hard or impossible to get tent stakes in the ground.
I add that sleeping in the lean-tos was often a blessing. First, lean-tos are usually by a water source. Second, my times in lean-tos were often spent with fellow thru-hikers, a number of whom became friends. Having the fellowship with those special people enriched my journey. But even though there are many shelters along the A.T., I did not let them dictate my daily hiking mileage. I really liked tenting, and with a freestanding tent, I would have tented more.
And 30 years ago, fewer people backpacked on the A.T. Tenting is far more necessary because of overcrowded camping areas and shelters.
As an old geezer over fifty years old, I will slip in the fact there was not nearly the selection of tents in 1990 there are today. Some great quality camping tents were available in 1990! Yet backpacking tents were in a minority, and light solo backpacking tents were rare. If you are planning a thru-hike in the near future, you are fortunate to have so many choices, and the prices are lower than they were 30 years ago.
One year ago I found a tent for sale online from a cool store in Vermont, made by a company which has been making tents in America for countless years. That freestanding solo tent is the ideal A.T. tent in my view. Though I have a quality two-person tent, for one year I have had the desire to buy that solo tent since it is so great. You have the opportunity to sleep in the tent I wished I had on the A.T. thirty years ago.
With total conviction I repeat: A freestanding tent is the way to go!
Hunter, A.T. '90
