Don Hogan, a fellow tentlifer, leads backpacking trips in the Weminuche Wilderness in Southwest Colorado, this is his second summer leading the expedition style trips for high school students… Don is an avid photographer and what his lens captures can be found on his photog: Being Spilled.

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This has been a long time in the making, and when Sam asked me to write a post for tentlife.net, at first I was astounded, then I realized that I am living in a tent at around the same time that he is and it is only appropriate for me to write down some thoughts. It must be noted that this is being written pen and paper style while in my tent and on trip.

My initial thoughts over what I would be writing about all fizzled and died before I even put ink on the page, however (and obviously) there was one idea that stuck. “What would be some constants and some variables that a person living a tentlife would encounter?” This is when I turn my brain to turbo-mode and let the thoughts take off so humor me.

As for constants when living a tent life, there is always the initial assessment of “What do I truly need?” Because my tentlife is also the backpacking life – the constants are carried on my back. Even if I am going on an overnight trip, carrying too much weight quickly turns a good trip into a cussing trip. Yet when I am in tent city (big canvas tents) weight is not an issue and I can and do have more stuff.

Tentlife first revolves around need. A need to stay dry. A need to have a flat spot to sleep ( or a bed/cot). A need to eat and a place to cook. For tentlife, wants slowly disappear and reappear as something else. All of a sudden, I want a toilet to sit on, I want a table to eat on, and I want a chair to sit on also (crazy creeks don’t count as chairs by the way). I want to be able to take a shower instead of bathing in a stream, and one important want is to be able to dry my clothes when they get wet instead of wearing them dry. That’s right. I wear my clothes to dry them mostly because I have no other options in the backcountry but it also beats having to put back on wet and sometimes frozen clothes. However, none of what I mentioned is needed. The ground works well as a toilet, table, chair and bed, but not in the same place.

Understanding the constants of tentlife is being able to understand the differences between needs and wants. Understand the variables, well… that is something completely different.