Too, the third item listed in what is an essential need for backpacking is The Tent and by extension, The Shelter. Thus, this section of the Burden will address that one component of the Burden, The Shelter and then discuss the the several types of shelters that the Wayƒarer has chosen for providing this essential need throughout his Journey On.™

When Tommy Michel was thirteen, his friend Dale invited Tommy to a Scout Meeting and soon after his first meeting, the troop was scheduled to go camping. Tommy did not want to miss this, so he gathered what he thought he needed and joined the troop for a weekend camping expedition. It is here, with the Scouts, that Tommy Michel, during his very first camping experience, began using a tent as his outdoor shelter. This camping journey was at Double Lakes Campground and it occurred during February, 1963, which was the coldest part of the year.

From the earliest camping experience, the primary style of tent available to the Scouts were canvas wall tents that were used on our weekend camping trips. However, by no means were the wall tents ever used while backpacking. Instead, once a month on a weekend, the Scout Troop would drive to the campsite, open up the Scout trailer, unload large wooden patrol gear boxes, unpack the camping gear, set up the wall tents and then proceed with other activities that were on the agenda for each of the patrols which contained six to eight Boy Scouts.

Then, once a year, the Scout Troop would drive to the summer camp location where the Troop was going to stay for a whole week. Once we arrive at the Scout Campgound, we would check in with the headquarters to find what campsite we had been assigned to camp in, drive to that campsite and find the Scout Campsite already has wall tents set up. However, these tents were often set up on wood decks.

As told by Tommy Michel, "Recalling that moment upon arriving and seeing that the tents were already set up with wood floors, methought, This is the Life. Yes, those summer camp experiences in the Scouts during my early teenage years are some of the greatest memories of my life. However, I also recall how those seven days of summer camp were just never long enough and the troop was soon packing out to return home."

"Methinks", Tommy continues, "maybe those feeling of how Scout Camping never lasting long enough is why I sought out becoming a Wayƒarer as an adult."

During later Scout weekend outings, his shelter of choice for his overnight outdoor shelter, came to be a jungle hammock, one which belonged to the troop. This type of hammock is an above ground sleeping birth complete with insect netting and waterproof fly cover.

The hammock was hung between two trees like most hammocks but this one had a upper compartment that had a water proof roof and mosquito netting around the sides. It did a great job of keeping out both the rain and the insects.