When you spend as much time camping in the desert as I do, the problem of annoying tent-mates is easily solved: sleep under the stars. When weather, bugs, or other issues prevent sleeping in the open air, solution #2 is also easy: a one-person shelter. But then there are those times — winter camping, expeditions, thru-hiking, spousal weekends, etc. — where there are no two ways about it and their personal space and your personal space become as one. And the heck with travel, that’s when you really get to know someone. For better or worse, as they say.
It is a truth of camping — and life, for that matter — that the longer you’re exposed to someone’s habit, the more potentially irritating it becomes. A couple of rounds of ironically sung “99 Bottles” are whimsically funny…until you’re at 88 and it’s no longer ironic. Battleship blasts of flatulence are worth a puerile snort…until the Superfund guys in biohazard suits are knocking at your zipper. A great conversationalist is great…until he won’t STFU. And camping as an early date…oi.
But not all bad habits are created equal. And for that, there’s this poll.
WIN SMITH SUNGLASSES JUST BY VOTING!
This week, one poll participant will receive Smith Optic’s Serpico sunglasses. We’ll pick the winner via random number generator (and announce it here) — all you have to do to enter is vote and leave a comment so we have your email to contact you. Contest ends Sunday, June 17, at midnight PST.
Congratulations to Nathan Handberry of Denver, Colo-rad-o, who won the Serpicos.
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{ 109 comments… read them below or add one }
Snoring, despite being an offender.
Spending time in a tent will really help you find your tolerance/intolerance level of people you thought you knew well.
It is usually the farting that gets my kids in the most trouble when we are in the tent… stay away from the Chili Mac Mountain House.
tent time is not gripe time
SNORING IS THE WORST!!
A lot of these sound bad, but snoring and farting are the only ones that have really become a problem.
Snoring…especially when it’s you girlfriend doing the snoring!
Snoring by FAR the worst. was once stuck with a tent mate who was a little heavy set and snored like a chainsaw, needless to say on the long hike and early morning of the next day things were bitter.
Let’s be serious, if I’m camping it means I’m not working, and there aren’t too many things that bother me when I’m not working…
Snoring, snoring, SNORING! Especially the kind with no consistency which leaves you sleeplessly anticipating the next onslaught!
I thought you could only pick one, perhaps the poll should of been numbered….1 for being the worst habit etc.
My wife would probably write in after this weekend that the worst habit is forgetting an essential part of the tent (which I did) so that we didn’t have a shelter. She seems to put up with my snorting and farting pretty well.
space hogging is the worst. keep your gear in order to maintain order
Wiggling. Everything else I can sleep through without much problem. Listening to the sleeping bag rustle throughout the entire night, however, is maddening.
Negativity! Bummer people don’t belong in the backcountry.
Humming drives me crazy. Not just in the tent but always.
I camp alone and don’t have to deal with any of this, but in any part of life don’t want to be barraged with snoring, negativity or smelly farts. ::-P Otherwise, I’m pretty tolerant!
I hate snoring, but can forgive the uncontrolleable nuisance. I do hate a messy tent though! Underwear, pee bottles and dirty socks thrown about will never get you a second invitation to my tent!
But two of my tent peeves aren’t on your list: bringing shoes in side and failing to move contents away from tent walls when it rains. Yeah, maybe I should get my own tent….
too much talking. silence is sometimes good
Farting is bad – really bad – but I’m probably worse about it in return to my tentmate. Sorry. #tentconfessional
Negativity for sure!
Food in the tent is the worst — depending on where you are camping it’s not safe either. I’m not interested in snoopy animals checking out my tent.
Leaving the tent for a late night pee and not zipping the door closed. Especially BWCA in spring when the mosquitoes are thick enough to block out a full moon. Spending the night swatting insects buzzing your head not so much fun.
punching me when i snore
farting.
Farting usually stays in the sleeping bag for the farter to deal with. Unless of course it’s your spouse and you’re in the sleeping bag too, in which case I just answer with my own. And really unless you hit the mexican food buffet on the way in, farting usually disapates after a few minutes.
This is why I have to go with snoring. I have had more sleepless nights in a tent from someone else snoring than anything. And sometimes….the offender is not even in your tent!
Food in the tent is such an extreme no-no I haven’t seen my kids even try it. However, dragging your muddy shoes in the tent sets me off like none other.
suffocation or dealing with a nasty smell. they are tough decisions you have to make sometimes.
“Battleship blasts of flatulence” haha. I don’t care how old I am, potty humor is always going to be funny!
NO negativity!
I’ve noticed that people who are negative back home will be even more so on a trip, and particularly inside of a tent just as you’re trying desperately to fall asleep after a tough hike. I’ve become more selective in choosing who I want to share a tent with in my older years
Irritating smell of dirty socks is mostttt annoying
snoring and negativity fo sho
being negative. really hate it
Hate it when people track in dirt and mud too!
I agree on the shoe front.
I don’t know…isn’t it kind of what you’re signing up for if you’re sharing such a small space? I think the pros of having someone to share a tent with outweigh the cons… but maybe I have good friends/significant others experiences?
space hogs
Anything generating smells in a tent is bad.
I am a complete tyrant about having any smellables in the tent.
You can always wear ear plugs for snoring, so I think farting is the worst.
Taking up the space with any number of items. The worst at hogging space is my Yellow Lab Charlie. He thinks that since my bag slides easily on the pad he can just move me out of the way and take my sleeping pad without me noticing.
Farts … No tent is ventilated well enough for them
The smelly farts can be pretty awful, but the worst for me would be waking up in the middle of the night jammed into the side of a fairly spacious tent while my husband is sprawled out over the rest of it. The only thing worse is sleeping between him and the four year old (who comes by his space hoggishness honestly).
Snoring, even though I’m guilty of it at times.
Teeth grinding can be annoying, too.
Being negative. You’re in the outdoors, there is nothing to be negative about. Unless you have a root jabbing in the middle of your back and in that case it’s your own fault for not bringing a ground pad.
Snoring sucks, but being negative can really screw the pooch!
no food in tents = no bears in tents.
Keep your freaking gear on your side … and in better organization than an ever growing pile.
SNORING period I need sleep
Most things can be addressed one way or another (change in diet, explain why keeping shoes outside and gear properly stored inside is important etc) but a negative outlook victimizes you and whomever else to your situation, rather then feeling empowered to do something about whatever it is that is bothering you.
Snoring…I better fall asleep first
I’m the farting offender, it’sOK my book…..the kids may sound-off differently.
What’s with guys liking to fart in small enclosed spaces??
Snoring. But general stench, like B.O., can be terrible. I understand we all have it to an extent when in the woods, but some folks take it to a new level.
How can preventing me from sleeping with your chain saw-snoring not be the most annoying thing?
Give us snorers a break. We really can’t do anything about it. Wake us up if we snore. But being negative, now that’s the worst!
I don’t see an option for “constantly waking you up because they think every noise is a bear.”
Food in the tent
negativity certainly.
anything other than sleeping. When I get in the tent I expect to be lights out within 5 mins. Cant handle that? Watch the campfire a little longer.. and use the zipper quietly. Hammock camping is the way to go!
Gas!
Snoring or being negative for sure, no one likes being kept up all night, or being brought down by a negative nancy.
no debbie downers
nothing worse than waking up with a sore back to look over and see your tentmate comfortably stretched out over both sleeping pads.
Just can’t stand negativity, whatever the situation all participants voluntarily got into it. Put up and shut up!
Wiggle wiggle.
Farting…..its unavoidable but deadly
nobody likes bears in the tent, lets keep the food elsewhere.
Snoring, for sure bro.
Hate to complain about the negativity but get over it. If you have to bitch, keep it out of the tent and go tell it to that tree over there. I hear Oaks are great listeners.
snoring.
I hate when someone is hogging the space, but snoring is definitely the worst!
Snoring – it’s the ultimate sleep disruptor.
snoring for sure
Dirty shoes.
Please dont let me go on a trip with someone that does all of these together!
Being negative, straight up. You are outside, enjoy it.
snoring for sure
Funny topic
jerking off when they think everyone’s asleep
Ew.
snoring and being negative
Negativity is the true evil in the backcountry, inside a tent or out!
This list could be soooo long. Not to forget, leaving shoes on when “only having to get in the tent for a second”, leaving the screen unzipped, getting stepped on while sleeping…could go on forever! HA!
Farts, in general are tolerable. Smelly farts, not tolerable.
over ruled, reading late with a bright light.
I must say (from experience), the unwanted come-on, though rare in comparison to other annoying habits here, is most awkward!
Snoring, my ears get full sensivity at time when I’m about to depart to dream world.
Snoring? Get ear plugs, people.
Being negative, Snoring, Keeping food in tent
Negativity! And when your tentmate doesn’t let you read!
Farting? Guilty. I just can’t take the bone rattling snoring.
SHould have “all the above” box
I’ve got a small-ish two person tent, so please don’t hog the space
I want them!
Gotta be farting. My snoring has never bothered me.
Negativity for certain. This is the only one that is wholly preventable and unforgivable. Why go on an adventure if you are going to bitch? Even if it sucks, fake it ’til you make it.
Don’t be a tent-hog!
Farting is the worst, but it’s also uncontrollable. It’s not always practical to leave the tent just to fart.
The most difficult part about it is realizing that girls fart too D:
Hogging all the space. I need room for my double wide sleeping bag!
Definitely farting . . . So annoying.
In college I had a tent mate get sick in the night (due to to much beer). He attempted to unzip the door, but unzipped the tent window instead. Puking through a screen does not end well!!!
Definitely the snoring!
Sleep walking…there’s a good story for that.
Debbie Downer is never welcome, ESPECIALLY if it’s been a tough day.
I gotta pick negativity from that list. But the worst has got to be when your tent mate leaves the screen unzipped… and then whinges about the bugs!
everything is tolerable but a Debbie-Downer!
Snoring! If your tentmate’s snoring shakes the tent, you’re never going to get a wink of sleep. Been there, done that.