I've never done it. I have heard of it though.

Do I think it is right? I guess like all things in life it depends. I think if it is done for a very short time period I see no problem. I can even see why someone would do that in a busy area. If you just throw out a pack and then go all over the lake, checking every site or fishing for several hours I am not so keen on it.

I've heard stories of people not occupying a site because soemone put a pack at it only to see the group come back several hours later and pick up the pack becuase they found another site they liked better (my friend talked to the group claiming the pack). To me that is selfish and rude to block a site for a period of time and then not use it.

The tent thing would bug me too. Once again settign up a tent to make sure you get a site later is quite selfish. You are denying other people that site on days you are not even using it.

I guess I am lucky that I have never personally run into people like this out in canoe country, but I tend to avoid busy areas where this probably takes place more often.

T