Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Hammock Hangers Respond Please

Five years ago I created this video. It shows how to rig a flat tarp into a solid shelter. I use hiking poles, and know many other hikers do.

 
I was surprised by this comment, which showed up 8 months ago. It seems pretty obvious the guy hasn't even used a hammock. Last summer I met plenty of hammock users who needed pads underneath to keep from freezing their butts off. what do you think?


Holy Fuck! You are carrying needless equipment. You have aluminium walking sticks and metal tent pegs? And you sleep on the ground? What is wrong with you? Carry less. In my back-pack I have 3 ziploc bags that weigh almost nothing and take up very, very little space. One contains a parachute fabric hammock, the other a 6 x 4 groundsheet and the last para-cord. When I set up camp all I need are 2 trees about 8 feet apart. Sling the hammock & tie down. You are now above ground level (preventing heat loss & minimizing unwanted animal contact). Tie a rope one foot above your hammock and drape and secure the groundsheet. With rocks and sticks that are free! You can now secure all of your equipment: accessible, dry and within reach. You will sleep like a baby because you are not on solid ground and don't have to worry about snakes, creepy crawlies, alligators, Mormons, and such. WTF? What has happened to common sense? If you need a walking stick, cut one, don't buy one!!!! 

12 comments:

  1. with your experience, Carol, this guy's comments are rude and laughable. Hammocks have their place, and some people really like them. A friend of mine is really getting into hammocks, along with his sons. I may even try it some day. However, your experience level with fabricating your own gear and cutting down your equipment weight, as well as your survivalist and homesteading experiences make this commentary a relatively amateur thing. He is passing himself off as more knowledgeable and more experienced than you are. I would ignore him. Keep doing what you are doing and teaching others.

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    1. Thanks Ron, I allow belligerent posts on my channel because it keeps the conversation going. I replied back that his kit sounded like naked and afraid nonsense. I appreciate experienced people coming back with good info. Seems there's always new stuff being developed that we can all utilize.

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  2. Brawny, I am a hammocker and much prefer the comfort to sleeping on the ground, which I did exclusively for over 30 years. I have experienced a number of serious storms while hammocking and IMHO, using a ground cloth for a tarp is a risky proposition. If light weight is the goal, there are plenty of lightweight tarp options available but utilizing a real tarp is only prudent. Reading your rude reader's comments, my first thought was, whatever happened to HYOH? It seems assinine for this knucklehead to lecture YOU, someone whose many years of long-distance hiking has honed you into one helluva amazing, competent hiker. He needs to get a life, better said, go take a hike!

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  3. Thanks for your kind words, Gerry. I can only say, someone attempting to use a ground cloth for a tarp hasn't been in high wind. The purpose of this video was to show how complete a shelter could be rigged with a 14 ounce ultralight tarp. This configuration has been proven highly effective, not only by myself, but many others.
    I appreciate your reply. I sleep cold, and don't want a bear sniffing me in the middle of the night. That really did happen to someone!
    Plus, desert hiking doesn't always allow hanging hammocks.
    Someday, I'm going to test a hammock.
    What brand do you recommend?

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  4. I love my hennessey hammock. My kids steal it from me when we go camping! It's the one I used when we camped near Basalt and had trees. The eno is nice but you have to buy or make the rest of the system for weather and bug protection.

    Definitely use a pad for warmth. If temp is below 70 you will have a cold backside.

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    1. Yes, I've seen it Flo, and you also have a decent canopy/fly.
      Thanks for replying.

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  5. Brawny, I tried a hennessey years ago and it did not work for me. I have owned Warbonnet Outdoors and BIAS hammocks, the latter of which is my current and preferred hammock. At 6' tall, I went from a 9', to a 10' to an 11' hammock for increased comfort. There are a lot of really good hammock out there now, including Dutchware and Dream Hammocks. What I would suggest is to join hammockforums.net. It was a spinoff of Whiteblaze.net several years ago and contains an incredible wealth of information. Also, check out "Shug's" videos, available from the forum as well as directly on youtube.

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  6. Thanks Gerry. Sounds like there are great resources for the serious backpacker. So, a longer hammock probably means you're not so curled up, more head room, etc? I doubt it adds more than a couple ounces to the package.

    Thanks

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  7. I'm not sure what kind of comments you want on the comment you posted. Myself, I have no patience for drive-by experts. But the commenter's words are so rambling and random that it's hard to say what the truth is, if any.

    Sleeping on the ground is much warmer all-around than sleeping in a hammock. I've been using hammocks since 2001, and it requires attention. Pads are poor. They buckle and shift, trap sweat, and are too narrow. Wider pads buckle even more. Under-quilts are goofy: heavy, hard to position, and, if filled with down, are expensive.

    Hammocking isn't perfect, but it can be comfy.

    Tree shortages: I used my hammock in the North Dakota Badlands one summer. Avoiding poison ivy was a bigger deal than finding trees. "Rambling Hemlock" is just finishing the Arizona Trail using a hammock, and getting by. She's at: http://ramblinghemlock.blogspot.com/

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    1. Thanks for your candid reply. Guess I'm asking real hammock hangers to provide real information as to weight, warmth and viability of hammocks over tarps or tents.
      It seems they take a great deal more expertise over the length of a long trail than just utilizing a tarp situation.

      You've answered that very well.

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  8. The commentators set up would be fine in ideal conditions I.E. dry and temperatures above 70 degrees at night. If it rains and there is any wind he will be wet, a 6 x 4 ground cover is not that big. If the temperatures drop into the 60s he will need some sort of insulation under him, either a foam pad or under quilt. This guy will get himself into trouble with his set at some point. Even if he moved to the ground how will he keep his gear dry in a thunderstorm? Maybe I'm biased since I am taller than his ground cover is long.

    My background, I have been hammocking for a few years in temperatures down to 25 degrees. I use a 8x10 tarp that is sometimes hard to keep dry in severe weather.

    BTW, thanks for the blogs, I've been a reader since your Georgia days.

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    1. Thanks Jeff, for your knowledgable comments. And, thanks for being a long time reader.
      I think people tend to under rate nature's impact over the long haul. A few good nights under a minimalist shelter does not make it viable. I've witnessed hikers bail because everything was soaked and they were miserable.

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