View Full Version : Where does your pack go when you hammock for the night?
Might be an obvious quesion - bare with me! I'm getting going on planning for 2012 and am weighing the pros and cons of hammock vs. tent. Where a tent has a vestibule, a hammock has ________ ? :confused:
Nutbrown
09-10-2011, 09:22
There are a few different options.
-hang it under the hammock
-clasp it to a tree...pretend the tree is you, secure the same way
-put it in a trash bag on the ground
-leave it on your ground cover ...which sucks the most. Tons of creepy crawleys to fish out of the pack in the morning, and you know at some point during the day, one more spider will climb up your shoulder and try to lay eggs in your ear.
The hammock is under a tarp, and there is plenty more room underneath the tarp for your pack. It is just like a vestibule under there. With the right tarp, it is like a floorless tent, 360 deg protection from ridgeline to the ground.
jersey joe
09-10-2011, 09:56
Even with a tent I like putting my pack in a garbage bag. They are lightweight and keep your bag completely dry and critter free.
kayak karl
09-10-2011, 10:11
i had a skunk try to drag mine off. now i clip it to the whoopie with a Soft Shackle and clip the waist belt over ridgeline at foot end.
I pull the grindage bag out and hang it some distance away. Then I put the raincover over the pack and make sure it is in the shade of the hammock tarp. My dogs sleep under the tarp as well.
I wrap mine in a raincover and put it under the tarp, sometimes propped up on my hiking boots. The pack is pretty empty at this point, and with the food bear-bagged, there's not much to attract animals.
Raul Perez
09-10-2011, 17:54
As many have stated... under my hammock which is under my tarp. If in inclement weather I place my rain cover on and my trail runners go under my pack for added protection for my shoes. Always worked out great.
I bear bag every night. Not really for bears but for all critters.
droptopbenz
09-10-2011, 17:56
As many have stated... under my hammock which is under my tarp. If in inclement weather I place my rain cover on and my trail runners go under my pack for added protection for my shoes. Always worked out great.
I bear bag every night. Not really for bears but for all critters.+1 Great advice...I do this as well.
WILLIAM HAYES
09-11-2011, 00:00
in a garbage bag under my hammock
Doc Mike
09-11-2011, 07:11
O the ground under the tarp or if questionable that ground may become wet due to runoff then I will clasp waist and sternum strap over ridgeline under the tarp. Haen't had a problem with bugs except for this last time and Killed 62 ants the next day on my pack. This was a night with a severe lightning/rain storm and bag was hanging from ridge line( no food in bag but I think they were somewhat attrached to all the salt from multiple days of sweating).
Stir Fry
09-11-2011, 13:41
Rain cover over top, cliped to the same tree Hammock is on. Its worked over 35 nights so far, just section hike so far though.
BobTheBuilder
09-11-2011, 16:06
If I am not expecting rain, I hang it with my food bag. If it is raining, I leave it under the hammock.
On the tree that the foot of my hammock is tied to. My pack has a top loop which is tied via a length of paracord around the tree, and is covered with a trash bag. The bag has a hole to pass the top loop through . The hip belt is clasped backwards to make it more compact. I like it off the ground just to make it easier load and unload.
Country Roads
09-11-2011, 18:52
Mine goes in a trash bag under the hammock. I can reach it if I need to, but it is dry and out of the way.
It is way easier to live hammock camping. I can cook and eat under the tarp and have a nice comfy place to lounge and sleep. Much easier to get dressed in my hammock than in a small tent. Why did I wait so long?
Country Roads
09-11-2011, 18:56
One thing I just thought about: porcupines love salt/sweat. As I head north on my section hikes, I might have to reconsider the ground thing in porky country.
I usually hang my pack (with a pack cover on) from the suspension near the tree.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v425/bearpawat99/Pinhoti Trail Oct 09/013a.jpg
During substantial rain, I have occasionally placed it on my boots, which were on my landing pad, again with the pack cover on.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v425/bearpawat99/BMT 6 10/059.jpg
Typingsux
09-22-2011, 13:23
i had a skunk try to drag mine off. now i clip it to the whoopie with a Soft Shackle and clip the waist belt over ridgeline at foot end.
I'm laughing at that visual. :D
If you have a big enough hammock, you can just have it next to you. I haven't had a huge pack with me as yet for long trips, but I imagine it would be feasible.
I'm 6'2" and 200 and I manage.
thanks so much for all the helpful replies! the photos were great too :) i am looking forward to test driving hammock camping - i'm ready to be a convert.
pepkbell
09-29-2011, 10:32
if you get a clark na hammock the pockets take care of it
couscous
09-29-2011, 21:51
I use my 8oz pack as my pillow.
http://gossamergear.com/packs/murmur-hyperlight-backpack.html
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Might be an obvious quesion - bare with me! I'm getting going on planning for 2012 and am weighing the pros and cons of hammock vs. tent. Where a tent has a vestibule, a hammock has ________ ? :confused:
Not real simple due to tent-think, but becomes obvious. Whereas a tent is a large space with a little vestibule storage attached outside the main interior space, a hammock is a small sleeping apparatus inside a large covered space with no walls. Just because it doesn't have walls doesn't mean you don't do exactly what you would do with your pack if you had a tent.