That. Drip lines are a good idea, but I usually forget them, with no bad results.Originally Posted by Monkeywrench
I spent almost 24 hours in a Hammock while the remains of a hurricane blew through Maine. It rained like crazy, there were high winds and lots of lightening. The only trouble I had was water running down the suspension lines. I just stuffed some extra clothing at the connection point to absorb the water.
Shutterbug
Make sure to hang your hammock high or the bottom of your hammock could get wet from rain splashing up off the ground. I generally put my straps about 7 feet off the ground, well above my head.
I also use a Hennessey Hexfly which is huge (8.5' x 11'). It adds an extra pound but I can wing one side of it open in a storm and use my camping chair to sit under it. It is like sitting on the front porch of a house in a storm. It actually makes camping out in the rain fun.
As an aside, I now carry, regardless of mileage, a Big Agnes Helinox chair. It is an extra 2 pounds but is well worth it to have a comfortable chair with a back to sit around the campfire with.
Little things such as a larger rain fly and a camping chair do add to pack weight. But to me the added weight is worth the effort in making a more comfortable camping environment.
I have the Helinox chair. Can't keep the legs from sinking into the dirt. Did you find a solution?
Miles to go before I sleep. R. Frost
I've not spent 24 hours in a hammock in a storm that bad, but I use drip lines to control the flow of water down the suspension lines. It has worked for the storms that I've been in.
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Remote for detachment, narrow for chosen company, winding for leisure, lonely for contemplation, the Trail beckons not merely north and south, but upward to the body, mind, and soul of man.
Unfortunately, no. That is a problem. Sometimes I just let them sink until they bottom out. I still find it more comfortable than sitting on a log.
The issue with hammock tarps in a storm is they can basically be a sail.
If you pitch it taut and low and use shock cord for corner tie-outs it should hold, but it wont be peaceful in there. I suppose neither would a tent.
The plus is, you're off the ground. The minus....your tarp is hanging from trees. So it moves with the trees and catches wind like a parachute.
Source: A long rainy night in a hammock with 40+ mph winds.
Helinox chair. The sinking into the dirt is solvable (he said, firmly), I just haven't located "the" answer - some sort of a light weight foot - yet. Tennis balls? will work but heavy and bulky. Nerf golf balls? Size is right, weight is excellant but the material is not strong enough - the chair feet pushed right through. The ideal material would be as lite as ccf but strong, like aluminum.
Miles to go before I sleep. R. Frost
Maybe something like 4 small squares of titanium or aluminum?
Or for a cheaper option, pieces of a pool noodle or old ccf pad?
I gave it some thought and decided that what I wanted was a lite weight, dense mushroom shape. Wide side down so it wouldn't sink, narrow side up attached to the chair legs, dense so there's plenty of strength (I'm at 200#s) and light for obvious reasons. The tennis bag trick worked' but ...
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Miles to go before I sleep. R. Frost
I've seen someone use straps front to back almost like sleds
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Yes I saw that strap setup also. I have not tried it but didn't cause I didn't like what I saw.
Miles to go before I sleep. R. Frost
I use Hennessey hammock snake skins and push them up to where the suspension lines join the hammock and have had zero issues with water running down the line into my hammock. They make packing up a breeze also.
For motorcycle camping I carry a DIY silnylon tarp with doors (728 grams) its big, but has great coverage. The first night that I was able to test it in the rain was last year in October. We arrived in NC (SMNP) literally the day the hurricane was hitting the NC coast. We had a reported 5" of rain that first night, I was bone dry in the morning. I watched one of my companions literally pick up his tent in the morning and pour out what seemed to be a gallon of water.
As I am just starting to get into backpacking, I might look to make a new slightly smaller tarp that would be lighter for backpacking.
Hello,
I have been in some pretty torrential downpours while in my hammock. With a good tarp you can pretty much make it through nearly anything.
I love my cuben tarp, but in an electrical storm, it's really hard to get any sleep with the flashing going on. I need to bring a blindfold along if the weather forecast is for lightning.
While it's dumping rain, be grateful you are up off the ground in relative comfort and not lying in a puddle in a wet bottom tent.
I'm with speyguy on this. At least you are off the ground. Makes having the dog along a bit of an annoyance if water starts running under you. Then its just a tarp across the top quilt and the dog on top of you.
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