ham in or with shelter

[frequency]

I recollect that someone erected their hammock in a trail shelter or used the trail shelter as a tiedown. This seems an impossibility or at least a stretch (not to mention the inconsiderate factor) ...
Can anyone debunk this?

[Creek Dancer]

Someone had put one up at the Campbell Creek shelter a few weeks ago. Yes, it was inconsiderate. We moved on to the campsite nearby.

[Jack Tarlin]

Hammocks, as well as tents, don't belong in shelters.

[saimyoji]

What reason would a person have for setting up a tent inside a shelter? I don't get it. Is there an honest reason, or is this just clueless behavior?

Drying it out? Seam-sealing? Cleaning?

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

Saimyoji, I think they do it to avoid mice and bugs.

[jlb2012]

sometimes it may be done for extra warmth or privacy also

basically I agree with Jack on this one but if given a choice of sleeping on the ground/platform or hanging my hammock in a shelter I know which way I would go - I hate sleeping on the ground - but it would be a very unlikely even to only have that as an option - hang in the woods away from other folks and you don't have to listen to the snoring

[Just Jeff]

Not impossible if there's a strong support to hang on. Hammocks put a lot of horizontal force on their supports, though (much more than the weight of the occupant) - I'd be very careful tying to a shelter.

Probably did it b/c hammocks are much more comfortable than a wood floor, and to protect from bugs and such, in addition to having a big dry place w/o having to set up the tarp.

But like Jack said - if they're intruding on others, hammocks and tents don't belong there. Personally, I wouldn't have a problem with either if space wasn't an issue that night (and the hammock didn't bring down the shelter, of course).

[saimyoji]

Hmmm.....don't like bugs, don't like sleeping on the floor/outside.....How the heck did they survive the hike up to the shelter?

[Just Jeff]

Bug spray and sleeping in a hammock, I'd guess. Maybe even a head net.

[Jack Tarlin]

The number one reason people hammock or tent in a shelter is because they don't want their stuff to get wet. You very seldom see folks do this when the weather's good. In any case, unless there's nobody else present, there's no way to set up a tent or hammock in a shelter WITHOUT inconveniencing other folks, which is why it's generally not approved of. (And this doesn't mean it's OK to set up like this if you arrive at a shelter and discover nobody is there......unless, of course, it's like nine o'clock at night and it's a good bet nobody else is coming).

[Ramble~On]

I set my tent up inside a shelter in Virginia. I had the shelter to myself which was an oddity in 1996. The bugs were really bad and it was late, the shelter was empty. The next morning I sat inside the tent and watched a group of turkey wander about all around the shelter...they couldn't see me through the mesh I guess. That was a really cool experience and I doubt it would have happened were I just laying in the shelter with my gear spread out. No, I wouldn't have set up if the shelter was occupied.

[frequency]

structurally - I thought I read it was impossible b/c you would collapse the shelter...thanks for the sanity check...wouldn't have the stones to try it myself

[RITBlake]

structurally - I thought I read it was impossible b/c you would collapse the shelter...thanks for the sanity check...wouldn't have the stones to try it myself

??? most shelters are pretty sturdy. Plenty of strength to hold up a hanger.

Kind of rude if there are other people around though.

Gills and Samoa MEGA 05 would set up their tent inside the shelter on a regular basis. Going south meant that we would generally have shelters all to ourselves and if taking up space became an issue they would always sleep outside or just sleep inside the shelter, sans tent.

The reason for this was just as someone said, keep the bugs and the mice away, a little extra privacy, and a chance to dry out the tent a bit.

[neo]

i avoid shelter completely neo
they suck

[Two Speed]

??? most shelters are pretty sturdy. Plenty of strength to hold up a hanger.

Gotta be careful about where you attach the hammock. The force developed by a reasonably taught hammock with an ordinary hiker are surprisingly high. Screw up your attachment points and you'll wake up on the shelter floor if you're lucky. If not you may catch a piece of flying shelter in the kisser. Aside from the etiquette issues it ain't a good idea.

Youngblood has posted the formula for this in an earlier post, 'bout two years back if I remember correctly. I'd recommend researching that before pulling this stunt.

[frequency]

Gotta be careful about where you attach the hammock. The force developed by a reasonably taught hammock with an ordinary hiker are surprisingly high. Screw up your attachment points and you'll wake up on the shelter floor if you're lucky. If not you may catch a piece of flying shelter in the kisser. Aside from the etiquette issues it ain't a good idea.

Youngblood has posted the formula for this in an earlier post, 'bout two years back if I remember correctly. I'd recommend researching that before pulling this stunt.

thanks...this is the thread I was trying to recall...

[Just Jeff]

You can download Youngblood's excel spreadsheet with to calculate the forces in the files section of hammockcamping. It's called "hammock forces calculator" or something obvious like that.

[Slojourner]

On a section hike in June 2005, we shared Spence Field Shelter with 2 kids just out of high school (their first backpacking experience too) who were headed to the Citadel in the fall. Evidently they had arrived at the shelter before anyone else that day and had strung up two (2) hammocks inside. Also included in their list of "non-essential items" was about four five pound bags of trail mix. And yes, they had other food stuff to eat. One of them saw me duck-taping blisters on my toes. He announced, "Hey, if you need anymore of that we've got plenty!" as he held up an entire roll of duck tape. They were hilarious! My hiking buddy, CoweeDan, said I got even with them for the hammocks in the shelter thing though. He said with my snoring, they couldn't have gotten any sleep . . .

[Just Jeff]

Here's a pic of a hammock in a shelter:

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/...p?i=9488&c=577

[Alligator]

The number one reason people hammock or tent in a shelter is because they don't want their stuff to get wet. You very seldom see folks do this when the weather's good. In any case, unless there's nobody else present, there's no way to set up a tent or hammock in a shelter WITHOUT inconveniencing other folks, which is why it's generally not approved of. (And this doesn't mean it's OK to set up like this if you arrive at a shelter and discover nobody is there......unless, of course, it's like nine o'clock at night and it's a good bet nobody else is coming).

I occasionally set up a tent in the shelter in the winter, late at night if no one is around. For those wondering, it's warmer when it's real windy. I found a better option though is to simply use my groundcloth as a wind break.

I set up my hammock once in the shelter because of bugs and rain. All the thrus had already tented and there were four bunks free and clear in the shelter with nobody present. No one would have been inconvenienced in the two minutes it would have taken to remove it. I hung off an overhanging beam and the bunks. It still had a little too much sag. Not a lot of shelters with that design though.

Without question, I would have immediately taken the hammock or my tent down if anyone had showed. Not once has anyone ever shown up afterwards. Just as a note, I generally hike outside of thru hiker season.