View Full Version : Hammocks/high winds/and lightening bolts
rocketsocks
07-08-2014, 05:55
So over the years I've been toying with the idea of leaving the tent and getting a hammock, and while I'm just not there yet, each time I think about it, I can't seem to get around being tied to a tree during high winds and lightening bolts. I've never heard anyone mention this before, thus the thread. I'd like to hear anyone's and everyone's thoughts on this, as it goes against everything I ever learned about staying safe during a storm and not hanging (literally) around trees.
Tuckahoe
07-08-2014, 06:53
I can not offer much as I have not yet hammocked in a storm, but here is one of my favorite videos from Shug...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsICgcSzfmo
rocketsocks
07-08-2014, 07:38
I can not offer much as I have not yet hammocked in a storm, but here is one of my favorite videos from Shug...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsICgcSzfmoI love that video, and the Shug he's a bit nuttso, like me...but man, that would un-nerve me to the bone...not that I wouldn't do it. But I know I wouldn't get much sleep. Crazy ain't it.
SouthMark
07-08-2014, 08:26
I have weathered a several big thunderstorms in my hammock. Was always nervous when they started but calmed enough to go to sleep. I was always with ground dwellers and realized if lightning struck or a tree fell they would get it too so I felt I was in no more danger than I would be if I were in a tent. In two cases I was better off than my tenting friends. I remained dry while they did not.
rocketsocks
07-08-2014, 13:08
I have weathered a several big thunderstorms in my hammock. Was always nervous when they started but calmed enough to go to sleep. I was always with ground dwellers and realized if lightning struck or a tree fell they would get it too so I felt I was in no more danger than I would be if I were in a tent. In two cases I was better off than my tenting friends. I remained dry while they did not.
yep, I've pitched my tent in and among trees, I always look up to check for dead branches...when I remember to, and would mind the gentle swaying of a wind blown tree to be rocked asleep, But when things get rockin and rollin with trees crashing into each other, do you hammock hangers head for the hills, or just ride it out?
SouthMark
07-08-2014, 13:16
yep, I've pitched my tent in and among trees, I always look up to check for dead branches...when I remember to, and would mind the gentle swaying of a wind blown tree to be rocked asleep, But when things get rockin and rollin with trees crashing into each other, do you hammock hangers head for the hills, or just ride it out?
I guess it depends on each situation. I have done both. I have just up and moved to a more secure feeling spot a couple of times but before the real bad weather hit. Most of the time I have just gone to sleep and rode it out. Myself and two other hammock hangers recently on the Foothills Trail rode one out complete with hail. I slept fine until almost dawn when a large tree on the hill above us came crashing down. If I had been tent camping there would have been nothing that I could have done and nowhere I could have gone to get out of the storm.
rocketsocks
07-08-2014, 13:47
I guess it depends on each situation. I have done both. I have just up and moved to a more secure feeling spot a couple of times but before the real bad weather hit. Most of the time I have just gone to sleep and rode it out. Myself and two other hammock hangers recently on the Foothills Trail rode one out complete with hail. I slept fine until almost dawn when a large tree on the hill above us came crashing down. If I had been tent camping there would have been nothing that I could have done and nowhere I could have gone to get out of the storm.I'll likely pick one up one day, and just do like I do with my other gear, pick and choose what to bring given the conditions I expect....bad weather, tent...good weather, hammock.
I recently spent a night in a hammock during a strong but brief t-storm. I did give some thoughts to lightning strikes but I don't think the guys in the tents 20 feet away were any better off.
I had pitched my DIY hex tarp fairly low to the ground. The wind was so strong the rain was blowing nearly all the way under the tarp and out the other side. I was fortunate that my pitch was perpendicular to the wind otherwise I could have been very wet and cranky (no doors on my tarp). Fortunately the hammock was pitched high enough that the underquilt stayed dry.
My tenting companions stayed dry thanks to bathtub floors. There was a little water running under one tent for a bit. Condensation in the morning was the real kicker as we woke up in a cloud. The open-ness of the tarp setup really excelled here and I had no issues with condensation on the interior of the tarp. The down quilts seemed quite dry too (DWR fabric and water-resistant down). I was particularly pleased with the tarp considering I had seam sealed it but never actually tested it in the rain before.
TrippLite
07-08-2014, 19:46
Interesting thread..
I've been eyeing the hammocks of late myself. I had the opportunity to test a friends Warbonnet with a Superfly tarp a few weeks ago. My thoughts are.... I'm sold and will purchase one as soon as I save up enough cash to make the purchase.. Gonna be pricey to complete the package with over and under quilts...
On thread topic, being struck by lightning while hammocking (http://lists.contesting.com/_towertalk/2006-06/msg00587.html), it has happened.... the article does not mention if the man's proximity to water or if tree selection played a part in this mans unfortunate death. Since lighting is usually attracted to isolated or taller objects within one's surroundings, I would suspect when hanging, selecting trees of same height would be one of the rules in Hammocking 101 for this purpose.. as for water, need I say more. Being struck by lightning while hannocking does appear to be extremely rare.
On another note, I have a lot to learn about hammocking, soon enough I hope.
The thought of being swung to sleep by swaying trees does have a cozy appeal..
chiefduffy
07-08-2014, 20:04
I have been in two extremely bad thunderstorms in my hammock. I'm talking the "ok, I'm going to die tonight" variety. Lots of lightening, and winds prob 70mph+. There is no escape from a storm like that when you are deep in the mountains, miles and miles from a road. I survived just fine, and mostly dry. I doubt if there are many tents that could have performed as well as my hammock/tarp did.
rocketsocks
07-08-2014, 20:32
Only once I completely and utterly thought I was toast. 2767427675Walking across a sod farm I was the tallest thing for almost a mile, and a storm came through, lightening bolts hit in front of me and behind me maybe 1/4 mile away...scardest I've ever been in my life...I love storms, can't get enough! from afar.
gunner76
07-08-2014, 23:16
You can be struck by lightning walking across a parking lot ( I have seen it happen ), a tree could fall on you, you could die of a heart attack while hiking, you could be murdered while on the trail. All are things that could, can and have happen. If one worries about every possible thing that could kill you while out in the woods you might as well stay home and die in bed.
I have spend several nights in my hammock during lightning storms and I am still here.
rocketsocks
07-09-2014, 10:53
You can be struck by lightning walking across a parking lot ( I have seen it happen ), a tree could fall on you, you could die of a heart attack while hiking, you could be murdered while on the trail. All are things that could, can and have happen. If one worries about every possible thing that could kill you while out in the woods you might as well stay home and die in bed.
I have spend several nights in my hammock during lightning storms and I am still here.
I would love to be home in bed when the bells ring and hammer comes down. :)
rocketsocks
07-09-2014, 10:55
if I could just schedule it so.
SouthMark
07-09-2014, 19:03
I would love to be home in bed when the bells ring and hammer comes down. :)
Well you could avoid taking any risks in life and you might just live to a ripe old age but lying there on your death bed you might just realize that you were dead along time ago… paraphrased from Colin Fletcher, The Complete Walker.
rocketsocks
07-09-2014, 19:24
Well you could avoid taking any risks in life and you might just live to a ripe old age but lying there on your death bed you might just realize that you were dead along time ago… paraphrased from Colin Fletcher, The Complete Walker.
...................Aye ;)
RADHiker
07-27-2014, 21:49
ChiefDuffy, which tarp setup did you use? We rode out a vicious storm last night at Grayson (thankfully in the shelter) and I'm sure my tarp setup would have been ripped to shreds. What works best for string winds?
Wise Old Owl
07-27-2014, 22:39
I have weathered a several big thunderstorms in my hammock. Was always nervous when they started but calmed enough to go to sleep. I was always with ground dwellers and realized if lightning struck or a tree fell they would get it too so I felt I was in no more danger than I would be if I were in a tent. In two cases I was better off than my tenting friends. I remained dry while they did not.
well that's a good post... I have not heard that explanation before... but I buy into it... I need a dash of hope... as a hanger.
rocketsocks
07-27-2014, 23:07
In two cases I was better off than my tenting friends. I remained dry while they did not.What was it that allowed you to stay dry, or more over (as I'm a ground clown) what was it that got them wet...other than the water. :D
Wise Old Owl
07-27-2014, 23:26
That's easy take a peek at the tent bucket ( rubber Pu ) on a old Andre Jamlet vs the stuff they make today... MY first tent survived hurricanes. Yea thats 2x!
27900
chiefduffy
07-28-2014, 07:33
ChiefDuffy, which tarp setup did you use? We rode out a vicious storm last night at Grayson (thankfully in the shelter) and I'm sure my tarp setup would have been ripped to shreds. What works best for string winds?
I have the old Speer Winter Tarp. It has 4 tie-downs on each side, but is a square (rectangular) tarp, not cat-cut. That's a lot of tiedowns to mess with, but it sure makes a difference in high winds! If I think bad weather is coming, I put a rock or heavy piece of wood on each stake. I also try to stake to bushes or tree roots instead of using stakes whenever possible.
Last night in Boone, NC conditions approximated the title of this thread. Temperatures for the week are predicted to range from mid-70s to mid-50s. Perfect.
Mountain time.
Island time.
Good time.
This is Paradise. I need a cheeseburger.
Cheers Y'all.
Wayne
SouthMark
07-28-2014, 08:57
What was it that allowed you to stay dry, or more over (as I'm a ground clown) what was it that got them wet...other than the water. :D
Flash flood type rain that poured into the tents while I remained high and dry above it.
rocketsocks
07-28-2014, 09:17
Flash flood type rain that poured into the tents while I remained high and dry above it.
ah yeah, that'll do it every time, in the wake of the flood. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsbEONNynOc)
Stay off the mountain tops and ridge lines. Never pitch in a burn area and check your trees for widow-makers. I personally don't like to camp up above 9000' or so because the weather just seems wilder the higher you go (assuming you can find two trees).
I try to avoid really big old ponderosa pines because they can have widow-makers way up where I can't see from the ground. Younger trees are safer IMO.
My WBBB setup has ridden out some good storms - so I'm pretty confident. I added an Under-Quilt Protector this year which I really like so far.
"Never pitch in a burn area" For why anyway???
"Never pitch in a burn area" For why anyway???
Many dead snags ready to fall in the slightest of breezes.
Wayne
RADHiker
07-28-2014, 23:23
Thanks, CD. That one looks pretty solid. I'm going to give hanging a try......thanks for sharing
Nice - the Andre Jamet. Brings back memories of my childhood My dad's was hunter safety orange, indestructible would be an understatement
Been watching Ebay for one of these rare tents
Many dead snags ready to fall in the slightest of breezes.
Wayne
Hmm, walked right into that one[emoji38]
It's all good. I would not have figured it out if I had not been to a big burn area in Texas recently.
Wayne
gunner76
07-31-2014, 22:52
At the first Grayson Fall Hang the only person to get wet was a person in their tent and they got a new trail name....Soggy
Meriadoc
07-31-2014, 23:17
Read this:
http://rendezvous.nols.edu/files/Curriculum/research_projects/Risk%20Management%20Reports/NOLS%20Backcountry%20Lightning%20Safety%20Guidelin es.pdf
Although I realize that I could be hit in some fashion by lightning, I would much prefer to be hanging between two trees essentially isolated from the ground, than sitting mostly on the ground surrounded by a few lightning rods (tent poles). In either case, lightning directly to the tree one is attached to or to the tent poles is probably going to end badly... And I would expect exploding tree bark may cut your tree straps and dump you on the ground any way. I've been about twenty feet from a tree that was obliterated by a lightning strike, but fortunately was in a car at the time.
I love the "anvil crawlers" on that video, the ones that come out of the cloud and streak across the underside of the storm. They can be beautiful and impressive, and from my experience they tend to stay up there and not reach out and touch the ground. I photograph lightning, and there's not much that can make the heart pound like standing in a field next to a metal tripod with your hand on a button, while a big storm crosses...
Although I realize that I could be hit in some fashion by lightning, I would much prefer to be hanging between two trees essentially isolated from the ground, than sitting mostly on the ground surrounded by a few lightning rods (tent poles). In either case, lightning directly to the tree one is attached to or to the tent poles is probably going to end badly... And I would expect exploding tree bark may cut your tree straps and dump you on the ground any way. I've been about twenty feet from a tree that was obliterated by a lightning strike, but fortunately was in a car at the time.
I love the "anvil crawlers" on that video, the ones that come out of the cloud and streak across the underside of the storm. They can be beautiful and impressive, and from my experience they tend to stay up there and not reach out and touch the ground. I photograph lightning, and there's not much that can make the heart pound like standing in a field next to a metal tripod with your hand on a button, while a big storm crosses...
I can't think of a scenario where you wouldn't be harmed if lightening struck the tree supporting your hammock.
Country Roads
08-19-2014, 11:00
yep, I've pitched my tent in and among trees, I always look up to check for dead branches...when I remember to, and would mind the gentle swaying of a wind blown tree to be rocked asleep, But when things get rockin and rollin with trees crashing into each other, do you hammock hangers head for the hills, or just ride it out?
Just like folks in a tent; we just ride it out. I have been in wind so high, my hammock bounced, rocked and rumbled. I slept great! The friends I was with, in tents, slept a bit less soundly than I did. But, my advantage was that I could hang my hammock where they could not pitch a tent. I only had a slight bit more wind protection than they did, but it did make a difference. In thunderstorms I figure we are all equal.
overthinker
08-21-2014, 12:39
Lightning is one thing, but high winds really freak me out. Rode out a wind storm in SNP earlier this summer - rain stopped early and the wind went all night.
I was careful to check for widow makers, which was easy since it was early season and no leaves were on the trees yet. We'd set up at night and in the rain, so I didn't get a good look around until morning. I did not check the ground the trees were rooted to - full of rocks and forest duff, but not much by way of solid soil. Just when I was falling asleep, a BIG tree fell very close to our camp. In the morning, it was pretty clear that the area was not a healthy environment for the trees there - lots of them seemed weak, really tall and thin, and the soil was very loose and of a poor quality.
Big lesson learned that night: make sure to look up AND down when selecting a site, especially in bad weather. Walking another mile to a safer camp is way better than not sleeping all night because you think you're going to die.