weathering a storm in a hammock

[leftorright]

I want to get out more this fall but I live in MO and for the next couple months can expect mostly wet, cold weather. Can anyone give me first hand experiences and tips about weathering a thunderstorm at night in a hammock?

[rocketsocks]

Ya may find something useful here, I'm not a hammocker just yet though.


http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?105028-Hammocks-high-winds-and-lightening-bolts

[SteelCut]

Lots of threads on hammockforums.net for this topic. I'm a hammocker but haven't been in any really big storms (yet) so no first hand advice.

[2Ply]

What type of tarp do you have? If a heavy rain and wind are forecast I'll set my tarp edges lower to the ground to help stop blowing rain and splash back. My 3 season tarp has doors so I'll batten down the hatches and ride out the storm high and dry. Without doors you could position the tarp so the rain isn't blowing into the open ends. Grizz Beaks (http://www.2qzqhammockhanger.com/tarpaccessories.html) are a great way to add a door or two to tarps that don't have them. They also create a vestibule for your gear. I keep one with my summer tarp to block heavy rain and wind on one end. Drip lines on the suspension help keep out If you haven't checked out hammock forms . net come give it a look. Lots of great info.

[Grits]

I want to get out more this fall but I live in MO and for the next couple months can expect mostly wet, cold weather. Can anyone give me first hand experiences and tips about weathering a thunderstorm at night in a hammock?

1. camp site location out of the wind east side of a ridge if possible and not next to a creek (cold sink)
https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/showthread.php?6280-Nesting-Tricks-From-An-Old-Coot
2. proper trees with a north south aspect if possible and you can drop your tarp close to the ground and use panel pulls if you have them as gunner said.
3. Look up for widow makers
4. Look up for widow makers
5. enjoy the sound of rain on your tarp as you drift off to sleep

[overthinker]

Rain is one thing, wind is another. Nothing like hearing a big ole tree come smashing down during a windstorm.

I've seen pictures and videos of folks using their trekking poles over the ridgeline of their tarp, with either end attached to the panel pulls. Seems to give a lot more interior room, and I imagine it would help cut down on the stretch problem you get with sil.

Cuben is great in the wind, way better than having sil stretch and bump you every time a gust picks up.

Check the quality of the soil when selecting a site. If there's lots of leaves or other forest duff, consider moving on to a different site with more compact soil. At the very least, scrape away as much of the duff as possible to get to harder soil. Having stakes pull out in the middle of the night sucks.

Carry something waterproof to put your pack on, and wrap your rain jacket over the top, tuck in the sides. I carry a Jerry chair I made from coated oxford cloth, which doubles as my pack groundsheet.

Have some sort of water break on the suspension. Some people have rings, some have strings, other carabiners. I use Dutch hooks, which makes for easy setup and a great drip break.

Make sure your tarp covers your hammock entirely. Otherwise, even a small drip will wet out the hammock fabric, given enough time.

If it's really pouring, consider waiting to put the hammock, underquilt, and top quilt/sleeping bag out until just before you go to bed. No sense in risking wet gear if you don't have to.

If you set up your tarp in porch mode, make sure to put one pole lower than the other to let rain roll off. You risk building a massive puddle if you don't.

[Chris10]

I have zero experience with hammocks, so forgive this question, but if one of the trees you were tied to was struck by lighting, would you still get electrocuted, or would it pass on through?

[SteelCut]

I have zero experience with hammocks, so forgive this question, but if one of the trees you were tied to was struck by lighting, would you still get electrocuted, or would it pass on through?

It is possible to be struck. And it is also possible if you were in a tent near that tree you would get struck as well. You should read this:

http://rendezvous.nols.edu/files/Curriculum/research_projects/Risk%20Management%20Reports/NOLS%20Backcountry%20Lightning%20Safety%20Guidelin es.pdf

[SouthMark]

I have weathered a couple of big storms in my hammock with no problem. My first was in a Hennessy with a JRB 10x10 tarp pitched as a diamond. I came through it dry and just fine which is more than I can say about my fellow tenters who got soaked. Since then I have been through several more bad storms with high winds and one with hail. I have never been wet in my hammock.

[Monkeywrench]

1) Pitch your tarp low and tight.
2) Climb into your hammock.
3) Go to sleep.

[Mr. Jowee]

Video on water breaks and drip lines (water will run down exposed suspension and possibly into your hammock if you're not prepared for it).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0-uOekjcU0

[kayak karl]

hundreds of nights, many storms and never had water run down lines into tent. i must of been very lucky ;)

[tazzerboy]

I gave up "ground dwelling" a long time ago and have plenty of nights in storms. Learning how to set a properly sized tarp at a steeper angle is key. Once you've had a stream start flowing literally right under your hammock a massive storm while staying completely dry, you start to really appreciate hammock camping.
Sent from my RM-845_nam_vzw_100 using Tapatalk

[hilltackler]

Today's the day...getting my Warbonnet Superfly tarp with doors! Can't wait to spend shoulder season in my WBBB hammock.

[Feral Bill]

I spent my first two nights back country hammocking last week. There was no rain or lightning but the wind was ferocious. Tucked in the woods well below the ridges It sounded like an endless parade of freight trains all around, to the point I had trouble sleeping. I was, however, safe and warm, despite freezing temperatures. The take home lesson: site selection matters, whatever your sleep system.

[1azarus]

thanks, 2ply... I never heard of grizz beaks. been thinking of buying a cuben tarp with doors. now I have another option! ...l love this site.

[Mr. Jowee]

hundreds of nights, many storms and never had water run down lines into tent. i must of been very lucky ;)
A hammock will always fare better in a storm than a tent.

[Wise Old Owl]

I concur - there is risk in any site selection as well as lightening but the real risk is branches falling on your tent and hammock you have to look for widow makers prior to pitching.

Hamock forums and searching is the best forum its a sister location that is connected to WB.

[Dr. Professor]

I want to get out more this fall but I live in MO and for the next couple months can expect mostly wet, cold weather. Can anyone give me first hand experiences and tips about weathering a thunderstorm at night in a hammock?

There are pluses and minuses to both ground systems and tents (and I use both for different circumstances). In general, I feel that hammocks have two huge advantages over ground systems with the ability to stay dry being one of them. While an experienced hiker can usually keep gear dry when using a tent, doing so with a hammock is easy. The other huge hammock advantage is in the ability to find a campable site in dense forest with uneven ground.

[ChuckT]

Just back from 3 dayer. Mid hike moved from one side of trail to the other 'cause I _didn't_ like the look of one tree. No problem that night but I encountered multiple blow downs on the trail, bout 1 every 2 hours of travel.

[blisterbob]

1) Pitch your tarp low and tight.
2) Climb into your hammock.
3) Go to sleep.

Good advice, low and tight is the key.
I haven't had any problems staying dry.

[Demeter]

I've been through several storms, including snow storms. I have a cuben tarp with doors, and never had a problem in a storm.

Wind, OTOH, is a bigger problem. I learned my lesson a couple years ago on a Mt Rogers backpack. The wind was about 40 mph and ripped all my stakes out. I fixed the problem by using logs or large rocks in windy situations. Never had an issue since.

[Cadenza]

Too many times I have woke up in a tent with my head in a puddle of water and with everything inside soaked.
I switched to a hammock about 20 years ago and have never been wet again. The mere fact that you are off the ground is a big deal.

With that said,....extreme winds (60+ mph) scare me.
Knock on wood, but so far my cuben fiber tarp with shock corded tie-outs has not let me down.

[LesterC]

Best sleep I ever had was during thunder storm at Sassafrass Gap just south of Fontana Dam. Went to sleep that night without my tarp. Between 1 and 2 a.m. listened to approaching storm, which sounded majestic. Put my tarp up about 2, just before the storm. The storm was pretty violent (no longer merely majestic) but passed through in 30 minutes, I think, but don't know because I went to sleep in the middle of the storm. The strong wind and the cooler temps were welcome during June heat.
If storms are likely, camp in a low area, avoid crest line. You want to be removed from the highest objects in the immediate area, so try to find lower trees. That Gap described above fit the description, surrounded by higher ridges, and with taller canopy trees nearby my smaller trees. Lightening usually follows the shortest distance to the earth, which includes things connected to the earth.

[nuknees]

I happened to be on the trail when hurricane Irene and then Lewis (I think it was) came up east coast. Could not make a shelter - matter of fact I was kind of stuck on the only high patch of land between two swamps...but stayed high and dry in some of the heaviest rainfall I've ever seen. It was so intense the noise was deafening...like being in a 55 gallon drum and having ball bearings dropped on it all night long...have never seen/experienced anything close since!

[fastfoxengineering]

With the appropriate tarp you'll never get wet. Pitch it low for storm mode.

Swinging in my hammock when it's pouring out is surreal. I like when it's not a blowing rain too and I can setup my tarp in porch mode.. sit up in my hammock and look out. I Don't feel like I need to hunker down like when tenting. Usually during a rain storm im swinging in porch mode and my buddies are all hunkered down and zipped up in their tents.

If I was going to endure some serious storms on a regular basis, then a tarp with doors would be ideal.

[gunner76]

So far I have yet to get wet while sleeping in my hammock during a storm. While I have tarps with doors, I have not had to close them, have left them open during the rain.

[Busky2]

It may sound crazy but I sewed in zippers at the end of my tarp. All I have to do is pull out one stake and zip the end and that is it. It is a lite fast and easy guaranteed low and tight set. No doors or extra stakes or lines to deal with, no beaks to put on or carry all the time just some plastic coil zippers waiting for the wind and rain.

[pickNgrin]

I have never hammocked camped, but am thinking about it. Let's say I had a ENO Doublenest. What would be a good size tarp that would provide excellent rain protection, yet not be overkill? The reason I ask is because there are a somewhat dizzying array of tarp configuration and sizes available (from ENO and other companies). Many of them look like you'd get wet if the rain was driving in.

While I understand that it is a good idea to pitch it so the the side is facing the direction the rain is coming from, Mother Nature is not always so neat and tidy. I would hate to find out at 3am that she changed her mind and now the rain is driving in on my head! :)

[swede]

Some great advice in above posts. I use small bungees between my tie out and stakes lines to prevent the pins from pulling out. Works even in sand. Never been wet in my Hennessy, my main concern is my pack which I stow below my hammock in a big garbage bag. Learned the hard way from a northeaster while camping on barrier islands on NC coast. The high tide flooded the campsite and my pack but my buddies fared worse with their tents.

[Farr Away]

... I use small bungees between my tie out and stakes lines to prevent the pins from pulling out. Works even in sand. ...

Can you explain this a little more? I'm having trouble picturing it, but it sounds like an alternative to putting a rock on my tie out to keep the stake in sandy ground.

-FA

[fastfoxengineering]

Can you explain this a little more? I'm having trouble picturing it, but it sounds like an alternative to putting a rock on my tie out to keep the stake in sandy ground.

-FA

Alot of people use a length shock cord attached to their tarp tie outs, then the guyline from the stake is then secured to the shock cord. This guy line is typical nylon cordage. The shock cord acts as an automatic guy line tensioner. Works well with silnylon tarps, not so much with cuben.

[perdidochas]

I want to get out more this fall but I live in MO and for the next couple months can expect mostly wet, cold weather. Can anyone give me first hand experiences and tips about weathering a thunderstorm at night in a hammock?

I've done it twice now. I used a 12'x12' Guidegear tarp, and when expecting storms, I set it up in winter mode--search the forum for Kelty Noah's 12' tarp in winter mode. That gives me closed ends on each end. I don't much like tenting in storms, and don't like hammocking much in storms. I prefer the hammocking, because at least the chance of being flooded is lessened. I love hammocking in rain, though.

[kayak karl]

A hammock will always fare better in a storm than a tent. i would like to say that is true, but location has more to do with it. i've seen hammock traps ripped apart and tenter doing just fine, because they knew where to set up.

[dhagan]

It may sound crazy but I sewed in zippers at the end of my tarp. All I have to do is pull out one stake and zip the end and that is it. It is a lite fast and easy guaranteed low and tight set. No doors or extra stakes or lines to deal with, no beaks to put on or carry all the time just some plastic coil zippers waiting for the wind and rain.
Do you have any pics of this? sounds interesting.

[Tarheel Hanger]

When I first started hammocking, I was using an Eno doublenest with a cheap 10*10 tarp in the diamond shape. On the 2nd trip I went on I woke in 40+ winds and rain coming in sideways. As others have said, I lowered my tarp and rode out the storm high & dry. The end of my hammock was a little wet (bad location) but was fine. My friends in a tent were floating in 2" of water. I have since bought a Clark NX-250 with the vertex tarp ( I know ,its a little heavy ) but I feel like I can withstand any thing mother nature throws at me. My tarp has velcro strips down the sides so I can make doors with it. I haven't encountered heavy winds with closed yet but it seems to help. If you are looking for hammock tips, Hammockforums.net is the best.

[Short Bus]

I want to get out more this fall but I live in MO and for the next couple months can expect mostly wet, cold weather. Can anyone give me first hand experiences and tips about weathering a thunderstorm at night in a hammock?

Wife and I are fairly new (past 6 years) to backpacking so we were lucky enough to come along when the hammock field started really picking up so we started with hammocks, not tents. I spent many years in the Marine Corps sleeping on the ground and do not have a fond memory of it. Last year we spent a particularly stormy/windy night north of the NOC WB Superfly held up very well The sides came in a bit but with the winds as bad as they were there is no way that was not going to happen (40+ mph with gusts higher). The folks in the shelter did not fare as well. hammocks are the only way IMHO

[Theosus]

I have never hammocked camped, but am thinking about it. Let's say I had a ENO Doublenest. What would be a good size tarp that would provide excellent rain protection, yet not be overkill? The reason I ask is because there are a somewhat dizzying array of tarp configuration and sizes available (from ENO and other companies). Many of them look like you'd get wet if the rain was driving in.

While I understand that it is a good idea to pitch it so the the side is facing the direction the rain is coming from, Mother Nature is not always so neat and tidy. I would hate to find out at 3am that she changed her mind and now the rain is driving in on my head! :)

I use an ENO singlenest in the winter (no bugs, why carry a hammock with a bug net?) and a hennessy expedition in the spring and fall. I use the HH hex tarp most of the time. Last june I was in Caesar's Head state park when a thunderstorm began approaching. I put the hex tarp low on my hammock and pitched the sides in close. The storm finally hit and was nasty. Poured rain, lightning, thunder, and the wind sounded bad. We were in sort of a hollow against a hillside under some pretty dense trees which slowed the wind down at ground level, but it sounded awful. I didn't get wet at all. I love the big tarp, although I'm looking at a silnylon version, because the HH poly version is a bit heavy and packs pretty large.

I don't worry much about lightning strikes. I'm off the ground, which saves me from ground discharges (where the lightning hits a nearby tree and runs along the roots or even over the ground and hits someone). I'm suspended by rope, which for the most part is a poor conductor. The tarp over me is likely wet, which means the lightning should go around me and into the ground. What I DO worry about is lightning destroying the tree I'm hanging from. I've seen lightning hit a tree thirty feet away from me (while I was stopped at an intersection in a car). The tree bark exploded off. Any suspension is probably going to be melted/cut off the tree. I've seen 18" diameter trees (two in my back yard) literally blown in half lengthwise and fall over. Again, a bad day if you're in a hammock OR a tent, provided you're underneath them.
But - there's not much you can do about it. It's all the luck of the draw, and if it's going to happen to you, there's not much you can do about it. So stay huddled in the hammock and try to sleep, or pray to jesus, allah, or the flying spaghetti monster that you will be okay tomorrow, and wait it out. I like to spread out when I camp, too. Not only because I don't like noisy people right next to me snoring or whatever, but if a tree falls or lightning gets someone, it's best if a single strike doesn't take out a bunch of you.

[ChuckT]

Getting up-close and personal with lightning (and I have 2 hammocks) is _not_ high on my agenda!

[ChrisJackson]

I'm in a rain storm right now a mile north of Dicks Creek Gap! Nice and dry under my JRB 11 x 10! Going to read a little and go to sleep. ��

[Deadeye]

1) Pitch your tarp low and tight.
2) Climb into your hammock.
3) Go to sleep.

That. Drip lines are a good idea, but I usually forget them, with no bad results.

[Shutterbug]

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.

[cneill13]

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.

[ChuckT]

I have the Helinox chair. Can't keep the legs from sinking into the dirt. Did you find a solution?

[SteelCut]

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.

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.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0-uOekjcU0

[cneill13]

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.

[Wülfgang]

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.

[ChuckT]

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.

[Farr Away]

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.
Maybe something like 4 small squares of titanium or aluminum?
Or for a cheaper option, pieces of a pool noodle or old ccf pad?

[ChuckT]

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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[floid]

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 ...

Sent from my A70X using Tapatalk
I've seen someone use straps front to back almost like sleds

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.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0-uOekjcU0


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[ChuckT]

Yes I saw that strap setup also. I have not tried it but didn't cause I didn't like what I saw.

[cneill13]

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.

[maddog5150]

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.

[Swampdoom]

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.

[ggreaves]

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.

[speyguy]

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.

[plexusbritt]

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.