View Full Version : How do you store your hammock?
Farr Away
09-23-2006, 13:55
I've searched this forum, and I can't find anything about this, so here goes:
Our last hike convinced me that my hammock camping is on hold until next spring. :( My hammock (HH ULB) and rainfly are clean/dry. What's the best way to store them for the winter?
I don't really have anywhere that I could hang them up and throw a dust cover over them (not yet anyway). I also want to keep them away from two cats and a three year old. Right now, I have the fly loosely stuffed in the stuff sack, and the hammock is in the silnylon snakeskins I made for it. I'm concerned that setup might not be good for either of them.
Thoughts?
Thanks!
headchange4u
09-23-2006, 15:25
I keep mine stored in it's stuff sack. I don't really think you have to worry about storing something like a tent or hammock in a compressed state. You don't want to store sleeping bags compressed because it crushes the fill material and it will loose it's loft.
Just make sure it's clean and dry before putting it in storage and you should be fine.
FanaticFringer
09-23-2006, 15:58
[quote=Farr Away;248298]I've searched this forum, and I can't find anything about this, so here goes:
Our last hike convinced me that my hammock camping is on hold until next spring. :( My hammock (HH ULB) and rainfly are clean/dry. What's the best way to store them for the winter?
I don't really have anywhere that I could hang them up and throw a dust cover over them (not yet anyway). I also want to keep them away from two cats and a three year old. Right now, I have the fly loosely stuffed in the stuff sack, and the hammock is in the silnylon snakeskins I made for it. I'm concerned that setup might not be good for either of them.
Thoughts?
Why not camp in your hammock this Fall? Just curious.
peter_pan
09-23-2006, 16:08
This is the best of the hammock camping season...cool days to hike cool , no bug nites....No extra heavy winter gear needed.
Store a clean dry hammock any way you want.
pan
Farr Away
09-23-2006, 18:04
Why not camp in your hammock this Fall? Just curious.
I froze - in spite of a ccf pad and a fairly warm sleeping bag. Eventually, I want to add an underquilt, but the funds aren't there yet, so the rest of this hiking season, I'll have to go to ground.
MedicineMan
09-23-2006, 22:04
but in the mean time get an old used synthetic bag, cut it in half, cut out the 'football' shape, sew along the perimeter (synthetic insulation is usually in large bats and wont fly away like down), while sewing sew on the tie points and if you dare a channel on the front and back for the support lines....used or cheap synthetic can be had for little money....OR go to wallyworld and get some ripstop nylon, then oder some primaloft from one of the outdoor material suppliers and make the football....do not devolve back into a ground dweller!
air it out and sack it up [ "no loft" == "no worries" ]. if you have doubts about moisture exposure you could always wipe it down with a combo of hot water, baking soda and lemon juice (google for the exact mildew-killing recipe) then leave it hanging for awhile to dry well, but i doubt this is an issue.
SGT Rock
09-24-2006, 02:12
I will typically hang my tarp out separate from my hammock. I hang the hammock up by the ropes and expose it completely to make sure it is aired out and dry. I usually hang it like this about a week and then store it back in the snakeskins and put that back in my pack - again, separate from the tarp. I ball my tarp up and stick it inside my outside mesh pocket of my pack. I usually have my pack about 75% ready for a trip anyway.
Ramble~On
09-24-2006, 03:57
I put hardware into the walls in my guest room...this allows me to hang the hammock and it is directly under a ceiling fan....quick drying or airing out of gear....I found that the ends where the rope or webbing is bunched takes a considerable amount of time to dry completely and if you pack a damp hammock away into a dark place for a long time...... well....it'll be pretty yukky next time you want to use it.
I mention this because you mentioned being cold and going to the ground for the winter....
If you have a place in your house/apartment whatever that you can hang the hammock you can experiment with different options until you find something that works for you..
I store my hammock in a mesh laundry bag - if wet I lay in on a chair for a couple days first. The tarp is hung on a bookcase to dry and turned a couple times over a couple days then its stuffed into a stuff sack along with the tree hugger straps that also have been hanging on the book case.
Just Jeff
09-25-2006, 21:07
Store a hammock? What does that mean? As in, when you're not using it? Why would someone do such a crazy thing?
I just make sure it's dry and put it back in the stuff sack. Tarp is usually wadded up in my backpack's mesh pocket.
Farr Away
09-26-2006, 19:48
Store a hammock? What does that mean? As in, when you're not using it? Why would someone do such a crazy thing?
I know, I know, heresy!!
I do plan to make my underquilt, but I want the time and funds to do it right. So far this season, I've made a sleeping bag, snakeskins, a camera bag to attach to my waistbelt, a Jeff's all-in-one (Thank You!), and an alcohol stove (Thanks to Sgt Rock!). The guys I hike with started calling me 'MacGyver' until I pointed out that name was taken. ;)
Believe me; I am definitely a hammock convert, so please think of my going back to ground as a temporary aberration, okay? :D
Thank you to all who replied to this thread!!! I was just concerned about stressing the fabric, or something. I'll stop worrying.