View Full Version : gear security while hammocking
squirrel bait
01-03-2004, 04:22
What do hammock hangers do about gear security and/or valuables? Ground pounders can always bring their gear inside the tent or tarp. Do you place your backpack under the hammock, tie it to one of the trees your anchored to? In rain what is the best to keep your backpack dry while hammocking? Thanks ya all.
You have about as much security in a hammock as anywhere else. Typically, if using a one person tent, there isn't room to bring your pack inside either. And in a shelter there is no security per say either.
How do you keep your pack dry? Put the rain cover over it. Same as those using a one person tent.
When among hikers, no one is going to mess with your pack. I worry more when in towns.
Many hammockers will leaave their pack on the ground under the hammock. where it is protected by the tarp. A rain cover is always a good idea anyway.
squirrel bait
01-03-2004, 16:34
I'm not so worried about theft, though I do take the standard precautions, as rain while sleeping. With a rain cover doesn't the splash up from the ground cause significant leakage? IS this another use for a trash compactor bag? Maps, phone cards things of this nature I see ya can stash in the provided hanging pockets. Boots hang from the tie line under the rainfly/tarp? Thanks.
bearbag hanger
01-04-2004, 00:00
I'm not so worried about theft, though I do take the standard precautions, as rain while sleeping. With a rain cover doesn't the splash up from the ground cause significant leakage? IS this another use for a trash compactor bag? Maps, phone cards things of this nature I see ya can stash in the provided hanging pockets. Boots hang from the tie line under the rainfly/tarp? Thanks.
I hang my pack on one of the trees my hammock is attached to. I use to leave it under the pack, but the animals seemed to like to rumage around it. While I've never had a real problem, found it better to hang things off the ground. Most animals will check things out on the ground, but usually leave it along if it might take a little effort like climbing a couple feet up a tree. Boots tend to wind up underneath me, but would like to find a better place. I've tried hanging them from the ridge line, outside the hammock, but still under the canopy, but they effect the set of the hammock too much.
One incident that comes to mind was in the Smokies. I was sleeping in my hammock and was awaken by munching type sounds underneath me. It was a deer eating the grass underneath me! Wasn't quite sure what to do, what with the holes he'd put in my butt if I startled him and he raised his antlered head too fast. I then watched as he used his nose to move things around and generally checked out all my gear for, I assume, food. Or maybe he was just moving stuff so he could get at the grass underneath. After about five or ten minutes he left, I got out and gathered all my stuff back together and saw he hadn't damaged anything. I then hung the pack on the tree and put the rain cover on and a garbage bag around it.
screwysquirrel
01-04-2004, 00:05
Bearbag Hangers right, I've always hung our packs on the trees with a rain cover and in the last 5 or 6 years and nothing has ever bothered with it, compared with leaving on the ground.
If someone tried to steal some of my gear, they would either trip over one of the 4 guylines on my tarp or the 2 hammock guylines, or have to face me and my leatherman micra always in the pocket in my hammock...
Brian
Future Thru Hiker 2013
MedicineMan
01-04-2004, 00:57
like others I hang the backpack (20oz empty and I use all the contents in setting up camp) at the end of the hammock body under the tarp, boots often hang from the same spot in the backpack but sometimes on a small tyvek sheet under the hammock...I use the Golite Cave2 above the hammock and have some serious real estate below the HH that is dry, enough for 4 people to sit and cook though my tyvek sheet is only 2x3'......
What is a bigger challenge in now what to do with the water bladder to keep it from freezing, when tenting I put the bladder under the sleep pad in the tent with me and the sleeping bag on top...so now I am trying to come up with a way to put the bladder between the underquilt/taco/Ponderosa etc and the hammock body...problem is that if it is a 100oz Camelbak bladder it has significant weight when full and will pull down on the insulation so I'm thinking of ways to pull it snugly against the bottom of the hammock...the positive is that the tube can come up and around to where I can get a sip when needed.
when you talk of security the real issue should be stealth camping which the hammock affords in a remarkable way...stop cook and eat at the shelter which is the known site of theft (man or beast) and then move on down the trail a mile or whatever-then get off the trail to where you cant be seen...there are a thousand places on the trail where you could never do this in a tent, but a million places off the trail where you can in a hammock....
Also, consider the color choice of your hammock....do you want it like a baloon all festive and attracting of naredowells? of do you want one like Sgt Rocks-camo, or like the standard HH A-sym backpacker which is oliver and tan?
If you have a real issue with theft there are very small personal alarms that weigh less than 4oz, are AA battery powered, have a pull cord that can be linked to 20lb fishing line and a perimeter formed around your camping site, strung at waist level any intruder would set off the piercing alarm-maybe good for bears too though I dont know.
Well that's 2 pennies out of my pocket.
Medicine Man
azchipka
02-17-2004, 06:37
Well in regards to security I have never had any problems with things being stolen out of my pack. I know if i was looking at stealing stuff from someones pack I would most likley avoid the one that said National Park Service on it and move on to another one, just like if i was a car theif i would avoid stealing a police car. In addition getting to a pack around a hammock is not all that easy to do, we have alot more rope running to different spots then tents do. Plus i am a ultra light sleeper when I am in the wilderness, I will often awake to twigs breaking.
As far as were i put my pack when i am sleeping I normaly hang it from a tree so the bag is covered by my tarp, on nights I expect rain I also put the pack cover on for extra protection. In addition alot of times if i am expecting rain I will set up in a shelter instead of the hammock since i use a jungle style hammock with bug netting for side walls. The tarp does help keep the rain out but not if its really windy.
As far as rain is concerned I sewed myself a large silnylon stuff sack that I use as a liner for the inside of my bag to keep things dry. I made it large enough so that I could stuff my pack inside this stuff sack and leave it outside and not have to worrya bout it getting wet. Seems to work well so far. I have not had anything try to eat through my silnylon pack liner/bag yet.
peter_pan
02-28-2004, 23:04
What extra gear? Clothes in stuff sack are my pillow. First aid bag. rain jacket. ball cap. and tp bag go in to the quilt suff sack which goes under my knees, kitchen hangs in the bear bag with food in some out of the way tree. Trail runners tie together and go over the ridge line and under the tarp, Platipus goes on th tree at the opening end of my HH so that I can have a sip when I get up to Pee, the empty pack goes over the ridge line and under the tarp on the head end of HH. Some times, if really cold. the pack goes under the legs or cover the foot sack of my top quilt. Waldies are left on the ground at the entrance to slip into for those pee trips. Headlamp, glasses map and journal go inside in the gear loft. Sleeping pad is at home because my under-quilt is attached to the bottom of the HH. Sleep comfortable assured that all gear is secure and dry. :)
PS. Hammocks are the ultimate in comfort.