Hammockers, Where Do You Put Your Pack?

[Deacon]

Dear hammock campers,
Looking for advice from experienced hammock campers. I am looking to purchase a hammock but I'm trying to think through the scenarios of hammock camping.

OK, it raining, and I've decided to stop for the day and up my hammock with the oversize tarp. 50 yards away I throw a line over a branch and hang the food bag.

Now before retiring for the night, what is the safest way to store the pack? I'm not sure I want to leave it on the ground under the hammock as I'm sure it will soak up water, and I'd be keeping one eye open all night thinking an animal will steal it. How about lifting it into the hammock, has anyone done that or is there some other tip
?

[Tinker]

I usually camp near a shelter and put the pack there, where other hikers can keep an eye on it (it isn't the kind of pack anyone would want to steal). If I'm not near a shelter I use the hip belt to tie it upside down (so rain won't get into it)to a tree nearby.

[Egads]

I snap it to the hammock ridgeline with a carabiner if raining, to one of the slap straps around a tree or on another line strung between two nearby trees if not raining

[sasquatch2014]

Most of the time I leave it under the hammock. I often pick a spot where it will not become a lake under my hammock. I leave pockets open so things can crawl in and out w/o chewing their way in. If I am really worried about it I can attach it to one of the ends of my hammock and have it hang under the trap. If I spilled anything that may attract a bear I wait until dark and then store it under Tinkers hammock.

[white_russian]

I snap the waist belt and sternum strap around the hammock's line.

[restless]

have to agree with Sasquatch. i usually just leave my pack under my hammock with the rain cover on top of it. Never had any problem.

[tiptoe]

me, too. under the hammock with a rain cover on it.

[Tinker]

Most of the time I leave it under the hammock. I often pick a spot where it will not become a lake under my hammock. I leave pockets open so things can crawl in and out w/o chewing their way in. If I am really worried about it I can attach it to one of the ends of my hammock and have it hang under the trap. If I spilled anything that may attract a bear I wait until dark and then store it under Tinkers hammock.

I don't like to leave anything on the ground that will eventually be against my body (ticks). Lyme disease doesn't get easier after you've had it three times.
Sometimes I think I must be paranoid about the little boogers, but that's why you won't see me lying on the ground during rest stops. I might pull out a pad and sit on a rock or log, though.

[Bearpaw]

I put on the pack cover and attach it to my suspension where it attaches to the tree.

[Phreak]

I snap it to the hammock ridgeline with a carabiner if raining, to one of the slap straps around a tree or on another line strung between two nearby trees if not raining

Same here.

[Just Jeff]

I have a mini-biner on my pack's lift strap, and just clip it to my hammock supports most of the time. Sometimes I leave it on the ground below the hammock.

If it's a really wet area, I'll have a contractor bag as a pack liner. Then I just put my stuff in it and leave it under the hammock...a little more protection.

[Seeker]

most animals are pretty honest. never had one steal from me, unless he was hungry.

if it's raining, find a few dead branches about 2-3" thick, lay them under the hammock, and set your pack on top. keeps it out of any water.

if it's not raining, and not going to rain, i hang it off the tree hugger or strap it to the tree at the foot end.

[redmarbleshoe]

I agree with you all. I hang my pack off the tri-rings on my Warbonnet Blackbird tree straps if I want it under my tarp. Otherwise I hang it directly to the tree straps near my dutch clip.

I use an "S" biner. They work great.

[thekalimist]

all of the above, every situation is different.

[wisenber]

During colder times, I might put my pack under my legs in the hammock. The pack is off the ground and I get more insulation. Depends on how much stuff you leave in your pack.

[East Coast Alex]

I put on the pack cover and attach it to my suspension where it attaches to the tree.

Is that your hammock?

Could I be so pesky as to ask which make and model that is (or if anyone else knows)?





[irrelevant ramble to follow:]

I've finally given up on the tent thing after my last trip, as I have resigned myself to the idea that tents cannot in any way be conducive to "fast and light" fastpacking. My Big Agnes Seedhouse SL1 tent (though one of the lighter and more compact tents out there), is just too bulky for my idea of what 'fast and light' means. 17 inches is way too much pack space to be eating up... totally doesn't mesh with fast and light travel (specifically, trail running where I am camping overnight between my day runs).

I think I'm officially announcing my conversion to tent hammocks which is going to undoubtably lead to a series of me pestering people with various questions about hammocks.

I thought about going the bivvy route, as that's probably the lightest method overall.... but I think I'd rather be off the ground away from the bugs. Not a big fan of insects.

[modiyooch]

my bp is not an issue whether tenting or hammocking. it's free standing and clears the ground. I just throw a garbage bag over it and stand it under a tree.

[Just Jeff]

That hammock is a Warbonnet Blackbird from www.warbonnetoutdoors.com.

[Bearpaw]

Is that your hammock?

Could I be so pesky as to ask which make and model that is (or if anyone else knows)?

That hammock is a Warbonnet Blackbird from www.warbonnetoutdoors.com.

Very true. I am a bigger guy, so I went with the double layer 1.7 ounce Blackbird. But for smaller folks (under 200 lbs) you can get a considerably lighter hammock by going with the 1.1 oz series. There is even now a 1.0 ounce double layer Warbonnet Blackbird in a gorgeous coyote brown nylon. Check them out. They are the pinnacle of a mesh-enclosed hammock at the moment.

They are MUCH easier to hang than the standard Hennessy suspension, and the footbox allows for a much flatter lay than any other hammock I have used (which includes Hennessy, ENO and Clark - though the Bear Mountain Bridge Hammock may be flatter). The gear loft on the Blackbird is also roomier than any other hammock I have tried. It really is superior to any other hammock out there IMO.

Check them out. You won't regret starting with the best.

[kayak karl]

don't put your pack under your hammock on the ground. i woke up to noise in NH there was a skunk sitting on pack pulling on zipper. we were 12 " nose to nose. when the skunk left i ran my pack into hostel. fat chap said it was a trained skunk. right.

hung my pack in hawk mt shelter and the mice ate my clothes. i hiked 60 days with a duct tape x on the crotch of my rain pants.

hang from foot of hammock, or head. either or