Anyone else get excited about hanging in the rain?

**JayS** · 08-28-2009, 22:07

Like others on the forum, I not only love hanging in the rain but sleeping with the windows open during rain. My family has a cabin in Georgia with a tin roof. Remember the old song "It's a Rainy Night in Georgia"? Some of the best sleep in the world!

**KLRBear** · 08-29-2009, 05:26

I agree with all of you. I love sleeping in the rain. There is just something about the sound of the raindrops on a roof or a tarp that puts me out like a light. Some of the best sleep I've ever had was in the rain.

**Barry** · 08-29-2009, 06:47

Originally Posted by Ewker

you can have the rain to hike in. My last trip it rain for 7 hrs while we were hiking. The trails were ankle deep with water and flowing like streams.

Oh thats right ya'll just like to camp in the rain instead of hiking

I'm with Ewker. It's fine to hang in the rain and listen to it bouncing off the tarp, but if you have to get out frmo the protection of the tarp for any length of time, I prefer a sunny day with a nice breeze (or clear night with a full moon).

**BillyBob58** · 08-29-2009, 08:38

Originally Posted by Rug

hehe me too! I have 3 pet-peeves when it comes to camping.

Bad sleep.
Bad bugs.
Bad weather.

Since I started hammock camping the first two are eliminated, but I have yet to 'test' the third. I started going out WHEN they were calling for rain and my friends have started to call me a good-luck/no-rain charm. I did get one evening where there was rain and I was blissfully dry throughout,(with the stock Hennesy small tarp).

Now I am expecting a large hex-fly so I can go camping and not need it while I cook! =)

Bottom line, no-rain charm working or not, keeps you dry either way!

**BillyBob58** · 08-29-2009, 09:17

Originally Posted by Barry

I'm with Ewker. It's fine to hang in the rain and listen to it bouncing off the tarp, but if you have to get out frmo the protection of the tarp for any length of time, I prefer a sunny day with a nice breeze (or clear night with a full moon).

For me, it can be mixed feelings. A lot of fun to sleep in rain dry under a tarp and off the ground, even (especially?) heavy rain. But if a severe wind/lightning storm passes over, (EDIT)threatening electrocution and/or to bring down some limbs and maybe even trees, I might not sleep good until it passes, worrying about the same things I would if in a tent. But then usually, as soon as the severe storm passes it's back to sleeping soundly in the rain.

When it comes to hiking in the rain ( or especially the snow), that can be a lot of fun. It gives a completely different wilderness experience. But if it goes on day and night for multiple days, it will ruin a lot of scenery. If I have made a long trip to hike in the Rockies, I won't like not even being able to see the spectacular peaks.

**Mustardman** · 08-29-2009, 22:46

So I got my wish and I'm laying here in my blackbird, with my fiancé a few feet away in hers, and the OES 12x10 winter tarp protecting both of us from the rain. I have a feeling I'll sleep well tonight.

**Hooch** · 08-29-2009, 23:21

I absolutely love hanging in the rain. There's something to be said for the tranqulity provided by the sound of rain falling on a tautly pitched tarp.

I'm sure that I'm not the only one here, but I also love to hang near running water. I know Dancer and I will go out of our way to hang our hammocks near a river, creek, stream, etc. One of the most relaxing hangs I ever did was this past spring on the AT at Groundhog Creek shelter. My ground dwelling, non-convert friend Roots and I both set up right beside the water source. Very nice.

**Mustardman** · 08-30-2009, 19:49

So now that I'm at home and able to type properly (iphone keyboard isn't very good for long posts!), I'll say this...

I LOVE my custom OES 12x10 tarp!!!!

The basic design of the tarp goes like this: Take a Speer Winter Tarp, but make it 12x10, instead of 10 x 11, and add six extra tieouts - in the center of each of the largest cat cuts, as seen in this picture. The BLUE tieouts are the ones that I had added, which are not on the Speer tarp, and add tons of flexibility in pitching options

So, that gives you four extra tieouts in the centers of the left and right sides, and two extras along the long side.

What do all those extra tieouts do for me? Why, I thought you'd never ask.

They let me do things like this:

So what you see there is two hammocks, hung from four trees, but it would work even better with a three-tree hang. On the narrow end, where the trees are close together, or if there was only one tree at that end, I tied the main center ridgeline tieout to the tree. That's the end farthest from you in the picture.

On the other end, where the two trees are spaced farther apart, I tied the two tieouts in the centers of the cat cuts to the trees, so the roof of the tarp formed a triangle between those three tieout points. This makes it absolutely cavernous inside, and I was able to stand fully upright in between the two hammocks with plenty of space to spare.

Add some hiking poles and ground stakes to make walls on each side of the tarp, and we've got a good bit of rain protection with a huge space in the middle.

In fact, there was so much space in the middle, that we hung the Blackbirds with their openings facing in towards the center, rather than out. That means, during the storm, I was able to set my Clikstand and Trangia burner up on the ground between us, and we could cook breakfast together, while chatting and sitting comfortably in our hammocks. It was absolutely awesome!!!!!

Here's another view of the tarp, with the two-tieout end to the right and the single tieout end to the left, to make it a little more obvious how it's pitched:

**m_huber** · 08-31-2009, 01:50

I have never had the pleasure of hammock camping in the rain. I just started using my hammock a few months ago, so now I am just waiting to see how well my setup works. I'm hoping for a storm sometime this week so I can find out how well the tarp covers me..