Elephant on the night table - gear stowage while sleeping

**WaffleBox** · 01-06-2015, 11:02

I just ordered an Ultimate Backpacking Chair from 2Ts Outdoors. It serves as a hammock chair, pack cover, and gear hammock all in one. I'm super stoked. I'll be hanging it using speed hooks which I'll attach to the same tree straps that my hammock speed hooks are attached to.

**sargevining** · 01-06-2015, 11:22

I use a couple of gear hammocks on my ridgeline:

https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...chmentid=98472

The bigger one on the right is where the boots go, the mesh bag in the middle is for wallet and keys, the small one on the left is my "night table" (sans elephant) that holds my headlamp, Kindle, and other items I may need during the night.

If I'm fairly certain its going to rain, I use a smaller hammock slung beneath the sleeping hammock to hold my pack and other items, otherwise I just lay the empty pack on my ground cloth under the tarp and the food bags in waterproof stuff sacks hung from a tree.

I hang my boonie hat from the ridgeline at the end of the hammock to hold small items, and will put a plastic bag in it to hold water if I need to wash up.

**slugbait** · 01-06-2015, 11:38

I used to leave my Salomon trail runners on the ground, until one morning I woke up to find a small critter had chewed up the pocket the laces tuck into. Now I hang them.

**signguy** · 01-06-2015, 13:47

Boots go in the shelf under the hammock- I bring a pair of crocs to wear after reaching the destination. I always put the boots there so that I know they are safe and dry in the morning.
I figure my shoes are the most important item I have on a trip.

I usually place my pack on a small piece of tarp material I always bring for my door mat to get into and out of the hammock. If it is wet- I probably (hopefully) have my camp chair and use that to keep the pack off the ground. I have also hung the pack from a tree branch on occasion but I find it harder to access all of the pockets and zippers when the pack is hanging.

**geneaut** · 01-06-2015, 14:12

I've been doing the same thing for years ( even tent camping ). Everything except what I need to sleep stays in the backpack. At night ( or in bad weather ) the pack gets covered with a heavy duty plastic trash bag and leaned against a tree. A lightweight bungee cord is usually wrapped around the bottom of the covered pack to act as a bottom seal. This can be transported under the tarp if I need to access it. I've never had an issue with wet stuff doing this.

If I'm car camping I keep a folding camp chair under my tarp and a lot of misc stuff ends up on/under it. I typically like to keep my shoes off the ground so they may end up on the chair, or suspended from my tarp ridgeline. I rarely sit on it but it makes a convenient bedside table.

I've toyed with the idea of making a pair of wedge shaped waterproof stuff sacks to suspend at the very head and foot end of my hammock for storage ( inside the hammock ... not suspended ). I thought one could be for the next day's clothes or a spare fleece blanket, and the other could be for footwear.

**sargevining** · 01-06-2015, 14:32

Originally Posted by geneaut

I've been doing the same thing for years ( even tent camping ). Everything except what I need to sleep stays in the backpack. At night ( or in bad weather ) the pack gets covered with a heavy duty plastic trash bag and leaned against a tree. A lightweight bungee cord is usually wrapped around the bottom of the covered pack to act as a bottom seal. This can be transported under the tarp if I need to access it. I've never had an issue with wet stuff doing this.

If I'm car camping I keep a folding camp chair under my tarp and a lot of misc stuff ends up on/under it. I typically like to keep my shoes off the ground so they may end up on the chair, or suspended from my tarp ridgeline. I rarely sit on it but it makes a convenient bedside table.

I've toyed with the idea of making a pair of wedge shaped waterproof stuff sacks to suspend at the very head and foot end of my hammock for storage ( inside the hammock ... not suspended ). I thought one could be for the next day's clothes or a spare fleece blanket, and the other could be for footwear.

I used to do that until a mouse chewed a hole in my $300 pack to get at the GORP. Now the pack is empty and the food hangs somewhere.

**SilvrSurfr** · 01-06-2015, 14:33

I hang everything from my hammock ridgeline: pack, shoes, etc.

**bringerofgame** · 01-07-2015, 04:13

Originally Posted by slugbait

I used to leave my Salomon trail runners on the ground, until one morning I woke up to find a small critter had chewed up the pocket the laces tuck into. Now I hang them.

That's another thing I like about the Salomon quick lace, just slip the toggle of one between the toggle and lock of the other and they are secure. They then hang on the hammock as far above my head as I can comfortably reach. I also use these as my camp shoe, just leave them loose for easy slip on and off.

**Mystery Oneal** · 01-07-2015, 04:22

I hang a 'gear hammock' directly under my main hammock...it holds my pack and everything in it that isn't my shelter or food. This 2nd hammock also doubles as a wind block/UQ of sorts if I pull it right up to the bottom of the main one. If I spend a week or 3 in the same place I sometimes build a temporary tree house and everything ends up hanging in a useful place rather than packed away...in this case I hang the second hammock in a good meditation/reading/siesta spot and have options for where I go horizontal. You can never go wrong with a 2nd hammock.

**Mystery Oneal** · 01-07-2015, 04:26

Originally Posted by sargevining

I used to do that until a mouse chewed a hole in my $300 pack to get at the GORP. Now the pack is empty and the food hangs somewhere.

yeah...my old hammock looked like swiss cheese after an ex-GF left food in the gear hammock...probably part of the reason she is referred to as 'an ex-GF'...