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  1. #1
    New Member
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    post camping routine

    hey guys,

    I am relatively new to hammock camping and backpacking. I have done a lot of research and watched a lot of videos on how to setup camp and all of that. The one thing that I haven't seen any where is what to do once you get back home.

    Do you air out all of your gear ie. quilts and tarp and hammock?

    How long can a tarp stay wet in snake skins before it starts to smell?

    If it didn't rain do I need to let things air out?

    What if it was just humid, do i need to air stuff out then?

    Maybe I am just over thinking it, but I like to have things last as long as they can so i try to care for them the best i can. Thanks for any input.

  2. #2
    Member OutdoorEnvy's Avatar
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    Jul 2015
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    Central OK
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    DIY 11' 1.6oz HyperD XL
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    Anything wet gets dried out right away. As for just being dirty it depends. Sometime I don't do it right away. Most of the time I just kind of wipe it down or clean it off when I'm packing up. Dirty won't damage it like storing it wet will.

  3. #3
    rhjanes's Avatar
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    Mar 2007
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    Dallas Tx area
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    ^^^ what he said. I shake out the quilts and lay them on a spare bed. Shake again maybe 12 to 24 hours later and then put into my storage sacks, which is uncompressed. I hang the hammock out and shake it out also. Make sure to get dirt out, wipe if needed (rare). Pack back up. The tarp, if it got wet, which it did (Think Dew in the forest), I hang it out in our back yard. I live in Texas, so it might be dry in 5 minutes! I usually take a bandana or sponge and damp wipe down the outside. Get off bird poop, other "stuff" that settles on it. Once I figure it is dry, it gets stored (I use Mesh snake skins from Mountain Goat). I wash all the clothes (duh). If I remember, I run a cap full of bleach back-flush my water filter and then rinse, shake out and let sit for a few days. I try and remember, or glance at, stuff like first aid and such and "replenish" right then. I usually take the liner out of the pack and hold the pack upside down and shake it out, putting my hand into the side pockets and such. Just trying to coax out any "stuff".
    Call me Junior

    Pirating – Corporate Takeover without the paperwork
    "For a couple of bucks, get a weird haircut and waste your life away" Bryan Adams....
    "Hammock hangs are where you go into the woods to meet men you've only known on the internet so you can sit around a campfire to swap sewing tips and recipes." - sargevining on HF

  4. #4
    Senior Member olddog's Avatar
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    Jan 2011
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    Today is my first day back from a wet weekend in the Ocala NF. Everything except hammock and UQ ended up wet. First is to hang tarp and hammock. The tarp wasn't wet but just damp from dew when restuffed in it's mesh bag plus some residue from being under the trees.The tarp gets wiped down and allowed to dry before storing. The hammock will probably get laundered along with all the clothing being that it was up in the 70's when trying to sleep and has some sweat on it. During cooler weather it will last a few hangs before cleaning. Never was comfortable leaving the tarp in it's mesh bag. Stuff will mildew in hours here in Florida and I'm scared of possible damage to the tarp.

    Next is to throw all the hiking clothes in the wash. Every piece of clothing ended up wet from either rain or sweat. Hiking out yesterday the sweat was dripping off the hem of my kilt.

    Finally all the rest of the kit gets laid out, wiped down, allowed to air dry, inspected and repaired if necessary. The food roll needs some repair and the repair kit needs to be restocked. Batteries are removed from the GPS, camera and headlight.

    Our normal hiking season in Florida sees very little rain but I still use the same routine. Just ensures that the kit is clean and ready for the next hike. And I still manage to screw up. Like this time, thinking I had put fresh batteries in the camera. Missing a pic and then putting the set of spare batteries for the GPS in the camera and the GPS dying halfway into the hike in.

    Time to get started cleaning up.
    Most of us end up poorer here but richer for being here. Olddog, Fulltime hammocker, 365 nights a year.

  5. #5
    Senior Member Floridahanger's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Armines View Post
    hey guys,

    I am relatively new to hammock camping and backpacking. I have done a lot of research and watched a lot of videos on how to setup camp and all of that. The one thing that I haven't seen any where is what to do once you get back home.
    After a shower, I sit a bit and think and stew in the great time I just had.

    Do you air out all of your gear ie. quilts and tarp and hammock?
    Sometimes I air out the hammock because I want to relax in the backyard for a bit. Shake out your quilts and clean/wipe as necessary and yes to the tarp. Open it fully including doors if attached. Wipe down and let it dry and repack before it gets dirty again.

    How long can a tarp stay wet in snake skins before it starts to smell?
    I Don't want to find out, but the longest I've waited, do to work, was the next day after work.
    If it didn't rain do I need to let things air out?
    What if it was just humid, do i need to air stuff out then?
    There will almost always be something on the tarp. If not rain, then morning dew or droppings from animals or trees (think sap, etc.)


    Maybe I am just over thinking it, but I like to have things last as long as they can so i try to care for them the best i can. Thanks for any input.
    Always go with your gut. If you like cleaning your gear, keep doing it. It should make it last as long as your using good judgment on cleaning practices.
    Enjoy and have fun with your family, before they have fun without you

  6. #6
    Senior Member Bubba's Avatar
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    May 2010
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    I have a pretty simple routine:

    • Anything wet or moist gets hung and aired out. If the gear is dry then it just stays in their stuff sacks.
    • Quilts are taken out of their stuff sacks and stored lofted.
    • Dirty outdoor clothing gets done and put back with the rest of my outdoor gear (They don't get mixed with any of my regular clothing).
    • If the same type of trips are back to back I leave most of the gear in my pack I just used, if not then the gear gets put into various storage bins for whatever trip is next.
    • Anything needing repair or replacement gets separated from the rest of the gear.
    Don't let life get in the way of living.

  7. #7
    Senior Member itsandy's Avatar
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    I usually sulk for a while then I start the same routine that others have mentioned. Cleaning, inspect, repair (if needed), replenish, start planning for the next trip. I usually pack everything but the sleeping gear to be ready to go in minutes.

    Since it's Florida, drying stuff out, I usually start with the leaf blower in the garage then it all gets strung up around the house.

  8. #8
    New Member
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    Thanks for all of the great advice. It is great to get some input from people that are far more experienced than me

  9. #9
    Senior Member SpitballJedi's Avatar
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    on the first day back home, I'm usually exhausted and just open everything and dump it on the floor loosely. This at least airs it out some. By the next evening, I hang my tarp, quilts and hammock to get good a dried.

    Other stuff that be wet or damp get opened up, too. Stuff like dirty clothes and cook kit get opened as well.

    I really try to get everything open and/or hung within 24-36 hours of my return to avoid mold and mildew.

  10. #10
    TallPaul's Avatar
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    My typical post-trip process is to dry things out even if it didn't rain.

    This involves a yard sale of gear thrown about a room in the house or the garage.

    Then when I think it is time to put stuff away, I think to myself, heck I might as well leave it there a while longer in case I go the next weekend

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