My 2nd go at hammock camping

[chansta]

Hello, hangers!

About a year ago, I tried hammock camping for the first time. Or rather, I tried to set up my hammock several times and couldn't seem to get the ridgeline the way I needed it. It was super windy every time I went out

My first set up:

dutchware hammock with ridgeline
tree straps/whoopie slings
warbonnet tarp
hammock gear tq
wookie uq

It was winter time, so no bug net

I stupidly thought I could hike for ten miles, set up my gear in twilight/wind... and be good to go. I got frustrated and ended up selling my stuff.

This time around, I got some more basic gear, and I'm taking the time to really get it dialed in. I've had 3 hangs, and my last one was fantastic, were it not for really loud campers I would have slept the night through.

My new gear:
warbonnet traveler with buckles
hammock gear tq
DD 3x3 tarp
using paracord for continual ridge line with sticks and prussiks for toggles

The above set up is really comfortable, despite a calf ridge, which doesn't seem to bother me. I have an UQ on the way from wildernesslogics, which I'm super excited about. Hopefully in time, I find the sweet spot, though I have to say, 5 hours in a hammock feels like 30 minutes last night. I just wish it was raining since I had porch mode set up. I look forward to more hangs and more advice from you all!

[drsolarmolar]

Glad to hear your second go round is working much better! You've discovered one of the "secrets" to successfully using a hammock--taking time to get to know your gear, how it works, dialing it in as you say. (Plus you've bought some decent gear--Warbonnet, Hammock Gear, etc.) Keep at it!

[johnspenn]

With people the saying is "Familiarity breeds contempt."

With gear "Familiarity breeds success."

Keep getting familiar with your setup, and the naps will come! Happy hanging!

[strikealight]

Hey, Chansta - great that you are giving it another go. I am still fairly new at this stuff myself and the only gear we share is the 3x3 DD tarp , which I too hang on a paracord CRL with prussiks. I too often yearn in vain for rain - bit unlucky really seeing as I am in the UK!! But what I can say in light of my limited experience is that lots of practice and fiddling about with your setups brings massive benefits. I think it is also part of the fun of hammocking in general. IMHO, I think that hammocks are a lot more versatile and adjustable than tents. It is all to easy to see YouTube video of Shug and the like effortlessly throwing their stuff up, but they can do this because they have done it a thousand times with hundreds of setups. I struggled too when I started with hammocks - I was used to tents where you could read the instructions and perhaps watch a setup on YouTube and have one test in the back garden and you would be good to go. I just don't think this is the same with hammocks. The relatively few pitch sites I have hanged on have all been very different and I learned a lot from each. I now take my hammock and tarp with me whenever I am out with the dog in the woods and I set things up and play around with it a bit. I soon got to the stage where I can pitch fairly quickly and easily in the dark without a torch. It feels really satisfying to be able to do this, like I am some sort of hammock jedi! But I rarely come away from any pitch without some sort of "note-to-self" to make some sort of tweak to my gear or to practice some aspect a little more. I have found that there are a hundred little techniques and adjustments that make an easy and comfortable hang, which is perhaps why it can seem a bit like an impenetrable black art to a noobie. Biggest thing for me was to play around a lot with "sag" and the hammock ridgeline - this made a big difference to calf ridge problems in my DD camping hammock.

Hope you have fun with it all, and that you enjoy your underquilt - that is going to be niiiiiiiice!

[Pennsy Camp and Canoe]

Glad you tried again, it's a wonderful hobby.

[TrailSlug]

Yea, it's always good to dial your setup in at home especially for winter hanging. Glad your back.

[chansta]

One thing that helped was doing a lot of tarp pitches in the meantime. I learned about toggles, more knots, wind pitches, site selection, etc. Makes the tarping part easy. Using buckles seems to be easier for me than whoopies were the first time.

[chansta]

Yep, the last time I tried it, I had hiked ten miles on the AT in the dead of winter, in the wind. Without a snake skin, the tarp was impossible. I was tired and cold and ended up just hiking back home.
I found some great spots 15 minutes from me where I can just park and hang. Way easier.