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  1. #1
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    During lightning storms, how safe am I in my hammock?

    Newbie poster here.

    The wife and I have backpacked into the Sierras 4 times this summer, probably the highlight being a two night stay at Grouse Lake in Desolation Wilderness about a month ago. Today, we just got back from camping at nearby Wrights Lake and for my first time as a hammock camper, the weather turned stormy and we had about 20-30 minutes of lightning and heavy rain, followed by another 30 min of steady rain. My tarp did a great job of keeping me dry during some fairly heavy rain, my only regret was not pitching my hammock about 6"-12" higher. Splatter from heavier downpours were able to splash bug net and UQ from below. Lesson learned.

    Ok, one sort of wisdom says having your hammock strapped to two of the tallest objects in the area during an active lightning storm might be taking a serious risk. Another path of logic says I'm insulated as long as the water breaks you installed (yes, I'm proud to say they worked well) keep you dry....note to self: look up conductivity ratings for Dutchware straps and Amsteel Whoopies.....

    So here's my question: what do experienced hammock campers do during lightning storms? Do you think your risk of being struck by lightning is offset by other factors and you stay put (in your hammock)? If so, what is your logic.

    If not, and you believe there is a heightened risk off being struck be lightning, what do you do? Where do you go?

    BTW, I stayed in my hammock and there was a small stream/puddle eventually taking over about 2/3 of my covered area making a dry exit unlikely. Fortunately, all my gear was safely stowed elsewhere, so my primary concern was how safe am I in this hammock? Say there's a serious storm at 2 am...what to do?

    Thanks in advance for your insights.

  2. #2
    Senior Member Mittagsfrost's Avatar
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    I think it depends of the environment. If you hang on the only two trees on top of a hill - go away! It's likely the lightning will hit one of the trees and will harm you.
    If you are hanging in the middle of the woods and your trees aren't the biggest - stay in your hammock and enjoy the spectacle!
    Omnia vincit lectulus pensilis.

  3. #3
    joe_guilbeau's Avatar
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    Don Raingear and hightail it to a lower elevation for peace of mind. Ice particles in the clouds get bounced around and create static charges. The earth is positive charge and like a magnetic it repels positive charges in the clouds. This eventually makes the bottom of the cloud more negative, until the cloud passes over a spot where the earth's positive charge is large enough to discharge the cloud's built up static charge.

    Here is a simple video:

    https://youtu.be/A_FxTricy0c

  4. #4
    SilvrSurfr's Avatar
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    I'm usually in a forest, so the odds of one my trees getting struck are fairly low.

    When I was a kid working on the farm in Alabama, we always stopped working in the fields during a thunderstorm - no sense being the tallest object!
    "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." Ralph Waldo Emerson

  5. #5
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    At 2am I am going to stay put...and probably pray. I have thought about this from an electricians stance, and yes the straps being non-conductive offer some protection, normally. However lightning doesn't really care. If it can cut through the sky (air is a good insulator) it could follow straps, especially wet. What about a tent? Metal poles shoved into the ground...lightning rods. not much better if any.

    Sudden death by lightning in the wilderness doing what you love. Not a bad way to exit this world.

  6. #6
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    If lightning is a possibility stay away from the taller trees.

    I have been in close proximity to a couple of lightning strikes and they are not for the faint hearted.

    First you get the white light as if the heavens have just opened up, then the bang as loud as the gates of hell slamming behind you.

  7. #7
    Senior Member rweb82's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by hangino View Post
    If lightning is a possibility stay away from the taller trees.

    I have been in close proximity to a couple of lightning strikes and they are not for the faint hearted.

    First you get the white light as if the heavens have just opened up, then the bang as loud as the gates of hell slamming behind you.
    And if you get both at the same time, you know you're right in the thick of it

    Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

  8. #8
    Senior Member
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    My first (and so far only) close encounter with lightning was up in the boundary waters with my Boy Scout troop ca. 1986.
    Quote Originally Posted by hangino View Post
    First you get the white light as if the heavens have just opened up, then the bang as loud as the gates of hell slamming behind you.
    Absolutely true. This happened to us during the night and shook us up pretty good. The next morning, we located ground zero about a quarter mile away. A large tree (36"+ dia. trunk) had been turned into kindling. Anybody camping within 50 feet (hanger, ground dweller or whatever) would have required a medical evacuation. Or a proper burial.

  9. #9
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    I think you would be safer if the trees you chose were lower downgrade than toward the crest of the hill.Shorter trees that are not standing out in the open too much likely have less chance of being struck.When I worked briefly for the local Forestry Commission the consensus was that lightening prefers lone trees and also dead trees.

    That said,I had a neighbor once that lost 14 dairy cows one night that had huddled under the lone oak in the field.They all died.I dont know if being off the ground in the hammock would save someone from all that electrical energy or not but I would try not to have metal on my person and would definitely curl up into a fetal position and pray for the best.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by dscotthep View Post
    Absolutely true. This happened to us during the night and shook us up pretty good. The next morning, we located ground zero about a quarter mile away. A large tree (36"+ dia. trunk) had been turned into kindling. Anybody camping within 50 feet (hanger, ground dweller or whatever) would have required a medical evacuation. Or a proper burial.
    Early-mid 80s, I was in a shopping mall in FL waiting for a storm to die down so I could run out to my car. Lightning struck a lightpost in the parking lot less than 100 feet away. It looked like the strike was at least 5' diameter, I'm guessing it was actually just too bright to focus on properly, but who knows?

    Two folks who'd made a run for it were probably about 50' away from the strike -- one dude literally jumped into the other's arms, and a couple of the other people waiting near the door ran out to lead them back inside. The guys were both scared witless of course, and seemed a bit deafened. I assume an ambulance was called, but I retreated back into the mall for a while to get out of the way.

    The lightpost looked pretty much intact, but I never got a closer look at it. When I finally left the mall, the post and a couple of the nearest cars were surrounded by barricades. I'm sure at the least the bulb blew and scattered glass around.

    Lightning is supposed to take the path of least resistance -- that's why it'll jump to a nearby tree instead of continuing through the air. So which is a better conductor, a live tree or a hammock suspension? And even if it chooses the tree, how much of a jolt could you get just from being in contact with the tree through the straps?

    I'd guess that it's safer to at least get out of the hammock and crouch below the tarp while not making contact with the tarp or hammock. But that's strictly a guess.

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