There are no trees to hang AND it’s raining… what do you do while staying ultralight?

[ObdewlaX]

Ya, I was thinking of getting one of those, just looking at alternatives first. Preferably things that are multipurpose.

You can easily go with the hammock tarp, trekking poles and a groundsheet. My son & I use an Exped Multimat which has proven to be a great multi-use item on the trail. Groundsheet or ground pad, hammock pad/insulation, a back pad for the pack, plus it's got snaps all around so you can put two or more together & corner loops so you can peg it to the ground. Very versatile and fairly lightweight at 13 oz. or so.

[Muddy Creek]

When hiking the Larapinta trail, one of the "must-dos" is to camp overnight at Brinkley Bluff to get both the sunset and sunrise.
No trees within eyesight - and you can see a looooong way.

I looked on Google for Brinkley Bluff photos and the views are incredible, especially the sunsets. Still, I guess those that value the hang over the experience would just call going there poor planning on your part.

Unfortunately, I don't know that I will ever be able to visit Australia in this lifetime, but I would happily overcome terraphobia and carry a ground pad for that hike.

Wayne

[daneaustin3]

How about carrying no ground poles and being prepared for this.

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[Tucson Tom]

I was an ultralight backpacker before I was a hammock camper. Now I am both.

You will certainly need a tarp, and poles to rig it with, and some practice doing so.

What you are likely to overlook is a ground pad. I carry half of an old ridgerest pad, which covers hips to shoulders. Not luxury, but it gets the job done. And it only weighs 7 ounces.

A black "lawn and leaf bag" is pretty much standard for me to have on any kind of backpack. My pack can always go in there for the night when it is raining.
And I have a trash compactor bag or some bag as a pack liner. This is essential if you have down insulation.

[Tucson Tom]

I hear people saying, "always go where there are trees, this is bad planning, etc. etc." I don't buy this for several reasons.

First of all, I hike in the California Sierra and sometimes for one reason or other it is necessary (or desirable) to camp above timberline. Usually the reason is mountaineering goals, but there are areas like Muir Pass and the Evolution region where you are hard pressed not to need to camp above the tree line.

The other is in desert mountains. Here I am often surprised how often it is possible to find places to hammock camp when I am near the top of the desert realm and getting into oaks and junipers. But you better be prepared if things don't work out. Being versatile gives you more options.

I just got back from a Grand Canyon backpack. I didn't even take hammock gear, and I was not regretting it. I don't think I ever saw a place to hang a hammock.

So don't be hammock rigid. Just have a good time.

[johnspenn]

I hear people saying, "always go where there are trees, this is bad planning, etc. etc." I don't buy this for several reasons.

First of all, I hike in the California Sierra and sometimes for one reason or other it is necessary (or desirable) to camp above timberline. Usually the reason is mountaineering goals, but there are areas like Muir Pass and the Evolution region where you are hard pressed not to need to camp above the tree line.

The other is in desert mountains. Here I am often surprised how often it is possible to find places to hammock camp when I am near the top of the desert realm and getting into oaks and junipers. But you better be prepared if things don't work out. Being versatile gives you more options.

I just got back from a Grand Canyon backpack. I didn't even take hammock gear, and I was not regretting it. I don't think I ever saw a place to hang a hammock.

So don't be hammock rigid. Just have a good time.

I agree with you to a point. The thing is that you need to research your trip beforehand. If you're going to a place where there are no trees, then take a ground system not a hammock system. If you know you'll be camping in an area hammocking isn't allowed, ditto. This should all be a part of your pre-trip planning.

If you are taking a hammock system, then you should be reasonably convinced that there are places you can use your hammock. I'm having a hard time imagining a situation like the OP is proposing in that scenario. If it did happen there are ways to overcome, but none of them are optimal without carrying two complete sleep systems (hammock and ground) and most people don't want to do that, although I can see how someone might want to for certain trips.

[Tucson Tom]

none of them are optimal without carrying two complete sleep systems

We are certainly on the same page. I do my homework before trips and have a pretty good idea of the probabilities involved if hammock camping is not a sure thing.

So the thing then is what gear to take if you want to be able to hammock camp, but trees are not a certainty. They key word in what you say is "optimal". My strategy has been to carry an optimal hammock system and a spartan ground camping system if that doesn't work out. And my "spartan" ground system just involves adding my 7 ounce half-pad, so it is by no means onerous. If I wanted a system that was more balanced in terms of comfort between hammock and ground camping, I would trade my underquilt for a nice pad that could be used on the ground or in the hammock. This would sacrifice some hammock comfort and keep the overall weight about the same.

[Chop]

I think Tom and I are similar. The places that I want to go are not chosen because they are hammock friendly, but because they are scenic, fun, challenging, wild..etc.. I love it when the they are hammock friendly though...and I am sleeping in a hammock even off trail these days.


Here is the thing that I am becoming more and more convinced of with time in the wilderness; there are often trees (and others objects) to hang from even in places where you wouldn't expect. I've had to walk a little further on occasion, but those occasions are few and far between. My perceptions of desert vegetation have changed from hiking through AZ and SoCal. Both hammock friendly with very few exceptions. I agree that camping up on Muir Pass would be a ground dwelling endeavor. That being said, I have hiked over the pass 3 times, and hammocked each time. It is just a full(ish) day to get from trees to trees where one doesn’t sleep up high.

One of the absolute most challenging places to hang was the along the banks of the Mississippi River this summer. Trees were not the problem. Poison ivy was. And this was from Minnesota to the gulf....challenging the whole way.

Having the spartan ground setup is great and really gives one freedom when the items are multi use. There are few things that members here have asked me about more through private messages - an all terrain system that is light.



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