Hammock Etiquette

[PNW HIKER]

I wouldn’t move. Using your logic you should in fact just find the most unlevel most rocky inhospitable site available every time just so you don’t have to move to give up a better chosen site.

Respectfully disagree. My logic was based strictly on the versatility of a hammock. I could just as easily go to the ground as I can hang. That's what dictated my situation. Our location allowed us lots of opportunity to setup somewhere else. That was the point. But I completely respect your choice to not move.

[TominMN]

Only once, with nighttime fast approaching, have we (a close-knit group of camping buddies) accepted an invitation to share a campsite. We greatly appreciated the gesture. Fortunately, the site was large enough for us to be able to give the original occupants plenty of privacy. We visited with them and were actually able to help them out with a medical issue.

More than once we've invited others into our own established campsite when it was clear that the other party really could benefit from the kindness due to weather, time of day, what have you, even if it meant having an illegal number of occupants on a site.

Only one time have we experienced an individual essentially camping practically on top of our site when there was absolutely no reason for him to do so. Similarly, I'll never understand people setting up camp literally in the middle of the trail. I've experienced that several times.

[Flash Grundelore]

This is one of those questions that are basically theoretical. Turn it around so that you're a happy ground-dweller in a site full of great hanging trees. A group of hikers arrive with their hammocks but all the sites with good hanging trees are occupied. Will the ground dwellers immediately empathize, and surrender their site with good hanging trees and move to some other piece of dirt? Is this a courtesy that ground-dwellers "must extend?"

Another thing that bothers me in this theoretical argument is that "the site by the river was very inhospitable and that their tent stakes would not penetrate the rock ridden ground." So how are hammock tarp stakes going to penetrate the rock-ridden ground? Are hammock tarp stakes somehow superior to tent stakes? Oh, they're the same stakes? It doesn't sound like the hammock camper is occupying the handicapped parking space - it sounds like the hammock camper parked in an available space.

MY emphasis above...
This was what happened on the Back To the Lake Paddle-In and Hang this year. 12 or 14 of us hammockers were showing up. I got the fire permit only to get on site and find a guy with two large tents already set up for his family and another... right in the area with several primo pairs, but also one of the primo flat spots... and with the view!
We did the First-Come/Permit Waltz for a few minutes while I told him how many folks were in my group, ya-da-ya-da... everybody COULD have fit on the site, but the parties would have ended up co-mingled. He moved BOTH his set up tents and all their gear down into a secondary site off the edge of the hill.
Guess what?.... The amazing part is that we all did end up co-mingled. The fact that he would volunteer to move just shows what a decent guy he was. He had a power boat and ended up shuttling some of our gang who didn't have floatage... several times and all the way up until 10pm, when an over-and-back paddle would have meant headlamps, flashlights and logistical headaches! Next day he brought split, dried wood and toted it up to our site on his own. Then he did a "need anything?" store run and brought more adult beverages and snacks like a big city delivery service...
We ended up with a new friend, and when I went back out on the lake last weekend, I hoped he'd be around to hang around again!

I'm always gonna go for the what goes around, comes around/ karmic balance of being friendly. Of course there are gonna be the truant party animals who are jerks... but most folks who are going to go off the hardtop and hike/ kayak/ boat/ or bike in someplace are gonna be pretty decent folks.

Peace, OM and Granola, and all that other Happy Hippy HS/BS

[Slack Packhiker]

When I was a brand new hiker and hanger, I automatically defaulted to the less desirable spots, figuring I had it easier than tenters. Lots of people have that understanding. After laboring on slopes a few days while fatigued, and further hampered by a learning curve, I chose sites that were easiest for me.

I can be and am more flexible now, but lookout for my interest primarily, for any number of reasons, and I don’t need to justify my decisions to passers by. It’s not contradictory to have situational awareness and to be helpful, compromise, or generous with knowledge or supplies.

[Halfed]

I didn't read the whole thread.
I don't like to face some situations, I like to avoid them when it's possible. When I go hiking I try to be far from everyone. Hammock is not popular here, so I use to choose a spot which is not good to ground dwellers and is easy to not have a "human encounter".
Sometimes it is not possible and I try to be very polite and diplomatic although it is not enough with some kind of people. That is so disgusting that I understand myself about my misanthropic feelings.

Edit: I'm not saying ground dwellers are worst than hammockers. I'm talking about "human encounters".

[Grey Mouse]

I agree with several opinions here that you don't "need to feel obligated" to move. Since we are almost always a group of six to eight people hanging there aren't many trees or flat areas left open. However, if it was a pleasant enough group that was say a family bringing their kids out for the weekend I would feel obliged to offer up my spot just to be kind.

Our last trip we had pre-selected (planned) the ideal spot at the base of a waterfall to hang. When we got there there was a lone hanger already there. Feeling unfortunate we left him undisturbed and knew that the chance of the next fall being dry was high but pressed on. Mind you we had left early, drove six hours, hiked in, and thought we would have the pick of the litter for the spot but we were wrong. The next site was by the river and had no falls but we were very tired and settled into the "no reservations" dispersed site. A few hours later a very loud family of ground dwellers with a dog came by (at suppertime) and paused to speak with us as their free roaming dog tried to help himself to some food. They had planned on our site due to the flat ground. I felt bad for them but knew that we had all come to escape loud people and especially children for some. We didn't offer up our site based upon the really loud kids, even louder parents, and free roaming pet not to mention we counted six tents amongst them. There simply wasn't enough room to co-exist at that particular spot. The last thing we wanted was a barking dog in camp all night in bear country. I guess the situation sort of dictates whether I offer up the site or even suggest it. After they left it was very clear that my fellow hangers would not have entertained the idea of co-dwelling even if I had offered it.

[OneClick]

It's like going down the interstate and someone comes barreling down the entrance ramp blindly. I can be polite and get over, but I am not required to do so.

[curlymaple42]

You are very polite and I would enjoy camping with you.

I would have no problem moving my setup. It is good karma.

I don't really subscribe to the whole karma thing, having a deeply rooted faith as a Christian, but I am in full agreement that we would be flexible as much as possible for those coming in. It's part of being compassionate decent human beings. I have found that when you treat folks in a nice way, they usually appreciate it and you have good relations from then on. Even if they don't act nicely regardless of your kindness, we hope and pray that they someday will look back and see the light of kindness we displayed.

Funny example from yesterday actually that began a few years ago. This woman came to our church during a big search and rescue operation that we were command central for with the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife folks. She offered to wash the warden's clothes as we had no washer at the church. We connected during those few days and she works down the road at a variety store. Yesterday I stopped in after church to buy sandwiches and chips for lunch for my wife and I to eat on a kayak paddle we were heading out on. She rang me up and only charged me for one bag of chips and when I gave her two 20's to cover the $21.50 charge, she handed me a 20 back. That sort of thing has happened there numerous times. No charge for a slice of pizza or a bottle of water.

Anyways, yeh, your friend I think should be more kind to others. As to a reserved site, that is a little different...

[curlymaple42]

Oh, a bad experience I had once being kind: I was on a four lane road in the center of Rutland, VT and let a lady pull out and this lady zoomed by me on the left and crashed into her. The lady on the left we know had been drinking, which may have made her reaction time slower, but it still wasn't her fault as the other woman was pulling out from a side street. I won't let someone do that in that scenario again! I taught our daughter about that too. Sometimes it's not safe to be nice!

[curlymaple42]

MY emphasis above...
This was what happened on the Back To the Lake Paddle-In and Hang this year. 12 or 14 of us hammockers were showing up. I got the fire permit only to get on site and find a guy with two large tents already set up for his family and another... right in the area with several primo pairs, but also one of the primo flat spots... and with the view!
We did the First-Come/Permit Waltz for a few minutes while I told him how many folks were in my group, ya-da-ya-da... everybody COULD have fit on the site, but the parties would have ended up co-mingled. He moved BOTH his set up tents and all their gear down into a secondary site off the edge of the hill.
Guess what?.... The amazing part is that we all did end up co-mingled. The fact that he would volunteer to move just shows what a decent guy he was. He had a power boat and ended up shuttling some of our gang who didn't have floatage... several times and all the way up until 10pm, when an over-and-back paddle would have meant headlamps, flashlights and logistical headaches! Next day he brought split, dried wood and toted it up to our site on his own. Then he did a "need anything?" store run and brought more adult beverages and snacks like a big city delivery service...
We ended up with a new friend, and when I went back out on the lake last weekend, I hoped he'd be around to hang around again!

I'm always gonna go for the what goes around, comes around/ karmic balance of being friendly. Of course there are gonna be the truant party animals who are jerks... but most folks who are going to go off the hardtop and hike/ kayak/ boat/ or bike in someplace are gonna be pretty decent folks.

Peace, OM and Granola, and all that other Happy Hippy HS/BS

DANG!!!! We missed a good one!!!!