High Winds: Set-up Suggestions

[Jimsto2]

Good Day All...

Forgive me if this subject is covered elsewhere, I searched but did not find much info specifically about high wind set-up.

Newbee here in NC, I've got a grand total of 2.5 nights of hammock camping, if you include the one night test run out behind the house. I have not sunk big bucks in equipment to date as I am still in the investigate/experiment phase. I've got about $30 each in the hammock & tarp, links below and using my tent camping sleeping bag(s) & Thermorest pad for insulation.

Planning to try a DIY underquilt & overquilt from clearance priced Eddie Bauer down throws as soon as they arrive.

My half night was Saturday 10/22 on the Blue Ridge Parkway with the family in a tent on the same site. That night we had 40-50 mph wind gusts varying from all directions as a cold front moved in. By morning it was 30Deg and the winds were still probably going 25-30mph.

Being 6'5" I had my hammock & tarp set fairly high, enough so I could stand under it. Just before midnight, my tarp stakes pulled out on one side for the second time. I assume that I should have had it set-up with the hammock low enough that my tarp could be staked right on the ground? If I had been out by myself, I would have got up and corrected that error. But since the tent was there with the family, I just unhooked the tarp & hammock, put them in the truck & crawled in the tent. I hindsight, I should have moved everything down before going to sleep, but I didn't and learned a lesson.

All that being said, is my assumption correct? Is the most successful set-up when the wind starts really gusting to snug everything down as close to the ground as possible?

My Hammock: https://www.sierratradingpost.com/gr...g=s~hammock%2F
My suspension: https://www.sierratradingpost.com/en...ing=s~atlas%2F
I regularly get 25% off coupons from Sierra Trading Post.
My Tarp: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...0?ie=UTF8&th=1

Thanks for your patience & insights.

Jim

[dkurfiss]

Yep, snug everything down but be sure the wind is not blowing through the open ends of your tarp. Answer to that is wind protection from the environment, getting winter tarp that has ends, buy or make a Grizz beak to cover the end of your tarp, and perhaps even add an UQP (Under Quilt Protector) from 2QZQ (or make one). Since I tend to camp where there are whirling winds, I have Grizz beaks and UQP along with moving my tarp down close to the ground.

[OneClick]

You don't need to have the tarp to the ground. It doesn't say how long those stakes are; I'm guessing 6-8"? Mine are 7" and I feel that's enough, but soft soil can be a problem. Half the time I need to remove the loose top, stomp a few times, then insert the stake. I'm betting that's the problem here.

I wouldn't be able to hang comfortably AND have my tarp touching the ground. I think about 12-18" off the ground is pretty standard. If you can get it lower, it won't hurt, and it will obviously keep that cold air off you.

[leiavoia]

Buttoning the tarp to the ground does not help the wind situation. As dkurfiss mentioned, the real problem is having wind get inside which turns it into a big sail. Having an enclosed tarp would help to deflect the wind instead of catching it.

For anchors, any of the following:

Use longer stakes.
Use Y-stakes (like MSR groundhog).
Place large rocks or logs over your stakes.
Tie off to trees or logs instead of stakes.

[MAD777]

This is where tarp doors shine! I usually don't deploy them, but when the wind hits the fan, they are invaluable.

Also invaluable are snakeskin to make deploying the tarp manageable. Then the hammock can be hung within the shelter of the tarp.

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[Loki]

You are correct. Lowering your tarp (and hammock) will help prevent wind from getting up inside it, tarp doors too. It need not touch the ground... just get close. Reduce your wind profile to keep wind outside the tarp

I try to attach tarp guylines to trees or bushes when windy. Also can wrap lines around heavy rock, or set a large rock onto your lines near your stakes.

Tarps with side pullouts or spreader poles can also prevent your tarp walls from 'kissing' your face all night

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[OneClick]

This is where tarp doors shine! I usually don't deploy them, but when the wind hits the fan, they are invaluable.

I was going to skip them on my last trip as usual, but the first night called for 50mph gusts, and boy did we get them...for hours and hours throughout the night. I didn't use doors the next 3 nights, but that first night alone certainly justified bringing them. And again, the soil. Being the loamy piney soil of MI, I had to stomp the ground before inserting the stakes.

[OutandBack]

Nothing keeps me awake more that the wind pushing the tarp up agains my hammock constantly nugging me awake.
I found tarp tieouts to be pretty much useless in high winds. I made a support line out of 2.2mm lash-it that my tarp lays over and with proper stakes.





Then when you need to take it to the next level. Use a 12x12 tarp like the Kelty and buy some replacement tent poles to make internal supports.



I also found a breathable UQ protector does a great job of keeping wind from robbing heat from your quilts. That is the black piece on the bottom of the hammock in the heated hammock tarp.
This one was made by 2QZQ.

Good Luck hope these picts give you some ideas.

[michigandave]

I was going to skip them on my last trip as usual, but the first night called for 50mph gusts, and boy did we get them...for hours and hours throughout the night. I didn't use doors the next 3 nights, but that first night alone certainly justified bringing them. And again, the soil. Being the loamy piney soil of MI, I had to stomp the ground before inserting the stakes.

I'm Michigandave and I approve that message. Disclosure: I was with him and from midnight to 3 AM, I was wide awake with my glasses and headlamp on, preparing for a go to ground. I was using my 11' HG CF tarp with doors, each one staked separately, plus had my pullouts on both sides deployed, using all 10 of my MSR groundhogs, with extra holding power provided by whatever log I could find to put over them. In my 6 years of being in a hammock, those were the biggest winds I'd ever experienced. Nasty weather, but at least in the pines, I was somewhat tucked in. My 2QZQ underquilt protector also proved invaluable in keeping the wind off of me.

[scrope]

If the issue is that your stakes came out there are a few additional things to consider.

What type of stakes are you using? There are the ones made with a thin round shaft. Some have a triangle cross section. Others have a twist. Each of these holds progressively better. Round stakes often twist 180 degrees and if it's just a hook your line can slip off.

Did you angle the stakes? Putting them in at a 45 degree angle holds much better than straight down.

Did you cover the stakes? Covering the stakes with a rock will prevent them from coming out of the ground.

What length of stakes? Smaller save weight but longer holds better.

What type of ground? If you are putting the stakes in sandy or loose ground you may be better off with different types of stakes -- even snow stakes.

Tarp placement has a whole separate set of issues because the more vertical the sides of the tarp, the greater surface area the wind has to push against. That's why low down keeps the wind outside but also allows it to flow over the tarp.