Only out west above tree line drove me to the ground and I didn't enjoy it, otherwise in our neck of the woods there are always trees to hang from and this I enjoy.
Only out west above tree line drove me to the ground and I didn't enjoy it, otherwise in our neck of the woods there are always trees to hang from and this I enjoy.
I will be surprised if he replies, or even comes back.
I collect vintage camp stoves.
I roast coffee at home.
Not since 2010.
I am still 18 but with 52 years of experience !
Most of my recent backpacking trips are solo, so 2 years ago on a hiking trip, I intentionally setup my tarp and went to the ground to see if I could. Although my goal is to never be forced into going to the ground, the experience became a confidence booster and made me feel more secure when hiking alone.
Oh, I'm here... enjoying the responses. Thanks everyone! Very enlightening, and mostly what I was hoping/expecting to hear.Originally Posted by snwcmpr
(and yes I'll admit I let out a bit of a fanboy giggle when Shug Of The Third Person was the first to answer!)
What Just Bill said.
Only happened to me once- twice actually both times on my first hammock trip. Then again, I give up sleeping at some places I used to love to sleep at, and who can say that I will always be wiling to do that? Like in a wide open meadow above timberline in the Rockies, sleeping out under the mind blowing stars.
Though the 2 times I went to ground, I sure was glad I had my pads, but I have not needed them since. I still take some minimal pad though. To each his own.
First time I had to, it was because I was freezing, and abandoned the hammock to go to ground, which warmed me right up. That was on my 1st night ever in a hammock, and is very unlikely to happen again, but it is possible especially if I am not taking enough insulation to cover extreme cold snaps. I know many people go with gear to be covered for 10* lower than anything likely. Some people do the same thing by taking a pad, either for hammock use or if they are actually forced to ground.
The 2nd time was on that same (first) trip. By then I had figured out how to stay warm in my HHSS. But, I was crossing a high pass in the Rockies, and was too sick and weak to make it over the pass(altitude sickness). So on the ground I went, no tree anywhere in sight unless I turned around and went way back down. I probably didn't even have the energy to do that. Thank goodness for blessed pads on that rocky ground!
That was 2006. It hasn't happened since. But, like I said, there are probably times don't camp in some places I would like to simply because I am determined to hang. I'm not sure that will always be the case. At least one time, the sun was setting and our group was really needing to stop, one had an injured foot and could not easily hike anymore. This was the first trip where we all had hammocks. But the lake at 10,000 ft elevation where we needed to stop had an abundance of widow makers. I don't think any of us could find a spot that we felt was really safe. There was a nice meadow nearby where I could have gone to ground. I didn't. But I always wonder if that was a wise decision. So if I had gone to ground, that would be 3 since 2006. Not counting a few other times when if I had slept where I really wanted to location wise, I would have had to go to ground. (but obviously I didn't want to sleep in those places bad enough to go to ground).
The main thing is: depending on where you go and when you go: Do you have enough weather proof gear- tarps and insulation- to guarantee you will be OK, regardless of weather much worse than forecast or expected, hanging in your hammock? Assuming you are also guaranteed to have safe trees wherever you are forced to camp, then I guess you don't need to ever worry about going to ground. Me, I will probably continue to take at least a minimal pad. As long as you have that, you are ready for ground with most any hammock.
One interesting new angle is very comfortable hammocks that normally use pads with little or no loss of comfort, some say even more comfy. The 90* hammocks and to more or less the same degree( at least close in comfort with a pad) the bridge hammocks. One would, or might, already be using a pad in these hammocks, with no sacrifice in comfort doing so. If there is a need or desire to go to ground for any reason(horrendous weather, no hanging allowed, no safe trees, gear failure, unlikely as it might be), then just lower the hammock and pad to the ground, and there you are.
Never.
If i know I will be above tree line, in the desert, or mt St. Helens blast zone, then I take alternate gear.
Forced? Umm... never.
Except at Pogy Pond in Baxter State Park. Well I really didn't go to ground, I went to floor, in the shelter, per strict park rules. Reminded me why I now prefer hammocks, but I lived to tell about it. Kinda ticked me off carrying that air mat for nearly a week and using it only one night.
I know there will come occasions and situations where I might need ground gear, which is why I'm not yet selling some very fine shelters and ground insulation.
Five Basic Principles of Going Lighter (not me... the great Cam Honan of OZ)
“If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking.” ~ Gen. George S Patton
I like getting outside and hiking/camping. I prefer hammocks and luckily living in the mid-Atlantic I haven’t had to use a tent since I switched.
That being said, if I ever do any hiking out west where a tent makes more sense: then a tent it will be.
I have set-up some interesting hangs before and suprising that there can sometimes be a multitude of trees but few suitable hanging spots ( trees to close, to far, stout saplings in the way, sharp boulders, etc.) This is part of the adventure and gives you time to slow down and scout the environment. Recently I was traveling slower than expected and was not sure I was going to make it to the little green spot on my topo map. It made for a long day but I finally arrived to the area and I was on empty. I slept in the next day and slept well.
I have practiced setting up my tarp on the ground and doing so while it was raining so I am confident I could do it if the situation arises. I have my pack with a removable foam backpad to sleep on but have never felt inclined to overnight this way as an exercise. I do not 'pack my fears' but have confidence of being able to adapt and survive with the equipment I have available.
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