Agreed. There's nothing quite like throwing up the hammy first after putting some miles on a backpacking trip. Weather pending, the tarp can wait - I gotta dangle my legs and enjoy the view for a bit.Originally Posted by Shug
Agreed. There's nothing quite like throwing up the hammy first after putting some miles on a backpacking trip. Weather pending, the tarp can wait - I gotta dangle my legs and enjoy the view for a bit.
Hammock Backpackers Community 👇🏻
https://www.facebook.com/groups/hammockbackpackers
Absolutely! There are some times I can't even wait to take the shoes off. No, gotta take 10 seconds to do that.
Tarp only goes up first in wet weather. Other wise hammock first. If nice weather, the tarp sometimes doesn't even get strung up. If questionable or really cold, I'll put it up after the hammock and insulation is set.
leafer, you are not alone in thinking "hammock up first" is more convenient. We all understand the theory behind putting the tarp/shelter up first. But if the weather permits, it is easier to put the hammock up without having to duck under the tarp. Then, if you don't use skins, you can set the tarp up by laying it on top of the hammock and getting it centered with the desired coverage AFTER you know where the hammock will be.
It is a good learning experience to put a tarp up first, then see about the hammock - perhaps you should try it at least once. But in my few years of hammock camping, rain hasn't been an issue. Wind, yes. I've lost the "put the tarp up in the wind" battle twice. But now I use skins and laugh at the wind.
In order to see what few have seen, you must go where few have gone. And DO what few have done.
It's the same for me. Well, not the snowing part. I don't think any of my hammock tarps have ever seen a snowflake.
"Behold, as a wild a** of the desert, go I forth to my work." -- Guerney Halleck
Also in the 'hammock first" camp.
I've put up the tarp first a few times when it was raining, but I use "personal biometrics" for judging the height of the head and foot CL hitches, and it's just a whole bunch easier without the tarp crowding the overhead space. I also usually pitch the tarp right down to the SRL for maximum coverage, so hammock-first also makes this easier.
But it is a good idea to at least practice tarp-first so that it is not a totally foreign concept when under duress!
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
+1 hammock first.
Yes if the weather is nice I put my Hammock up If it looks to be bad weather tarp first I have learned that over the past two or three years of Hammock hanging
Its a good day to be out in the woods no matter the weather.Mist One..
I guess I usually put the tarp up first but in the snakeskin. Then hammock straps, then hammock and quilts. Finally, open the tarp. I solo backpack and usually don't have the daylight left to really lounge around, especially since I don't summer backpack. Just do camp chores before sunset and then get in the hammock.
Thanks for the responses, weather dictating I tend to hang hammock first due to several back surgeries,I don’t bend where I once bent. That said,I highly recommend a hammock for those with back trouble,I have spent many hours in a hammock when the bed just wouldn’t do.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks