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  1. #1
    Senior Member Chop's Avatar
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    Continental Divide Trail (CDT) Hammock Opportunites

    Anyone on here that has hiked the Continental Divide Trail - CDT?

    I am planning on thru-hiking the CDT beginning in April and am curious about hammock hangs (or lack of) on the CDT, particularly in New Mexico and Wyoming.

    Current intention is to take my All Terrain Setup - https://www.longdistancehiker.com/ha...terrain-setup/

    Regardless, if there is some longer sections that are not conducive to hammocking, I may swap in some other gear for sections.

    Thanks in advance!
    AT 2011, PCT 2012, LT 2013, WT 2013, JMT 2014, TRT 2014, WT 2014, AZT 2015, PCT 2016, CT 2017, MSR 2017, GET 2018, GDT 2018, TRT 2018, JMT 2018, MRT 2019, CDT 2020/2021
    My trail journals, tips, interviews - http://longdistancehiker.com (Trail Name 'Beardoh')

  2. #2
    cougarmeat's Avatar
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    Seems to me that you will have everything needed for ground or trees if you use a pad instead of an under quilt. If no trees, sleep under the tarp. You will save some weight if you send the hammock back when you are sure you don't need it. But if it's at the end of the trip, you'll be so strong by then that the hammock (and suspension) weight won't matter (and additional trees might show up).
    Last edited by cougarmeat; 01-02-2020 at 14:06.
    In order to see what few have seen, you must go where few have gone. And DO what few have done.

  3. #3
    Senior Member Shrewd's Avatar
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    I dunno man. Certain sections for sure. How important is hammocking to you?

    After my AT Thru I was definitely a hammock geek, and started the PCT with one. After a few hundred miles I’d gotten comfortable with cowboy camping on the ground and eventually sent the hammock home for the weight savings and because I’d gotten kinda fond of
    Cowboying.

    I got it back in NorCal and carried it the rest of the way

  4. #4
    Senior Member Chop's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Shrewd View Post
    I dunno man. Certain sections for sure. How important is hammocking to you?

    After my AT Thru I was definitely a hammock geek, and started the PCT with one. After a few hundred miles I’d gotten comfortable with cowboy camping on the ground and eventually sent the hammock home for the weight savings and because I’d gotten kinda fond of
    Cowboying.

    I got it back in NorCal and carried it the rest of the way
    I've had a solid ration of both hammock and ground sleeping. Probably a 70/30 ratio of Hammock to Ground over 12K of thru hiking miles.

    I prefer hammocking to a bed in general. Like you, the AT definitely made me a hammock geek.

    On my first PCT thru hike, I slept on the ground till Belden. Then used a hammock the rest of the way.
    On my second PCT thru hike, I hammocked the whole way, and slept on the ground only a few occassions prior to Kennedy Meadows, and after KM only hung. I've been asked several times how to handle the PCT by hammockers here on this forum, and by in large, I'd say it is hammock-able throughout, with 'spotty' sections south of Kennedy Meadows....rather than chunks that are not hammockable.

    Hoping for some insight on whether the CDT would be seen in a similar way...As in having spotty sections, or simply large chunks that are tree-less (wrong kind of trees).
    AT 2011, PCT 2012, LT 2013, WT 2013, JMT 2014, TRT 2014, WT 2014, AZT 2015, PCT 2016, CT 2017, MSR 2017, GET 2018, GDT 2018, TRT 2018, JMT 2018, MRT 2019, CDT 2020/2021
    My trail journals, tips, interviews - http://longdistancehiker.com (Trail Name 'Beardoh')

  5. #5
    Senior Member Shrewd's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Chop View Post
    I've had a solid ration of both hammock and ground sleeping. Probably a 70/30 ratio of Hammock to Ground over 12K of thru hiking miles.

    I prefer hammocking to a bed in general. Like you, the AT definitely made me a hammock geek.

    On my first PCT thru hike, I slept on the ground till Belden. Then used a hammock the rest of the way.
    On my second PCT thru hike, I hammocked the whole way, and slept on the ground only a few occassions prior to Kennedy Meadows, and after KM only hung. I've been asked several times how to handle the PCT by hammockers here on this forum, and by in large, I'd say it is hammock-able throughout, with 'spotty' sections south of Kennedy Meadows....rather than chunks that are not hammockable.

    Hoping for some insight on whether the CDT would be seen in a similar way...As in having spotty sections, or simply large chunks that are tree-less (wrong kind of trees).
    Oh Belden.
    Was there a festival there as you passed through? Man that was a descent

  6. #6
    Senior Member Chop's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Shrewd View Post
    Oh Belden.
    Was there a festival there as you passed through? Man that was a descent
    2012 - Indeed there was. We wanted to do miles and just got some food, the hammock and rolled on.

    2016 - No rave. But stayed the night and played some table tennis and pool.
    AT 2011, PCT 2012, LT 2013, WT 2013, JMT 2014, TRT 2014, WT 2014, AZT 2015, PCT 2016, CT 2017, MSR 2017, GET 2018, GDT 2018, TRT 2018, JMT 2018, MRT 2019, CDT 2020/2021
    My trail journals, tips, interviews - http://longdistancehiker.com (Trail Name 'Beardoh')

  7. #7
    Two Speed's Avatar
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    Following this for research purposes.

    I'd second the whole PCT is hammock-able throughout if you are flexible. I am still dialing in my ground set up so hopefully this thread will provide some more input. I used some ideas from your set-up and some of them worked for me and other needs some "tuning" on my part so thanks for putting the article together.

    From many minutes of internet research the place I'd be concerned with is probably Wyoming as well.

  8. #8
    Senior Member Chop's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Two Speed View Post
    Following this for research purposes.

    I'd second the whole PCT is hammock-able throughout if you are flexible. I am still dialing in my ground set up so hopefully this thread will provide some more input. I used some ideas from your set-up and some of them worked for me and other needs some "tuning" on my part so thanks for putting the article together.

    From many minutes of internet research the place I'd be concerned with is probably Wyoming as well.
    I think I had read somewhere that Shrewd (my apologies if I am confusing with someone else) went to ground a bit more because of wanting to hang with other hikers. That will definitely influence things. One guy I knew in 2016 never slept on the ground on the PCT. That being said, I believe he hiked alone for much of the southern third.

    Glad the articles gave some assistance.

    The Basin will be ground bound most likely.
    AT 2011, PCT 2012, LT 2013, WT 2013, JMT 2014, TRT 2014, WT 2014, AZT 2015, PCT 2016, CT 2017, MSR 2017, GET 2018, GDT 2018, TRT 2018, JMT 2018, MRT 2019, CDT 2020/2021
    My trail journals, tips, interviews - http://longdistancehiker.com (Trail Name 'Beardoh')

  9. #9
    Two Speed's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Chop View Post
    I think I had read somewhere that Shrewd (my apologies if I am confusing with someone else) went to ground a bit more because of wanting to hang with other hikers. That will definitely influence things. One guy I knew in 2016 never slept on the ground on the PCT. That being said, I believe he hiked alone for much of the southern third.

    Glad the articles gave some assistance.

    The Basin will be ground bound most likely.
    I left a little early on the PCT and did hike more alone than with a group in the dessert. I remember a lot of it not being that great for large group camping. If someone wants to camp with others who aren't hammocking that can definitely influence gear choices. At least at this point there is some info out in the interwebs world so folks can know what to expect.

    Have you been in any very windy and torrential downpour type weather in your ground tarp set-up? Camping places that are fairly exposed with a non-free standing shelter always seems a little dicey to me but I guess that can be solved with good planning.

  10. #10
    Senior Member Chop's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Two Speed View Post
    Have you been in any very windy and torrential downpour type weather in your ground tarp set-up? Camping places that are fairly exposed with a non-free standing shelter always seems a little dicey to me but I guess that can be solved with good planning.
    Thankfully, not a ton of bad weather with just the hammock tarp....Just a few times. One spot in the 30 mile, above treeline, section of the Colorado Trail it was fairly exposed with strong winds and rain. We setup in between some bushes and that worked OK. Terrible night of sleep on lumpy ground in the area that had the best exposure protection.

    On the Oregon Desert Trail, we started with a hammock tarp and had fairly strong winds a few times along with rain. Using bushes we could pitch the hammock tarp pretty tight…and had enough protection with it pitched low.

    Using Hammock Gear’s hammock tarp that has a catenary cut has been good. The cat cut helps to get a nice pitch.

    I don’t love crawling under a low pitch tarp, as was required with wind and rain on the ODT. At 6’5” it is a trick to get out to pee from underneath it and not wake up my wife.

    At this point, we have done enough miles on trails where we have not taken a hammock for part or all of the trail and feel pretty functional as tarp users. It does take some extra effort to find a good spot on occasion...but it is not too bad. Plenty of folks rely on a tarp only shelter for their ground sleeping for all of their hiking, and they seem to do OK.
    AT 2011, PCT 2012, LT 2013, WT 2013, JMT 2014, TRT 2014, WT 2014, AZT 2015, PCT 2016, CT 2017, MSR 2017, GET 2018, GDT 2018, TRT 2018, JMT 2018, MRT 2019, CDT 2020/2021
    My trail journals, tips, interviews - http://longdistancehiker.com (Trail Name 'Beardoh')

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