Tricks for dealing with high wind?

[mcimes]

I've been lucky in that I've had relatively calm weather for all my hammock camping trips so far. This weekend ill be camping with Temps near freezing and a 20+mph wind. Chilly!

I have 20* quilts and will bring a UQP. I have the HG Journey tarp and will use the doors. I know to pitch it in the most sheltered area I can find, low to the ground, and at an angle to the wind (not perp or parallel). Ill also have smartwool base layers and a fleece and puffy as a backup so I'm not really worried about freezing as much as maximizing comfort and sleep.

Other than those strategies, what should I do to mitigate the wind?

Thanks!

[TallPaul]

I’d say you pretty well have it.
Snakeskins can help manage the tarp in the wind while setting up/breaking down.
They help keep tour guylines from being a tangled mess as well (ask me how I know).
If your stakes are in soft ground, tying to a tree root or some other immovable object helps. Carrying an extra bit of guyline can help with this. Or putting rocks on top of the stakes.
And don’t forget to check for widow makers / limbs hanging above. Easy to forget if you are cold or there’s wind / rain but it’s the most important time.
Let us know how it goes. Good luck!

[Shug]

Helps to build a low snow wall around the tarp...if you are in a snow location.
Shug

[mcimes]

Thank you both.

Yes, widow makers are top of mind for me as a pair of hikers had a fully healthy palm tree fall on them and were air lifted out of there a couple weeks ago! The report said the tree appeared healthy, not burned, not rotten. Just really unlucky people I guess! But I'll definitely give them all a good stare down, shaking, look for any signs of cracking or rot, and hopefully find a spot on the south flank of the mountain as North winds are predicted. Luckily the peaks are over 1000' above me so less wind should make it to the valley floor.

No snow Shug, but thats good to remember as I'll be in snow at some point im sure. Im hiking back to a hot spring way back in the Los Padres Forest. It comes out of the mountain at over 150* so I guess if Im cold I could lay my pillow on the side of the stream once it cools off after a mile or so Actually I might do that first thing in the morning with some coffee in hand. That sounds nice

[cougarmeat]

Before I got snake skins, the Wind vs cougarmeat score was 2 - 0. That 11 ft tarp, blowing around was a monster to corral. After I started using skins, the score is now 2 - 4 in my favor and I don’t see the wind winning again anytime soon.

There are two ideas in pitch. Some like to pitch the tarp so the wind hits it broadside. The idea was, that wide side of the tarp will provide the most protection. I used to think that way. Now, I try to set up so I am parallel to the wind. That presents less surface area for the wind to push against and the support trees also provide some blockage. My experience was, instead of the wind pushing the tarp into the hammock when it was broadside, when it was parallel the aerodynamic forces provided lift and the side were billowing out, away from the hammock.

So that means you need to watch your tie-outs. They may hold against a pull, but will they hold against a lift. Put those stakes in at an angle, not straight down.

[gooless]

Internal pole mods are nice if you don't mind the weight.

FWIW I just did a similar night of 15-20 mph sustained wind all night with gusts to 30 and a temp of 26-29f with similar gear: 20 TQ and 20+3oz UQ (HG econ) under a similar DW winter tarp and was toasty warm w/o an underquilt protector in a kleenex-like cloud71 netless.

The hang was exposed and largely perpendicular to the wind but just outside a home so did throw a fleece blanket on top of the TQ although it didn't feel necessary. HG temperature ratings are spot on. I would choose a different pillow from my usual half-deflated inflatable version as my head got a little chilled in spite of my hat when the wind was just right.

Unweighted stakes would not have made it on anything but the best of soil so put rocks on them or use solid holds if you can.

[mcimes]

Well I just got back. Luckily only saturday night had high winds. Overall it went well. I was pretty warm, and the only discomfort was my fault with a less than perfect hang. I was extremely tired after doing 20 miles with ~32lb pack. It was my fault, not the gear. But I slept fine. The california mountain soil around me is very soft and sandy. I hauled over 6 large rocks to hold the stakes down and they were 100% needed. I bent my first V stake from the wind, so that tell you it was blowing pretty good!
I would have had ZERO chance of setting up the tarp without a snake skin. Seriously people, get a SS now.

The Sunday night I moved up to the main camp as everyone left and I got a private spot next to the hot spring. No wind, didnt even set up the tarp, just slept under the bug net and had one of the best nights of sleep ever.

One thing I noticed that increased comfort a lot - on my Dutch Chameleon each end has a Hook, Hook,D-ring, D-ring. Normally on the foot end I only hook my UQ main suspension in the first hook nearest the end of the hammock. When I lay diagonol sometimes the quilt wants to slup under my feet if I dont get the quilt suspension or hammock hang quite right. I found I can stuff the shock cord through the next hook as well, making a pocket for my feet (so the qult is held up by 2 of the hooks on each end. This decreased drafts, increased the overall warmth, and made the lay more comfortable as the hotdog-bun shaped UQ is now pulled into more of the Asym parallelogram that Asym hanging makes.

Anyways, my take aways are
Hang low
Have a snake skin
Use at least 6 stakes
Weight the stakes down with rocks
Panel pulls are extremely helpful controlling the tarp blowing down on you
The UQP helped with drafts
UQ fit is even more important than usual. If you have any gaps, you will know!

[Canadark]

Another possible aid in decreasing any gappage in the underquilt is to use some Ridgeline Quilt Hooks that Dutch sells. I have no personal experience but they certainly look like they would help keep things snug underneath you. I've ordered some and am hoping they solve some of my GE underquilt problems that are exacerbated by any wind. You can see these doohickeys at about 7:35 into this video from Dutch: https://youtu.be/C0UBVPRjV1I

[TallPaul]

Thanks for the follow up. How was the hot spring?

[mcimes]

The hot spring was one of the most amazing places I've ever been in my life and I've seen my fair share of beautiful nature. The california wilderness does not have the same kind of epic-awe inspiring views as places like the rockies, but has other oddities like our ever flowing springs, watering holes, and hot springs.

This hot spring has at least 5 source springs that I found. Someone told me it comes out of the mountain at 130-160* depending on when and which source you're looking at. I touched the source water and it was uncomfortable to touch for a split second so I'd believe the 150ish temp no problem.

As you go about 200 yards down the canyon it starts to cool off enough to sit in and people have made pools anywhere they can. The first pool I found was too warm and I overheated after a few minutes. It felt slightly hotter than the hottest hot tub I've been in, so if a regular tub is 104*, I bet this pool was like 106 or something.

I drank coffee in the pool then packed up camp, originally intending to hike back 7 miles so I would only have to do 10 on the last day. After I was packed I walked back to the pools to sit in them again but everyone left and I could take the only spot next to the stream that had trees for a hammock, and also had the nicest hot pool on the whole creek. It was a perfect temp, 100 maybe? I never overheated but also never acclimated to it.

I setup camp next to the stream for night 2, sat in it for an hour, ate dinner, sat in the stream, started a fire, sat in the stream. As the sun set I laid back and noticed the silhouette of a mountain goat on the ridge. very serene.
I inflated a ziploc bag as a pillow, and the pool had a perfect rock at an angle like a recliner. I almost fell asleep under the moonlight in the pool! it was epic. One of the coolest experiences I've ever had.

In the summer there can be 20+ groups in the main valley. On sunday night there was only 1 other group and they were 200 yards up the canyon. I basically had the place to myself.

People keep them away during the busy times, but I saw 13 mountain goats and got very close to one on accident! I was at the top of the valley hanging out and the sheep/goats came down a small side canyon. I watched them slowly meander down the main canyon and thought they had all moved on so I started heading back towards camp in the same general direction as them. As I crested a small ridge I came upon a solo sheep, probably the herd 'sweeper' keeping an eye on their back, I was probably 50 feet from him. He noticed me immediately and I slowly backed away. I went into the middle of the canyon and proceeded downward some more. The sheep came to the edge of the gully and watched me for a bit, before crossing over and joining the other dozen sheep on the far side of the canyon. I really wanted to see sheep and was very pleased with the whole experience.

My feet feel like hell. The hike in I got half dollar sized blisters. Didnt walk much day 2, at least nothing with a pack, and the way out was 17 miles of hell, but I stopped a couple times to enjoy my feet in the ice cold creek water and some scenic vistas at the high points. In spite of serious pain and 8 hours of hard trekking, I'm already contemplating when I can go back there. My pack was around 34 lbs including required starting water of ~2L and a pound of Makers Mark for the evenings. I probably wont go again until I can get into the mid-high 20's for pack weight. If I could get to 27lbs i'd feel a lot better about doing it again. I easily had 2lb extra clothes and 1lb extra food. If I started early in the morning I could cover enough 'dry' miles I could cut 2lb water (2nd half of hike has lots of stream crossings), so that gets me to 29lb right there.

I have always set up my tarp but the 2nd night by the stream I didnt. It was great! Since im in SoCal and we literally have like 10 rainy days a year here, if its not terribly windy but still chilly (30-45*ish) is there any reason not to go with just a solid cover? I think I'll order the solid Dutch cover and can drop the tarp on most trips.

Last,

Pics
View from the trail head
Attachment 184467

Pretty view on the trail
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Scenery
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First Night Setup on the edge of a small ridge. Worked nice to have 0 distance to the ground on one side. Other side had ~12" clearance to the ground.
Attachment 184470

Main hot spring pool
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Goat up close
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Forgot to rotate this 90* clockwise - This is the helicopter landing skid from a rescue chopper. 2 people were medivac'd out of here after a Widow Maker almost killed the guy and moderately injured the girl the week before.
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A couple was almost taken out by a widowmaker and had tro be medivac'd. Here is their tent. I think they both made it out ok.
https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/lo...er/6725956002/
The tent of the rescued couple. Note the 3 large holes in it!
Attachment 184474

The camp site where the tent was found. Lots of old dying oaks with dead fall all around them. Its an established spot, but is pretty sketchy in my book.
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A mountain goat stands watch on the ridgeline above me at sunset
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2nd night campsite, standing at stream looking in
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2nd night campsite, standing just behind hammock looking out
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A video of me in the upper pool