Planning a trip where I will be both above and under tree line, hammock setup?

[Kalle Mandelstam]

I' thinking about taking a trip into the mountains in northern Sweden next summer. Previous times I've been there I've been tent camping but now I want to see if I can make a setup that could work both under and above the tree line. Tarp, hammock and insulation that will work well on ground as well as suspended.

Anyone with experience with this kind of "all purpose, any eventuality setup"?

I've seen a few videos on how to setup a hammock on ground (Shug's among others). They are all aimed at situations where you are forced to go to ground for a night, kind of in an emergency. I know I'll be forced to go to ground some nights and I kind of want to make it as pleasurable and convenient as possible. What kind of tarp would you use? Tweaks to the hammock or bug net? I'm thinking of adding a couple of spreader bars to the bug net that I can hang from the tarp ridgeline for instance. An easily removable ridgeline for the hammock. I'm also thinking of adding four tie outs to the hammock to spread it out on ground. Like a ground bug bivy basically.

Bottom insulation will have to be an inflatable pad. Some form of groundsheet (DCF?).

I'm a DIY:er so I'm not really limited to commercially available options and I'm expecting to make most of the gear myself.

Why not just use a tent? I'm kind of over tents, don't really like them anymore. If I wouldn't be using this hammock setup I'd probably use something like a MLD Trailstar ground tarp with some kind of bug bivy. But then I wouldn't have the option of going suspended when the opportunity is there.

[MutterMumble]

Are you looking for an ideal system from scratch? If you share what you already have it might change the suggestions.

Also what parts are non negotiable and what is your goal? Lightest weight? Smallest pack size? Biggest crossover/least “extra” items?

[Kalle Mandelstam]

Are you looking for an ideal system from scratch? If you share what you already have it might change the suggestions.

Also what parts are non negotiable and what is your goal? Lightest weight? Smallest pack size? Biggest crossover/least “extra” items?

I'm kind of looking for an ideal system from scratch I guess. Weight is a priority but I'm not counting grams. But it should be light weight.

I guess what I'm really after is how could I prep and tweak my normal hammock setup to make it more ground friendly. Does that make sense? Sorry if I'm not being clear.

For a tarp I'm considering a hex tarp with doors even if it'll be during summer to be able to close it up more as it can be quite windy up there above the tree line and the direction (and weather) can change pretty fast. I really like the Trailstar tarp/shelter but with the central pole it's not really adaptable for hammock use.

[Geocodyrgia]

Probably not what you're looking for, but I tend to carry some gear in my pack in the event I can't hang. First off the gear I usually use: DoubleNest with a SRL that stays on it, footprint from my Kelty tent (put my shoes, pack, etc on there at night in case ground is wet), Chill Gorilla Fortress tarp (for the end beaks and I like the extra size), 2x 6' pieces of poly webbing with descender ring figure-eighted in the middle as tree straps, about 75' of Amsteel I use as my suspension with a UCR on one side and tiny s-biners prussiked in the middle for holding the tarp taught.

For "in case of ground" situations I have a set of Gossamer gear poles from their 1/2 tent and a Klymit Luxe inflatable pad (yes, its huge, my elbows hang off the sides of anything more narrow). When I have to go to ground I lay out my tarp, put the poles a couple feet farther apart, run a ridgeline between them and staked down on the ends, then drape the tarp over the ridgeline and stake out. Its a real PITA to get up, especially getting the poles up and secured (securing the rope to two points, usually the tarp stakes can work pretty well if you lean the pole away). I've tried a variation using my trekking pole to make an entrance with the tarp and just staking down the back end. That worked pretty well. I'd do it more than a couple times just to see if its worthwhile for you. I've often debated on just rolling myself up in my tarp instead of all the rest, but staking down the back side of the tarp and propping the front with a trekking pole wasn't too bad.

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[OutandBack]

I live in Colorado and hammock camp above and below treeline. I just bring my normal hammock kit and add a pad. Above treeline using my hiking poles I make a lean-to with my tarp and sleep on the ground with the pad.

[cougarmeat]

Given that you know you will be going to ground, if you have a sleeping bag, it might be more comfortable to bring it and use it unzipped as a top quilt when you are using the hammock. Given that you expect some wind, consider using two guylines coming off each hiking pole in a “V” for extra support. Your pad will mostly determine the edges of your cocoon so you don’t need to tie out the hammock bottom. I’m assuming the number of nights on the ground will be less than those using the hammock so a few nights of “not as comfortable” would be tolerable. You are just going to crawl inside and go to sleep.

You know about the bug situation at your location but around here - above the tree line, in August, with a breeze, there is minimal chance of bug harassment. I’ve been sleeping outside without a net for the last two weeks. But if I were in the woods, I’d at least bring a HUG net - just in case - because it only takes one mosquito buzzing in my ear to ruin a night’s sleep.

As always, if you have an opportunity to try your setup at home first, before you take off, do it. No matter how much you think, ask, research the aspects, there is nothing like actually setting up on the ground to try it out.

Below is a photo of a “proof of concept” where I was showing a friend that my hammock would back a better “tent” than his tent would make a hammock. Because I kayak, weight isn’t so important so I carry two collapsible poles (instead of hiking poles). I’m suspending the tarp with the poles, I have a plastic sheet on the ground, then a therm-a-rest pad, then the hammock. I tied the bugnet to the poles to life it off my face. Not the best situation, but it worked enough to show I would be fine if we had to stay at a treeless area.

Hammockastent1.jpg

[Kallorne]

I live in Colorado and hammock camp above and below treeline. I just bring my normal hammock kit and add a pad. Above treeline using my hiking poles I make a lean-to with my tarp and sleep on the ground with the pad.

I do this also. Klymit makes a hammock specific pad that is shaped like the SPE that Speer and many DIYers have been using for many years: https://klymit.com/products/insulate...31722980442202

[MutterMumble]

My approach would just be to take my amok draumr setup with some additional ground protection to protect the hammock on the ground and walking poles to provide support to the tarp and hammock ends.

Because it is already relying on a pad for insulation and it has an attached, zippered bugnet you can enter from whatever angle you want, there’s really very little needed to adapt to the ground. That’s part of why I went with the draumr in the first place.

Are you ruling out “stands” like trekking treez?

https://www.tensaoutdoor.com/product...rekking-treez/

If you’ve got faith in them then you don’t ever technically go to ground…

If I had someone on hand to build me my dream setup then I’d go with a suitable tarp for the weather, a netless double layer hammock (to use pad), and a custom made bugnet that could be set up as an effective tent inner, and a bathtub floor with sewn channels that could double as a gear hammock.

[cmoulder]

I live in Colorado and hammock camp above and below treeline. I just bring my normal hammock kit and add a pad. Above treeline using my hiking poles I make a lean-to with my tarp and sleep on the ground with the pad.

Similar to this, I just add a 47"x25" air mat and a 4'x8' polycryo (1.5mil) ground sheet.

However, I very much dislike air mat in a hammock so I'll carry the UQ as well.

[Bob-W]

I've come to hammocking from tarp camping rather than tent camping. My first impressions of hammock tarps was "They're huge!", my standard go-to tarp for ground camping is just 2.5m x 1.5m in size, that's a bikini sized Asym tarp in the hammocking world. A typical Hex tarp when used on the ground would be big enough for two people.

So if you've a tarp that's suitable for hammocking then it's going to be more than big enough when on the ground. The real problem isn't coverage but support. One idea I've had, but not had chance to implement it, is to use internal pole mods so rather than an A-frame on the ground you have a hoop. I don't know how sturdy it would be but most tents these days use similar poles so *should* be OK. If you are DIYing then you should be able to work things out.

I rarely bother with a groundsheet but do have some Tyvek that can be used for that purpose.

I've bikepacked with kit for both hammock and ground eventualities and the extra weight amounted to about 700g - 430g for an inflatable sleeping mat, 170g for a lightweight bivy bag to keep the bugs off and 100g for poles. In terms of volume I'd say it was about 1.5 litres. That was my first such trip so a bit of a learning curve.