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Thread: Going to ground

  1. #1
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    Going to ground

    In a couple weeks 3 of us hammock hangers are heading out to Pictured Rocks, a heavily traveled area. We have the required reservations etc for campsites. However, in the past, on other hikes, it has not always been easy to find enough trees for all three of us to hang…although we have managed.
    So my question is, I don’t want to carry extra weight for a ground pad etc… if I can help it, “just in case I have to go to ground”. The only things I can think of is #1 carry a ground pad and live with the extra weight (10 - 20 oz) just in case or #2 put a piece of plastic/Tyvek down and sleep on the hard lumpy ground. While my hiking poles would probably hold up my tarp they aren’t going to cut it for the hammock. I guess I could also cut out some of my items that we all 3 will have like 1st aid kit etc…figuring to “share” the weight that way.
    Any of you that have had this situation I’d be very glad to hear what you did.

  2. #2
    all secure in sector 7 Shug's Avatar
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    Here is some dreaded going to ground insight......
    Shug

    Whooooo Buddy)))) All Secure in Sector Seven

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    Thanks Shug. I’ve watched your vid before but need to watch it again. I just hate that hard lumpy ground lol.

  4. #4
    all secure in sector 7 Shug's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Longwinters View Post
    Thanks Shug. I’ve watched your vid before but need to watch it again. I just hate that hard lumpy ground lol.
    Bring a pad for sure. May as well sleep as well as you can on ground.
    Whooooo Buddy)))) All Secure in Sector Seven

  5. #5
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    As with every time this comes up… there is the standard advice (make sure you have a pad and you probably want a groundsheet) but beyond that if you want tips you’ll need to provide more info. What kind of setup do you normally have? Separate bugnet? Integrated? Tarp type and shape etc.

    Take your tarp out and do some ground pitches. An a-frame is going to be possible with what you have but you might be able to do better with a few extra stakes, lines and tie out points.

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    When I'm unsure of finding suitable hanging sites, I leave the UQ at home and take my Thermarest Prolite (short) pad. No matter what, I take half a z-rest pad for lounging and the occasional ground night.

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    Here is my three-step approach:

    #1. If I am almost sure I will have to go to ground, I bewail my grievous fate and bring a tent with a full pad. If it's windy on open ground, it's just easier than dealing with a tarp. This has happened once in my life, when I visited southern Utah.
    #2. If I am pretty sure I can hang, I throw the dice, and just bring the hammock with UQ. This has always worked for me in Minnesota.
    #3. This is the tricky one: I think I can hang, but it's possible I might want to camp above treeline, or some other issue, such as Isle Royale, where the rules are rather restrictive (you can hang, but only over the tent pads). Then I bring the hammock and UQ, but with a Klymit Inertia X-Lite pad as a very minimalist backup. It packs small and weighs only 6 oz, so it's an acceptable trade-off. Would it work? Good question; I have never actually had to sleep on the darn thing. My guess is it would not be great, but better than nothing.

  8. #8
    Senior Member Eclectic's Avatar
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    Have you looked into the Tensa Solo pole? With four hammockers in our family, it can sometimes be difficult to find enough trees for all of us to hang - let alone be somewhat near to each other. So my husband bought a Tensa 4 (for car camping) with the optional accessories to convert it to a Tensa Solo when we are backpacking. We have not used the solo yet, but will likely do so in the next few months.

    It is extra weight, but might be better than carrying a sleeping pad.

  9. #9
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    Thankyou all for the advice. I’m 64 and had two heart attacks this year. So I am looking to go light. But I don’t think that I can keep total weight at what I would like…under 21 lbs. with the hammock setup etc. probably could with my duplex but I hate trying to sleep on the ground even with my Nemo Tensor. I’ll have to keep going over my pack to see what I can drop.
    Thanks again.

  10. #10
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    Consider using a single Tensa Trekking Treez pole as a hiking stick/staff, which would leave ground anchors (I recommend their Boomstakes) and guy lines as the carried weight. There might not always be two trees to hang your hammock, with this approach, you only need one to make it work!


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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