"What is it? I haven't seen one before"

**iPlod** · 11-22-2021, 01:30

I recently had the pleasure of 12 days walking the Great South West Walk in Portland (Victoria, Australia). On one day I arrived into camp early and spent a leisurely afternoon enjoying the peaceful surrounds.

A hiker arrived just after 4pm. After chatting with him briefly he went to set up his tent. The campsite had a lot of room to pitch a tent - there were only four of us there but for some reason he pitched his tent right next to my tarp. So close that when he was pushing in one of his tent pegs he actually tripped on one of my tie-outs! Dude, why so close?! I was a bit taken aback and said nothing. After he finished setting up he must have sensed something was amiss and he asked me while gesturing at the tarp "Is someone sleeping there?" When I said yes he asked "Oh! What is it? I've never seen one before." When I told him it was a tarp with a hammock underneath he was quite surprised. He thought maybe someone was hanging clothes underneath, like it was some kind of drying room! We had a laugh and he moved his tent.

This close...
1 Tent.jpg

I had another admirer come visit but this one kept a respectable distance...
1 Roo.jpg

**cmoulder** · 11-22-2021, 06:13

Maybe your camo worked so well he didn't see it!

I remember the first time (around 2014, I think) I saw a backpacker using a hammock and big tarp and I was a bit puzzled at first. But I certainly wouldn't have pitched a tent right next to it without first finding out what it was, and it was clearly a shelter of some sort.

There is sometimes a tendency for people to want to cluster closely together for 'safety.' Easily cured by some loud snoring and passing of gas and thrashing about during the night with a bright headlamp.

**sparky32** · 11-22-2021, 06:45

Originally Posted by cmoulder

Easily cured by some loud snoring and passing of gas and thrashing about during the night with a bright headlamp.

Yep, that would do it!

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**Benjo75** · 11-22-2021, 08:28

I want as far away from everything else as possible. No way I would have setup that close to a laundromat.

**mmveets** · 11-22-2021, 09:11

Originally Posted by Benjo75

I want as far away from everything else as possible. No way I would have setup that close to a laundromat.

:-)

**bsteele** · 11-23-2021, 10:25

Originally Posted by iPlod

He thought maybe someone was hanging clothes underneath, like it was some kind of drying room!

Haha, not the first thing that would have come to my mind I don't think but interesting thought. Great story & glad you both could have a laugh about it. I wonder if he is still replaying the gaffe in his mind over and over and over... or maybe that's just me when I do something silly like that

**Dublinlin** · 11-23-2021, 13:26

Originally Posted by iPlod

I recently had the pleasure of 12 days walking the Great South West Walk in Portland (Victoria, Australia). On one day I arrived into camp early and spent a leisurely afternoon enjoying the peaceful surrounds.

A hiker arrived just after 4pm. After chatting with him briefly he went to set up his tent. The campsite had a lot of room to pitch a tent - there were only four of us there but for some reason he pitched his tent right next to my tarp. So close that when he was pushing in one of his tent pegs he actually tripped on one of my tie-outs! Dude, why so close?! I was a bit taken aback and said nothing. After he finished setting up he must have sensed something was amiss and he asked me while gesturing at the tarp "Is someone sleeping there?" When I said yes he asked "Oh! What is it? I've never seen one before." When I told him it was a tarp with a hammock underneath he was quite surprised. He thought maybe someone was hanging clothes underneath, like it was some kind of drying room! We had a laugh and he moved his tent.

This close...
1 Tent.jpg

I had another admirer come visit but this one kept a respectable distance...
1 Roo.jpg

What a cool (SECOND) admirer!

Once, some children day hiking past the campsite where my daughters and I had our tarped hammocks pitched excitedly ran back to hurry their parents more quickly down the trail to “Come see the FLOATING tents!!!”

**ofuros** · 11-23-2021, 16:36

Originally Posted by iPlod

The campsite had a lot of room to pitch a tent - there were only four of us there but for some reason he pitched his tent right next to my tarp. So close that when he was pushing in one of his tent pegs he actually tripped on one of my tie-outs!