Originally Posted by
chef4
I recently completed an AT flip flop thruhike (VA to Katahdin, Springer to VA) using my hammock(s), and will provide a brief summary of my experience aimed at those who may want to do this. I began preparing for the hike several years ago, when I switched from my Duplex tent to a hammock, so I had made a number of short trips for equipment testing, in addition to the usual backyard testing. My preparation was enhanced through the tremendous resources of Hammockforums and those who post highly relevant topics, comments and videos here. A highlight of my trip was meeting for dinner with CMoulder during the hike, to share hammock and backpacking stories, as I had relied on him for some very helpful preparation advice.
I started north in midApril in Shenandoah with a Dreamhammock Darien and 20 degree TQ/UQ combination, and an HG DCF tarp with doors, switched to a 40 degree setup in the warmer months, then back to the 20 degree setup at the end (which was delayed into December due to a 2 month layoff for foot injuries). Having a tarp with doors was very useful for cold, windy nights spent on ridgelines, more than just staying dry; in early December I added an UQ protector for more warmth. Many of the shelter and campsites are on fairly exposed ridgeline, since of course the AT runs along ridges, or in gaps that channel the wind; these sites often have great views but can expose you to shifting winds on cold nights. When it got really cold and windy I would try to descend at night to protected areas, which also have the advantage of more reliable access to water.
After I tore the Darien through user error, I completed the trip with a WB Eldorado. I had initially chosen the Darien for weight savings, and both were similarly comfortable. On a rare occasion when I was eating dinner in my hammock during a heavy storm, I dropped some food in the hammock, and while reaching back for it fell backwards into the hammock like an upside down turtle. While trying to spin back out I tore the mtn 1.3 fabric, but I think even heavier fabric might have torn. This does point out that thruhikers tend to abuse their equipment as an inherent part of the longterm effort, so having a backup hammock available for mailing is a good idea, rather than waiting for a new order. After a long day hiking 20-24 miles you have a lot of fatigue, you’re often in a hurry to set up before darkness, and you’re more likely to make mistakes that can lead to equipment damage (and personal injury). One aspect of the Eldorado that was superior to the Darien was dual zippers on the WB; since I used a ¾ length UQ I had to make adjustments at times for cold spots, which is much easier with two zippers, and in my opinion worth the extra carry weight.
While I had some initial concerns about finding adequate trees during the hike, particularly in the Northeast (potentially above treeline), as others have noted in this Forum it is easy to hammock on the AT. I typically stopped near shelters, but only spent 3 nights in shelters as I don’t like sleeping in them. Almost all shelters have trees suitable for hammocking nearby, with the additional advantages of a picnic table, water source, privy, and some great conversations. Using these areas also reduces the dispersion of damage to wooded sites; while there are obviously plenty of trees elsewhere on the trail, many are in areas with heavy undergrowth that makes it more difficult to find a clear spot, and I didn’t want to clear brush under my hammock as a part of LNT principles. I used 15 foot Dutchware spider straps, which gave me a lot of flexibility for tree selection, although I think 8 or 12 foot would have been fine; the Eldorado seems to set up better with a really high foot hang, and having longer straps made this easier. There are a lot of dead and dying trees on the AT due to disease and past fires, which was worst in parts of Virginia, so I had to spend significant time avoiding tree hazards (which of course threaten tents as well). After leaf fall it became more difficult to setup after dark, as it is a lot harder to judge the health of your hanging trees at night. Low-lying areas near creeks in the south can be a problem, due to heavy laurel and rhododendron growth, and a relative absence of good trees, but typically if you hike uphill a half mile or so you can find plenty of adequate trees.
I carried my old torso-length uberlight pad as a backup for nights I had to go to ground; given that this was only 4 nights, if I did it over I’d leave it behind, and use my empty pack and sit pad as ground insulation for those rare occasions. I had had concerns about hammocking in New Hampshire, but the tenting areas there are fine for hammocking, and one isn’t allowed to camp above treeline in most areas anyway (and it’s cold up there).
You occasionally run into some odd situations. In NH several camphosts told me to set up over tent platforms; then I had to deal with angry tenters who showed up later, so I stopped doing this (and those platforms increase undersplash). A ranger at a NY state park told me no hammocks were allowed at any NY state parks, although I only found one that enforced this. You have to be careful at a number of campsites that have areas taped off for reforestation, which reduces available trees; you also want to avoid campsite ‘sprawl’ by inadvertently enlarging campsite areas through your choice of hammock location, if possible. In the Smoky mountains thruhikers are required to sleep in shelters unless they are full, but this rule was suspended due to Covid this year. I doubt that this is rigidly enforced in other years, and there are plenty of great trees near the shelters. One reason I avoid shelters is due to loud snoring (interestingly this seems more common for short term backpackers, as thruhikers lose weight [30 lbs in my case] and seem to snore less); however, not uncommonly someone would set up their tent near me and snore all night, so I tried to pick spots away from obvious tent sites, typically on slopes.
One more thing I learned the hard way is, don’t hang too close to a fire ring; someone may come along later and want a fire, which is hazardous to your tarp and hammock, they will often stay up later and keep you awake, and the ash debris on the ground from overused fire pits tends to get on your belongings. On one particularly bad night at a NE hostel the drunken revelers were up until near midnight, and decided to burn whole pizza boxes, which then blew into the air while still alight; I had to temporarily take down my highly flammable tarp until I convinced them to cut that 'stuff' out. I used to enjoy fires in the back country, but my thruhiking experience has convinced me they should really only be done in highly developed campsite areas, to contain the damage that is inherent in this practice. In the Smokies, where dispersed camping is banned, the trail has a visibly more natural ‘feel’ to it, which I think is due in part to the lack of campfire activities outside of organized camping areas.
Two items that made a major difference were bugnet snakeskins from SLD. For my tarp it seemed obvious to add this, but it was also worth it for the hammock, which I could stuff in my pack with both quilts and my pillow in the snakeskin, and there was a useful strap pocket to remind me not to leave these behind (which I saw happen several times on the trail, a real disaster). On the AT you want to do everything the same way most times, to avoid leaving things behind, and the hammock tarp sleeve helped with that, in addition to making it easier to compress the bulky quilts in the bottom of my pack. It's great to be able to make and break camp really efficiently, particularly on windy, wet days, keeping sleeping gear off the wet ground.
In summary my hammock made a huge difference on my AT thruhike, I can’t imagine doing this with a tent and pad setup. I would encourage anyone considering this to go for it.
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