Hammock camping in the rain

[jeepmaxx]

Had my 1st experience hammocking in the rain last weekend. Luckily the rain really started after going to bed and stopped before the morning (Hard rain from around 11pm till 6am). My set up worked pretty well but looking at a couple tweaks.

My question here is not so much about the setup but what do you do with your wet gear at night if you are hiking in the rain all day. Do you just stuff wet rain gear in front pocket of pack or try to hang in under the tarp somewhere, and if so how do you keep it from getting hammock and quilts wet?

Any good tips for dealing with rain/wet gear?

Thanks all.

[Rhody Seth]

I set up the tarp first to give myself cover and then proceed to careful arrange my gear under the safety of my shelter. I bring a big foam pad, not for sleeping but for sorting my gear and keeping it off he ground. I make sure to keep extra clothes in a dry bag while hiking and I'm careful to not get them or my quilts wet. Usually I'm just putting wet gear back on in the morning before heading out.

[Alamosa]

Agree with Rhody Seth. Setting up the tarp first for a dry place to work is key. Caution keeping everything dry is next. Hang anything you want to dry (or keep dry) from the ends of the hammock - pack on one end, wet clothes on the other. Hang from not draped over to keep water from running down the suspension.

I sat out a 36 hour absolute downpour under my tarp keeping everything dry this way. Wearing my rain gear each time I went out to check on the boat and stretch my legs and hanging them back on the end that was most likely to have the rain blowing in. It actually provided additional coverage to that end of the hammock.

Otherwise, me and the dog spent a lot of time looking at each other. Keeping him from rubbing his wet fur on the hammock was the biggest challenge.

[cougarmeat]

Hopefully, you only have one or two things that are wet - an outer jacket and maybe rain pants. Maybe a hat too. Those can be hung on the hammock suspension under the tarp. One reason why I'm a fan of larger than "just the minimum" tarps. I use a UQP to keep anything wet from brushing up against the UQ.

If you can keep warm enough, and stay dry under a tarp, sitting out while it is raining, even with a little wind, is kinda cool.

[jakev383]

I've hiked in rain gear while it was raining. As others mentioned, I set up my tarp first (Superfly with doors - I too am a fan of a larger tarp). I hang my pack from a tree while I work with it's rain cover on. It's a bit awkward for a bit, but I don't currently carry a ground cloth (until I find a scrap piece of Tyvek anyway). I then setup my hammock and I can usually leave my pack where it is with it's rain cover on, but if it's really coming down then I will hang the pack from my hammock suspension under the tarp with the doors closed. I 3D printed some hooks to hang my rain gear from while I let it dry which hooks either onto the continuous loop at the end of my hammock or the hammock suspension - very similar to the "utility hook" that Dutchware sells.
I use an underquilt from Simply Light Designs which is also an underquilt protector on the outside, but I usually do not get any splash up on it anyway.

[SilvrSurfr]

I've actually gone swimming with my backpack (more than once, in winter), and nothing got wet. Of course, I use waterproof stuff sacks, then everything goes in a garbage bag liner in my pack.

I hear people pooh-poohing stuff sacks, and they say they just stuff everything in the pack loose, but my experience of swimming with my pack and everything stayed dry leads me away from that idea.

[cmoulder]

Good tips here... just try everything and see what works.

Keep in mind that if you're backpacking in the rain with persistent precip, fog and high relative humidity all day and night, the only time you'll actually be 'dry' dry is after you've changed into your dry set of layers and are ensconced in your dry quilts. Everything else is just some degree of dampness, right up to soggy wet. Don't change into that dry set until all other chores are done; that dry set *must* remain dry.

Unless the rain stops and relative humidity drops, it is pointless to hang up wet clothing so I simply put it into a plastic grocery bag. Maybe wring it out if it's wet enough to do so. Putting the wet clothes back on in the morning is something you'll dread, however once you've done it a couple of times you'll see it isn't so bad once you busy yourself with morning tasks.

Hopefully... the next day there's a nice, dry stretch during the day when you can have a 'drying party' and spread everything out to dry. Spread out the quilts as well because they too will have collected a little bit of moisture, at least. Many times I've been surprised at how damp quilts can get even though they seemed fairly dry when I packed them in the morning.

[Rolloff]

It really makes a difference, if you can, to use the main internal space of any pack to hold all and only the things you need to actually stay dry. Mine goes pillow on the bottom, TQ, Hammock, DH gear sling for clothes.

Everything else is in an outside compartment.

When I get to camp. Suspension and tarp go up, no matter what. Since my tarp and hammock share the same suspension, once the tarp is up and a dry space has been established, I can set out my groundsheet, chair, cook, watch it rain, or actually and finally open my pack and put my hammock up.

Unless I need a dry fleecie or warmer hat, that's the first time I had to open the waterproofed portion of my pack and expose the contents to the elements. Repack in reverse even in a pouring rain. With any luck you should end up pretty much with a wet tarp, suspension, and hands.

[Goblewarming]

Keep in mind that if you're backpacking in the rain with persistent precip, fog and high relative humidity all day and night, the only time you'll actually be 'dry' dry is after you've changed into your dry set of layers and are ensconced in your dry quilts. Everything else is just some degree of dampness, right up to soggy wet. Don't change into that dry set until all other chores are done; that dry set *must* remain dry.

Unless the rain stops and relative humidity drops, it is pointless to hang up wet clothing so I simply put it into a plastic grocery bag. Maybe wring it out if it's wet enough to do so. Putting the wet clothes back on in the morning is something you'll dread, however once you've done it a couple of times you'll see it isn't so bad once you busy yourself with morning tasks.

Hopefully... the next day there's a nice, dry stretch during the day when you can have a 'drying party' and spread everything out to dry. Spread out the quilts as well because they too will have collected a little bit of moisture, at least. Many times I've been surprised at how damp quilts can get even though they seemed fairly dry when I packed them in the morning.

This is spot on. On my last trip out, it rained for for almost 36 hours with minimal breaks. I was using a stock Hennessy expedition tarp, so the wet things just stayed wet and all I could do was stash them under the hammock so they weren’t completely saturated. (crawling into that dry hammock was the best thing ever, and yes, I am starting to eye up a larger tarp and a gear sling!)

I carry a zing it utility line to hang things up when there’s a chance they will dry out.


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[KBr00ks]

I do as @Alamosa says and hang my jacket at one end of my tarp, just under it, via the hammock suspension. (I'm not sure how to hang rather than drape, unless you mean with hooks as @jakev383 said?) A strategically-placed rain jacket can give a bit more coverage to a minimalist tarp.

I sometimes hang my pants (typically not rain pants, just lighter weight synthetic) and/or day socks under the tarp via the ridgeline. It may be just wishful thinking, but it feels better to me to let these wet items air out a bit before having to put them on again the next day. If it's not too cold, they can get at least somewhat less wet. Same for a jacket -- even if it's getting rained on all night, somehow it feels better to put that on in the morning than if it's been sitting on the ground, or packed in its own puddle. I've been able to carefully orient the jacket so that only the outside is facing the elements, and the inside is a bit less wet. (As @cmoulder said, nothing is really "dry"!)

And definitely, as others have said, don't get out the insulation and dry layers until you're ready for bed.