Converting from a trekking pole tent to a hammock whilst en-route

[novice10]

Hi guys, I am a newbie. I am on a very long-distance walking (and partly bikepacking) trip for some months and am getting a bad sleep half the time. It's a Lanshan 2 tent (3fulgear.com/product/ultralight-tent/lanshan2-classic/) with a Berghaus Peak Compact self-inflating mat (gooutdoors.co.uk/15979377/berghaus-peak-compact-self-inflating-mat-15979377/) and a Snugpak Technik 1 (which is an old version of the Snugpak Softie 3, snugpak.com/products/softie-3). I bought these products for £255 altogether including shipping.

I stay in cheap guesthouses half the nights (where I sleep well) to compensate. I might be able to save money by converting to a budget hammock system (<€160) which allows me to sleep well all the time when camping, thereby allowing me to cut the guesthouses (average €17 euro/night) from half the remaining 75 nights to a quarter of the remaining nights. Just to explain what budget for hammock equipment might allow me to make a saving overall.

Could I make this work using hammock system components bought in Sofia and Blageovgrad (Bulgaria), or would it not be worth it? Is there any way to retain the outer layer from the Lanshan 2 tent and the Snugpak Technik 1 sleeping bag in the new hammock system, in order to reduce the number of new components I need to buy?

I will eventually be camping on the Azerbaijani Steppe for up to a month. I read that there are certain hammock systems which can be set up with just trekking poles, no trees. I assume these are not budget hammocks, but could the principle be made to work using a budget system bought second-hand on olx.bg or in the outdoor stores of Sofia and Blageovgrad (Bulgaria), which is perhaps continuing to utilize the outer layer from my Lanshan 2 and my Snugpak Technik 1 sleeping bag?

Many thanks, no doubt it is an off-the-wall question.

[nanok]

hello, and welcome to the forums. quite an epic adventure, sounds like, enjoy.

the short answer, sadly, is no. especially if you haven't hammock camped before (which seems to be the case).

the longer answer is "maybe, if you're willing to stop for a few days and experiment".

the hammock: decathlon has decent hammocks these days for a good price, unfortunately they are incomplete for any camping purpose: the double hammock (not the cheapest one) is big enough and well made. the suspension is rubish, the treestraps are rubish, and it lacks a structural ridgeline (all things which are easy to fix for me, but i've been playing with hammocks and diy-ing for a while). i don't mean it as discouragement, if you are willing to experiment and learn (and stop for a few days to get things right enough), i reckon we can help you.

finding a complete outfitted hiking hammock will be tricky in europe, especially on a budget, i'm afraid.

the trekking pole tent fly will most likely be way too small. you can find decent quality, decent price tarps which are big enough (decathlon sells a nice 3x3m one in the bushcraft category, which is under 40euro afair).

you will also need some bottom insulation, the air matress might do for a start, though.

so, challenges:

- learning curve and time required to be "operational"
- weight: this will endup heavier, even if you ditch the nifty tent and keep only the tarp
- sourcing the gear (should be okay, i think decathlon might have most things you need, i can even teach you to use some climbing webbing slings as treestraps)
- learning how to rig a tarp, if you have no experience

treeless setup: it is possible, but not with typical trekking poles (not strong enough). i would leave that for next stage, and plan on downgrading to sleeping on the ground where needed, for now

edit: it is true though that, if bikepacking, one-tree setups can be made to work without (much) additional stuff to carry, as you can usually use the bike as one support, but it does require a bit of experience and skill, and some good ground anchors

advantages:

- you will likely sleep better than ever, once you get everything sorted (most people do)
- it will be an even more epic adventure

[TominMN]

...
treeless setup: it is possible, but not with typical trekking poles (not strong enough). i would leave that for next stage, and plan on downgrading to sleeping on the ground where needed, for now

...

Probably not "typical trekking poles", but there are these:

https://www.tensaoutdoor.com/product...v=7516fd43adaa

[Hang Williams]

I think for the budget set, you'd be best served getting a thicker sleeping pad. A treeless setup is something I doubt can be accomplished in that budget range so you need a better sleep setup for the steppe anyways.

[nanok]

Probably not "typical trekking poles", but there are these:

https://www.tensaoutdoor.com/product...v=7516fd43adaa

yeah, those are great, and definitely not typical. however, on their own outside budget, and not something you will find in a shop in sofia i'm afraid. i do wish i had a pair of those myself, indeed, superb product, as usual from the tensa team

[TominMN]

yeah, those are great, and definitely not typical. however, on their own outside budget, and not something you will find in a shop in sofia i'm afraid. i do wish i had a pair of those myself, indeed, superb product, as usual from the tensa team

Agreed, not a budget friendly item.

Tensa doesn't have an outlet in Sofia?

Of course, the other option is to use a hammock that is amenable to going-to-ground and then use pretty much any pair of trekking poles (or sticks) to suspend a rainfly (not the tent one) and bugnet.

That wouldn't be an answer if the goal is to hang most of the time. But, if the choice would be to use a hammock both suspended and on the ground, then it could be an argument for a double layer hammock to put the sleeping mat to double use.

[mattnin]

I just did the conversion from trekking pole tent to a hammock system. I hate to say it, but not a single thing from my trekking pole tent setup converted over to my hammock setup. I could've used my old sleeping bag, and some people do use their sleeping pad instead of an underquilt so I could've used those items at a slight weight and comfort penalty. So I believe you technically could use your existing sleeping bag and sleeping pad in your hammock and save that cost of getting a hammock purpose top quilt and under quilt but I'm not 100% sure either. Maybe someone with more experience will answer those questions for you. How big is your lanshan 2 tent? It needs to completely cover the hammock in case it rains if you intend on using it as a hammock tarp. Let me just say, I just got back from a very cold and wet backpacking trip and the wind did cause some of the rain to get on the ends of my hammock. I have an 11 foot hammock and a 12 foot hex tarp and I wouldn't want anything smaller than that especially if dealing with stormy weather.

[Shug]

To be honest sometimes it is just not a possibility to make everything work in every situation. But there are some options.
You could carry a boom stake (see 5:20 into this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liYq7c_fCOU ) and make a couple of crossed sticks or hiking poles work as a hammock end support. Throw in your sleeping pad half inflated and use sleeping bag as a quilt.
Carry forth on your big walk.
Shug