How do you pack-up your hammock gear?

[LazyFrog]

I have my ENO double, the guardian bugnet, straps, carabiners, utility cord all packed into a 10 liter REI stuff sack.

[FLRider]

I've gone over to a Molly Mac Pack-type DIY pack, so volume is less important to me now than it might be to others. Before going over to that, I used several different systems.

My trajectory so far on carrying systems for my stuff has been:

1.) Hennessy snakeskins on the hammock, the topquilt and underquilt stuffed into the bottom of my pack, and the tarp stuffed into an outside pocket.

Advantages: Water-resistant hammock set up. Ease of hammock set up under tarp, leaving space if others want/need to join me under tarp in bad weather. Minimal volume taken up in pack. Pack filled properly by expansion of quilts.

Disadvantages: Quilts easy to get dirty/wet when setting up. Slow set up/break down time. Tarp not easy to set up in good weather when wanting to watch stars at night.


2.) Hennessy snakeskins on the hammock, topquilt and underquilt stuffed into the bottom of pack, tarp in mesh double-ended stuff sack in an outside pocket.

Advantages: Same as above, plus tarp is easy to set up out of the way in fair weather.

Disadvantages: Same as above, though tarp is faster to set up if weather turns foul at 3 AM (though not as fast as below).


3.) Hammock in double stuffsacks (turn into endcaps), topquilt and underquilt stuffed into the bottom of pack, tarp in Hennessy snakeskins. (Probably my least favorite of the ways I've tried thus far.)

Advantages: Quick set up for tarp. Easy to adjust for hammock position during fair weather, so stake pre-placement is doable (definitely a plus at 3 AM when the heavens open up).

Disadvantages: Easy to get topquilt/underquilt wet/dirty. Longer to set up hammock. Easy to get hammock wet/dirty during set up and break down. Tarp does not dry at all during day (not that it ever dries much, but there is a slightly noticeable difference).


4.) Hammock and underquilt in oversized blackbishop bag, topquilt stuffed into the bottom of pack, tarp in Hennessy snakeskins in external pocket.

Advantages: Quick set up for tarp, hammock, and underquilt. Less chance than above for getting hammock/underquilt dirty/wet.

Disadvantages: Tarp does not dry at all during day. Still easy to get topquilt wet/dirty. Doesn't expand to fill bottom of pack as well (not much of an issue with a good internal or external frame pack, but a frameless pack will suffer) as above.


5.) Hammock and underquilt in oversized blackbishop bag, topquilt stuffed into bottom of pack, tarp in Velcro cable ties in external pocket.

Advantages: Same as above, plus tarp dries some during day.

Disadvantages: Same as above, except for tarp issues.


6.) Hammock/underquilt/topquilt all in DIY oversized snakeskins, tarp in Velcro cable ties in external pocket.

Advantages: Quick and easy set up/break down, hammock and insulation stay out of way if space is needed under tarp for more folks, tarp easy to adjust and pre-set stakes, tarp dries some during day, very hard to get insulation or hammock wet/dirty.

Disadvantages: Snakeskins take up huge amount of volume compared to loosely stuffing quilts. Not a good distribution for a frameless pack.


7.) Same as above, except everything strapped to DIY Molly Mac Pack-inspired pack. (Favorite method thus far.)

Advantages: Same as above, except volume issue is non-issue.

Disadvantages: Takes a little longer to build load on pack than an oversized blackbishop bag would. Have to roll skins up in specific way to prevent load shifting.


Anyway, that's been my experience with packing my hammock, insulation, and tarp. I hope it helps.

[UrsaMajor1887]

Steeler Nation, Thanks for doing the video. It is great to see how people set up there pack rather than just hear about it in text.

team FTB, Adam at Hammock Gear offered to make me a large CF bishop bag for my rig.

flatline, another great video on how this system works. I’m thinking, boy those Slugs look huge! How am I going to get that in my pack and have room for my other gear? On the other hand wow, how easy is that to set up and take down.

FLRider, thanks for an in depth look at various configurations all in one place!

Obviously, the method used is personal and the best method is subjective based on likes, dislikes, availability and purpose.

I have been working for the last couple of years on lighting my load (see Osprey Exos), but have not reached UL and I am not sure I will go that far, but keeping that goal of going lighter in mind, I am inclined to go with TQ, UQ, cloths, WBBB no SS all in CF pack liner. Tarp in outside pocket no SS. Tree straps, stakes and whoopie slings in outside pocket. Not the quickest or most convenient, but cuts the weight of multiple stuff sacks and if in the future I decide to go with a frameless pack, will fill it out better.

On the other hand, I love the idea of the Slug or a large bishop bag making it supper easy to deploy and take down. If went with the CF bishop bag with everything inside, it would be like having it in a CF pack liner.

Another concern I have is with condensation on the hammock being packed up in water proof bags with no chance of drying out and being packed with the down TQ and UQ.

[outdoor]

This is an interesting thread. Posted a little ways back but relevant to my concerns

So i don't backpack, i motorcycle camp. Space is limited.

I have my hammock now in a loofy Skin (body wash mesh thingy), my tarp is in one as well. Have not used them out in the field like that, but I feel it will allow me to setup and take down easier while keeping tarp off ground, not having to put on ground and fold get dirt etc.....

I then put the tarp in original bag. The hammock goes into original double ended stuff sack.

What i think i would like to do is have one big dry bag (size?) and put my sleeping bag, and Underquilt in first, just stuffed. Then put in Hammock. Then tarp.

That way first thing out is tarp, set it up. Then Hammock, set it up, then of course sleeping bag and UQ.

I've been on many motorcycle trips where it is pouring rain all day while driving. The water can make its way into almost anything. The dry bag should then keep everything dry.

Thoughts?

I guess my only concern is if the tarp is wet when i take it down, will it being in the original bag allow water, dampness to make its way to hammock, UQ and Sleeping bag.

I unfortunately have Sleep Apnea, so i must bring with me a CPAP and portable Battery, so those take up valuable space. If not for those, i would have much more space. I cannot sleep without CPAP. Tried many times end up awake most of the night.

[100 Ton]

I use a catch-all sack from Simply Light Designs for hammock, bug net, top quilt, under quilt, and under quilt protector,,,all fits in there nicely, and takes less than a minute. Then just cram it inside a contractor bag in the bottom of my pack. Stuffing it obviously squeezes all the air out of the quilts. Then twist the bag to keep if from expanding. Makes set up at camp incredibly easy...just hang my straps on the trees, connect my continuous loops ( which stick out of the ends of the catch-all sack), and BOOM...done.

Also, tarp in mesh sleeve, and I just stuff that in the mesh pocket on the back of my pack. Same takedown and set up convenience as the catch-all sack.

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[KingMob]

I have my tarps in simply light designs snakeskins, then I put them in double ended stuff sacks. Makes deployment a snap. I’ll likely be grabbing the SLD hammock skins, as other folks here have suggested, as I do like that idea for camp set up ease.

Edit to add, instead of the SLD hammock skins I bought I would get, I decided to just get agg bbbs, see post below

[chromedome]

lately I've been using my bottom entry bug net as a huge mesh bag. I leave my top quilt inside my hammock, and bottom quilt attached, then cinch the bottom drawstring up to contain everything. I stuff this in my compactor bag first, then my clothes bag, then close the compactor bag. on top of that goes my food bag, then lastly I coil my Superfly (in snakeskins) and put that on top, with my cook pot nestled in the center of the coil. Tree straps I store in a Ziploc bag, and put them in the mesh pocket of my pack. Also when I pack my hammock away I stuff the head end in first and make sure to leave the foot end continuous loop easily accessible.

[KingMob]

I just picked up a few antigravity gear black bishop bags to sore hammocks and underquilts together.

I should also note, I have a dutchwear gear roll up for each tarp, and I keep the pegs, straps, and cordage together in it, I store the gear roll up with the tarp in the front mesh pocket of my bag, next to the tarp set up. At camp I have sewn some pack hooks on the outside of my hammock, that way I can hang the gear roll up as an exterior storage pocket for my hammock.

[Tpatter]

I don’t overthink it, I am making adjustments here and there. Mostly, bringing less and less gear that I don’t use! .

The one constant and I can’t stress this enough is to make sure to put your sleeping gear and hammock into a completely waterproof bag of some sort. It rains a lot where I camp! Most anything else you can recover from.

I like to keep items separate mostly, all packed into their own sacks. I find setting up and breaking down camp enjoyable. If I am moving between sites I may sometimes stuff everything into my pack (at the bottom in a large plastic bag with the ends at the top). You don’t really need anything special for this, I use my pack liner plastic bag.

[TrailBlaser]

Tarp is in a snakeskin in a stuff sack. Everything else is in a SLD catch-all, including the straps (Jared was kind enough to add a zippered pocket for the straps inside one end of the catch-all). Like was said, catch-all goes in a compactor bag at the bottom of my backpack or when canoe camping inside a compression stuff sack in the dry bag. I have a WBRR, poles and stakes have a bag.