Still trying to trim my load. Considering sans tent. Saves about 7lbs with footprint, vestibule, etc. I would still take my lightweight tarp. Anyone else do this for summer trips?
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Camping with no tent, hammock
- Thread starter Black_Fly
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Same here. Bugs are definitely a problem here in the Northeast until most often mid-late August. I ditched a tent on most trips years ago, in favor of a much lighter net enclosed Hennessy hammock setup. with overhead syl-nylon rain tarp. Best advantage is I save time by not having to search for open ground large enough for even a tiny solo tent. Now I set up over any kind of landscape beneath me, rocky, sloping, wet, or brushy, or blowdown debris, and I sleep in comfort. I only need to find two sturdy trees about 15 feet apart, rarely any problem around here.
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I also have resorted to the Hennessy Hammock on trips where I know I will have the necessary trees but not much flat ground. I guess there are better brands, but I've been pretty happy with it. And I sleep better in the flat lay hammock than on anything else. Takes a little practice to get the proper hang without fuss, but it's worth it. The Velcro fly also takes a little getting used to, but it's the best setup for a really buggy camp.
My tent setup is lighter than my hammock setup by about a pound. They're both fairly light setups but I could go lighter on both of them. I don't see a weight savings between the two, only comfort and practicality depending on where you're camping. I thought the hammock was the bees' knees when I first got it but after upgrading my tent setup I now prefer sleeping on the ground.
Alan
Alan
DId it a number of times in the BWCA in the spring and fall, worked great. Now I have a pup I take with me all the time so I like to have him in a tent at night so I have a tent I can hang my hammock in.
I've never seen anything like that! Is it made to be used that way? Was it modified?
Alan
It was made by a small start up company and they did get a patent for the way it is built to allow the hammock to hang through it but last I checked they seem to be out of business, glad I bought 2 - it works perfect for me and my pup.
When I was a kid my friends and I would camp out in our back yards with no tents, tarps or ground clothes. It was great fun and we always marveled at how our dew covered sleeping bags still seemed warm and comfortable. It wasn’t until I was in the scouts that I learned the true comfort of the above noted gear.
Long time tarp camper. Did close to 350 miles on the AT one time with just a hardware store tarp. 40s and raining most of that month so bugs weren't a problem. I bring a tent if I expect bugs (ie summer) but shoulder seasons a tarp is very nice.
One thing that can increase comfort / warmth using a tarp, especially when the wind is tearing the heat off you, is an ultralight bivy, basically just a really light silnylon bag. There are a bunch, but katabatic bristlecone is what I see most people with. I'm ashamed to say Ive forgotten which company made mine.
I'm trying to adapt to hammocks as my shoulders hurt more with age laying on the ground, but I can't seem to love them. Didn't stop me from collecting some nice ones.
One thing that can increase comfort / warmth using a tarp, especially when the wind is tearing the heat off you, is an ultralight bivy, basically just a really light silnylon bag. There are a bunch, but katabatic bristlecone is what I see most people with. I'm ashamed to say Ive forgotten which company made mine.
I'm trying to adapt to hammocks as my shoulders hurt more with age laying on the ground, but I can't seem to love them. Didn't stop me from collecting some nice ones.
10 x 14 CCS tarp and 4 x 8 mosquito netting to hang from the tarp if needed. But, just spent 5 nites in Canada sleeping under the stars with a head net on. Low weight, incredibly fast set up and take down.
I have gone out with just a tarp in non-buggy seasons and bivy sacks when I was trying to keep weight to a minimum. I wore out my old bivy, it might be time to look for another one.
Mostly now I prefer to tent. My go-to shelter when going into potentially rainy or unknown conditions is an Exped Orion 3, a bombproof 4-season 8-pound tent that I have spent 34 nights in since buying it in 2019. If I want to go light, I use my Mountain Hardware Aspect 2 tent, a three-season tent that comes in at just 3 pounds and has been through some surprisingly strong wind and rains without any issues. I have only used it for 7 nights since getting it in 2022, but they were a good test for this tent.
I have never tried hammocks for camping, but the have piqued my curiosity.
Mostly now I prefer to tent. My go-to shelter when going into potentially rainy or unknown conditions is an Exped Orion 3, a bombproof 4-season 8-pound tent that I have spent 34 nights in since buying it in 2019. If I want to go light, I use my Mountain Hardware Aspect 2 tent, a three-season tent that comes in at just 3 pounds and has been through some surprisingly strong wind and rains without any issues. I have only used it for 7 nights since getting it in 2022, but they were a good test for this tent.
I have never tried hammocks for camping, but the have piqued my curiosity.
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I’m going to have to look into that! Having the comfort of a hammock and some warmth would be nice.
I’ve been a hammock camper since the mid 90s whenever the weather allowed. Summers in Michigan, year round in Florida and whenever it was warm enough for bugs in between.
Some years I spent more time in the field living out of my hammock than at home, and I sleep better in the hammock than a bed.
Early spring, late fall, and winters outside of Florida I sometimes needed a tent and my hips and shoulders are not as limber as they once were.
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I forgot my tent on my, reintroduction to canoe tripping, BWCA trip a few years ago and wound up spending about 9 nights under a tarp with no netting. It worked really well but... 1) Bugs don't seem to like me and 2) It probably depends upon where / when you're going.
Last summer in Ontario the bugs were so thick that they were bothersome even with a tent and mosquito coil. The Fall before, when I did the Steel River loop, I could have easily ditched the tent again and taken just a tarp.
I guess I would suggest weighing your bug tolerance against your pack weight goals and expected insect densities. Personally, I'd rather carry a few extra pounds than to lose sleep to persistent hordes of Diptera (whether they were feasting upon me or not).
Last summer in Ontario the bugs were so thick that they were bothersome even with a tent and mosquito coil. The Fall before, when I did the Steel River loop, I could have easily ditched the tent again and taken just a tarp.
I guess I would suggest weighing your bug tolerance against your pack weight goals and expected insect densities. Personally, I'd rather carry a few extra pounds than to lose sleep to persistent hordes of Diptera (whether they were feasting upon me or not).
I loved using a hammock for sleep quality, but as I get older, I find myself having to get up several times a night to pee. For me, not having mastered the skills of peeing into a bottle while laying down, that meant getting out of the hammock and enduring a cloud of mosquitoes. So I went back to a tent with enough head room to kneel. I miss the hammock, though.
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