5 reasons to dislike hammock camping (compared to a tent) & 5 tips to make it better
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- Опубликовано: 26 июл 2024
- Hammock camping is awesome and I love it. However, there are a few things you need to keep in mind if you are new to backpacking that can be a bit of a hassle. Today's video talks about 5 things I dislike about hammock camping when compared to a tent.
1. Fiddle Factor: There is alot of fiddling involved when it comes to hammock camping. You have to fiddle with your hammock suspension to get the proper hang. You have to fiddle with your tarp and how you want to set it up. You have to fiddle with your under quilt to make sure you don't get cold in the night. All that compared to a tent takes more time when you get to camp to setup your shelter.
2. No Room To Spread Out: This is because I like to be organized. It's harder to do that in a hammock than a tent. In a tent everything is contained in the tent and allows you to spread your stuff out. In hammock you either need to keep that stuff in your backpack or have accessories that provide storage capability in your hammock (e.g. hammock organizer, shelf, side sling).
3. Less Privacy: If you need to change clothes or deal with some hygiene issues (e.g. chaffing of private parts) then it's nice to have some privacy to do so. This becomes more of a problem if you are at a campsite with multiple hikers or hiking in mixed company and you are looking for some privacy. In a tent, you can put on your rain cover and have all the privacy you need. With a hammock, you either have to do it in the hammock (not easy or comfortable) or stand behind your hammock with the tarp pitched to get some form of privacy.
4. No Camping Above Tree Line: Sometimes you see that perfect spot with the perfect view and there are no trees. We have all seen those picture perfect postcards where the tent is on the edge of a cliff overlooking a magnificent sunset. Well, those are typically above tree line which means you can't pitch your hammock. I typically like to sleep below tree line anyway but there have been times on a beautiful clear night I would have liked to setup camp in one of these spots.
5. Exposure To Wildlife: There is a sense of being more secure in a tent than in a hammock. I think this is a false security but it does make you feel better. What you don't see eye to eye doesn't scare you as bad as just hearing it. Well, in a hammock you are definitely more exposed to seeing wildlife and having wildlife come sniffing around your hammock. I don't think I am in any more danger than I would be in a tent, especially if I had scented items on me. That wildlife is going to get to those scented items regardless if I am in a tent or hammock. But with a hammock I see it and not just hear it, which means it also sees me.
These are not major issues. It definitely doesn't dissuade me from hammock camping. Just a few things I have to keep in mind and prepare for when I go hammock camping.
I hope you find this video helpful. Please feel free to reach out with any questions. Thanks for watching!
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Where I do most of my camping in the White Mountains, the hammock is, by far, the better option for dispersed camping. You still need to be sure to be in an area that has the right sort of trees (not little scrubby pines and not the beautiful (but hazardous) birch forests) which is a decent amount of area, often guessable from satellite imagery. The terrain is so slope-y and rocky that tent campers have far fewer options and usually need to aim for the established platforms and shelters. Above tree line camping is usually prohibited in The Whites (alpine zone) except for some established platform sites (where hammocks don't work, obviously). Leave no trace is far easier with hammock camping in these dispersed camping setups.
I've never been hiking or camping in the Whites. I hear they are amazingly beautiful and STRENUOUS. But I do agree that you have more flexibility of finding a camp spot when hammock camping (assuming there are suitable trees) over a tent. Just this past year I was finishing up the Colorado Trail and I had one of the most amazing campsites of my life as I was right in front of this huge waterfall. There were no flat spots in the area so you couldn't pitch a tent anywhere. So I had the place all to myself with this amazing view at my campsite. I keep telling people, there is nothing better than hammock camping!
Great video, thanks for sharing!
1. The fiddle factor.
The reason i dont like that argument as much os people compare setting up a hammock tarp, UQ and TQ to just a tent. They dont count blowing up a pad, attaching your sleep system to the pad, putting on your rain cover and staking it out. Ive tent camped before and i set it all up and laid in it to realize im on a slope and i ahve to turn the whole thing around. Tents can be fiddly too.
2. Organization
I also have a chameleon and with the organizer, peak loft and sling i find myself more sorted. I dint have to look for things i can reach. In a tent sure things can be on the floor but they just kinda lay there. But also i hang my headlamp from the ridgeline as well as my phone and my glasses. I can lay there and watch a movie as i go to bed and my phone can be plugged into a battery pack behind it in the organizer. In a tent i would have to hold it up and the cord would have to be longer and pack to the side.
3. Privacy
Im less modest than you so i dont mind as much just changing. But i do have the dutchware wide rectangle tarp which does actually cover quite a bit and i can set up doors. Im also 6'2 and not skinny, so ive never had a one person tent im comfortable changing in, i would change behind my tent like you do behind your tarp.
4. Tree line
Fair, same as desert and other places. I live in Wisconsin so tree line or lack of trees isnt an issue.
5. Security
I like look at this as a bonus, its less claustrophobic even if your zipped in space is less because you can see out. But i like looking out and being in nature. Ive been bumped on my backside by racoons but thats about it. 90% of the time i am in porch mode so i can see out.
1. Spot on, I don't get this argument either.
My tarp takes about the same time to setup either a tent outer or inner. Time it takes to clip the inner or outer on is about the same time to hang a hammock, which i dont need to do straight away, i can sit comfortably with plenty of space to change, cook or make a brew and stand up straight amd stay dry.
Almost everything in a tent is more fiddly and tight.
How many tents are bug net first? not great when it's raining
Bugs getting in when your trying to cook.
I use a Tensa Solo when I car camp - it really opens up the choices for hanging, and I *could* bring it backpacking, but it's heavier than just looking for two trees. Have you looked into Tensa Trekking Treeze? Definitely increases the fiddle factor, but you can hang anywhere (except solid rockface, I suppose)
Coyotes - especially a pack! - can be scary! My scariest animal encounter wasn't even an encounter. A shelter (Carter Gap? in NC on the AT) was very recently reopened after being closed for an aggressive bear. I knew that before going and figured, why not? They relocated the bear. I arrived at the shelter and saw a small arsenal of fist-sized rocks (easily 30). THAT goy my attention and I was the only one there. I hung in my hammock anyway, knowing the shelter was my Alamo. Nervous, but slept. All was good in the word in the morning.
Hey! I haven't heard of Tensa Trekking Treeze, just looked them up. Looks pretty cool, I may need to investigate more. I built my own hammock stand that I take with me when I go car camping. You can see it in my Zion video for this past year when my son and I were at one of the campgrounds in Zion and they don't allow hanging so I used my hammock stand.
I've only see a bear once while backpacking all these years and that was this past summer in Grand Tetons when I did the Teton Crest Trail loop. It was only a youth but still got my attention. Luckily, it was only a black bear and not a grizzly which are common in that area.
Thanks for watching! Love the comments and stories!
I use a tarp with doors, which fixes most of the privacy issue. I don't really care much if passersby see my ankles while I'm changing outer layers. However, for changing underwear, I either do that while lying down in the hammock or just plan to do it after dark.
I also use a tarp with doors. I feel it gives me a bit more protection in severe weather I tend to experience. But I tent to pitch my tarp high enough that I can walk under it standing up when I am not expecting bad weather, or I keep it in porch mode which doesn't provide the privacy when I want it. So, I tend either change in my hammock (which can be a pain because I'm not flexible) or behind the tarp when I pitch it low or like you said, just change when it is dark.
It's definitely not a big deal, I just feel like it is easier to manage when camping in a tent. But obviously not enough to convince me to use a tent because I don't think anything beats a hammock. Just something I would want newbies to know about and ready to manage when they are out on the trail.
Thanks for watching and your feedback!
My favorite thing bout my hang is the fiddle factor.micro adjustable everything gives u the perfict sleep in the perfict place.and most of the time I hang where the rest of the campers simply can't camp,flat landers,love leavein people goin why and how...
I totally agree. I actually love the fiddling around with my hammock, always looking for a better way to do things and getting that perfect hang for a great night sleep. I typically do it when I am cooking my dinner and waiting for it to rehydrate.
I just want to make those aware new hammock camping that it isn't just strapping up the hammock and going to sleep. You need to enjoy the fiddling or you will find it totally frustrating.
Thanks for your comments. Even though I can't camp above tree line, I do feel like I can find more secluded special spots where tent folks can't camp. And I love that!
I've always changed in my hammock with the tarp slung low (i.e. not porch mode). Maybe it's because I'm small (5'4", 128lbs) but I've found it easy to just wriggle out of my clothes and in to new ones. If I don't have doors and there are people walking by, I'll do it under my top quilt but I've never felt like having a hammock gave me less privacy.
I change in my hammock sometimes but only if I have to. Me being 6'0", 200 lbs and not very flexible makes it a bit of hassle to change in my hammock. I'm sure my lack of flexibility is the main cause of this. That's why I prefer to stand up to change my clothes standing underneath my tarp or behind it, depending on how many campers are in the area. So I've always felt more comfortable changing in a tent than a hammock.
But like I said, it's not that big of a deal. The pros of hammock camping far outweigh these few inconveniences. Thanks for watching!
I also like changing in my hammock better because I can sit in it, where a tent I have no room to move around.
I'd love to know where you shot the B-roll for this video at the 1:45 mark. I swear it looks exactly like my favorite spot at Lost Lake in the Indian Peaks Wilderness. The stump in the middle is unmistakable.
Hey! Nope, that was a backpacking trip I did in the Holy Cross Wilderness in CO. This is on Lake Constatine, beautiful spot!!
However, I do love the Indian Peaks Wilderness. Probably one of my favorite backpacking loops is the Pawnee-Buchanan Loop. Thanks for watching!
Man up