Checking in from the TX hill country

[FunkyScribe]

Greetings from Austin!

Been on the site for a few years, life got in the way, back now and ready to hang!

Now that I'm older, and hopefully wiser, I think my bad joints will be happy to get off the hard ground. I'd like to hike the Lonestar Hiking Trail (100 miles) in the spring, and maybe the JMT by next fall.

I'm thinking of the DD Superlight Jungle rig. I like that it's modular and can double as a bivvy, as parts of Texas are desperately short on sturdy trees (Can you hang from sagebrush?).

I'm currently wading through all the wherefores and whatnots and videos and general n00b info in the forums, and they are much appreciated.

My only real question so far is this: What do you do with your (mammoth, expedition-sized) backpack at night? Chuck it on the ground, hang it from a tree (Are there hammocks for backpacks?), bag it up and bury it?

Other than that, happy to be here, and can't wait to get my butt off the ground!

[Txscout]

I hang my pack from a tree but some people do use a gear hammock, which IS a hammock for your backpack.

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[johnspenn]

Hello and welcome to the forums from Marietta GA. May your bad joints find the bliss they crave lofted in the air on a billowy hammock. Happy hanging!

[UncleMJM]

Howdy and welcome out of the shadows into the conversation! There's plenty of trees in Texas, especially on the LSHT.

As for what to do with back packs, the answer is any or all of the above.

When I'm ready to go to sleep, mine's nearly empty. If it's warm, I hang it at my foot end under the tarp, from my hammock suspension. If cold, I've been known to put it in my hammock under my feet. Sometimes I just lay it on the ground under the hammock on a piece of tyvek.

[FJRpilot]

Welcome from far West Texas! Lots of great hanging all around Austin. I make a pilgrimage there every April. Texas State Parks are the best in the country, I've only been forced to the ground once and that wasn't because I couldn't find something to hang from. Glad you could join us..


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[FunkyScribe]

UPDATE

Thanks all, for the encouragement and good advice.

I took the plunge and ordered my first hammock, a DD SuperLight Jungle (with free t-shirt!). Can't wait to try it out!