Where do you Hang? - Site Selection

[Chrisja77]

Oh my, the hiking pole bit is genius! Gonna keep me from walking back and forth between trees counting paces over and over and over while providing entertainment for anyone watching.

[Helium33]

Usually the site selects me.
Shug

I'm with Shug. All my camping is done in the Whites. Tons of close trees and uneven ground. The spot when found slaps me in the face.


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[wcdaniels]

Besides the obvious distance between trees and safety factors, my favorite sites are those on the west side of a lake. I love to have the sun come up in the morning and warm me up. I like to get up and moving pretty much right away, so this helps me out. I try to start in this area, and then make it work with regards to orientating to the wind, etc.

Plus, those cool mornings when there's steam coming up off of the lake, and you fire up the stove to make some coffee and breakfast are simply magical.

[OneClick]

Top priority is to get the heck away from people. I'm usually well off the trail so it's not a problem, but if there happens to be a cool spot like on a lake, I pass on it unfortunately. The spots with a great view are people magnets. I don't want to listen to amateurs swinging an axe banging on a log for hours, then yelling and laughing until 1am.

Next, I hang in the pines whenever possible. I like the shade, clean and soft "carpeted" ground from a bed needles, the smell, the sound and something to look at (green) other than a bunch of dead sticks when the leaves are gone.

Other than that, I just pick a spot that feels right. I don't plan around the weather much unless it's really windy.

[Armchair Guy]

This is exactly what I was looking for! Good info, links, videos.... Love this site!

Thought I'd share a great post by sir_n0thing that was in one of the links...

Originally Posted by sir_n0thing
"Everyone above me covered most of it well. But here's my general list of rules...
1. Widowmakers. Dead branches, trees, etc. Avoid them!
2. Know the general weather patterns for the area and a general idea of what you might encounter. For instance, in my area any weather is going to come from the west most of the time. Trends out of the south-west in spring and summer, out of the north-west in fall and winter. That can change, but 9 times out of ten it's coming from a westerly direction.
3. Hills and valleys... It's usually cooler down in the valley. It's usually windier on top of the hill. Plan accordingly! In windy or inclement weather I like to be on the lee side of a hill when possible.
4. Windy weather... See the hill comment above. Also look for features that can break the wind. Thick trees, underbrush, rocky outcroppings, etc.
5. Water... it's generally cooler near water. Don't hang close to a river when there's a chance of heavy rain.
6. Tarp pitch... I try to get a general broadside pitch against the wind. You can generally get the windward side down low and tight for protection, and in some cases have the lee side more open for view, ventilation, whatever. If for some reason I don't have a choice and am pitched length-wise against the wind, I'll put the foot end against the wind and try to pitch the foot end lower and close up that end of my tarp as much as I can, with the head end higher and more open. It's all about angles and deflection!

[Snydman]

Here is an example of what to look for:



And if you see this one:



Either one you should be set.


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[Slack Packhiker]

JacksRBetter tip of use hiking poles to get tree distance for the hang is incredibly helpful! Thank you for that.

[IRONFISH45]

I make sure I am not across a game trail. Also I look at the ground, I do not want to wake up with a stream under me. It seems a lot of our camp sites in Oregon have been part of volcanic action at some point in time, lots of basketball size sharp rocks embedded in the ground in open spots especially where it is open enough to hang my RR.

I managed to get soaked many times before I learned how to pitch my tarp properly. Often we get unexpected storms, lots of wind driven moisture coming from every whichway.

I think I have made about every booboo, I just learn not to do it again.

Last Fall we thought we were in a spot away from mainatream campers. Come sunset, we we were invaded, some how the stoners knew the area we were in. Tiny kids, big dogs, well on the way to being stoned parents. Another lesson learned. Lucky, I am always ready to pack up and leave quickly in case of people, fire, flood or too high wind.

[OneClick]

Last Fall we thought we were in a spot away from mainatream campers. Come sunset, we we were invaded, some how the stoners knew the area we were in. Tiny kids, big dogs, well on the way to being stoned parents. Another lesson learned. Lucky, I am always ready to pack up and leave quickly in case of people, fire, flood or too high wind.

Ahhh I hate that! Doesn't happen often, but I think I will move next time someone makes noise and I'm not 100% in love with the site. I got close several times; should have just sucked it up and moved.

[Armchair Guy]

I too am much happier when I'm away from other campers... Another reason hammocks are so great because you can head out past the camping pads to find your spot...