What's your sequence?

[Certain]

For me (and maybe some other newbies to hammocking), it would be helpful and interesting to hear what order you set-up and tear down camp. Basically...what's your routine? So let me give a hypothetical day:

Windy, cold, rainy, too windy and wet to build a fire. Low's will be in the
20's w/chance of snow. You finally get to your preferred location after a long day of hiking and.......

I'd like to know about sequencing in regards to what order you set up your hammock, tarp, what gear you have accessible, where you store it, when you change clothes, cooking/eating, cleaning up, your whole routine for both night and the next morning.

I'll post a trip report later about my weekend, but I found I was having to think through my sequence a lot to make sure I wasn't having to dig in my pack 10 times for different gear, etc. I totally realize I just need more practice, but I think hearing how others do it would be helpful as well.

I'm naturally a tinkerer and I don't get in a hurry to do anything when out hiking/camping, but I felt a bit scattered this weekend. Thanks!

[Doctari]

So far, only 3 over night trips & about 10+ times in the backyard. BUT, on days like you describe: Find spot / figure out how the wind will blow, Set up tarp, THEN set up hammock, then get out the insulation (bag/quilt, under quilt/pad), then fix dinner. After all this, in no order: relax, play flute, get water, take pictures, etc.


Doctari.

[Coffee]

I was going to say, that hypothetical situation you came up with was pretty close to your hiking weather this weekend. Here is what I would do.

1) Set up rain fly
2) Put pack under rain fly
3) Laugh at tenting friends trying to set up tent in the rain
4) Cook diner
5) Hang food bag rope (I hate doing this in the dark)
6) Laugh at tenting friends cooking in the rain or trying not to burn down their tent
7) Hang hammock
8) Do night time hygene things
9) Hang food bag/smellables
10) Change clothes
11) Go to sleep

If I have camp shoes I'll put them on after step 1. I have also been known to help people with their tents if I know them well.

[Just Jeff]

I try to skip the fly when I can, but if it's windy and rainy it's the first thing that goes up. Then the hammock and quilt so it can loft. Then dinner if I haven't already stopped to eat. While dinner is soaking in the freezer bag, I change into camp clothes and finish up any chores, like getting more water or fixing my pillow stuffsack.

I usually don't hang a bearbag, but if I'm in an area where it's needed I put it off until just before bed b/c dinner cleanup is usually the last thing I do before I go to sleep and the garbage needs to go in there.

[slowhike]

after desiding on a site to hang, start w/ tarp so i have a place to do the rest of course.
i usualy hang the hammock next so i got my place to sit, change clothes, eat, etc.
go ahead & get water for the night & next morn.
make any clothing changes needed.
get into hammock & start heating a pot of water if i haven`t already got it started.
after this step, it`s really hard to get me out of the hammock, so if you need help, please ask before i get this far<G>. ...tim
PS... looking forward to the report wonder woman.

[titanium_hiker]

I like steps 3 and 6, hammock engineer.

I haven't taken my hammock far enough from home to get this worked out (I guess I should practice, eh?) but I decided a long time ago that the tarp gets to live in my pack's top pocket. I would hang my hammock in it's tubes after my tarp (somewhere to sit, of course!) and unfurl it when needed.

good question, Michele! I need to practice!

titanium_hiker

[attroll]

When I immediately get to where I am going to step up camp.

1. Choose the trees I want to hang from.
2. Hang my hammock. which my tarp is attached to.
3. If it is windy or raining hard I will pull out some more cords and hang the tarp separately from the hammock lines.
4. Put my sleeping bag in the hammock with any other items I will be using in there.
5. Proceed to do all other camp tasks from here on.

Notes:
1. I always hang my hammock right away. if you put it off you will end up hanging it in the dark.
2. I stow my tarp attached to my hammock lines each night and in my snake skins. This way if if I get to camp at the end of the day and if it is raining out I can hang my hammock and tarp together at the same time.
3. I only hang my tarp separate from my hammock if it really windy or raining very hard. This way I can get my tarp tighter rather then having it lose.

[Coffee]

TH, Steps 3 and 6 are my favorite.

I did forget to mention that this is what I would do in the rain. If it wasn't raining I would do as Jeff and Attroll say and set up the hammock and bag so the bag and underquilt can loft earlier. When it is not raining I set up my tarp, then unhook 1 side from the stakes and pull it over to the other side.

Right now I am weird about food smells in my sleeping clothes or hammock. I am sure that a few rainy days/weeks of hiking next year will have me cooking from my sleeping bag in my hammock while using my foodbag as a pillow.

[titanium_hiker]

bear burrito...

[Seeker]

So let me give a hypothetical day:

Windy, cold, rainy, too windy and wet to build a fire. Lows will be in the
20s w/chance of snow. You finally get to your preferred location after a long day of hiking and....

this would be very hypothetical for me... i don't do cold and snow on purpose anymore... and the lowest it's been in the almost 5 years i've been here is in the mid 20s in january. always high 30s during the day... that said:

i try to find two trees oriented north/south, or northwest/southeast, as the weather typically comes from the West or SW here. tarp first, initially up high so i could stand under it. i do that when it's raining in any case, unless it's blowing like crazy, in which case i'll pitch lower. pack goes on the ground in the middle, on my sit pad or a couple sticks if it's wet/muddy.

HH-ULBA in skins goes up next, also high. at this point i'd make dinner (ion stove, one-pot dinner, nothing fancy. it can sit in a dry corner, downwind side, out of the way.) while it was cooking, i'd let the hammock out of the skins and set it up. underquilt next, then sleeping bag thrown inside, so it can all loft up. after dinner/lunch, changing, etc, i'll bring the hammock down to sleeping level, raise the foot end a bit, and reposition the tarp (tarp ridgeline bungi cords are nice for all this) so the tie outs are under the level of the tree huggers (you said it's raining, so i'm not using the stock tarp that i like so much, which i would just snap to the hammock tie-out lines, but would be shafted if it were raining really hard, as i'd have to sit to do all this.)

if it's raining, i don't put up a bear bag. critters don't like the rain either, and they tend to bed down til it's over. and the rain keeps the smell down on the ground, so they're not likely to be attracted to it.

my walking staff stays out, often holding up a leeward corner of the tarp. i usually leave my water bladder and at least one water bottle outside. i've done my food bag two ways before... if i don't care about it getting wet, i just clip it to the biner in my tree hugger (foot end). if i take it inside, it just goes on the biner in the end loop of the ridgeline. boots hang over the ridgeline, snapped into a biner at the other end so they don't slide down over me. if dirty, they can hang out through the bottom slit. if not, they're fine inside. glasses and chapstick go in that little slidey pouch thing overhead on the ridgeline. socks, gloves, shorts/pants, headlamp, biner watch, thermometer, and photon light all hang off the ridgeline too. longjohns and fleece jacket go in stuff sack for pillow if not worn. rain gear gets stuffed over the ridgeline up by the boots where i can get to it when i sit up. pack hangs off the ridgeline at that end too, but pushed off to the left, away from my feets. sit pad goes over the ridgeline and raingear, hand in case i need to put it under my feet if i get a cold spot there. i have a pocket near my right shoulder where i can keep a book and a water bottle.

once i settle in, everything i need inside is right there at hand, though it looks like a white trash garage sale inside... pretty crowded sometimes. if i need to go out, everything i need is right in front of me once i sit up.

next morning, it's sort of the reverse... all my clothes are there handy, so i put on my longjohns and/or jacket, open the slit, put out food bag and sit pad (which was right there by my feet, set pack outside, put on shoes and socks. go drain, start stove, turn out sleeping bag and lay it over ridgeline to air, set up oatmeal and cocoa in cup, and wait for hot water.. review the map and get an idea where i'm going while eating. clean up, pack up, take down tarp, and go.

hope that all makes sense.