Dogs and Hammock backpacking

**Gary_R** · 08-08-2011, 20:08

So from what most of you said, the best route is my larger tarp and tie him/her to one of the trees i'm hanging from.
and to adjust the length so the dog doesn't get all tangled. I like the idea of giving the dog there own pad/light blanket

**rip waverly** · 08-08-2011, 20:16

yeah.. dog'll definitely need a pad.
someone here at HF designed a dog-specific 'wearable' quilt.

**brushybill** · 08-08-2011, 20:29

my ridgeback carries her own gear , i use a tree hugger around the tree then a length of cord

WV · 08-08-2011, 20:59

My dog doesn't have a very thick coat, so in cold and/or wet weather he uses his own insulated hammock. It also gives him a better place to sleep if I'm camped on a slope.

**johnnyh88** · 08-08-2011, 21:24

My 55 lb dog sleeps right under my hammock on a 1/8'' Gossamer Gear thinlight pad and a mini fleece blanket if it's cold. I fill her dog backpack up with some rocks and water bottles and leash her to that. I then tie off her backpack to my hammock's whoopie sling using some amsteel. I haven't had any troubles with this setup so far. My dog carries it all, it's easy, and everything is kept under my tarp. Wherever I sleep at home (bed or hammock), I put that same GG pad and fleece blanket next to me so she knows that's where to sleep. I'm still working on getting her into a hammock - no luck so far though.

Back when I just tarp camped with no hammock, I only did the backpack with rocks thing. That worked pretty well until early one morning when she decided to go chasing after a Turkey that was walking by my tarp - the bag of rocks hit me and my dog ran right into a guyline. The stake held, so the tarp ended up ripping about 12 inches down a seam on the edge. Because of that experience, I stick with short leashes when tying out my dog.

**muledog19** · 08-08-2011, 22:33

Not sure how big your dog is, but mine is 35 Lbs and sleeps in the hammock with me. The mosquitoes, black flies, deer flies, and horse flies would tear her to shreds if she wasn't under the mosquito netting with me!!!

The biggest problems I have had so far were from the night she rolled in something icky, stinky, and slimy right before hopping in the hammock with me

and the time she was outside of the hammock and decided to hop in THROUGH the mosquito netting.

Over all it's a real learning process for the two of us, and hopefully the dog and I will continue to get better at it. Good Luck!

**lattie11581** · 08-09-2011, 00:10

Mine goes crazy when I get into my hammock. At home or in the field. I don't tie him anymore as he is 11 yrs old and always comes back. I lay a Wally world pad down near the edge of my tarp with a DIY bug netover him tied off to my ridge line. When he gets up in the night it moves my hammock I whistle and he crawls back in. He would carry it all if he went hiking with me. I Mostly camp by canoe so the extra weight is pretty much a non issue. My dog is a 70lb fat chesepeke chow mix and I made a bug net 26"x30" square at the bottom with three sewn panels and the front not sewn but weighted with rocks to make a "seal". Sort of dome tent shaped. Works well enough. He ain't all chewed up in the morning.

**Tendertoe** · 08-09-2011, 11:50

I have a 20 lb terrier mix. He didn't like a pad. I just wad up a fleece throw and he makes quite a comfy bed out of it, dries quickly and warm.

He will come in the hammock to hangout, but not to sleep.

**sandykayak** · 08-09-2011, 15:07

Will someone pl post my favorite photo of the doggie in his own hammock right under the main hammock?

It is sooo cool. Don't remember if instructions have ever been posted.