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  1. #1
    Senior Member QFT's Avatar
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    Earplugs - good or bad idea?

    Just curious. I don't sleep well in a hammock just because I'm jumpy and feel vulnerable out in black bear country (justified or not). It's definitely worse because I only hang a few nights a year so I never settle into a routine, but I don't see that changing. Earplugs would probably help a lot, but it seems kind of unsafe to me. What are your opinions on them?

  2. #2
    Senior Member TrailSlug's Avatar
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    I use them and have never had an issue. Without them I'd never fall asleep due to how loud mother nature is. You can still hear the needed sounds as in a bear near or a coyote yelling or owls hooting but it drowns out a lot of that background noise and makes sleeping a lot easier.

  3. #3
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    I've been hammock camping for over 3 years now and never had an issue with ear plugs. I too find it hard to sleep with the sounds in the wilderness. It's not the actual noise, but the frequency/infrequency of the different sounds and db levels. They make me jump right away. I started doing this many years ago with tent camping.

  4. #4
    Senior Member zukiguy's Avatar
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    +1....sometimes the sounds of the forest (Cicadas, bull frogs, Armadillos, etc.) will keep me awake and there's always the other hangers to might be sawing logs in the middle of the night. I just keep a couple of pairs in a ziplock bag inside all my hammocks "just in case".

  5. #5
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    I'm a fairly recent convert, but now never travel without the little foam ones -- whether in the backcountry or a hostel/hotel. Babbling brooks, blabbing neighbors, snoring companions are all rendered inoffensive with a pair in my ears. I've never worried about bears or humans (likely the bigger danger...), partly out of general optimism and partly as some noise does still penetrate the plugs. RE bears, I'm a diligent bear canister user and/or bear-bag hanger, which includes making sure everything I have with a scent is properly stored and that the can/bag is well away from where I sleep. I've never had a problem/regret using the earplugs.

  6. #6
    Senior Member rais'n hammock's Avatar
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    I use them sometimes but mainly to dampen the noise from the wind or rowdy scouts. I am not concerned about the animal noises and am not sure what I would do anyway. Laying quietly in a hammock when animals are around has work best so far. But I am not sure if any of the noises I have "heard" were actual bears. Deer, skunks, squirrels... they don't care and will walk right up to you to investigate.

    Store your food properly (next to the guys in the tents ), cook away from your sleeping area, and sleep quietly in your hammock. Some call it a bear burrito and earplugs will just add to the squishy center.
    Outdoors > Indoors
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    “An optimist is a man who plants two acorns and buys a hammock.” ― Jean de Lattre de Tassigny

  7. #7
    Senior Member OneClick's Avatar
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    Snoring is the only thing that keeps me up. But I'm usually solo so I don't bring them. I don't like wearing them anyway because of the "hiss" sound or whatever you call it (listening to the ocean in a shell )

    And I can hear my heart beating...or blood pumping around my head...not sure exactly. But that's more annoying than anything outside to me.

    On a complete tangent: wear them anytime you use your lawnmower, snowblower, trimmer, etc! Protect your hearing for the future. Just because that mower isn't "hurting" your ears doesn't mean it's not doing continuous damage.

  8. #8
    Senior Member kitsapcowboy's Avatar
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    I don't. I wouldn't. I guess I value my situational awareness too much. That's just my $0.02. Besides, the how sounds of nature at night are part of the enjoyable experience of camping for me.

    (For the record and FWIW I'd be more concerned about the intent of an approaching person in the woods at night than any approaching animal...)

  9. #9
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    I use earbuds and listen to classical music til I fall asleep....

  10. #10
    Senior Member gr8brew's Avatar
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    I keep a pair of earplugs in the Ridgeline organizer of ever hammock I have.

    I don't always use them but they have come in handy. Examples.. Owls "who cooks for you yawww." Everytime your drifting to sleep. Coyote howling into the night. Logging trucks.

    Sent from my LGLS990 using Tapatalk

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