A couple Noob (Middle of Nowhere) camping questions

[Northern Mike]

I have a couple multi-day trips planned for this up and coming summer. Because of these trips, I finally ordered a hammock, as apose to tent or bottom of the boat sleeping.

A bit of an over view of the trips (none have designated camp sites, so we set camp when we're tired;
- One will be river hopping from small river to the next via kayak with a small section along the shore of the Georgian Bay (big water).
- One is a mtn bike, then hike/bushwhack
- The last will see us hop off the train (request a stop) in the middle of nowhere, in search of an old ghost town (early 1900's lumber and fur trade town).

So... a few noob questions when it comes the hammock camping.

- Where do you folks generally store your footwear when sleeping (water shoes, hiking boots, etc)?
Sounds trivial, but with no accurate weather reports (middle of nowhere), likely in dense bush, it would be nice to have the footwear close at hand and dry.

- Any tips or tricks when it comes to dense bush hanging?
The Hammock I ordered is ~9ft long. I'm a bit concerned finding a pair of trees suitable in dense bush could be an issue.

- (non-noob question) How or where to you store your other gear?
While tent camping, I'd either hook my pack on a tree, or under the edge of the fly on the tent.

[Black Foot]

- Where do you folks generally store your footwear when sleeping (water shoes, hiking boots, etc)?

I generally put my boots on the ground under the hammock right where my feet would be when I sit up to get out. This is generally under the tarp so they stay dry. Some people use a small section of tyvek as a welcome mat. Be careful to shake your shoes out in the morning if you're hiking in an area where critters tend to crawl in them (e.g. spiders or scorpions)

- (non-noob question) How or where to you store your other gear? While tent camping, I'd either hook my pack on a tree, or under the edge of the fly on the tent.

I usually hang my pack from my tree straps using a S-Biner. Use the pack rain cover to keep it dry. Garbage bag or trash compactor bag works well too.

[ag1024]

I have a ridge line connected to the ends of the hammock. I can hang boots from this line. Or, I will bring a plastic wal mart bag to store my boots in on the ground. I have a groundsheet underneath the hammock, and stuff gets bagged and stored there. Everything is under the tarp, so it is not in the rain.

My other gear goes into the backpack, and is either tied to one of my anchor point trees, or set on rocks on the ground underneath me. If rain is coming, I will take my poncho and cover the backpack up, so no side rain falls on it.

No trees? Derek Hansen was playing with a lightweight portable hammock stand that some chaps in Britain invented. That may come in handy. It is called the Handy Hammock Stand.

http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...=Handy+Hammock

[ninjahamockman]

I have done a similar trip in yellowstone except we used cannoes and not kayaks

Where do you folks generally store your footwear when sleeping (water shoes, hiking boots, etc)?
Sounds trivial, but with no accurate weather reports (middle of nowhere), likely in dense bush, it would be nice to have the footwear close at hand and dry.

I would store my footware right under my hammock. If I use a tarp it stays dry with me. Just make sure to check your shoes for critters.

- Any tips or tricks when it comes to dense bush hanging?
The Hammock I ordered is ~9ft long. I'm a bit concerned finding a pair of trees suitable in dense bush could be an issue.

Finding a hammock spot can be hard you must look for 2 things.
1. Any Widdow makers (Dead branches that can fall, or any sketchy limbs.)
If you see any of these they tend to make me nervous and that tells me it is not worth it.

2. Look for animal tracks.
You do not want to cloths line a dear while your sleeping nor do you want to wake up and alert an animal that can potentially harm you. If you are nervous it is not worth it.

Good areas to look for are places like by the coast of the water. Or over a rooted area (make some room in the camp site for some tent folk.) I like to look for trees that are 10 ft apart in your case knock off a foot of the length of your hammock so you can have some considerable sag and get a flat lay. Try to get a 30 degree angle for your suspension this helps reduce the weight strain on your suspension the larger the angle the more strain you put on the hammock and 30 is a sweet spot for sag and strain.

- (non-noob question) How or where to you store your other gear?
While tent camping, I'd either hook my pack on a tree, or under the edge of the fly on the tent.

I would put it by the tree where I am hanging under the fly though. if you can find a stub from a broken branch that you can use as a hook that would be adviseable because you have less critters getting in it and it is easy to access. Some of us have a ridgeline organizer (I don't have one yet) that we can put stuff like our phone, wallet,keys and water bottles. I just put mt water bottle and phone in my shoes so I can have easy access.



Another piece of advice bring ear plugs and have some way of fighting off bugs (I use permetherin). Ear plugs have saved my life because when I was at Yellowstone a moose decided to wade through the water about 5 to 10 ft from my hammock. If that moose woke me up I am pretty sure I would have freaked it out and it could have charged me. Another reason to bring ear plugs is that bugs will still continue to buzz around your ear despite your best efforts of thwarting them. The earplugs plug your ears and enable you to ignore them to.

[Northern Mike]

I have done a similar trip in yellowstone except we used cannoes and not kayaks



I would store my footware right under my hammock. If I use a tarp it stays dry with me. Just make sure to check your shoes for critters.



Finding a hammock spot can be hard you must look for 2 things.
1. Any Widdow makers (Dead branches that can fall, or any sketchy limbs.)
If you see any of these they tend to make me nervous and that tells me it is not worth it.

2. Look for animal tracks.
You do not want to cloths line a dear while your sleeping nor do you want to wake up and alert an animal that can potentially harm you. If you are nervous it is not worth it.

Good areas to look for are places like by the coast of the water. Or over a rooted area (make some room in the camp site for some tent folk.) I like to look for trees that are 10 ft apart in your case knock off a foot of the length of your hammock so you can have some considerable sag and get a flat lay. Try to get a 30 degree angle for your suspension this helps reduce the weight strain on your suspension the larger the angle the more strain you put on the hammock and 30 is a sweet spot for sag and strain.



I would put it by the tree where I am hanging under the fly though. if you can find a stub from a broken branch that you can use as a hook that would be adviseable because you have less critters getting in it and it is easy to access. Some of us have a ridgeline organizer (I don't have one yet) that we can put stuff like our phone, wallet,keys and water bottles. I just put mt water bottle and phone in my shoes so I can have easy access.



Another piece of advice bring ear plugs and have some way of fighting off bugs (I use permetherin). Ear plugs have saved my life because when I was at Yellowstone a moose decided to wade through the water about 5 to 10 ft from my hammock. If that moose woke me up I am pretty sure I would have freaked it out and it could have charged me. Another reason to bring ear plugs is that bugs will still continue to buzz around your ear despite your best efforts of thwarting them. The earplugs plug your ears and enable you to ignore them to.

Definitely some good info.
Even tenting, I'll avoid animal trails. I've been awoken enough times in the middle of the night by them to know I don't want to be a hanging toy for a bear or other animal. I have a few good stories and even photos of a few of the animals that have visited near our camp sites when off the beaten path.

For hanging my pack... I kind of over looked the fact we need to tie off to trees, so that would be a perfect spot to hang the pack. From my kayak camping, I now have a light weight drybag that my pack will fit in. I use that for night storage to keep the dew off the bag and stuff in side dry.

[dakotaross]

I'm assuming you also have a tarp, not just a hammock. Here's what you need to be able to do... visualize the space without walls. Your "tent" space is much the same, just that you can see right through the space. So, most folks put their "stuff" on the floor of that space much like a tent. If you're worried about windblown rain, or more probably, dew getting your stuff wet, just take a light plastic bag - a garbage bag will do. In a forest, especially dense forest, you'll find that windblown rain is not much of an issue, except perhaps if you're camping on the edge of a river or lake.

p.s. I'm completely jealous!

[Northern Mike]

I'm assuming you also have a tarp, not just a hammock. Here's what you need to be able to do... visualize the space without walls. Your "tent" space is much the same, just that you can see right through the space. So, most folks put their "stuff" on the floor of that space much like a tent. If you're worried about windblown rain, or more probably, dew getting your stuff wet, just take a light plastic bag - a garbage bag will do. In a forest, especially dense forest, you'll find that windblown rain is not much of an issue, except perhaps if you're camping on the edge of a river or lake.

p.s. I'm completely jealous!

I've always carried a poly tarp when camping, so I'll probably use that for this hammock until I can get use to camping with it, and know what I want/need.
I'll be using a ridgeline for sure. I'll be spending a few nights in the basement figuring out lengths for the ridgeline and how to secure the poly tarp. The tarp I've carried the last year or so is double sided, with a dark brown side and a thermal reflective side (emergency blanket style). Works pretty good near freezing.

On a side note: I may still have a space or two available on two of the trips described. I never do these trips with more then 3 people total (group = trouble generally). Google earth imaging is useless in the areas I go (very, very poor res) so a lot of the travel and camping will be work with what we have.

[Fish<><]

Footwear I hang from my suspension under my tarp. All I do is tie the laces together into a bow and either toss em over the line or clip a caribiner to the laces then to the line. As far as finding a pair of trees, as long as your tarp can fit in between the two trees you can hang there. Just make dead sure there are no dead limbs on the trees you are hangin on even if they are on the other side of the tree. When I first got onto the forums I saw a thread where the person had a dead limb on the opposite side of the tree come crashing into his setup in his backyard while he just happened to be away from it. Also give the tree a shove. Another member lost an entire tree by finding an unsuitable tree.

I am not saying its any more dangerous than tenting, just a friendly reminder to be cautious out there enjoying nature. There are millions of ways to get in trouble without even realizing them before hand. Hang safe and enjoy it!

[mbiraman]

In my area the bush can be very dense at times. In some of those situations i'll clear what i need to to make a good camp. I usually have a saw and good knife with me.
A note about animal trails as i saw a few folks mentioning it. Animal trails are not about foraging. There usually an A to B situation like in the evening going to a water source or going to a favorite spot to rest or sleep otherwise animals are all over the landscape looking for food. Be careful with your food.

bill

[Northern Mike]

In my area the bush can be very dense at times. In some of those situations i'll clear what i need to to make a good camp. I usually have a saw and good knife with me.
A note about animal trails as i saw a few folks mentioning it. Animal trails are not about foraging. There usually an A to B situation like in the evening going to a water source or going to a favorite spot to rest or sleep otherwise animals are all over the landscape looking for food. Be careful with your food.

bill

I have been carrying a ka-bar kukri machete with me backpacking for a bit now. It works for cutting trail, clearing camp and even splitting wood for a fire.

For food, I use a bear bag arrangement for our food and or anything that has a scent that could be considered food. It all goes into a dry bag and up in the tree away from the camp site and down wind of us.
Here is a picture of the bear bag settup on one of my last trips. It was basically a long rope with a loop on the end. Toss it over a branch and clip the loop with a binner to the dry bag and back onto the rope. Pull tight and tie off on another tree. The dry bag keeps the food dry while traveling, and being mostly air tight, keeps smells down.