Does a hammock make sense if I'm planning to travel a lot around the US and not necessarily in conventional hiking trails? Like if I want to travel or hitchhike between various music festivals and things like that, does a tent make more sense? What if I might be hanging out near cities occasionally? Any thoughts? Thanks
There are usually plenty of trees that you can find to use. Your best bet is to have something in your gear that doubles as a groundcloth and have a pad instead of a quilt so you can use treking poles to set up the tarp and bugnet and just ground sleep.
Given that most music festivals by their very nature are held in large open fields some kind of portable stand would make a whole lot of sense.Originally Posted by johng
I find that even in conventional campgrounds that allow hammocks, they've cleared so many of the trees out of the sites to make room so Joe RVr doesn't take out his bumper on his 40' RV that there's nothing left to hang from or at best you can find one lonely tree.
Hitchhiking with a portable stand might be a little challenging other than that, I'd go for the hammock, a largish tarp with doors for privacy and a portable stand.
When I don't know if I'll be able to hang every night, I set up so I can sleep in a hammock or to the ground (basic tarp, and foam pad).
This way I don't worry about the terrain.
Search for "go to ground" and "hammock stand" etc.
Google.com site:hammockforums.net "keyword"
Pad + ground sheet such as Tyvek works to prevent ground moisture from completely soaking the bottom of your hammock in bivy mode. Buy Tyvek at www.diygearsupply.com or Hardware store. 79 cents per foot x 3 foot wide at arrowhead. Many other Gore-Tex like fabrics also work, cheap plastic tarp or painters drop cloth may condensate some but OK.
http://www.arrowhead-equipment.com/diy-parts.html
Also think creatively about hanging: all you really need is one tree or fence post and another pole you might be able to carry or improvise. A single thick walled telescoping pole such as the 1.5" with 0.12" wall from
WWW.DXENGINEERING.COM
may work. I.e. a smaller diameter, thinner walled aluminum pipe that fits inside it with the appropriate hardware. Be sure to talk to them or Texas Towers and do some engineering calculations based on your weight before ordering anything. 6 feet may be tall enough.
I finally got home so will switch to laptop and add some links for you. Basically there are hundreds of ways to camp in a hammock without enough trees. I have tried several.
I would be hypocritical if I said a tent is not better in some situations. I own 3 backpacking tents and occasionally use them. In very high wind conditions they are faster to setup and more stable. But when in winds well over 50 mph most people follow the hurricane evacuation routes or check into a Motel room because they are not fools like me who think huge hail is cool.
This idea from construction workers in Thailand may get you in trouble with local law enforcement in cities but works on lonely winter or river beaches and wilderness. Or so I was told, I admit to nothing. I rarely post personal photos, the internet never forgets and "the right to be forgotten" is only in the E.U. and rests on quicksand, go to court to be forgotten and everyone will remember you. LOL
https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...le-Driver-idea
https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...ary-Pole-Stand
https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...-Hammock-Stand
Last edited by ntxkayakr; 05-30-2014 at 18:00. Reason: added links
I just rode my bicycle across the country from California to Virginia, over a period of three months, and spent much of the time gauging good hang spots. Cities of course will be more difficult, but for the most part you could probably get creative and find a good spot to hang just about anywhere….that said I took my bivy/tarp for that trip and didn't regret it a single bit.YMMV
"eastern rain is made of skittles and one need only pack an appetite."
With a hammock you have less bulk & weight to carry and you get more comfort. There's always trees, parks and other areas, to hang from and those are the areas you would want to stay in if you're camping. If you use a poncho for rain gear you can use that as a groundsheet.
johng let us know how you are with simple DIY skills. My experience with urban camping and festivals is that most folks are great and will watch out for your gear but there are occasionally a few that will steal it. Therefore if ur gear is very simple and unique and well marked with permanent or fabric markers there is less chance of this. Use a search engine to check HF for DIY hammocks made by whipping the ends of a poly tablecloth. At home you can order from www.tableclothesfactory.com but on the road if you loose it or it wears out you may be able to buy one at Wal-Mart or a Dollar Store and assemble in an hour or less. Bright colors make it easy to spot if someone "borrows" it from you. If you were a well trained "Special Forces" soldier you may be able to "hide" in camouflage occasionally but most people are not successful at this, they are very noisy, take the same path every time, make large fires, etc.
If you have the skills and time to make a more sophisticated hammock and bug net etc look up DIY project by HF member XTrekker, but don't boast about them to the other campers around you or they may help themselves to it.
Also many DIY projects on making your own bivouac sack (aka bivy or "bivvy") see:
http://diygearsupply.com/diy-guides/bivy-sack/
As mentioned above, buy CCF (closed cell foam) for less than $10 at local Wal-Mart so that is easy to replace.
Search for many cheap light weight tarp ideas, Tyvek and other home construction wall wraps, fold over a pebble in corners and tie cord around it in an emergency for guy lines.
My point is learn to improvise your shelter and you will have the self confidence to live a very nomadic life style for as long as you wish while you are young, retired or whenever. Never get paranoid about the occasional dishonest person.
That sounds really cool. Did you take any pictures? I bet the scenery was spectacular.I just rode my bicycle across the country from California to Virginia, over a period of three months, and spent much of the time gauging good hang spots. Cities of course will be more difficult, but for the most part you could probably get creative and find a good spot to hang just about anywhere….that said I took my bivy/tarp for that trip and didn't regret it a single bit.
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