View Full Version : AT class of 2013 or 14 Hammock question I PROMISE
Wife says go thru hike, so go thru hike I must, yea I got one of the good ones:D. Question: I want to hammock the trail but will there be areas that I must dwell on the ground and need to carry a pad to set up on? If so are those anti-hammock friendly areas confined so I can have a self inflating pad for only a section and mail it there and then send it back latter. The back is so-so, so I need a very comfortable pad, that I do have, but that means space and weight:( So any thru hiker that hammock-ed could you be kind enough to let me know. Thanks in advance.
kayak karl
10-23-2012, 19:03
smokies you have to stay at shelters if they are not full. very easy to hang in them. you won't knock it down, the bears can't. :)
the whites you can not hang in huts or above tree line. a little planning and you can hop the tent areas.
i don't carry a pad at all any more. only done 1200 of AT, but did the Ga, NC, Tenn, Va and NH & Me.
i also hung at the DC greyhound station on an 8 hour layover in a snow storm :)
MedicineMan
10-23-2012, 20:01
'hung at the DC greyhound station on an 8 hour layover in a snow storm'
now that should be in the awesome hang thread!
RichardD
10-23-2012, 21:21
I thru hiked the AT in 2011 with a hammock. I had a NEO air mat shipped to me at Fontana and carried it for the rest of the hike.
I had to use a shelter for two nights in GSMNP as they did not fill.
I went to ground at Trents Grocery store, he provides camping with shower and laundry but I could find nowhere to hang. I could have moved on but chose to camp with friends.
I went to ground at The Blackburn Center but only because I thought it would be nice to sleep on the porch (it was not)
I went to ground at Wind Gap, The Beer Stein provided free camping in a grassy area behind their building but no trees, again I chose to camp with friends rather than hike on a little. (The folks at the Beer Stein treated us extremely well).
I chose to use the new shelter at Raven Rock as there was a lot of very close lightning when I was there. There was plenty of hammock opportunity in the vicinity of the shelter.
In the Whites I worked for stay at Zealnd Falls Hut and Lake of the Clouds Hut but hammocked the rest of the Whites.
I used shelters a few times through Maine, the shelters were rather empty by then and the mosquitoes were gone so the shelters were appealing when the weather was wet.
I also used Birches shelter in Baxter
In summary, there were very few nights when going to ground was necessary and a few others where I simply wanted to camp with my friends. I did not regret carrying the extra weight of the Airmat as it gave me more options. I used an underquilt with my hammock so the Airmat was not dual purpose
Karl and Richard Thank you so much for the information. Richard thank you for the Neo air idea I will have to look at that Neoair as it seems so much smaller than my self inflating pads that I have now. Can it really pack back up as small as the advertise? Or is that only with a Doctorate in Engineering and a Minor in Origami
fishbait
10-24-2012, 15:23
I can tell you that you will not have any problems hanging in New Jersey, There's plenty of trees. You can start camping 2 miles north of Sunfish pound. Once you get passed Culver's Gap, you can hang near the shelters. About the only issue we had on the hike was finding a tree that wasn't dead or had widow makers looming above.
Black Foot
10-24-2012, 15:48
smokies you have to stay at shelters if they are not full. very easy to hang in them. you won't knock it down, the bears can't. :)
+1 on hanging in the Smokies, if the shelter is full and your a "long-distance hiker" you can hang near them, if not, you can hang in them
RichardD
10-24-2012, 20:29
Busky2: My Neo was the original Yellow and silver one, I think its been superceeded by a more robust but heavier mat. I always folded it flat and it took very little space in my pack. It came in three sizes, I have the large. It is a very comfortable mat.
Many people complained that this mat was noisey but I did not find it so.
Enjoy your hike, I certainly did and I think about it daily. I will be attempting the PCT in April, with my hammock.
bear bag hanger
10-25-2012, 06:23
When I did my AT thru hike in 2004, only went to ground twice. Both times, I could have hiked on a little bit and found a place to hang. In the Smoky's, the rangers let me hang even if the shelters weren't quite full, since they felt hammocks didn't do the sort of damage tents do. Not sure they would still do that now. In the whites, was able to hang at all the campsites I stayed at. Was not able to hang at the huts, had to sleep on the dining room floor. At the time, I carried a closed cell pad for warmth and was comfortable enough on the ground so it wasn't too big a problem.
Fishbait, black foot and bear bag hanger thank you for the information. I like the idea of hanging in the shelter up north ans also may check with a ranger as to that possibility of hanging in the Smoke's even with only partially full shelters. Jersey does have it's trees, yes it does, and I loved hanging in the DWGapNP. RichardD best wishes on your upcoming PCT adventure.
PackBacker
10-25-2012, 20:20
Busky2: My Neo was the original Yellow and silver one, I think its been superceeded by a more robust but heavier mat. I always folded it flat and it took very little space in my pack. It came in three sizes, I have the large. It is a very comfortable mat.
Many people complained that this mat was noisey but I did not find it so.
Enjoy your hike, I certainly did and I think about it daily. I will be attempting the PCT in April, with my hammock.
actually they just replaced it with the neoair xlite, the regular version is only 12 ounces!
actually they just replaced it with the neoair xlite, the regular version is only 12 ounces!
I have the large Xlite....it weighs exactly one pound and it's VERY easy to pack up. It's about 1/4 the size of my stuffed UQ. The new one's are much more quiet than the old ones. Personally I like the extra width of the large size. They are 25" as opposed to 20" for the regular.
Miguel
I'm with Miguel here on the Neo Air.
Was very good when I ditched my UQ in NC as well as for going to shelter when it poured the few times it did. The Yellow and Gray Z lite was wayyyyy too thin in a shelter. Neo Air was used every night....primarily in the HH Hyperlite.
I hung nearly the entire way, unless at a hostel.
I did do work for stay at the huts in the Whites. Only recommended if you have to or if you are starving. I would have rather hung.
I stealthed in Baxter.
that's all I can think of.....I did not find one place I could not hang. Planning in the Whites is good above tree line.
cliffhanger
12-18-2012, 19:27
"I did not find one place I could not hang"
+1
hairbear
12-18-2012, 20:37
so is there a fine or something for not using the shelters in designated areas?
cliffhanger
12-18-2012, 21:00
heard they can confiscate your gear...... but I doubt they'd go that far.
I also heard they'd just tell you the rules and make you pack up and move on to an appropriate location..
FWIW- I didn't see a Ranger on trail my whole hike, I did see 2 or 3 ridgerunners. I don't believe they are law enforcement but they'd probably ask/tell you to move on.
so is there a fine or something for not using the shelters in designated areas?