Going to Ground with Superfly and WBB-XLC

[MisterS]

With the kind of motorcycle adventure riding that I do, or for hiking where there are no trees, it is essential that I be able to go to ground (last adventure was 6 weeks long to the Arctic Circle). I usually take a tent, but now that I have discovered hammocks, I need to be able able to use it in all modes if I want to replace my tent. So, I wanted to see if I could set up my tarp and hammock during a rainstorm and see if I could get protection from the weather during setup as well as during an overnight stay. This is my first attempt and it worked great. Using the hammock and tarp setup will result in significant savings in weight and volume and I am sure I can leave the tent at home.

I did this quickie video to show my test setup and hopefully help others.

[MisterS]

Oops, I posted the wrong video link. I quickly fixed it but I see someone already had clicked on it. Sorry about that

- Mister S -

[KiwiMark]

With the kind of motorcycle adventure riding that I do,

I did this quickie video to show my test setup and hopefully help others.

I also go motorcycle camping, interesting setup.
What poles are you using there?

[novasquid]

I like how you've done your videos with the speed ups and cuts to get to the important parts. way too many other videos are of a guy staring into the camera and talking for 5 minutes.

how long did it take to set up the tarp and poles? for me, after a long 400+ mile motorcycle ride the last thing I want to do is fuss with cords, stakes, tarps, etc, so the quicker the setup the better. also, have you considered a handyhammock for treeless sites?

[MisterS]

I also go motorcycle camping, interesting setup.
What poles are you using there?

REI 6 ft folding tarp poles. They have a 22 inch folded length. http://www.rei.com/product/845322/re...rp-pole-single
For dual use backpacking or motorcycle, I would use my trekking poles. On a long ride, the longer tarp poles could provide a shelter with stand up room though. I used them with a Noah's tarp and pitched my tent underneath on the Alaska trip. I never had to put up or pack away a wet tent and always had a dry place to sit in camp.

[MisterS]

I like how you've done your videos with the speed ups and cuts to get to the important parts. way too many other videos are of a guy staring into the camera and talking for 5 minutes.

how long did it take to set up the tarp and poles? for me, after a long 400+ mile motorcycle ride the last thing I want to do is fuss with cords, stakes, tarps, etc, so the quicker the setup the better. also, have you considered a handyhammock for treeless sites?

The tarp sets up very quickly. For the poles, I have pre-rigged lines and keep my tarp in snakeskins. I pound in two stakes and hook up the tarp and lines to one pole. I walk the tarp to the other area where I want the second pole and hook up the second pole and the other pre rigged line. That gives me a setup with the tarp in snakeskins stretched betreen two poles. On the Alaska trip I had a Noah's tarp and no snakeskins. I just furled it up so it acted like it was in snakeskins.
To deploy, just roll back the snakeskins and the tarp hangs down. I keep the bungee lines attached to the tieouts and stake it out at the four corners as you can see in the video. They are self adjusting. The superfly doors can use the corner stakes or if you have very inclement weather, you can secure them to closer pegs. The bungee cords keep everything taught during setup and use. I do not tie the bungee cords to the pegs, but loop them over. That way the pegs wont become missiles launched at me if they pull out.
I use the ground tarp even when not going to ground where it protects the hammock laying on it. It just makes for a cleaner and nicer place for me and my gear. My bulky adventure motorcycle boots, helmet, jacket, and other riding gear are stowed under the tarp in garbage bags as an extra precaution.

[MisterS]

I like how you've done your videos with the speed ups and cuts to get to the important parts. way too many other videos are of a guy staring into the camera and talking for 5 minutes.

how long did it take to set up the tarp and poles? for me, after a long 400+ mile motorcycle ride the last thing I want to do is fuss with cords, stakes, tarps, etc, so the quicker the setup the better. also, have you considered a handyhammock for treeless sites?

Thank you for the kind comment. I shot about 1.5 hours of video showing complete teardown of my hammock and stand in great detail. I extracted this and like to keep videos like this to less than 3 minutes. Most viewers tune out if longer. This video is two minutes long which is best. I did screw up a bit by not showing the netting over me and how to adjust to get that perfect. I rely on questions to bring out things like that.

The Handy Hammock stand is on my radar. It solves my sole remaining concern. As well as my go-to-ground setup keeps me dry in very heavy wind and rain, it won't help if there is flowing water. A bathtub floor tarp would work just like a tent, and there is a nice Cubin fiber one out there that would do the job. But getting in the air is by far the best and the handyhammock stand does that for about the same cost.

[MisterS]

Here is an overview of a typical tarp setup and our site for those that may be interested. I hope to replace the tent and Kelty tarp with the Warbonnet setup.

.

I also have a blog that goes into greater detail about the 6 week, 7000 mile adventure ride that took us all the way to the Arctic Circle, but it is probably too off topic for a hammock forum. BTW, this was an epic father/son trip that is a highlight of my life.

[novasquid]

i tried to do something similar when i rode up to alaska, except i used a kelty canopy-style shelter intended to cover my tent. that thing was impossible to set up and ended up using it only once. it was just dead weight on my bike for the rest of the trip. if i had seen your video beforehand, i would've gone that route instead. nice work.

[MisterS]

i tried to do something similar when i rode up to alaska, except i used a kelty canopy-style shelter intended to cover my tent. that thing was impossible to set up and ended up using it only once. it was just dead weight on my bike for the rest of the trip. if i had seen your video beforehand, i would've gone that route instead. nice work.

Thank you. Once you get a routine, it goes up very quickly. We set it up first thing at every site. The secret is to have everything pre-rigged. I would pace off to determine where to drive in the stakes before rigging the tarp so everything happened fast. Alaska equals rain, so having a dry place that keeps us and our gear dry was an important consideration. We often arrived at the campsite wet from a days ride in the rain. The Kelty tarp served us well, but the SuperFly is much lighter, less bulky and provide more coverage, enough to be used a a tent. I would pitch it in porch mode at this site on a day like in the video and probably pull the sides down at night for privacy and protection. Can't have the bears seeing me pee in my pee bottle out in the open since it never got dark. It often rained at night.

As you can see in the video above, there are not too many hanging places. I could have tied one end to a tree and the other to my motorcycle to get up off the ground just a bit. There may have been better sites to hang in this campground, but this site is typical of most places. I can see a handyhammock in my future.