Real life experience with rain and hammocks

[jscalia]

What has your experience been with heavy rain and hammocks? Has anyone gotten wet or uncomfortable during rain and what type of fly/tarp were you using. Also, has anyone been able to stay dry with their stock HH flies during heavy rain conditions? Thanks.

[angrysparrow]

Also, has anyone been able to stay dry with their stock HH flies during heavy rain conditions? Thanks.

If you search, there is a good story about how that Sgt Rock weathered the after effects of a hurricane with the stock HH tarp.

I've been dry through a number of downpours with my MacCat, but nothing remotely like that.

[wamyteipen]

My experiences with the stock HH tarp that comes with the Expedition Asym led me to make my own caternary tarp. I got wet on three separate occasions where the rain blew under the sparsely covered right head end of the hammock. I tried replacing the stock tarp with a GoLight Ultralight poncho/tarp and had similar results. It just didn't give adequate coverage. I now use a homemade tarp modeled after the MacCat Standard and so far I am very pleased.

[smartcarpie]

I spent two nights under a stock HH tarp, got wet on both in a drizzle with light wind. Have since made a set of 3 cat tarps for myself so I can size according to the forecast and my own desire to gamble for a lighter pack. I just did a week in my hammock in the White Mountains and went through 2 severe thunderstorms just below treeline. In the first I got just a tiny bit of spray on my down underquilt blown in by heavy wind. Not an issue with Momentum quilts, but either beaks or just turning 90 deg. to the weather would have solved it, unfortunately I had to take what trees I could get in a hurry with thunder rolling. This was the only site available for a couple miles, and if I had been in a tent there would have been about an inch of groundwater to contend with...The second storm was heavier than the first but was a nice opportunity to have a nap for a couple hours, totally dry in there...I had the only dry setup in the camp that I could see. Of my whole week I only put on my rain jacket once to lean out and snug up a guy line. A 10 by 12 cat tarp or something similar really is a nice way to go to stay dry.

christian

[smartcarpie]

Thought I'd throw in a pic from that trip, no rain at this site, just a nice riverview...

[headchange4u]

I have camped in a couple of heavy rains and I have never gotten wet. I have more trouble with the misty rain that seems to creep in and give everything that damp feeling.


I have yet to deal with heavy rains and really strong winds, but by pitching the tarp correctly and finding the right spot I have full confidence in my system.

[Dutch]

I thru'd with my ubla on and it rained every day for five weeks in VA. My stock tarp kept me dry except 2x and both time were managable and operator error. HC4U is correct about the right pitch. I never stayed dry in a tent. I got wet when someone sneezed outside. I have bigger tarps now, but still carry my stock tarp almost everytime. It is small but it is just enough.

[Just Jeff]

I don't have much rain experience with the stock HH fly, but I'm pretty sure Sgt Rock was stealthing in New Orleans when Katrina came through and he stayed bone dry...hammock kept him above the floods and the fly, properly pitched, kept the rain off. That's how I heard the story, anyway...

The HH is adequate, nothing more. If you want more flexibility in site selection and more margin of error, at the expense of some weight, get a bigger tarp. It'll give you room to change and cook under, too.

I've been through some pretty good rains in my MacCat Standard and JRB 8x8 and never got wet. Now and then I got some spray, especially near the ends, but never really wet. With a good tarp and the a little bit of experience, staying dry in a hammock isn't hard.

[Otter1]

My HH tarp works well for me. It's seen me thru several Florida T-storms.

I must say, however, that a bigger tarp is starting to look good for two reasons: 1) More room (for things like Jeff mentioned above) and 2) the smaller stock tarp must be set up correctly, including site selection, so there's not much room for user error. A bigger tarp would somewhat alleviate these potential problems.

[T-Dubs]

[QUOTE=headchange4u;29303]I have camped in a couple of heavy rains and I have never gotten wet. I have more trouble with the misty rain that seems to creep in and give everything that damp feeling.[QUOTE]

Would something like the HH Overcover be of use in these conditions, the mist/fog? I haven't been out enough to know what may work and what won't. Of course, if it's coated to protect you from exterior mist, the interior dampness it would produce may be worse. Hhhmmmm....

Thanks,
TWS