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  1. #1
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    Summer Hammock Camping In FL?

    Anyone have any experience hammock camping in the heat and humidity of Florida or any where tropical? How would you rate your experience? How did you stay cool?

    Thanks,
    John ^_^

  2. #2
    Senior Member TinaLouise's Avatar
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    BSA Summer Camp this year was 100% humidity with real temps hitting 107. Heat index was awful!! Night time temps were mid 80's. My Clark Tropical did really well. No under quilt and only a silk sheet inside. I used a small fan every night for about an hour, then would wake up cool and turn it off. I kept a bucket by my hammock so I could get cold water in it and soak my feet. That helped to cool me down too. A tiny fan is a must have item to hang on your ridge line inside the hammock.

  3. #3
    Senior Member Cannibal's Avatar
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    I hiked about half of the FT during the summer months; brutal. A fan does help tremendously and if you'll search for a fan posting by T-BACK, he hacked-up a camping fan to get the weight down nicely. He's a Florida hiker also. Insulation use was very rare; only a couple of months out of the year that insulation is needed south of Orlando.

    I often went to sleep in a hiking shirt that I soaked in water and wrung-out. Couple that with a fan blowing on you and it feels almost like falling asleep under an air conditioner. Pure Heaven at the end of a Florida day.

    And of course, site location. I would have traded everything I had for a site with even a slight breeze on several occasions. When I found one, I usually made camp; whether I had made the mileage I was targeting, or not.
    Trust nobody!

  4. #4
    Senior Member Mountainfitter's Avatar
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    I am from Florida and it gets pretty hot and humid but I grew up camping here so you just have to make due. I split my time between hanging and tent/tarp camping and I always use a thermarest pad and my MYOG bag rated to about 70 degree's haha. Good Luck!

  5. #5
    Senior Member eflat7's Avatar
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    I camp alot in Southern North Carolina. I'm only about 25 miles from the SC border. Not quite tropical, but it can get very hot and with humidity at or near the 100% mark, it can get nasty.

    I guess the best tip is to try and keep air flowing around you. If you can get away without using a bugnet or sock, that will make a huge difference. Camp near lots of shade and/or some running cool water that can make a little breeze into a nice makeshift AC when it runs underneath a hammock. I use a lighter colored tarp in summer to deflect some heat also.



    Hope this helps.

  6. #6
    Senior Member TFC Rick's Avatar
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    Welcome John!

    I'm in Arlington and have done some back yard hangs. It's just brutal. We've had some cooler breezes recently, but the only thing I've found that helps is cool clothing and moving air. I don't have a bug net yet so I only stay out for short jaunts.

    Rick

  7. #7
    Senior Member Flackfizer's Avatar
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    I am south Florida hiker and after being on the AT for a while this summer all I can say is that mountains are a picnic compared to swamps. I have 50 rated bag and I use it as a pillow! A poncho makes a fine blanket and it is never colder than that here half the year. Hammocks are great here since the ground can be very dicey. The problem is the mosquitos. They will get you through both your net and your hammock. You have to have a full net enclosure or you are dinner. I have a thermarest more for armor than warmth. Last weekend in the Withalacoochee Forest we could barely cook because the bugs were so thick--and that was with the bug spray. It may be flat here, but it is not for the faint of heart.
    Last edited by Flackfizer; 09-13-2010 at 10:24.

  8. #8
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    Florida hanger here... I'll add that it helps to get all of the sweat, sunscreen, and bug spray off of you before turning in for the night. I'm a kayak camper so i can carry more weight than a backpacker. I used to carry a 2.5 galllon shower with me, but now I just carry a 15oz nalgene bottle with some no-rinse, water, and a washcloth. If I'm clean, I can tolerate the heat much better during the night. As far as the overall experience, I would say that summertime camping in Florida is not the most enjoyable, but the spring, winter, and fall are hard to beat. As a kayaker, it is easier for me because I generally have a breeze off the water .

  9. #9
    Senior Member kitesurfer's Avatar
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    i live in jax too. we camp at litle talbut island at haloween and easter each year. they don't allow hanging. but they do allow my big dodge truck and coolers i just came home from a week hammock camping. first time efver in a hammock and i love it!

  10. #10
    Senior Member MAD777's Avatar
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    I'm in south Florida and my summer hiking trips include an airline ticket to northern mountains. Just got back from New Hampshire. Call me a wimp, but I won't even consider leaving my air conditioner in summer

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