Treeless hanging? What to do in barren places?

[default]

I know I'm someone who'll try to always be near either buildings or trees to the point that I'll be ok, but a lot of my friends have a tendency to ask "what do you do where theres no trees?". Mostly because I plan on taking trips and some will cross the deserts and some barren places, including Mexico.

obviously I think hammocks are by far the better choice, but you can always put up a tent (dog forbid) because theres always ground, but not so with the hammocks.

besides deploying on the ground, what can you do? im looking into a rock hanging wedge method, since thatll cover most "desert" situations.


So what do/would you guys do?

[Flangler]

Use rock climbing gear (chocks, cams, etc) to make anchor points, and hang away!

[oldgringo]

The obsession with hanging, no matter how impractical it may be, seems silly to me. I'm not getting rid of my tents any time soon.

One of the reasons I hang is that, on some sites, a tent is not an option. That door swings both ways.

[BrianWillan]

If you are going to have a decent sized vehicle, you could look at a portable hammock stand solution. There have been many threads on that.

As for hanging from the rocks, while that idea seems good in theory, the reality is that finding a good spot to hang from is going to be a lot harder than you think.

I agree with oldgringo to an extent. If you're traveling through the desert or other barren areas, use a cot and pitch a tarp over you to keep the weather out.

Cheers

Brian

[OutandBack]

When I go to the desert and have no trees I love my 1 man tent with 3" thick air mattress.
This tent, mattress, and summer bag actually weighs less and packs smaller than my hammock kit.

[jbphilly]

If I'm going to a place without trees, I'm taking a tent and air mattress instead. Sometimes you just have to admit defeat...

[Muskrat]

I have contemplated this scenario although I don't look forward to it ever happening. Most of my camping is backpacking and in the event, I will deploy my Superfly using my trekking poles and then laying out my emergency blanket and tying off my BB to the same trekking poles. At least this way I will still have full coverage and protection from creepy crawlies.

[CampThunderlips]

When I go to the desert and have not trees I love my 1 man tent with 3" thick air mattress. This tent, mattress, and summer bag actually weighs less than my hammock kit.

Awesome setup!

If only our nomad ancestors had such convenience and comfort!

Regarding no trees:
Though its nice to always drive a Ferrari, sometimes you need a lifted F250 4x4

[USMCStang]

I like to keep things simple, and I'm by no means an ounce counter...I'll just take my tent.

FWIW, 99% of anywhere I go backpacking is east of the Mississippi...no problem finding trees there, even if they're stunted spruces.

[finskie]

Pretty much any mosquito hammock can be used as a "bug bivy on the ground with some creative trek pole usage, and people use tarps as an ultra-light method of shelter. I would use my poles to pitch my bridge in ground mode, and also pitch my tarp off the same poles. Would basically give me all the coverage of a tent. The ground may suck if I only brought an UQ, but if I knew it was a possibility to be on the ground, I would likely bring a torso sized ccf pad.