I'm a camper: I want to get where I'm going setup and relax
I'm a camper: I want to get where I'm going setup and relax
This is your one stop shop for all Hammock knowledge
I prefer to hammock and paddle. Hammocking is a great compliment to canoe camping.
“Isn't it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?”
― Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Hammock hiker, here. Anytime I take my family camping, or go on an outing with Boy Scouts, I will hammock. However, my yearning is to hike into the woods and sleep somewhere, out in the middle of nowhere. If I go hiking, I actually feel as though I've been robbed if I can't sleep there overnight. I have literally turned down invites to hike the Presidentials because the plan was to drive there, hike, and come home. I think one of my favorite parts of hiking is waking up in the morning. I use a hammock because it oh-so much more comfortable, and all I need is two trees for a camp site. So, I consider myself as a hiker who hammocks.
"Every minute outside ... is a good minute!" -> Calvin & Hobbes, 8/1/1993
I enjoy both hiking and car camping. Car camping is usualy when I go with a group or with family that dont hike. But hiking is my fav.
TDHanger
most trips: boat in, hammock camp
this weekend: hike & hammock, hike & hammock
Short backpack overnight hikes (5-15 miles) and some car camping. Like others say, just get out and do it. A Hammock makes it easy to do.
Last edited by oldpappy; 10-27-2013 at 21:53. Reason: simplify
Enjoying the simple things in life -
Own less, live more.
Hiker most of the time. After starting backpacking just 6 years ago, I'm still amazed how fun and rewarding it is to carry EVERYTHING you need for the trip on your back. I love it!
I also just completed my first kayaking camp trip, and it sure has its benefits. For once I had a COLD Beam & Coke since I was able to take a small soft cooler.
Here's my spin. There are two (actually there may be more) reasons for doing this. The first is that I have had a double knee replacement (both at the same time) and it's easier to step down from a hammock then to force myself up from the ground in the morning. Sitting on the ground to have breakfast is a bit hard. I can still luxuriate in the hammock in my sleeping bag while eating.
The next is that if you live in a NYC apartment (and most of you don't) there is another pleasure you don't have. That's setting up the tent and sleeping bag and the other equipment after a trip to dry or air out. This means setting it all up in the living room or hanging in the bathroom to dry. My wife also gets mad since it can all be dirty and muddy. With the hammock I found that it never touches the ground, and it's easier to hang and dry. It also takes up hardly any room while doing this. The weight is about the same as a tent setup, but I still do 15-18 miles a day. And that's with new knees! Have I worn you people out enough on this?
And now to answer you question: I do it for both! The nice spot and the distance. I remember doing about ten miles and seeing the super moon earlier this year. It lit the entire landscape in Harriman Park. Beautiful!!!!!!
You don't always have to cook, you know. And in the Catskills sometimes it seems like you're just sucked in. I sometimes stay a day or more in one spot (don't forget the rules: you can only camp in one spot for three days in the Cats). Now I'm done rambling.
Last edited by nyhiker50; 10-28-2013 at 09:57.
I was going to add that we were missing a key group of hammock hangers. My personal preference is to hang at camp to relax after a days activities. Mostly after a day of paddling. Weight is not so much of an issue with canoeists. Well, that is until I find a long and unmaintained portage. I substitute a chair for a hammock finding that I have so many more options to relax than sit in a chair.
I'm converting from a tent over to a full time hammock camping setup right now (when funding allows). That will allow me to drop the weight of a tent and keep the hammock.
Bookmarks