Notes From the Field: SuperUltraLight Hammock Camping

Carol Crooker’s gear reviews are just what my gear engineering mind ordered! Great service to Ultra-Lite hikers. Really enjoy the photos as I’m a “visual” learner man.
Thanks Carol and BPL!

Thanks Ryan,
Noted in the article.

David – thanks!

Thanks for this presentation. Appears quite idyllic — lovely view of a brief escape. You made it look easy and comfortable, despite the rain, all perfectly manageable. We need more such invitations to spend the night out.

Hi Patti,
Sounds like some great mods to the Travel Hammock!
The Mountain Laurel Designs Prophet 25 pack is getting some more field testing by our editor Doug Johnson, including use on an attempted triple 50 – 150 miles in 3 days. The review will be out in a month or so.

Carol, I’m really enjoying these articles. You’ll have to do a follow up series next year. How about SuperUltralight in the Scottish Highlands:

Part 1 – Spring
Part 2 – Summer
Part 3 – Autumn
Part 4 – Winter

Given that Ray Jardine considers Britain unsuitable for tarps for several good reasons, it could be quite a challenge!

Perhaps I’ve got this wrong. I could have sworn there was something about Britain, Scandinavia and NZ in his Ray-Way Tarp book but a quick scan has failed to find it.

Anyway, British foul weather isn’t too bad under a tarp. You know there is nothing the wind is likely to break, although pegs might pull, and a tarp with beaks can be closed off on the windward side, keeping out horizontal rain. In the aftermath of a torrential downpour, I was staggered by two things

1) How dry my cheap, Lowe waterproofs had kept me
2) The high quality of existence with the tarp pitched high (open sides and ends) in a forest glade. My breath was visible, floating one way then back under the tarp, so humidity was high, but condensation was minimal.

There have been two situations where my Akto would have been nicer than what happened under the tarp. The first was on a paying campsite which had turned to a sea of mud (although it looked grassy from a distance). Shutting out the view would have made things more homely.

The second was, of course, major insect trouble. I don’t have the netting inner for the Cave and will not get or make one because, by that stage, I might as well take the tent. In New Zealand, possums would be the problem. They get into everything, and getting a bit radical, in his Bushcraft series, Ray Mears, in Tanzania, chose a single skin tent instead of his usual tarp because of hyenas.

By the way, do you know how to get slug goo off a down sleeping bag?

That would be “stout sticks”. They are a bit heavier and have more “head” when you pour them into the glass.<g>

Found it! Page 98 of my edition – Harsh Environments. Can’t agree. If there is one thing the UK doesn’t have, it’s a harsh climate. Any bad weather gets on to the national news. One inch of snow can cause chaos in the London area because no one is properly prepared. It’s true we get a good bit of rain and there is usually a breeze, but those of us who live here can choose when to get out and that means a high percentage of excellent backpacking weekends – with or without a tarp.

Back on topic – hammocks. For many years I camped without a sleeping pad. The UK precipitation levels keep most of the ground soft and any hard bits, e.g. aluvial lawns, come with natural hip holes. Using bothies – simple, untended shelters – led to the purchase of a sleeping pad. Bothy floors are hard, flat and sleep-destroying without some form of cushioning. Why use bothies? Midges tend to stay out. Most of the buildings have stood against storms for centuries. The craic can be very good.

Given the stats quoted in Carol’s article – $20 and 10 oz – it seems there is now an alternative to the sleeping pad. A hammock at that weight could be carried in case of the opportunity to use it. It could be suspended from bothy rafters on midgey nights and, on stormy nights, opens up the possibility of comfortable shelter in forestry plantations. (Plantations are difficult with tents because of the way the ground is prepared for trees. The ground looks as if a huge plough has been across it, creating ridges and ditches. The trees go into the ridges, above the low pH soil water.) I’ll be looking out for a cheap hammock to try.

Can anyone tell me where this hammock can be purchased?

Anyone have any experience using tarps in the Grand Canyon. I’m headed there for 6 days starting Oct 1 and would rather not have to purchase a tent.

29 nights below the rim with no tent in May and October. Mostly used just a poncho for shelter, but this last May I used a 8’X10′ tarp because rain was forcast. In the corridor sites a tent is nice for privacy.

fantastic articals really got me inspired to try sometimes.of all the articals i,v read about hammocks not once is there any mention of a recently new hammock by byers of maine called the moskitoe hammock it,s a new model identical to the 11oz travel hammock thats been around for years but with a netting top i,v tested it out here in sacramento along the american river and find it every bit as durable as any other hammock and 1/3 the price hope to see some testing done on this model soon to see what others think.