Tag Archives: hammock camping in the rain

How to Hammock Camp – From Basics to Pro Tips

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How to to Hammock Camp for Backpacking and other Adventures

Topics Covered

   Hammock Camping Basic Components and Setup

Hammock Suspension Systems – Tree Straps, Whoopie Hooks , Daisy Chain Webbing , Cinch Buckles , Climbing Carabiners , Dutch Clips, Tree Strap Length Selection

Hammock Hang Angle – The Magic 30 Degree Angle , Structural Ridge Line Advantages

Hammock Tree Selection – Tree Distance vs Strap Height , Safe site selection

Tarps for Hammock Camping – Cuben Fiber / Dyneema , Nylon / Polyester tarps , Budget Hammock Camping Tarps , Continuous Ridgeline , Tarp Side Pull-Outs , Tarp Guy Line Hardware , Tarp Snakeskins ,

Camping Hammock Body – Hammock Length , Budget Hammocks , Ultralight Hammocks , Hammock Bugnets , Modular Hammock Camping Systems , Hammock Fabric Choices and Weight Ratings , Double Ended Stuff Sack , Knotty Mod Foot Box ,

Hammock Lay Direction – Feet Right vs Feet Left , Symetrical vs Asymetrical Hammocks ,

Hammock Insulation – Budget Insulation Options , Hammock Sleeping Pads , Underquilts , 3/4 Length Underquilt vs Full Length Underquilt, Down vs Synthetic , Symmetrical vs Asymmetrical Underquilts , Using a Sleeping Bag in a Hammock , Top Quilts , Open vs Sewn Foot Box

   Advanced Hammock Camping Tips and Tricks

Hammock Camping in Bad Weather – Hammock Camping in the Rain , Hammock Camping in Winter, Cold Weather, Snow, and Ice , Stacking Underquilts vs Dedicated Winter Underquilt , Boosting your Top Quilt Rating , Solid Top Cover , Hammock Sock for Winter Hammock Camping , Winter Hammock Camping Tarp , Tarp with Doors , Hammock Setup Tips for Blowing Rain and Snow , Underquilt Protector , Tarp Porch Mode for Cooking and Camp Chores

Unusual Hammock Camping Setups – Two Hammocks on One Tree , Two Hammocks Under One Tarp , Flat Lay Hammocks

My Favorite Cottage Vendors used to create my Ultralight Hammock Camping Setup, as seen in the video:  Dutchware Gear and Hammock Gear

 

Hundred Degree Hammock Camping with Thunderstorms – Black Forest Trail

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3 days of Backpacking, Thunderstorms & Hammock Camping in Heavy Rain on a section of Pennsylvania’s Black Forest Trail. 

For this adventure,  I headed out for a 3 day, 2 night solo backpacking trip in Pennsylvania’s Tiadaghton State Forest.  The full Black Forest Trail is a rugged 43 mile loop with 8,550′ of elevation gain that I’ve done in the past and really enjoyed.

Facing a July forecast in the triple digits with thunderstorms, and the fact that my last solo hike was a pretty intense one, I decided to scale the mileage back this time.  My general plan was to simply go into the woods and use the network of connector trails to come up with a route on the fly, based on how the weather played out from day to day.

Black Forest Trail Short Loop – Route Overview – Sintax77

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Lost in Linville Gorge – Hammock Camping in Heavy Rain

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3 days of Hammock Camping in the Rain and Solo Ultralight Backpacking in the Linville Gorge Wilderness.

For this backpacking trip, I headed down to North Carolina’s Pisgah National Forest for some hammock camping along the Linville River.  The particular section of river I chose was surrounded by the Linville Gorge, the upper ridges of which stand an average of 1,400 feet above the river banks below.  This terrain, combined with a dense network of  unofficial trails without signage or switchbacks, and often uncrossable river, can make for some rather challenging and exciting hiking.  Add in a forecast of fog and hiking in the rain, and you’ve got yourself a recipe for some true southern outdoors adventure.

Despite the rain, my mid-June temp range for this trip was relatively warm at 70° – 48° or so.  This allowed me to get my backpack’s base weight down to around 9 lbs by leaving my puffy jacket, base layers, warmer hat, gloves etc at home.  I simply packed a long sleeve shirt and a buff and used my rain gear for supplemental warmth at camp.

I went with a fairly minimalist hammock camping setup for this trip.  There are plenty of trees and fun unofficial campsite gems to be found in the Gorge that make ideal for hammocks.   Water is obviously of minimal concern for the lower regions of the gorge.  This allows you to save some weight on trails in those sections, but make sure to stock up when your route heads up towards the ridge.  Especially if you’re looking to camp in one the beautiful ridge side campsites up there.  The extra planning and water weight is well worth the views.

A free permit is required on weekends and holidays from May 1st through October 31st each year. You can find more information on the NFS Grandfather Ranger District website here.

If planning your own trip, I would highly recommend visiting LinvilleGorge.net for maps, info and extensive GPS data including official and unofficial trails, campsites, water sources, etc. Due to the nature of my trip and the fact that their data is so darn good, I didn’t package my own GPS file for this trip, but I did make an overlay map image from their track data that can be downloaded here. Just unzip it and copy the image file to your Garmin’s /Garmin folder if you’re using a Garmin GPS like me, or follow whatever instructions pertain to your particular GPS device. 

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Hammock Camping the Dolly Sods Wilderness – Solo Backpacking Trip

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3 Days of Hammock Camping, Hiking, & Backpacking in the Dolly Sods  Wilderness.

For this 3 day, 2 night spring backpacking trip, I’ll be hiking a 23 mile loop in West Virginia’s Dolly Sods Wilderness, part of the larger Monongahela National Forest. Dolly Sods is located in the Allegheny Mountains on the highest plateau east of the Mississippi river and features some of the most varied and scenic terrain available to hikers in the Mid-Atlantic region.

For sleep and shelter system on my Dolly Sods backpacking loop, I packed in my Amok Draumr XL hammock, paired with the Amok Borg tarp and Amok Fjol XL sleeping pad.  I chose this combo based on plateau’s less aggressive terrain and the extra time I expected to be lounging and relaxing at camp.

No permit is required to camp in the Dolly Sods Wilderness, but there are rules and regulations regarding backcountry camping. You can find more information on the USFS Dolly Sods website here.

Full GPS track data, including campsites, water sources, etc, for this trip and many others can be downloaded on my Trip Data Page.

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Hammock Camping on an Abandoned Mountain Farm – Quehanna Trail Ultralight Backpacking

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Hammock Camping, Hiking & Ultralight Backpacking on the Quehanna Trail.

Yes, we’re once again camping in the rain. 🙂 For this overnight backpacking trip, I’ll be hiking a 22 mile loop in Pennsylvania’s Quehanna Wild Area, within the greater Moshannon State Forest.  Luckily, I learned from my last camping trip, and packed more adequate rain gear this time.

Itching for another hammock camping trip, I decided to have some fun and go back to more of an ultralight backpacking load-out for this adventure, clocking in at roughly 8.5 pounds base weight.

My full backpacking gear list, with weights & gear links is available on this lighterpacks.com link. A truncated notable backpacking gear list can be found at the bottom of this post.

Quehanna Short Loop – Route Overview – Sintax77

No permit is required to camp in the Quehanna Wild Area or the greater Moshannon SF.

Full GPS track data, including campsites, water sources, etc, for this trip and many others can be downloaded on my Trip Data Page.

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Hammock Camping in the Rain – Cranberry Wilderness Backpacking w/ the Amok Draumr XL

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3 Days of Hiking, Backpacking, & Rainy Hammock Camping in the Cranberry Wilderness using the Amok Draumr XL Hammock.

For this 3 day, 2 night spring backpacking trip, I’ll be hiking a 20 mile loop in West Virginia’s Cranberry Wilderness, part of the larger Monongahela National Forest. The specific area for this hike, located between the Williams River and the Cranberry River, is commonly referred to as the Cranberry Backcountry.

Each of the 3 days will be comprised of three different “vibes”. Day one will mostly be a lowlands hike in the woods, day two will be primarily along the the beautiful Cranberry River, and day three will be a mossy, higher elevation ridge hike along Kennison Mountain.

With a new Amok Fjol XL tarp in hand to thwart the forecast of rain, each night will be spent hammock camping and testing the new Amok Draumr XL hammock, which Amok kindly sent for evaluation.

Route Overview Cranberry River Loop – Sintax77

No permit is required to camp in the Cranberry Wilderness, but there are rules and regulations regarding backcountry camping. You can find more information on the USFS Cranberry Wilderness website here.

Full GPS track data, including campsites, water sources, etc, for this trip and many others can be downloaded on my Trip Data Page.

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