Rob_E

It's hammock camping that renewed my interest in bike touring. Never got quite comfortable in a normal tent, but I found a hammock tent quite comfy. I know there are some pros and cons in terms of weight and general functionality, none of which particularly interest me, because if I'm sleeping comfortable, the other factors are secondary. But the one issue that does bother me is what to do when there are no trees. I've had good luck so far. Sometimes I've had to get creative, but I've yet to sleep on the ground. I've also stuck to the eastern US. Been thinking about some trips where trees might not be so plentiful. So I've done some experimenting.

I picked up a single pole from Tensa Outdoors: https://www.tensaoutdoor.com/
The pole is good if you're short one tree. It's staked down with a couple of Orange Screw stakes. I picked up a 2nd set of stakes and made a couple more guy lines. Today I tried it out with the pole holding up one end and bike holding up the other. Took a couple of tries to get the hammock high enough that it didn't drag the ground when I got in, but I got it set up.






Weight-wise, it's not insignificant to carry that pole. There's a walking stick version that may be lighter, but it's also a lot more fiddley. Since I'm not actually hiking, I figured the pole would be quicker and easier to set up, but I probably wouldn't carry it unless I had reason to believe it would be necessary to use it. Knowing I can hang one end off of my bike means I can get by in a pinch by staking the bike down, provided I can find something to anchor the other end of the hammock to, which hasn't been a problem so far.

Just carrying two Orange Screw stakes (and one tube the the screws come in which doubles as a handle to turn the screw) and the guy lines and a couple of carabiners (although I think there are lighter ways to handle the attachment, and I can probably eliminate them eventually), the weight came out to 11 and 1/4 ounces, which seemed pretty reasonable as an insurance policy. Carrying that with the pole and associated lines and stakes pushed me up to just over 3 pounds. I might not want to add that much weight to my regular touring gear if it wasn't going to prove useful more than occasionally, but I could see some use for it when I was camping more than riding, or when I knew I had to pass through some places without many trees.

A little time-lapse of set-up and take down, along with some mistakes and repositioning:

Cyclist0108

What does your back feel like in the morning?

Rob_E

Feels great. That's part of what I mean when I say it's comfortable.

jamawani 

Just sayin' - - -



Very few trees

BigAura

It looks like your touching the ground in the video. Is that the case?

mtnbud

Thanks for sharing. Have you tried spending a night with that setup yet?

I was thinking of packing a sleeping pad rather than an underquilt for those just-in-case nights, but haven't planned any trips where finding a tree is a problem so far.

chrisx

I found this on Hennesy hammocks sight,
https://hennessyhammock.com/pages/used-as-a-tent


I like my hammock on a 3 day weekend, but not on a 3 week trip.
The colder it gets the more I like my tent better.
I like my hammock better in the jungle, where ants and other insects do not seem to like to crawl on the cord that supports the hammock.

AS a guess I will say that the poles or oars in the HH video are ment to hold up the rain fly, but not the weight of the camper, hope he had a plastic sheet or a blue closed cell foam pad, to lay on the ground.



Sure is handy in the NW Washington, where I have wandered well into the night looking for a flat spot.

Rob_E

Will you be reporting back after problem solving with this setup?

Rob_E

Rob_E

Rob_E

Yeah, the idea is to use something to keep the bug net and tarp off of you, so your hammock becomes a bivy. I started out with a foam pad for "just in case," but it was awkward to pack, especially when I rarely used it, but some people use a pad to sleep on inside their hammock, so those people would be ready if they ever had to go to ground. For me, I guess if I still want a reliable, "just in case" set up, I have to take the pole, which is rather heavier than a pad, but also packs smaller than any pad I've used. But I think I'd prefer that than moving my hammock back to the ground. Of course you can put up with just about anything if it's just for a night or two.

It took some trial and error, but I now love my hammock in any temperature. Or at least in any temperature in which I'm likely to camp. Sleeping pads have always been hit or miss with me, but having a quilt hugging the underside of the hammock makes it nice and cozy inside when combined with a camping quilt as a blanket inside the hammock. The biggest drawback I've found is that I will underdress for the for morning. I'll wake up warm and comfortable, but getting dressed in the hammock is a trick, and one that is still going to have you moving that top quilt off. So there can be a frantic couple of minutes hopping out of a nice, warm hammock and into the cold air and then putting layers back on as quickly as possible.

I'm sure to report back if I have to get creative with my hanging situation. There's one camping trip I go on almost every year where "our" spot is basically a big field with just a couple of trees, and none of them close together. That is a trip where I'll be happy to take my pole, although I've always managed to hang before, but sometimes it's using some questionable options, and sometimes it's bushwacking a little ways into the woods that surrounds the campground. At least when I go to the woods no one has to hear me snore.

So far, hands down, the scetchiest lengths I ever went to to avoid being on the ground was at pond where the area immediately around the pond had been cleared of trees, but everywhere else the trees were so tightly spaced that you couldn't get two that were properly spaced. I tied up to one tree, and the other end went over a sawhorse that I set up on top of a picnic table. Really, with just the Orange Screws and cords that I tested today, that set up would have been solid (or I could have used my bike instead). As it was, I didn't have any stake solutions strong enough to hold y weight. I could feel that saw horse come up on to two legs when I shifted around, but it kept me off the ground all night.

revcp 

I love my Warbonnet Blackbird hammock for canoe trips up north and for cycle touring in the same (my home) area. I never sleep better, and I've never been drier. My 4K mile tour this summer, however, will take me through the plains and the mountains. I picked up a good tent--Hilleberg Enan--that will keep me dry, a good pad--REI Flash--that I hope will keep my bones from aching, and I'll be using the same Hammock Gear Econ Burrow quilt that I use in my hammock. I would love to take my hammock, but for this trip I'd rather be a ground dweller throughout than get stuck in the rain with no place to hang. Others may choose differently.

Leebo

I never have not had trees in NE. I did however have a one tree camp site. Used a picnic table, a long strap at the far end of the table and 10 or so basket ball sized rocks to get the job done.

PedalingWalrus

I would just pack a thermarest ridgerest on top of my bike rack. It's light and it doubles up as a good sitting pad, break lounging pad...and I would pack plastic sheet to use as a 'ground cloth'. it weights nothing and packs to to a size of 'kindle'. And I would pack my carbon poles I actually use with my hammock on kayaking trips to set up my tarp in awning mode. So if I had to go to ground I would use the poles to pitch my tarp and then spread the plastic as a ground cloth and then put my thermarest down and use my bottom quilt tucked into my bottom quilt as a sleeping bag.

JoeyBike

Interesting.

fietsbob

My FB friend Todd , one of the people running Clever Cycles in PDX, designed a frame to do that ..

After he sorts out a Patent Application, it may go on the market ..

His touring bike preference is a Brompton, so you can be assured the packed size will be small ..





...

seedsbelize 

I sleep in a hammock every night, in my home. I bought one for touring, and found the weather where I would likely be using it is too cold for hammock camping, for these tropical bones. In fact, I'm in my hammock as we speak.

mtnbud

Might be the same guy as the Tensa company mentioned in the op. Noticed both sites refer to a Todd.

Rob_E

I found the trick to cooler weather to be good insulation outside the hammock (so you don't squish it and prevent it from insulating) combined with a good quilt inside. Using that, I've gone close to freezing temps, and I've woken up warmer than I ever have in a tent. That's good enough for me. Below freezing and I'm probably not camping. One issue that I had to learn was that the under-insulation was necessary at temperatures that sounded pretty warm to me. Having a breeze on your backside cools you down even when the weather is pretty mild. It's great, however, when the weather is hot.

gracehowler

Just for a laugh, this reminds me of a quote I read sometime ago, perhaps Lewis or Clarke, something like this, "A squirrel can travel from the East coast all the way to the Missouri river jumping from tree to tree," I don't remember the rest of the quote, but in much of the West, trees are not an option.
R&J

djb

as a non hammock user, but long time camper, it would seem to me that softer soil, and or rain that will soften up the ground, could easily result in you being on the ground during a big rain storm during the night, just because stuff isnt going to hold firmly anymore?

that would suck royally.

JaccoW

There is a reason why hammocks are not used all that much in Europe.

PedalingWalrus

how does softer ground result in a hammocker to decide to go to ground ?

rumrunn6

Rob_E

I think they are referring specifically to my use-case, with each end of the hammock connected to some sort of staked support. The idea being that the stakes will not hold in damp ground. That may be the case, but it's mostly theory. I read the reviews for the large Orange Screw stake that's being used, and the vast majority of them were about how well it held, with only a few negative experiences. That's good enough for me to take a chance on them.

Since this is my first attempt, and I only have the soil that's available in my back yard to try, it's impossible for me to say yet where they will and won't work. However, we've had a wet time of it lately in the Southeast US. I set this up on a day when it hadn't rained in a few days, so the ground wasn't soaked, but it had rained quite a bit in the days prior, so it sure wasn't dry, either. The Tensa site has photos of the stakes in use on a sandy beach as well. Time will tell, I suppose. Of course this whole set-up is a last resort for when there is nothing else to hang from, so it could be a while before we see the combination of no trees and very damp soil, especially since in the US at least, I worry more about no trees in desert areas, where damp soil is unlikely to be an issue.

djb

yes, I was referring to this, as this is what this thread is about.

I'm thinking of all the times tent pegs have loosened during big rain storms and come out from wind pulling on a fly, and also softer ground not holding well to begin with.

thats all. Just an observation of a non hammock user.