I love my hammock, but…
I've been hammocking for about 7 years. I don't recall what sparked my interest but it evolved with the help of YouTube videos by hammocking aficionado Shug Emery and my eventual purchase of the Warbonnet Blackbird. What a great day it was when that luxurious cloud of outdoor slumbering arrived at the house! My first night out was a weekend Scouting excursion with lows below 40 and I had not yet learned the importance of an underquilt. My 15 degree sleeping bag had to be enough, right? WRONG! I soon bought a 40 degree underquilt.
That was 2014. Since then, I have only slept in a tent on three occasions, two of which were below freezing when I thought it best to "go to ground", the third was a Philmont (Scout Reservation) trek during which hammocks were not allowed. All other outings, whether with Scouting or AT section hikes, have been in my Blackbird. Every season. All weather conditions. All of them.
I love my hammock.
Let me restate that. I LOVE MY HAMMOCK! But....for the first time in these many years, I am reconsidering hammocking UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES.
I must first stress, I am still a hammock fan. Did I mention I love my hammock? However after my most recent AT hike in Virginia in a late, rain-soaked week in March, I have concluded that under similar conditions or really most multi-day section hikes, I intend to take along a tent and return to Terra Firma (really FIRMA, ugh!)
"BUT WHY!!!" is the cry I hear from other committed, evangelical hangers-on!
I give my best effort to reply with these excuses, I mean reasons:
1) Gear and resulting Pack Space/Weight. My hammock , tarp, rolled Thermarest pad, underquilt, topquilt (a/k/a inverted sleeping bag), and windsock take up a chunk of space volume and add more weight than a light backpacking tent, footprint, inflatable pad and comparable sleeping bag. Though all these items aren't necessary on every hike, it's pretty evident and usually one of the first arguments against hammocking on an extended trek.
2) Set up/tear down time. I've frequently envied my ground-cover companions who are set up in five minutes. They have all quickly quartered their gear, are lounging at the shelter-side picnic table, bringing their stoves to a fast boil, chatting it up with other trail survivors, recounting the day's events while I'm still getting my tarp tied out. Hammock set up and tear down takes substanstailly more time than is needed for a tent, ESPECIALLY in chillier temperatures when more "layering" is imperative.
3) Storm-related "tarp-flap". Though this is not ubiquitous to every night's sleep, a storm can bring another challenge, specifically "tarp-flap". That's when the wind picks up as the storm bears down and the tarp's integrity is compromised due to one's fatigue-inspired, tie-down nonchalance. The flap begins. The flap continues...and continues....all...night...long. Yes, yes, the tent fly flaps too, but not nearly as much because it's closer to the ground. Right? Now, I will not complain about the wind-effect hammock rocking...I actually enjoy that.
So my next section hike, I'm leaving my hammock at home. Will it feel betrayed? Neglected? Left behind, while its beloved gear friends are heading out on the trail? I certainly hope not. Because...I STILL LOVE MY HAMMOCK!
Blaze the Trail!!