How do you set up camp?

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Tomcoles

Settler
Jul 21, 2013
537
0
Buckinghamshire
I was wondering how's best to set up camp? And how people configure there's. I want to start using a hammock but am worryied about fire positioning. I don't really want embers burning holes in a hennesy hammock. But want to benifit from its heat.
 

copper_head

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Feb 22, 2006
4,261
1
Hull
My experience is that hammocks and fires don't really mix. I tend to rely on my insulation to keep me warm when hanging, that said I guess you pitch your tarp in a lean-to type rig to benefit from a bit of radiant heat.
 

greensurfingbear

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
My experience is that hammocks and fires don't really mix. I tend to rely on my insulation to keep me warm when hanging, that said I guess you pitch your tarp in a lean-to type rig to benefit from a bit of radiant heat.

I'd agree with that. The fire we used wasn't close enough to give a massive amount of heat to us in the hammocks. Under quilt and sleeping bag was kept us toasty.



Orric
 

Tomcoles

Settler
Jul 21, 2013
537
0
Buckinghamshire
Ok thanks guys I kinda thought that was the general idea. Set up a fire with a hammock up wind of the fire. And a decent distance away use The fire for cooking etc and have a decent sleep system to keep warm.
 

dwardo

Bushcrafter through and through
Aug 30, 2006
6,451
475
46
Nr Chester
My usual setup is a hammock but to benefit from a fire you have to be too close. Not worth the risk.
Its nice to see the fire fading as you pass out but at a distance.
 

SJStuart

Settler
Jan 22, 2013
997
2
Suffolk Coast
When I'm doing this solo, I build a heat reflector and set the fire at least 1.5 meters away from my hammock. Ideally I pitch in an area which allows me to build up a square-ish "wall" either out of debris or tarps with my shelter tarp constituting one side of the wall, and the fire pretty-much in the middle of the "walled" area.

I've only done this three times, though... as I rarely find it necessary. Only times I've done it is when I was spending a night out where it's snowing. Since then, I've found it more "practical" to improve the thermal value of my sleep setup.

One thing I've been trying out the last few months (and has been working amazingly well) is pitching as low as I can (so that my hammock sits just a few inches off the ground). I have a US GI poncho liner as a basic underquilt, and this actually touches my ground sheet along most of the length of my hammock (from the middle out).
This prevents the wind from wicking away the heat from beneath me, and the cavity between the underquilt and my back is quickly warmed up by my body heat.

I also have a light-weight Merino Wool blanket which I pitch on a ridgeline inside my hammock's mosquito net (though you could also easily do this if you attach a line between the connection points of your hammock) which I tuck in around the sides of my sleeping bag. This creates an amazing cavity of warm air over the top of me, while allowing air through so I don't suffocate in the night.

Just this technique alone has proven to be amazingly affective... to the point where I've spent nights at around zero recently with my sleeping bag unzipped to prevent sweating.

The only downside of pitching low is that if you have to close your pitch on both sides, you have to hunch right down (practically crawling) to get in and out of your hammock. Still... worth it for a toasty night's sleep, without having to constantly think about a fire :)

Oh and also, pitching your tarp as low as possible with sloping sides reduces your profile into the wind... so there's much less air movement through your pitch itself (again, making it easier to trap the heat in those cavities)
 

tom.moran

Settler
Nov 16, 2013
986
0
40
Swindon, Wiltshire
When I'm doing this solo, I build a heat reflector and set the fire at least 1.5 meters away from my hammock. Ideally I pitch in an area which allows me to build up a square-ish "wall" either out of debris or tarps with my shelter tarp constituting one side of the wall, and the fire pretty-much in the middle of the "walled" area.

I've only done this three times, though... as I rarely find it necessary. Only times I've done it is when I was spending a night out where it's snowing. Since then, I've found it more "practical" to improve the thermal value of my sleep setup.

One thing I've been trying out the last few months (and has been working amazingly well) is pitching as low as I can (so that my hammock sits just a few inches off the ground). I have a US GI poncho liner as a basic underquilt, and this actually touches my ground sheet along most of the length of my hammock (from the middle out).
This prevents the wind from wicking away the heat from beneath me, and the cavity between the underquilt and my back is quickly warmed up by my body heat.

I also have a light-weight Merino Wool blanket which I pitch on a ridgeline inside my hammock's mosquito net (though you could also easily do this if you attach a line between the connection points of your hammock) which I tuck in around the sides of my sleeping bag. This creates an amazing cavity of warm air over the top of me, while allowing air through so I don't suffocate in the night.

Just this technique alone has proven to be amazingly affective... to the point where I've spent nights at around zero recently with my sleeping bag unzipped to prevent sweating.

The only downside of pitching low is that if you have to close your pitch on both sides, you have to hunch right down (practically crawling) to get in and out of your hammock. Still... worth it for a toasty night's sleep, without having to constantly think about a fire :)

Oh and also, pitching your tarp as low as possible with sloping sides reduces your profile into the wind... so there's much less air movement through your pitch itself (again, making it easier to trap the heat in those cavities)

im going to try this in two weeks
 

copper_head

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Feb 22, 2006
4,261
1
Hull
Which part? The walled fire with reflector or the "swing low" technique? :)

I think he means the blanket cavity bit. I'm going to give that a try myself too I think. Have you experienced much condensation using this method?
 

tom.moran

Settler
Nov 16, 2013
986
0
40
Swindon, Wiltshire
i already have a cheap picnic blanket i hang underneath me, but one side is foil lined. ive got a wool blanket to take and ill tuck that around me. to be honest its the first time in ages i wont be setting up camp in the dark so im going to make it very comfortable. not sure how high ill set it up and i dont have a tarp as such, i still use a 8 meter by 8 meter poly tarp thing that i bought about 10 years ago. it gives me ample standing room, a floor and closes at the ends. and fits nicely in a pillow case(the one you get brand new pillows in). yeah its bulky but in winter weather its so good
 

SJStuart

Settler
Jan 22, 2013
997
2
Suffolk Coast
I think he means the blanket cavity bit. I'm going to give that a try myself too I think. Have you experienced much condensation using this method?

Honestly... not a single drop of condensation has ever rolled down the inside of my tarp. I think it's because my heat is being contained in two cavities, and since the top cavity is a wool blanket... which incidentally never gets damp either.
 

Salaud

Nomad
Aug 24, 2011
439
0
isle of man
We always build our fire a good few yards from the sleeping area of the main camp, we make a bench to sit on and spend our time sat there by the fires warmth and light, when it's time to hit the sack we are already pretty toasty, this helps to keep us warm through the night and we don't have to worry about sparks holing our tarps.

Sent from my GT-P5110 using Tapatalk 4
 

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