Where do your shoes go?

[Tommyd345]

Hey guys,
As a rookie, I was looking at buying a hammock and tarp,(good idea or not?) and was wondering, where do your boots and kit go? Do they come in with you, or underneath? But then surely they would get damp?
Sorry if this is a bit of a dim question!!

Tom

 

[Ogri the trog]

No such thing as a dim question.....

The two most popular places are - up-side-down on two sticks driven into the ground near where your feet will be when you are getting out of the hammock - or - with the laces tied loosely and hung over the ridge-line under your tarp.

As to getting your first hammock, give yourself a few tries at getting things comfortable before you commit to using it in earnest.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[petrochemicals]

A dry bag if I need to, wrap the top around and clip. If you have one to hand.

 

[John Fenna]

I just tuck my boots under me, and use them to store small items that might fall out of the pockets of the clothing I am using as a pillow.
The tarp keeps the rain off the hammock, the hammock keeps the rain off the kit...
In really bad weather they may go in a drybag or stuff sack.
Clothing I am not using as a pillow either gets hung on a tripod or put in a drybag. In cold weather, socks always come to bed with me so they are toasty warm in the morning.

 

[Tommyd345]

Marvellous! Thanks guys,one more question, how low does your tarp go??? Iv seen some that just is a smal one that goes over the top of you when others come right down to the floor, which looks more wind protected? Or is about 50/50 the way to go?

 

[John Fenna]

I like to pitch my tarp so that I can get an all round view (without the view you might as well be in a closed down tent!) - but if the weather is bad I will drop the "weather" side of the tarp to give max protection.

 

[D_Fisher]

You could try taking a bit of plastic sheeting and a strap.
Hold the sheet up to a tree and wrap the strap round the middle of it, hang your bag and boots etc from the strap, then fold the top of the sheeting down over your kit.
The sheeting at the back stops any water running down the tree to get to your kit from the inside, and it keeps all your kit conveniently hung out they way, leaving plenty of room under your tarp to move around unobstructed, whilst everything stays dry and off any wet/muddy ground.

Like most things though it's really just down to the individual. Try a few different methods and go with whatever works for you.

Fish

 

[Quixoticgeek]

When it's really cold, I put my shoes in a dry bag, in the bottom of my sleeping bag, so that when I put them on in the morning they aren't freezing cold.

J

 

[Harvestman]

I find a groundsheet under the hammock is really useful, as when you get up in the morning you have no shoes on, it has rained overnight so the ground is wet. Standing on that isn't nice. Also important when you need a pee in the night and can't see where you are standing.

So, since I have a groundsheet, I just leave my shoes on it.

 

[RE8ELD0G]

Before i get in my hammock i camp tie my boots as they are high leg so i can slip them on in the night if nature calls.
When i get in, i just slip them off in the position my feet swing out so i can just slip my feet straight in.
Even in heavy blowing rain they have never got wet under my tarp.

 

[lannyman8]

i ground camp so not really for you but hey. I put all my clothes at the back of the tarp (set at an angle) agains the tarp folded up, my boots go in the same place, but when its cold or freezing i put them in a dry bag in between the dossbag and bivi, the same for my clothes if they are wet or the ground is too wet and sleep on them...

 

[FlyingFox]

I use the third layer (waterproof) of my hammock to sling all kit in, everything is off the ground but below the under quilt. Boots either go where they leave my feet or clipped to the ridgeline away from my head if the weather looks very bad.

 

[riggers]

I have an old army jungle hammock that I set up under my hammock I put my gear in that keeps it off the ground and dry also great as a seat under the tarp sorted

 

[tallywhacker]

I usually just chuck em on the floor or put them in my bag. If i am in an area where i know there are fox's/badgers i hang my bag off the head end of the hammock, where the suspension attaches to the head end, then chuck em in there [i have a mini groundsheet to stand on]. That is good enough but a little inconvenient.

This will be changing though, i am making a pack cover tomorrow/tuesday that will double up as a gear hammock so i can keep things a little more secure/convenient. Secure you say? Oddly enough i have been woken up twice now by the same tramp eyeing up my gear at one of the places i visit, walking home without shoes and pants is not something i want to do! Hah.

 

[spandit]

I have a net hammock that I string under it - weighs hardly anything but strong enough to hold all my gear (it's designed to hold a person after all!). I replaced the steel rings with Dyneema soft shackles. If I'm careful I can reach my boots without having to step down

 

[petrochemicals]

On your feet.

Seriously, this is an option i've just seen,
http://vi.raptor.ebaydesc.com/ws/eB...9819&category=52357&pm=1&ds=0&t=1428516509590

It would keep em nice and dry for the tramp too tallywacker, I'd quite like one actually.

 

[MikeLA]

Like to wear mine tied loosely, just incase Ive too much rum or tea and need to get out of the bag

 

[DurhamBushcrafter]

with the laces tied loosely and hung over the ridge-line under your tarp.

As to getting your first hammock, give yourself a few tries at getting things comfortable before you commit to using it in earnest.

ATB

Ogri the trog

As it says above.. laces together.and the 2nd bit of advice from Ogri...is GOLDEN

 

[Squidders]

I hung my hammocks at a height that allowed my feet to go directly into and out of my boots and left them on the ground right there. When I took them off I shoved the laces down into the boot so I could slip them on in the event of a middle-of-the-night nature break without having to deal with tying them or dealing with muddy laces in the morning.

My preference is for large tarps that offer living/working area as well as cover for sleeping arrangements so my boots never got wet.

 

[spandit]

You can just put two sticks in the ground & hang the shoes on them