Chuckc1971's Blog

Sleeping Above the Ground, Part II

chuckc1971@insightbb.com — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 02:18:13 GMT

Probably one of the biggest drawbacks to hammock camping mentioned briefly in the last entry is being cooler than sleeping on the ground. Specifically, the part of you that lays against the hammock has little insulation from the hammock itself vs. when you are sleeping on the ground.

Typical mummy bags (at least my cheap one) are only comfy when sleeping supine (on your back) and can feel claustrophobic. The picture below left is very close to how I feel in a mummy bag.

I guess you could go very new school and get something like the picture on the right which would help with the feelings of claustrophobia, but that “Michelin suit” is fairly high in weight. Plus, I’m sure my already paltry coolness quotient would drop to Steve Urkel levels if I showed up with one of these!

Another option is to use an “elephant foot” bag (3/4 length or shorter) or more commonly called a top quilt. Basically, your feet slip into the “foot” of the bag, while the rest of the bag lays on top of you. Some people use a half-bag (aptly named) along with a parka to decrease weight.

What I plan to do is modify my old 40 degree mummy bag into a 3/4 length “quilt” by taking off the zipper, hooded portion of the bag and leaving the closed foot portion in place. It will look very similar to the bag above. I still have to research this one a bit more. Why do this? Well, in a hammock, you tend to compress the sleeping bag (or parka) under you diminishing the insulation potential. So, simply keep it on top of you.

Well then Chuck, how are you going to stay insulated on the bottom side? Glad you asked.

The hammock I purchased has two layers. I plan to buy one of those cheap closed cell foam (CCF) pads and try it between the layers of hammock and possibly in the hammock. Just Jeff details many of the variations on using this type of pad in various configurations to decrease heat loss and minimize the pad slipping out from underneath the sleeper. He also goes into great detail about other cold weather options.

My initial trip down the Sheltowee Trace will be in early September. Temps in Eastern Kentucky during this period are still fairly warm, but the possibility of a cool night is always a possibility.

So, in 2008, the lows and the normal range went down into the upper 50’s and a record low could mean high 40’s are a possibility which means I will probably need to take a down coat that packs very small as well, warm socks and insulation for the noggin.

Next Entry: Packing gear

Sleeping Above The Ground

chuckc1971@insightbb.com — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 05:46:35 GMT

In a previous blog entry, I have expressed my disdain for sleeping on the ground. I sleep lightly and normally on my side. So, I rarely get a good night’s sleep when outdoors. I usually toss and turn; waking every hour or less.

A friend of mine moved out to Bend, OR and is lucky enough to regularly jump in a van, ride over the Cascades, go surfing in the Pacific, camp out on the beach at night and then mountain bike in the Cascades before heading back home. Needless to say, I don’t like him much anymore! Anyway, he and I were always both in agreement about ground based sleeping. During the telling of his jealousy inducing weekend trips, he was raving about how comfortable his camping hammock was. This piqued my curiosity as I always thought laying in those hammocks hung up in someone’s back yard was pretty comfortable, but I would never have thought about using something like that for backcountry sleeping. I mean rope, wooden supports, etc. would be heavy, wouldn’t it? Well, I did some research…

A Google Search of Camping Hammock returned so many entries, I was ‘almost’ glad to be out of commission after cracking three ribs riding at Capitol View. There is so much information and the learning curve on the lingo is pretty steep.

However, there are several great sites giving both the basics and more advanced options. Here are a few that have more than I could ever absorb about the camping hammock. A great place to start is the Just Jeff page, then Sgt. Rock’s and then finally the forum.

Just Jeff's Hiking Page

From what I understand from these sites, as well as Ed Speer’s most excellent book on the subject, the primary advantages of hammock sleeping are:

More comfortable. Simply there are few people I have found who didn’t enjoy sleeping in a hammock.
Ability to comfortably sleep on back or sides. Several people on the above forum noted being side sleepers can sleep in either position comfortably.
If scooted to the “head” of the hammock, less “pillow” needed as hammock will curve upward toward rope attachment.
Ability to camp wherever you can find two trees of appropriate distance apart. Appropriate, comfortable camp sites are getting harder to find and hurt the area by their heavy use.
Stay dry and off the ground. Wet ground, creepy crawlies, critters, etc. are going to have to work harder to bug me when I am suspended above the ground.
Ability to stay out of wind and off the trail. I’ve seen pics. of hammocks over cliff edges, against rock faces, hanging over thick overgrowth, etc.
Built-in shelter. Most hammock campers use a taught tarp (see pic at bottom) which is normally set up first and provides shelter from rain, sun, etc. Also, the hammock can be sat on like a camp chair allowing cooking, dressing, and general camp functions to occur.
Very light! Most hammocks beat any commercial available tent and rival a bivy in weight. Since there are no poles or similar structural elements, you can pack your hammock and tarp down very small. This is great for bikepacking!
Breathes very well although this can be a hindrance when cold. There is a whole sub-industry of items for cold weather hammock camping if you are so inclined to venture deep into the cold.

As you can see from the top picture, your backyard string/rope/wood hammock has nothing in common with this camping hammock. In fact, if you click on the above picture, this just so happens to be the hammock I ordered. Like many other things, I had to rely on other’s input as the ability to locally try a hammock was not possible. The brown Santa should be dropping off my Warbonnet Blackbird (cool name, huh?) very soon. Course, being a gear geek, I had to go with a boutique cottage builder with a great buzz vs. a Speer, ENO, Clark, Hennessey or 1/2 dozen others more established in the hammock industry.

More on my hammock, tarp and other items in the next blog installment!

Bikepacking Gear: Sleeping on the Ground

chuckc1971@insightbb.com — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 06:42:46 GMT

There are a few options when one chooses to sleep outdoors. Most of them require sleeping on the ground which I have never cared for. Give me cold, rain, heat, humidity, even bugs. I’m OK with it all. However, I am uncomfortable and wake sore and pretty unmotivated after a night on the ground.

Nevertheless, here are some options (linked) that make a lot of sense from a bikepacking perspective:

The first picture is a Topeak bike-specific Bikamper which uses your front wheel (26” mountain or 700c road, but no report about use with 29er) instead of poles to support the opposite side of the tent from the bike. Fairly ingenious in that the whole thing will pack down to a small handlebar bag. Besides the 29er issue for me, I see some issues with this set up. One, to use the fly, you have to attach to the seat which puts your fork in the mud. Even if dry, I can see the bike tumping over fairly easy even with the tie downs on or near the handlebars. Lastly, a muddy tire may really mess up your day when time to set it up.

The next picture is a Bozeman Mountain Works Bivy sack. You can think of this as essentially a tent you slip into. Or, more appropriately said, it’s a one person tent with no structure or room inside for anything more than a single person and his/her sleeping bag. Modern bivies are now made of waterproof breathable fabrics such as Pertex Quantum as most older bivies had significant issues with condensation (didn’t breath). Even waterproof breathable fabrics have condensation issues. Also, there is no rain protection for your head and they might make you a bit claustrophobic if you are prone. There have been new cross breed bivy shelters which have some structure primarily to increase available room and/or protection from the rain. They are much heavier than true bivies with the same condensation drawback.

The last picture is of a tarp tent. While tarp tent can refer to anything from a shelter made with just a freestanding rainfly or a large poncho. It may also range all the way to the single-walled Tarptent branded models which feature a bathtub floor, and some structural support, etc. in many cases. Depending on your choice, you have minimal weight and more exposure to the elements or something approaching a conventional tent in weight, complexity and packed size.

After researching all ground-based options, many are heavy and would likely require me to use a rear mounted rack to carry due to the size of the packed structure. While I will discuss transporting gear in an upcoming blog entry, racks and panniers would be my least favored option for many reasons. Other lighter options leave me fairly exposed to the elements and/or critters. All of them still require flat, smooth areas which are increasingly rare on well traveled trails. All the wilderness camping I have done throughout the years has taught me I am a magnet for seemingly impossible to detect beforehand roots, nuts, twigs, rocks, sticks, and ant hills (ask me some time about the last one).

Solution: Sleeping Above the Ground (stay tuned)

Bikepacking 101

chuckc1971@insightbb.com — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 05:50:33 GMT

Sorry it took so long to get back to this.

I’ve been very busy and just had a laptop crash…like motherboard crash. So, that meant my wordy draft of

this was lost. Bummer.

First, I thought I would talk about first about bikepacking as a hobby, then the equipment and finally the

destination.

I didn’t invent the term Bikepacking and only recently came across it from a link in Mike Curiak’s awesome

mtbr.com form post about lightweight touring. I hope you have broadband because the pics are numerous!

Furthermore, Bikepacking.net run by ScottM should be credited for much of the info here and afterward with

regards to anything bikepacking related. Just an awesome site with gear reviews, trail reports, trip reports

and great dialogue from people who have traveled the globe on a bike.

Like the description of my blog, bikepacking refers to self-supported, mostly off-road, multi-day cycling with

camping out in the elements each evening. Bikepacking can be differentiated from the following disciplines:

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Bike Touring: Traditionally done on asphalt. May be supported, credit card or expedition (non-supported).

Sometimes solo, but can be done en-mass competitively (ala RAAM or Race Across America) or not.

Where bikepacking differs is that it’s done primarily off-road. Most participants strive to find a large portion of

the trail that is technical or challenging. While the definition of technical varies widely between individuals,

this normally means use of a mountain bike. Similarly, as the technicality of the trail increases, the use of heavy

packs and panniers is frowned upon. More on this in the next blog entry.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Ultra-Endurance Mountain Biking events such as the Great Divide Race. Along the same lines, long distance trails

are being mapped out all the time and done solo for the sake of accomplishing in the shortest amount of time.

Some have classified this as an individual time trial. This is a familiar term if you have seen any Tour de France,

but the premise is still the same: Shortest time wins!

You could think of ultra-endurance mountain biking as a competitive version of bikepacking. Most often comfort

is secondary to speed, however many racers of this discipline will stay at motels along the way or eat voraciously

at every gas station they come across.

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Hut to Hut Mountain Bike Touring: In the region encompassing Western Colorado and Eastern Utah exist several

“mountain huts” that may be rented for overnight stays. Each is approximately 35 miles apart allowing long or short

trips and relatively comfy accommodations.

Bikepacking differs here obviously due to the use of a fixed shelter. Also, there is a pre-programmed distance in

increments of 35 miles. Lastly, this seems to be a popular destination and activity, it’s the only one known by this author.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Next Entry: Preferred Equipment

Blogging Begins!

chuckc1971@insightbb.com — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 02:57:00 GMT

Sheesh! I thought I would never get this blog going. You see, I am trying to use Windows Live Writer and it took more than a few twists and turns to get here. Many thanks to Webguy for getting me straight.

I have some specific thoughts of what this blog will be primarily about, but that’s for a later date. Just glad to get it all working.

Since no blog would be complete without a picture, here’s one from my stash from a 2007 trip to Idaho: