# Winter Hammock Camping Adventures



## WIBackpacker (Jan 9, 2014)

I'm a huge fan of winter camping, but it's very hard to find other people who enjoy it, so it's usually just me and a dog or two. In December someone talked me into trying winter hammock camping. I'd never hammock camped below ~45F before, but what the heck, why not.... I left Tica at home to keep my husband company in the warm house, and took Ayla along.

When we arrived and hiked our stuff in, we had clear skies and no snow. 










Before I got my setup finished, of course it started snowing. Ayla watched the process. She gave me some very skeptical stinkeye when she saw I was not setting up our trusty tent, and instead was just hanging a bunch of stuff from trees.










She cheered up considerably after I got her warm "nest" area arranged, underneath my hammock. In weather below freezing, she sleeps on an inflatable pad covered with an old army wool blanket, with an unzipped children's sleeping back draped over the top. Toasty.

Waking up at daybreak, swinging between two trees, looking up at the open sky, was really something.










A friend brought his Rhodesian Ridgeback. That dog has also logged quite a few nights under the stars and totally cracks me up. He refuses to lie on the cold ground like a "normal" dog, so he spent most of the weekend in a chair near the campfire.










It was a great experience. Fresh snow, clear skies, different from tent camping. 










When we went home, Ayla wasted no time stealing the best seat in the house to reabsorb some warmth. She's a good adventure dog.


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## GypsyGhost (Dec 29, 2014)

Aura and I are coming with you one of these times.


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## islanddog (Jun 27, 2016)

Awesome. I love winter camping -- vicariously, that is.
I love exercising out in the coldest weather, but I would consider the downtime brutal.
The ridgy needs a sweater, unlike a gsd, he wasn't born with a winter coat, no wonder he takes the camp chair.
Love those pictures.
I think I'd get myself dumped on top of the dog if I tried a hammock....


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## WIBackpacker (Jan 9, 2014)

GypsyGhost said:


> Aura and I are coming with you one of these times.


Yes, yes, you shall. And it will be epic. 



islanddog said:


> Awesome. I love winter camping -- vicariously, that is.
> I love exercising out in the coldest weather, but I would consider the downtime brutal.
> The ridgy needs a sweater, unlike a gsd, he wasn't born with a winter coat, no wonder he takes the camp chair.
> Love those pictures.
> I think I'd get myself dumped on top of the dog if I tried a hammock....


You're welcome to join us as well! 

Ridgy has this thick high collared fleece coat thing that made him look like Count Dracula, unfortunately I didn't catch a decent picture. While hiking and running around with Ayla, it became a fleecy burr magnet and he collected quite the mess of prickers. Alas. One more reason I prefer rough, weather-durable breeds.


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## jaudlee (Mar 28, 2013)

What did the temp get down to, and how did you keep the pups from wandering in the night? looks awesome!


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## sebrench (Dec 2, 2014)

Looks like an adventure. Beautiful scenery! I enjoy backpacking...but you are more intrepid than me! Spring through fall camping for me, I'm afraid.


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## islanddog (Jun 27, 2016)

WIBackpacker said:


> Yes, yes, you shall. And it will be epic.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That would be something--I was majorly relieved last winter to see my tropical mutt grow himself a winter coat--sweaters are just embarrassing.
Burrs, though, they stick like crazy to fur. 
And sure, you invite me just so you can watch me roll & dump out of that hammock. How do those things work? I tried a real hammock once and couldn't even get in-just kept getting dumped.
anyhoo-fun seeing those pics, next time, I want to see The Count in his coat...


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## ksotto333 (Aug 3, 2011)

Looks beautiful, but you're braver than I am. We're headed back to the UP in February, but sleeping inside and hiking outside.


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## RZZNSTR (Jan 24, 2015)

Those were great pics! Very cool! What I consider roughing it now is the Sheraton!


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## WIBackpacker (Jan 9, 2014)

jaudlee said:


> What did the temp get down to, and how did you keep the pups from wandering in the night? looks awesome!


My best guess on this trip was about 8-10F at night? I'm not sure since I don't have my own nifty little thermometer clip thingie. One of the guys said his recorded an overnight low of 8F, so I'll take his word for it! We were on privately owned hunting land, so we didn't have any leash rules or campground policies to worry about, so I just used a length of paracord looped around the tree when I went to sleep to prevent any canine nighttime marauding. 



islanddog said:


> That would be something--I was majorly relieved last winter to see my tropical mutt grow himself a winter coat--sweaters are just embarrassing.
> Burrs, though, they stick like crazy to fur.
> And sure, you invite me just so you can watch me roll & dump out of that hammock. How do those things work? I tried a real hammock once and couldn't even get in-just kept getting dumped.
> anyhoo-fun seeing those pics, next time, I want to see The Count in his coat...


If you have someone show you how to sleep in a hammock *correctly*, it's a completely different experience! First common error - stringing it up with the toe end too low, so you slide down as you sleep. Second most common error - attempting to sleep straight in the hammock (like a banana in a peel). You actually sleep at an angle (crooked) inside the gathered ends of the fabric. Sounds weird but it makes all the difference in the world. If I didn't have someone experienced to point out everything I used to do wrong, I'm sure I would've ended up on the ground....

I'm going to double check, I may have a grainy iPhone picture of The Rhodesian Count, just for you. Stay tuned.



ksotto333 said:


> Looks beautiful, but you're braver than I am. We're headed back to the UP in February, but sleeping inside and hiking outside.


Enjoy! I know we share a mutual love of the UP. Take pictures when you go.


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## TwoBigEars (May 11, 2013)

Love it! I have yet to take the plunge into winter camping but I definitely want to at some point. Winter is beautiful, plus generally a lot less people out camping around Colorado in the winter. Summer camping has gotten ridiculous here!


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## WIBackpacker (Jan 9, 2014)

TwoBigEars said:


> Love it! I have yet to take the plunge into winter camping but I definitely want to at some point. Winter is beautiful, plus generally a lot less people out camping around Colorado in the winter. Summer camping has gotten ridiculous here!


TRUTH. A few of the reasons I love it so much - no crowds, no entry permits, more wildlife, silence. Some of our state parks are crowded anthills all summer long, and many desirable spots book up 12 months in advance. Crazy.

I sure am envious of your mountains. Our topography is a bit less dramatic in these parts.


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## WIBackpacker (Jan 9, 2014)

@islanddog , I found one for you.... The Count! 

He really is a super cool dog, neat breed.


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## islanddog (Jun 27, 2016)

The Count looks quite dignified in his coat.
Now off to google how to sleep in a hammock...


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## Greyson.Johnson (Oct 27, 2016)

Looks like so much fun! We also hammock camp. Much more comfortable than sleeping in a tent. Have you seen Shug Avery's winter hammock camping videos? Thanks for sharing. We haven't taken our gsd pup camping yet but I think he will love it.


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## WIBackpacker (Jan 9, 2014)

Greyson.Johnson said:


> Looks like so much fun! We also hammock camp. Much more comfortable than sleeping in a tent. Have you seen Shug Avery's winter hammock camping videos? Thanks for sharing. We haven't taken our gsd pup camping yet but I think he will love it.


Awesome! I will honestly admit I was super skeptical, my 4 season tent is my security blanket. Winter tripping without it was unnerving, but surprise! - I was warm and slept great. You guys are definitely on to something. 

Shug is an absolute legend around here! One of the people who got me into this has one of his "Sector Seven" shirts and directed me to his vlogs. I'm going to attempt a repeat of the Angleworm trail later this month - his clips from that route in winter are totally on point. 

So happy there is another crazy hanger person here.


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## Nigel (Jul 10, 2012)

How bulky is the hammock to pack up? Looks like a really nice set up.I thought I had enough winter camping while in the army, but maybe not as gear keeps getting better and better.


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## WIBackpacker (Jan 9, 2014)

Nigel said:


> How bulky is the hammock to pack up? Looks like a really nice set up.I thought I had enough winter camping while in the army, but maybe not as gear keeps getting better and better.


The hammock itself balls up to the size and weight of a grapefruit, but when you add in all of the parts and pieces (suspension, top and bottom insulation, straps, tarp, stakes) it is bulky. Bulkier than my favorite tent. I'm working on customizing it to try and get the weight and bulk reduced to the equivalent of my tent setup.

If you Google "whoopie slings" or "whoopie hammock straps" you'll see the best invention ever. I was originally using climbing carabiners and webbing for suspension - someone showed me how to splice my own whoopies, which allowed me to remove and ditch about 1/2 a pound of unnecessary hardware. There's always something new for me to learn, that's for sure.


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## Nigel (Jul 10, 2012)

WIBackpacker said:


> The hammock itself balls up to the size and weight of a grapefruit, but when you add in all of the parts and pieces (suspension, top and bottom insulation, straps, tarp, stakes) it is bulky. Bulkier than my favorite tent. I'm working on customizing it to try and get the weight and bulk reduced to the equivalent of my tent setup.
> 
> If you Google "whoopie slings" or "whoopie hammock straps" you'll see the best invention ever. I was originally using climbing carabiners and webbing for suspension - someone showed me how to splice my own whoopies, which allowed me to remove and ditch about 1/2 a pound of unnecessary hardware. There's always something new for me to learn, that's for sure.


Googled it, those whoopies are pretty slick, I can see them being useful in other ways too.


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