Hammock as primary shelter

imported
#1

Has anyone hiked the entire length of the PCT carrying only a hammock as their shelter?

Should I consider a tent the first month and a hammock the remainder.

Mr. D

#2

I think Jack from Jacks R Better did the PCT and an elderly couple hiked with their older son on the JMT with a hammocks.

Trouble is a lot of the trail is above treeline so you must be willing to use your hammock as a bivy tent on the ground for a lot of it. Hennessy and Siam hammocks both are able to do that…but man it small and confining…at least to me it is.

You could travel with a Byer hammock at 16 oz and a Tarptent at 2 lbs (varies on which model)having the best of both worlds and still be under 3 lbs!!!

AlohaTink

#3

Not a lot of the PCT is above treeline actually. But socal doesn’t have many suitable trees for pitching. I heard that hammocks used to be more popular, but I saw none in 2006. One hiker that had one, got rid of it after not being able to pitch it so many places in socal. If you love to hammock, there are plenty of trees almost everywhere after KM.

union

#4

I actualy answerd this question a couple years ago in “white blaze”.
Hers what I wrote then:
"The p.c.t. (and c.d.t.) is definetly hammockable. Even in so.Ca you can find groves of trees evry 20 miles at most, as long as you guess/learn where they are from the maps (forested area is marked on the p.c.t guide maps) .

True, you cant hammock over tree line in the sierra’s, but thats o.k. as the above tree line sections are never more than a few mile long at most, and you shouldnt camp there anyway due to the fragile alpine vegetation (and because these exposed areas are real cold at night).
You usualy don’t have to put on the tarp at night, as your unlikly to hit rain befor washington, but the mosquitoes will make sleeping without a shelter\head net a real torture in some sections. You will not be sorry you carried a hammock in any section of the p.c.t.

As for bears - I always put my food inside my hammock under my legs at night and never had a problem. The chances of you being hit by lightening are a hundred times higher than being attacked by a black bear. Humens kill black bear and not the other way around

Roni (in Israel)"

roni

#5

I’m planing to hike the pct again this year with a hammock. As now I remember more or less where most hammockable trees are in the southern section of california, I expect that there won’t have to spend more than 5-10 nights on the ground and possibly less, with a little bit of improvisation (like hammocking on power poles). The only places where You cant hammock are the hard dessert (which is different from the chaparel which is most of the PCT on soCa), like the mojabee section (I was actualy able to hammock there using a burnt car and a water aquaduct bridge for support, but since then I herd the car was removed). In any case You can always Use the tarp in those section, though that probebly wont be needed, as there is almost no rain in may in these desert sections.
Don’t listen to those people who claim You cant use hammocks in cold tempratures. I used the basic hammock on the a.t. in winter in tempratures the reached 0 fernheit. The trick is to have a resonable pad beneath You (a z-rest will work). Don’t listen to anyone telling You, You don’t need a pad, only a heat reflector. Thats true only in warm nights, and the nights on the pct can be significantly colder in summer than the nights on the A.T.

One thing I discoverd this summer was the use of insulative bags to add to the warmth of pads. I bought in a wallmart for 1.5$ each two heat reflecting bags - of the kind that is ment to keep bear cans etc’ cold. took off the plastic closer and used the bags to wrap the pad. This added a signifcent isulation the the pad as it acted as a heat reflector.

Roni

roni

#6

I started the PCT with a hammock this year but sent it home from either Warner Springs or Idyllwild and didn’t regret that. There were generally enough places to pitch it but it wasn’t needed and I decided it was more important to have a lighter pack. Hammocks sleep colder than on the ground (I don’t know why but it’s true) so you’ll need heavier gear if you hammock. I think that’s why I didn’t use it in Washington, when being off the ground is a good idea.

Rolling Thunder