I finally tried a hammock tent setup after 12 years of ground camping

So last month I swapped my usual tent for one of those hammock rigs with the bug net and rain fly. First night was great, super comfy, no rocks digging into my back. Second night we got hit with a thunderstorm around 2am and the wind flipped the whole thing sideways. I woke up with my face in the mud and my sleeping bag soaked. My buddies who stayed in their tents were dry and laughing at me. Now I'm torn, was it just a bad setup on my end or do hammocks really not hold up in stormy weather? Anyone else had a hammock fail like that or did I just miss something obvious?

2 comments

2 Comments

paulschmidt23d agoMost Upvoted

Pretty sure the hammock was laughing at me too, honestly. My face in the mud was the universe's way of telling me I skipped the extra stakes to save ten minutes. I clipped the fly loose and called it good, which is basically waving a flag at the storm saying "come get me." Ground camping never once dumped me on my head, so that's a point for the old school. But I'd probably give the hammock another shot with a real tarp pitch, just not before my buddies stop bringing up that night. My pride needs a full season to heal before I risk hanging over a cliff of bad decisions again.

olivia_bailey24d ago

Did you stake out the rain fly on both sides before the storm hit, or just clip it to the hammock ends? A lot of folks skip the extra guylines and that's exactly when the wind turns it into a sail. I've seen hammocks hold up in worse if the tarp is pitched low and tight, but it takes a minute to get it dialed in. Would you try it again with a proper tarp setup, or is the ground looking pretty good right about now?