Evolution Valley or Mineral King for Hammocking

[AlmostThere]

DO NOT USE PARACORD on hammocks!!!!! It isn't strong enough. Take it from a hammocker. Also, ALWAYS use tree straps - polypro or kevlar are popular. Nylon just stretches and keeps stretching.

I have used my Warbonnet hammock on all of the above, and with a little creativity with using rocks for chocks or just using a pad instead of an underquilt and being ready to sleep on the ground, any trail in the Sierra is hammock-able.

[jeremiahkim]

I suppose it also depends on when you're planning to go. I only say this because we were hunkered next to some hammockers on a snow day and they certainly did not look comfortable. I assume you have your kit dialed in how you like it and would be prepared for weather though.

[AlmostThere]

When you post in a hammock forum you get advice on insulation. Elsewhere, you get advice on not bringing a hammock.
I"m cold in my tent. What sleeping bag are you using?
I'm cold in my hammock. Bring a tent.

Bring the right insulation for your shelter system. You'll be fine.

Heck - bring this gear, and be more than fine. https://youtu.be/_5962rzV6Ks

[longri]

So why aren't there more people using hammocks in the High Sierra?

[phoenix2000]

So why aren't there more people using hammocks in the High Sierra?

Here are my guesses.

1.) Tents are what people are used to using. When most people are introduced to backpacking, the people who introduce them use tents so they end up buying a tent themselves.
2.) Most people backpack in groups and carry 2 person tents. This allows two people to use the same shelter and cuts down on the weight the group has to carry. Unless your carrying a two person hammock like https://www.junglehammock.com/product/d ... -2-person/ you won't be able fit two people into a hammock.
3.) People who have never slept in a hammock are usually afraid of rolling over and falling out of it in the middle of the night or are afraid that the ropes will break, come untied, etc and end up dumping them on the ground.
4.) Some people can only fall asleep on their stomachs, they assume that you can't sleep on your stomach in a hammock so they won't even consider using one. I've only slept in Clark Jungle Hammocks and can only sleep on my back or sides in them. I have read of some brands that people can sleep on their stomachs in.
5.) There needs to be a driving force behind switching from tent to hammock.
- I had a backpacking trip with friends and family that I had to leave 1 day early because I had set my tent up on a cushy spot that was covered in thick pine needles. A storm came thru and dumped enough hail on the ground to look like snow. It melted during the night and pooled under my tent. I woke up in the middle of the night to find that my sleeping back was soaked. I didn't think I could survive another night with a wet sleeping back so I hiked out early. With a hammock I should never wake up in a pool of water again.
- I never liked how much dirt got tracked into my tent while my hammock never gets dirty.
- I could never get a good nights sleep in a tent so I would wake up every 10-15 minutes. In my hammock I only wake up if I have dry mouth and need a drink or if I have visitors who go bump in the night.
- The friends and family I used to go backpacking with all got old or out of shape so I found myself going on solo backpacking trips. So using a 1 person hammock as opposed to sharing a 2 person tent with someone was no big deal.

I was thinking that there was a cost difference but once I checked the internet for tent + mattress vs hammock + underquilt prices, the ranges seem to be in the same ballpark. Both tent and hammock have their cheap as well as really expensive options.

[longri]

None of those reasons are specific to the Sierra.

Hammock use is more popular in some places, just not so much here. While there certainly is a kind of inertia when it comes to new ideas the good ones eventually win out. Just look at all of the people with ultralight backpacks, quilts, and trail runners.

[Wandering Daisy]

How do tent and hammock compare, both time and complexity and ease of setting up alone? At least once or half of my campsites on any trip I take is above timber, so I will not likely use a hammock. Just curious about the ease of use. If it was lighter and easier and faster, you would think more PCT hikers would use hammocks.

[maverick]

So why aren't there more people using hammocks in the High Sierra?

Possibly because of the lack of trees in higher basins, like Ionian, Wallace/Wales, Miter, Upper Lyell Fork, to name a very few.
I have heard folks voice their thoughts of the uneasiness that they would feel if being suspended during a major storm, with heavy winds, in a more exposed environment, something like mid Kaweah Basin or 9 Lakes Basin for example, where there are trees, but not enough to block heavy winds. Being on the ground gives folks the sense of being grounded, a safer feeling, whether this is based on facts or not I don't know, since I do not hammock.

[longri]

It's difficult to compare weights since there is such a range, both with tents and hammocks. But I don't believe hammocks are a way to save weight.

They excel in certain environments. They are a poor idea in other situations. But there is a lot of middle ground where the choice comes down to preference. Many people who swear by hammocks say they are incredibly comfortable, spacious, and easy to deal with compared to tents.

Above treeline you'd be looking for a rocky area I suppose. It's likely the reason you don't see hammocks at 12,000 feet in the Sierra. There are a lot of trees at 10,000 and below. But in my experience hammocks are essentially missing from the Sierra.

Why?

[nstd]

We decided on doing lake Florence to Evo Valley.

I read that this trail doesnt require bear canister? Can I use my ursack instead?

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