Southern Tier with hammock or tent

[Kinglet]

I'm hoping to ride the Southern Tier this spring and had planned on bringing a hammock, but I'm wondering if there will be enough trees along the way. Has anyone camped on the Southern Tier with a hammock? Any advice on which to go with? Very excited about this trip. Thanks y'all.

[canalligators]

Heck, the Northern Tier has days at a stretch with few or no places to hang a hammock.  No utility poles, picnic tables, whatever.  Probably worse on the Trans Am and worse yet on the Southern Tier.

I find my hammock to be much more comfortable than a tent, but I don't use it much anymore.  It's just too much hassle to find two stout trees, 10-16 feet apart, especially in state parks where your site selection is limited.

[Kinglet]

Thanks for the reply. I have decided to take an very light hammock for times I can find trees and it's not raining. Otherwise, I'll use a solo tent fly and footprint minus the actual tent to conserve on weight. It's a compromise. I could go with just an ultra light tent but I can't let go of the idea of the hammock.
Wishing wind at your back, Tomoko

[staehpj1]

Thanks for the reply. I have decided to take an very light hammock for times I can find trees and it's not raining. Otherwise, I'll use a solo tent fly and footprint minus the actual tent to conserve on weight. It's a compromise. I could go with just an ultra light tent but I can't let go of the idea of the hammock.
Wishing wind at your back, Tomoko

There will be times when the hammock will work, not enough that I'd take one though, but of course it is your call.

I took a small tarp and a bivy rather than a tent or hammock and it worked out well until Louisiana where the mosquitoes were terrible and it was really sticky in the bivy.  If I were doing it again I'd switch to a bug bivy a little before I left Texas, maybe as early as Del Rio (assuming W-E travel).  Since you are using the tent fly and footprint, you might consider having the tent body sent to you around then so you aren't eaten alive by mosquitoes.

FWIW my ST tour started in San Diego in mid February to mid March and ended in Pensacola FL.

[Kinglet]

Thanks for info on mosquitoes. I was wondering about that. There are really light solo tents so I'll look into getting one. It's great to get some advice and not feel so in the dark about a first time, long, possibly solo trip. I'd welcome any other advice on bike touring. Thank you.

[litespeed]

I have traveled extensively in latinamerica with a Mayan hammock but wouldn't recommend it here in the US. Unlike latinamerica you won't find campgrounds and hotel rooms set up for a hammock and it is often just too cold. Hammocks are great for sleeping in a hot climate but under 70 degrees fahrenheit you will be unable to get warm.

I once spent 5 months in the US Virgin Islands sleeping in my Mayan hammock with a custom mosquito net. Never slept better.

At my home in Florida here I often sling my hammock on my waterfront tower/deck, snooze and watch the boats go by. One of the joys of retirement.

Also, if you buy a Mayan hammock get the larger matrimonio. Mayans are little people. And get the nylon one, not the cotton. They last much longer.

[Pavel]

I quite disagree.  I always bring my simplylight designs hammock with me, as well as my tent. It's four pounds total with the tarp more.  From Florida to east Texas you will find it easier to find two trees than you will a spot for the tent - if you are stealth camping. It's pine country. Campgrounds on the other hand, I found a few official campsites in Florida did not allow hammocks and one place once in Alabama, but otherwise it hasn't been a problem.

Aside from the obvious, the comfort and the lack of need to scope around for flat, pine-come and debris free spaces, the hammock has a few serious advantages.  First of all it gets extremely hot and humid all the way from Florida to Texas, and humid too.  Hammocks, wick heat away from the body and are so much cooler to sleep in.  In fact if the temps hit about 68-70 degrees at night, you get cold without bottom insulating.  hammocks are also very comfortable as seats. 

Now as you get into hill country in Texas and further, it will be mostly dead weight in your bag.  You can get creative and use a hammock on the ground without any trees, but I don't find it worth the bother.  I'd carry it however one a West to East trip, and East to West would take it and then ship it home from somewhere in Texas if you are weight conscious. Me, I'm not ultra light.  I'm more towards the "ultra comfortable". 

[Ty0604]

Keep in mind that some states and private campgrounds have banned hammocks due to tree damage. All state parks in Colorado, for example.

[Pavel]

Keep in mind that if you post on facebook, touring on a bicycle, that you are limiting your exposure compared to crazyguyonabike.  A lot of people don't have facebook, and like myself refuse to ever join.  Just a thought.

[Ty0604]

Keep in mind that if you post on facebook, touring on a bicycle, that you are limiting your exposure compared to crazyguyonabike.  A lot of people don't have facebook, and like myself refuse to ever join.  Just a thought.

You don’t have to be a Facebook member to view profiles/post. If he sets his post to public then anyone, user or not, can view them.

[Pavel]

Keep in mind that some states and private campgrounds have banned hammocks due to tree damage. All state parks in Colorado, for example.

Could you refer me to where you found those regulations?  I've just looked around at the Colorado State parks website and found no mention of any prohibitions.
The sole regs online about camping are these:
4. To camp or to park a motor vehicle, trailer or camper on Parks and Outdoor Recreation Lands with the intention (or for the purpose) of camping other than on areas designated for camping; or to leave a set-up camp, motor vehicle, trailer or camper unattended for more than twenty-four (24) hours, unless otherwise posted.
a. No person may camp or park a motor vehicle, trailer or camper on a state park for more than fourteen (14) days in any forty-five (45) day period, except that extensions totaling no more than a maximum of fourteen (14) additional days may be permitted.

I'll call them on Monday for the final word, not that it would impact me cycling through that state, because I don't like to spend 20 bucks a night when I can find stealth camping, National forests public lands out west with no problem.

In about sixty nights in the last four years I had one Ranger in North Carolina and one in Florida tell me that hammocks were not allowed.  I complied in Florida but the ranger station in North Carolina was close by and the other ranger said it was no problem as long as I used tree straps that protected the cambium layer.  It seems that some people hand back yard hammocks with rope and those were the ones not allowed.

But this is the US of A and new rules are created every minute it seems, to keep the worst sort of campers from doing irresponsible things. 

[Pavel]

Keep in mind that some states and private campgrounds have banned hammocks due to tree damage. All state parks in Colorado, for example.

Could you refer me to where you found those regulations?  I've just looked around at the Colorado State parks website and found no mention of any prohibitions.
The sole regs online about camping are these:
4. To camp or to park a motor vehicle, trailer or camper on Parks and Outdoor Recreation Lands with the intention (or for the purpose) of camping other than on areas designated for camping; or to leave a set-up camp, motor vehicle, trailer or camper unattended for more than twenty-four (24) hours, unless otherwise posted.
a. No person may camp or park a motor vehicle, trailer or camper on a state park for more than fourteen (14) days in any forty-five (45) day period, except that extensions totaling no more than a maximum of fourteen (14) additional days may be permitted.

I'll call them on Monday for the final word, not that it would impact me cycling through that state, because I don't like to spend 20 bucks a night when I can find stealth camping, National forests public lands out west with no problem.

In about sixty nights in the last four years I had one Ranger in North Carolina and one in Florida tell me that hammocks were not allowed.  I complied in Florida but the ranger station in North Carolina was close by and the other ranger said it was no problem as long as I used tree straps that protected the cambium layer.  It seems that some people hand back yard hammocks with rope and those were the ones not allowed.

But this is the US of A and new rules are created every minute it seems, to keep the worst sort of campers from doing irresponsible things.

Good to know. When forced to look at a few I always ran into pop-ups wanting me to join and the ones I seemed to have been to always said "members only" to view the gallery.  In any case I have to know the person before I'll suffer facebook.  Crazyguyonabike.com on the other hand is perfectly tuned to cycling journals.  To each his own.

[Ty0604]

Keep in mind that some states and private campgrounds have banned hammocks due to tree damage. All state parks in Colorado, for example.

Could you refer me to where you found those regulations?  I've just looked around at the Colorado State parks website and found no mention of any prohibitions.
The sole regs online about camping are these:
4. To camp or to park a motor vehicle, trailer or camper on Parks and Outdoor Recreation Lands with the intention (or for the purpose) of camping other than on areas designated for camping; or to leave a set-up camp, motor vehicle, trailer or camper unattended for more than twenty-four (24) hours, unless otherwise posted.
a. No person may camp or park a motor vehicle, trailer or camper on a state park for more than fourteen (14) days in any forty-five (45) day period, except that extensions totaling no more than a maximum of fourteen (14) additional days may be permitted.

I'll call them on Monday for the final word, not that it would impact me cycling through that state, because I don't like to spend 20 bucks a night when I can find stealth camping, National forests public lands out west with no problem.

In about sixty nights in the last four years I had one Ranger in North Carolina and one in Florida tell me that hammocks were not allowed.  I complied in Florida but the ranger station in North Carolina was close by and the other ranger said it was no problem as long as I used tree straps that protected the cambium layer.  It seems that some people hand back yard hammocks with rope and those were the ones not allowed.

But this is the US of A and new rules are created every minute it seems, to keep the worst sort of campers from doing irresponsible things.

I live in Colorado and camp a lot. Parks here forbid anything from being hung from trees except for bear bags. No close lines, hammock straps etc.

Maryland was the same when I was there in 2013. I’m sure other states have similar laws.

To clarify; You can have freestanding hammocks here. That’d be a bit much to carry on a bike though!

If you Google hammocks in Colorado State Parks you’ll find several threads in other forums discussing the issue.

[Pavel]

Well, like I said, I'll call on monday to find what the rules are.  Can you point me to the google searches, because I can't find any with the search "colorado state parks ban hammocks"  There is one article about a ban on Slacklining in city parks that mentions you can't hang anything from city park property.  As I asked earlier, can you point me to the State Park Rule, on the State park site.  Not some guy somewhere in 2009 that heard something from someone.  I'm a member of the Hammock forums and have known  about MD for a while, but nobody there has said anything about Colorado. So point me to the rule can you?  Not hearsay. 

On another note I saw the prices Colorado charges for Camping in state parks.  Wow, how do you all afford a $10 reservation fee plus 24 a night with electricity and $18 without? Cycling through for two weeks would cost me about 400 bucks just to sleep.  I guess that is the way it's going all over slowly, State Governments grabbing money every place they can.  In North Carolina in 2007 it was 4 bucks a night everywhere.

Camping is getting to be priced out of reach for poor cyclist travelers of the sort I knew in the 70's and 80's.  I wonder what one budgets on a 60 day tour for sleeping.  I keep reading these sites that tell you that you can travel by bike for 25 or similar such price a day but I think it's more likely to be closer to 50 - 60 a day nowadays.  So that would mean a 90 day tour could cost about 5 grand.  Does that sound high?  I wonder what people budget.  I may have to take up something cheaper like a Tour through Chile instead of the TA or Southern Tier.  At least in South America no bureaucratic Ogre is going to tell you what you can and can't sleep in. 

[Ty0604]

Well, like I said, I'll call on monday to find what the rules are.  Can you point me to the google searches, because I can't find any with the search "colorado state parks ban hammocks"  There is one article about a ban on Slacklining in city parks that mentions you can't hang anything from city park property.  As I asked earlier, can you point me to the State Park Rule, on the State park site.  Not some guy somewhere in 2009 that heard something from someone.  I'm a member of the Hammock forums and have known  about MD for a while, but nobody there has said anything about Colorado. So point me to the rule can you?  Not hearsay. 

On another note I saw the prices Colorado charges for Camping in state parks.  Wow, how do you all afford a $10 reservation fee plus 24 a night with electricity and $18 without? Cycling through for two weeks would cost me about 400 bucks just to sleep.  I guess that is the way it's going all over slowly, State Governments grabbing money every place they can.  In North Carolina in 2007 it was 4 bucks a night everywhere.

Camping is getting to be priced out of reach for poor cyclist travelers of the sort I knew in the 70's and 80's.  I wonder what one budgets on a 60 day tour for sleeping.  I keep reading these sites that tell you that you can travel by bike for 25 or similar such price a day but I think it's more likely to be closer to 50 - 60 a day nowadays.  So that would mean a 90 day tour could cost about 5 grand.  Does that sound high?  I wonder what people budget.  I may have to take up something cheaper like a Tour through Chile instead of the TA or Southern Tier.  At least in South America no bureaucratic Ogre is going to tell you what you can and can't sleep in.

It’s not hearsay. I LIVE in Colorado. I’m stating facts. There’s several threads on other forums regarding the topic. At least 6 pop up when I do a quick search.

State parks don’t list every rule. You also can’t smoke pot in state parks. Or cut down trees. Or kill someone. Etc. Same thing with hammocks. They’ll tell you when you check in or make you take it down when they see it up. You can go to individual state park websites and it’ll list the no hammock/hanging from trees rule there.

I never pay full price for a campground though while cycling. I either talk them down to a lower price or make friends with other campers and share their spot in exchange for $5 or so.