hammock sleepers

[brittknee555]

After my tent got destroyed by the wind at our Texas regional last year, I have yet to fix it and have been pretty happy just bringing a hammock to burns. Granted, I have only been to Texas and Missouri burns where there are plenty of shady trees.
So my question/concern is, has anyone used a hammock out on the playa? We will most likely have a dome but at this moment we have not discussed whether it will be used for sleeping or for partying so there is a chance I will have to come up with something else...
Any suggestions? Clever ways to shade/protect a hammock without any trees? Just buy a tent and deal with it?

[theCryptofishist]

I think I've seen hammocks in domes. I know I've seen hammocks in llc-built shade structures. I'm sure that plenty of people bring their hammock-scaffolding...
I don't know what sleeping in a hammock for an overnight wind storm would be like. Or in the rain. Or even at 40 degrees Fahrenheit--which is not atypical.

[Savannah]

My vote would be "buy a tent and deal with it", as you've said. . . . i.e. Coleman 10" steel stakes, or for a canvas tent--rebar, use taut guy lines, no flapping or loose anything, and pitch the tent North of a vehicle. The odds are better that your tent won't be destroyed, if you do it right. I had a $40 dome tent survive 4 burns and many storms, including the two immense storms of 2008 (after which I bought a new one, just to be safe). Of course, there is always the possibility that you'll do everything right, and it'll be wrecked anyway.

Lots of people bring hammocks, so bring one and enjoy--they are fun in shade structures for daytime naps, because there's adequate air circulation outside of a tent--but sleeping outside at night should be an elective, not your default choice. It rained and gusted for several hours at night in 2010, two days before Gates opened. My tent was a trouper.

[brittknee555]

hmm... i have slept in the hammock in the rain and the cold, but never both together. that might be a bit iffy!
i hear the weather has been good in BRC for the past few years, perhaps that means this year will be the time for windy storms and possibly rain.
i'm hoping the dome gets to come with us, but it mostly depends on whether my camp gets tickets or not. otherwise, the booty dome will end up at the orphan burn in austin.
i'm thinking a smaller dome might be a good idea, like we used to have on the playground as kids. that seems more feasible if i end up traveling by myself.
http://www.instructables.com/image/FPRV ... c-dome.jpg
possibly this size but with metal instead of pvc...

[brittknee555]

My vote would be "buy a tent and deal with it", as you've said. . . . i.e. Coleman 10" steel stakes, or for a canvas tent--rebar, use taut guy lines, no flapping or loose anything, and pitch the tent North of a vehicle. The odds are better that your tent won't be destroyed, if you do it right. I had a $40 dome tent survive 4 burns and many storms, including the two immense storms of 2008 (after which I bought a new one, just to be safe). Of course, there is always the possibility that you'll do everything right, and it'll be wrecked anyway.

Lots of people bring hammocks, so bring one and enjoy--they are fun in shade structures for daytime naps, because there's adequate air circulation outside of a tent--but sleeping outside at night should be an elective, not your default choice. It rained and gusted for several hours at night in 2010, two days before Gates opened. My tent was a trouper.

Sound advice, normally I prefer to sleep outside but then again, I've never had to do it in a dust storm.
Plus, my tent could double as a place to store all my crap... le sigh

[theCryptofishist]

Every year has some wind. Betting against having some is like betting a cow will win the Kentucky Derby. It's always going to be a horse...

[brittknee555]

Every year has some wind. Betting against having some is like betting a cow will win the Kentucky Derby. It's always going to be a horse...

[Bob]

Really? Get a tent, and a cot or something.

[SnowBlind]

We've had someone in our camp who didn't bring a tent and always slept in a hammock. Sometimes she'd pull it under the shade structure, or she'd sleep under the open sky. It looked cold, if you'd ask me, but she enjoyed it.

OTOH, 99% of the people in BRC seem to bring tents, so there is that.

[C187]

Like others have said lots of people bring hammocks to the playa. As long as you have a secure way to keep it up you'll be fine. But you really should look into a shelter of some sorts to keep that hammock in. It will get windy at night and the hammock alone might not be enough to keep you warm. Never mind the rain that could fall on you during the night (like pre-open 2010, that night kind of sucked) if you had no shelter, and give you a cold.

Just think of camping on the playa like having drunk sex. Sometimes its better to just have protection.