[pct-l] Hammock on the PCT

[Shawn Hudson]

Not having hiked the PCT before, I invite everyone to correct me, but isn't
most of the Trail through California above treeline? I wonder about the
viability of a hammock, unless of course you don't mind using it like a
bivouac. Last suggestion is to definitely bring the bug netting. I may not
have hiked it yet, but I've watched enough movies and YouTube to know the
mosquitoes are going to be treacherous in certain areas. And having
hammocked on the AT (Hennessey), I had the wonderful experience of trying to
get a good night's sleep while hundreds of mosquitoes landed on the bottom
of my hammock and plunged their suckers right through the material. Sleeping
pad helped a little, but not nearly enough.

I've also grown concerned about bugs. My sleep system is a hammock and tarp
setup that I made myself. They work great, but I'm considering making new
ones. I have one tarp that I made bug netting walls that attach with velcro.
It's not too heavy, but it is very bulky. When I made it a few years ago, it
was a proof of concept experiment, so I used inexpensive bug netting. It
worked so well though, that I have taken it on several backpacking trips
now. I'm considering making a new setup, but there is some cost and time
involved.

--
~ Kevin
Soon To Be PCT Thru Hiker!
"The indoor life is the next best thing to premature burial." Edward Abbey