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Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Group Forum: BWCA Hanging :: did hammocks help you single portage?
 
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Tony
03/19/2012 07:27PM
 
I don't think I will be able to single portage. You see I'm a gearaholic and I have to much other crap that I fell obligated to take.


tony
 
hwdhusky
03/19/2012 04:25PM
 
We have always singled portaged. The hammocks made it lighter, but we find ourselves bringing other gear. My buddy made a tarp into a make-shift screened in tent for those nasty buggy evenings. Works well but it fits inside the old tent bag... go figure. So we really are not saving any weight or room.
 
The Lorax
04/02/2012 05:26AM
 
quote Woods Walker: "I'm thinking that although my hammock is only saving me 2 lbs, I will also not need a kitchen tarp so thats another 2 lbs & then I won't be needing my 4" thick pad so thats another embarrassing 7 lbs... I guess its adding up thats 11 lbs lighter... so I'm thinking yes if I choose to do single portages it will be possible."


Depending on the season you will be going, you might need a pad or an UQ for insulation for the hammock bottom. Don't cut too far back. Maybe a smaller, lighter pad?
 
bwcasolo
02/26/2012 08:34AM
 
it was a huge weight and space change for my packing since i went to my hh.at some point i may go back to my tents, but for now i do enjoy the liteweight one pack tripping.
 
PortageKeeper
02/26/2012 02:00PM
 
I was doing some ultralight backpacking before canoeing so I have most always single portaged anyway. Hammocking definitely helped none the less. My hammock takes about half the space that my solo tent did, so the pack size needed dropped as well. I paddle a Magic, so small packs are a big deal.
 
jcavenagh
04/14/2012 11:09AM
 
My BA Copper Spur 3 weighs about 4.5lbs. Two hammocks and two tarps are about the same, so we don't really get any significant weight savings. But the hammocks are less bulky and can compress down a LOT more then the tent. Still, we do a double. Same idea as bwcasolo, we are on vacation and in no hurry.
 
The Lorax
02/27/2012 05:55AM
 
I have two tents that weigh equal to or less than my heaviest hammock, so not really.
 
removedmember1
04/14/2012 01:43PM
 
Absolutely. I went from a 3P tent to a hammock. Everything fits into a #4 pack.
 
bwcasolo
04/14/2012 08:01AM
 
after much packing, re-packing, cutting back, even with a hammock, i have concluded, using my 56 year old sense(once in a while it kicks in)that i can't scale down enough to single portage.
it is not that i am unable to(physically, or mentally), or that i am carrying too much gear, which i am not, when i talk it thru with my wife, it is just for the shear joy of the trip to walk more and pack smarter. using my kondos day pack allows me to access items quicker and easier than stuffing it all in one closed up sealed granite gear quetico pack.
so with that said, , i will smell the pines more, get more walking , and just take my time.
it is vacation after all. thanks for listening.
 
Savage Voyageur
02/26/2012 02:28PM
 
Our group normally has 6-8 guys so single portage is not a factor. I'm just tring to keep it under a triple portage. My setup saved about 2 1/2 lbs and some bulk also. I could see with a down underquilt and overquilt you could be in the single portage croud.
 
OBX2Kayak
02/26/2012 06:27PM
 
One of the reasons I switched to the hammock is that I was having trouble fitting my old backpacking tent poles into my kayak. The hammock saves some weight, also.


Alas, I still do not single portage.
 
Merganser
02/26/2012 06:23PM
 
quote Savage Voyageur: "I'm just tring to keep it under a triple portage. ". Lol


I got into hammock camping the same year I started to solo. A happy coinsidence. I'm no UL camper. I do a comfortable double but am not going to get to single.
 
TomT
02/26/2012 07:29PM
 
I don't foresee single portaging in my future.
 
RainGearRight
02/28/2012 08:09AM
 
Unless I start eating astronaut food I doubt I'll ever get to single.
 
Woods Walker
04/01/2012 08:37PM
 
I'm thinking that although my hammock is only saving me 2 lbs, I will also not need a kitchen tarp so thats another 2 lbs & then I won't be needing my 4" thick pad so thats another embarrassing 7 lbs... I guess its adding up thats 11 lbs lighter... so I'm thinking yes if I choose to do single portages it will be possible.
 
bwcasolo
02/28/2012 03:56PM
 
i started taking richmoor foods for my solo trips. it is the lowest sodium per serving of any dried commercial food out there and imho it taste really good.it really helped me lighten the food load.