Tasmania specific bushwalking discussion.
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Tasmania specific bushwalking discussion. Please avoid publishing details of access to sensitive areas with no tracks.
Wed 23 Jan, 2013 11:37 pm
I'm looking at doing frenchmans cap soon, I assumed it was a walk I would need my tent but when I saw some photos and videos there seemed to be allot of tree's but I couldn't find a decent shot of the surrounding area of Lake Vera and if there is decent tree's there.
So am I best to resort to the tent and pad or do I get to enjoy the luxuries of a hammock and tarp? (I also don't mind modifying my camp spot if there is more suitable spot near)
Cheers
Thu 24 Jan, 2013 6:51 am
segiy wrote:I'm looking at doing frenchmans cap soon, I assumed it was a walk I would need my tent but when I saw some photos and videos there seemed to be allot of tree's but I couldn't find a decent shot of the surrounding area of Lake Vera and if there is decent tree's there.
So am I best to resort to the tent and pad or do I get to enjoy the luxuries of a hammock and tarp? (I also don't mind modifying my camp spot if there is more suitable spot near)
Cheers
When you say "modify" your camp spot????
Thu 24 Jan, 2013 7:04 am
I know Lake Vera, there are plenty of trees that you could use to set up a hammock, from memory though, not sure if they are tuck enough to hold up the weight of a person though.
Worth asking as well, but would your hammock be able to stand up to the type of weather you get out that way? Or, do you really think a tent would be a better option?
Thu 24 Jan, 2013 8:08 am
It's probably doable at Lake Vera, but definitely don't "modify" anything just to suit your needs. However, if you get there and find it's not up to it then you could always stay in the hut (take a mat just in case).
Thu 24 Jan, 2013 8:19 pm
I more meant modify where I camp (down or up further on the track), that's actually one of the many reasons I prefer hammock camping, less trampling on the ground

It's also surprising what tree's will hold, I was worried one night on the overland track hanging on tea tree's surrounded by a heap of blown down tea tree's...
And I would do the hut as a backup thing but that would be extra weight!!! it's either underquilt or pad, and underquilt is far to comfy to resort to using a pad in the hammock! gotta be comfy

I would prefer to be under my Warbonnet superfly in terrible weather (even though it stretches!) than in my tent.
Mon 29 Sep, 2014 4:19 pm
Sorry to resurrect this old thread, but did you actually attempt hammock camping at Frenchmans Cap? I am wondering whether to pack the hammock, or not to bother?
Cheers,
Karl
Tue 30 Sep, 2014 1:52 pm
I reckon you could find somewhere around Vera, not so convinced about up at Tahune.
But you'd need a period of good weather.
If your purpose is to hammock so you can avoid carrying a tent, then I think that is rather poor form.
Sure there is a hut as a fallback option, but you should at least have some form of emergency shelter such as a bivy or tent.
The weather can get nasty down here, and due to the increased popularity of the walk, I reckon the hut is going to be pretty busy over the next few months.
p.s. I can see the leeches having a field day.
Tue 30 Sep, 2014 2:56 pm
I remember trees by the campsites on Lake Tahune, but can't remember how suitable it was for a hammock setup.
The most rain I've ever seen was at Tahune - and I've lived in the tropics for three years.
Must have been 300-500mm from about midnight until 8am. The actual lake rose over a metre, and the shore line moved 3-4 metres. Anyone in a hammock by the lake would have woken up to hanging over the top of a lake with no way back to dry land!
Fri 31 Oct, 2014 10:40 am
Hope it's not too late to comment on this thread
After taking a Hennessy hammock down to Tassie in January and spending a good month there camping, I'd say take a tent instead. It saddens me to say that, because I love hammock camping, but damn. I found it tricky to find locations safe enough to set up a hammock, let alone locations with decent trees. Call me crazy, but there's no way I would attach a hammock to a self-pruning gum tree in high winds!
In short, if you want to take a hammock to Tasmania, be prepared to spend a lot of time setting it up like a tarp tent lol.
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