Overheard a guy at REI say hammocks are ruining campsites near Asheville

I was picking up a new stove at the REI in Asheville last Saturday and this older dude was complaining that hammock campers are stripping all the bark off trees at popular spots like Graveyard Fields. He said he saw six trees killed by straps in one season alone. Has anyone else noticed damage from hammocks or am I just overthinking my gear choices?

4 comments

4 Comments

johnson.river1d ago

The whole thing sounds like one more way we're pushing nature too hard without thinking about it. Just like how everyone started putting those cheap plastic raised beds in their yards and then wondered why the soil went bad after a year. People get so caught up in the latest gear trend they forget there's a real environment underneath all of it.

charles_baker281d ago

Yeah tree selection matters a lot. Birch and beech have thin bark so the straps cut right through, but I've seen it happen on oaks too. The real trick is using wide straps, at least 2 inches, and padding them with a piece of closed cell foam if you're going to be there for more than a night. Also rotating the trees you use each time helps spread out the stress. Some of the guys I backpack with started carrying a small section of cheap yoga mat just for this purpose and it makes a huge difference.

violag801d ago

Six trees dead in one season? Were they birch or beech?

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williamhenderson1d ago

Asked my buddy Dave about his maples last week. He lost three Japanese maples and one dogwood in about four months. Said the roots just rotted right out from under them.