Backcountry Permits?

[Michael Palozzola]

Ok I've read that u need a backcountry permit in order to camp out in the glades, but no where do I see a hyperlink for a permit website or a phone number how do I obtain one of these permits? How far in advance do I need to get it? Is there a waiting list for sites?

[Gary M]

Jungle hammocks work well on the chickees.  Sometimes you gotta hang diagonally acorss the smaller singles, and sometimes you are hanging right on the edge, half over the water.  But, if you are comfortable with "tree tents" you probably won't mind the latter.  If you gotta go diagonal, just don't set up till sleepy time.

Hanging in the trees is another story.  I believe it is frowned upon to "tie anything to a tree", I know that is true in the Fl State Parks.  The biggest issue is first finding two trees that are the right distance, and that don't have any other trees or branches in the way.  Cutting away those other branches is definitely a no-no as they most probably are some sort of mangrove, which are federally protected species. Cutting any live wood is prohibited anyway, I think.   However, the biggest challenge is finding two trees stong enough to support you.  As mentioned above, Red Mangroves (by far the most common along the creeks) evolved to withstand hurricane winds and tides... so they bend very easily.  It takes two rather old and impressive red mangroves to support the average person in a hammock.

Using your hammock on a ground site is very do-able, without trees, if you bring two poles to act as the roof support and a ground pad.  You make your hammock essentially into a bivy and sleep on the ground.

[Keith W]

[Michael Palozzola]

I have strung up in mangroves before it just takes a bit of looking to find the right trees it does help that I'm not the biggest guy on the planet I'm 5'6 and 145lbs so I'm not trying to string up 250lbs or anything. As I mentioned I do not have a tent other then my hammock, looks like I'm gonna have to invest in a tent, but first I'm gonna set up my hammock on the ground in my back yard and see how that works. Worse case scenario to carry the hammock and a tent the hammock is only 3lbs 

[Michael Palozzola]

Well I tested out the hammock on the ground in my backyard, doable, but definitely need some work to see exactly how to set it up in a way that will stand up well to inclement weather. It seemed kinda flimsy and I couldn't exactly figure out how to really tighten it down cause the stakes kept pulling outta the ground.

[vivian]

I have experimented using my Hennessy ASym as a bivy using my hiking poles and it is doable but very claustrophobic. For paddling trips you can rig one end of the hammock to a picnic table at the ground sites if there are no trees. I would also suggest bringing a plastic ground sheet to protect against mud. Here is a similar setup using a bicycle to hold up one end,

http://hennessyhammock.com/articles/hh_as_a_tent/

After much experimenting, I just use my hammock for backpacking trips and prefer the tent for Everglades paddling trips. Bringing the hammock along does not weigh much as an additional shelter for the chickees.

[Walt]

Many of the places that you can hang a hammock are places you may want to avoid. Mosquitos are tolerable in the winter, but the closer you get to foliage, the worse they will be. You'll be setting up your hammock right in their power zone.

 

You can get a decent tent for under $100 that won't take up much more space than a hammock. I use one of these, http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___23889  it works great for ground and beach sites, and with a little engineering would work on a chickee.