Ewker will have read this same thing on the Hammock Forum. He the one that posted about it being illegal to hang a hammock inside the shelters. He said he got his answers from the Backcountry Office in the Smokies. What I cannot figure out is, why? Why would it be illegal to lounge or sleep in a hammock that is hanging from the beams inside the shelter? I did a random Google image search and this is the first picture I saw that shows a good example of the beams.

Is there anyone on this site that could explain to me why wrapping tree straps around those horizontal beams that are anchored to the stone walls would be bad for the shelters? I understand the 2nd part of the discussions about hanging hammocks near designated campsites over lush vegetation in which a user will trample all over them. I hanged twice in the Smokies and both have been over the same spot that a tent can be pitched. I use tree webbing as well which in theory reduces harm or doesn't harm the barks like rope does wrapped around it tightly.

I'll probably call the Backcountry Office today and ask them about it, I was really hoping to do this on a trip in March when my bestfriend can join me. We was going to stay in a shelter and I wanted to sleep in my hammock hanging from inside the shelter. I'm not really trying to give hammock users a bad name, I'm just trying get some understanding as to why it would be bad to hang underneath the shelter, if I don't want sleep next to random people I can just sleep above them! I know people have done this before, but there is no rules listed anywhere in the Backcountry Regulation about this... Your thought(s)?

Edit: Scroll down on the link and you will see the inside of the shelter. This is a common design along the AT in the Smokies.

My knee-jerk reaction is "no reason, just policy" coupled with "but we've never done it that way."

A bit further reflection yields perhaps, maybe, possibly a reason: How much additional floor space (footprint) is used by a hammock pitch than by someone just sleeping on a pad on the floor? The answer may be "none"; I just don't know. Having slept in shelters, I know I don't need very much space: pack standing up by my head, with a bit of room to swing my legs and get on and off the pad, and I'm maybe talking about4x7 feet.

Having also hung a hammock in a shelter (many, many years ago - one of those polyester mesh kind that rolled into a softball-size package), I know that it was about 10 feet long; I don't remember it needing more than 4 feet side to side, and the pack fit underneath it. However, one issue was that, because the beams were oriented front-to-back (the same way the floor sleepers lay), the hammock was pitched at right angles to the floor sleepers, so we couldn't get as many people in the same amount of space without somebody getting a foot in the stomach.

Like I said, it's been many (many, many) years ago since I did that, and I've not taken any serious looks at newer hammocks - but that's the only reason I can think of. It certainly wouldn't have put undue stress on the beams, and unless the shelter is jam-packed with folks, I can't imagine floor space being a real issue. It would seem like a common sense approach ("Floor sleepers have preference, but if you can all work it out among yourselves, you're welcome to pitch hammocks in the shelter") would be in order. My guess is that most backpackers would work it out, even if the shelter was packed.

I talked to the lady at the Backcountry Office she said it mostly because hammock users can annoy people when the shelter are full. It just create chaos. You have a flame going (they have chimneys), people cooking, hammock suspension lines running across, etc. She said if I was alone I could hang, but otherwise just avoid it in respect to others. It basically an unwritten rule. Now that I understand what she was saying, I can respect the rule a lot better than someone telling me asinine things. I have a small tendency to question authority if I don't get a rational reason.

If I thru-hike the AT in the Smokies I would like to bring my hammock, and if the shelter is crowded while there still space for me to sleep on the bunk, I will refrain from hanging. Beside a campsite near Gregory Bald, there is no where else to stay on the AT in the Smoky. Some of the best views in the Smoky are along the AT. Going to campsites away from the AT can be time consuming and waste of daylight, and I don't really like hiking in the dark.

ETSU,
I was in one shelter on a thru hike where a guy was hanging in a hammock. He was very careful, stayed right up against the side of the shelter, but it was still a very large space eater. Nobody wanted to sleep under him, and the hammock was longer than the platform, complicating getting in and out, especially in the middle of the night. There weren't that many of us, so all worked fairly well, but I think he decided not to do that again (he had a tarp, so didn't need to). I think the advice to feel free if it's just you and maybe three others is well taken. More than that and I think you're better to use trees. Best, jcp

JP, I can only do that around the shelter if it's full. If everyone has a permits, and there is no where for me sleep on the platform I can sleep on the trees providing I don't damage the vegetation underneath. Rangers will give leeway for this, but if there's space in the shelter I may get in a little trouble. Ha. I just wanted some clarification and make sure the rangers and myself were all on same page before receiving a fine due to ignorance.

all you have to do is hang around until the shelter fills up then you can hang outside legally.
If it doesn't fill up then make sure you have a pad to sleep on. Sleeping in a shelter in a hammock is as bad as folks putting a tent up in one.

Several years ago I thru-hiked the Smokies, and, yes, I hung my hammock inside if there was room. No one complained or made a comment. Some shelters have a space in front of the platform and under the roof, which is where I'd aim to be. I imagine the nights I tried to sleep on the platforms, my tossing and turning bothered the others a lot more...

One of the nights that I was inside a shelter, there were a couple of backcountry rangers who were doing a field study sharing space with us. I wish I could remember if I used my hammock that night. Probably I did, and I am sure nothing was said. That I would have remembered. The ONLY reason I wouldn't have hung outside is the rule about staying in a shelter unless it was filled beyond capacity. Since permits are issued and a stiff fine can be incurred for not having one, the shelters are not usually overfilled, except maybe in the heaviest thru-hiker season. If one stars his trip 50 miles from the park, an advance permit was not required back then. Thrus could self-permit as they entered the park at kiosks set up at trailheads.

The first and only experience I have sleeping in a shelter, I had the unfortunate draw to sleep on the bottom platform. The guy(s) above me would move around and I'll hear it... Which is one the reason I'd like to sleep in my hammock if I can't get top platform. I guess I am selfish!!!

There is more horizontal force when a person lays in a hammock than their weight. The force is higher when the hang is flatter. A hammock with a 200 pound person in it will apply about 1,200 pounds of horizontal force to the vertical support when there is a 20 degree hang.

Vertical supports in shelters may not be designed to take this much horizontal force. Even though the log looks sturdy, the nails at the bottom may not hold.

I suspect this law originated when someone pulled a big log out of the side of a shelter and the roof fell. It probably resulted in a lawsuit because this is America.

Think about this if you plan to hang a hammock between the supports for your porch. Please make a video if you do.