As a tent camper, there are things that you unknowingly take for granted. The biggest is privacy. As hammock campers, we are at a slight disadvantage when it comes to having privacy while camping. We must get creative in order to level the privacy playing field between hammocks and tents.
Admittedly, it’s great to be able to quickly go into your tent and change your clothes without the worry of others seeing you. The thought of privacy never really crossed my mind until I was out in the woods and there wasn’t a good way to be discreet while changing with other people around. I thought to myself, “Do I just roll the dice and hope no one walks by my open-ended tarp?” or “I could just not change and hope I don’t stink too badly. I’m outside would anyone notice?” I’ve done both of these. Let’s just say I’m not proud of it, but before I figured out better ways to be discreet I would just change a shirt and hope to God no one would stand close to me.
The problem also isn’t always because of embarrassment or fear of someone seeing you. Personally, I don’t get bashful when I need to change. I just do it. However, it really depends on the situation as well. Women and children may need to be a little more discreet while camping or you’re in a situation when it would be inappropriate to change under your tarp. The risk isn’t worth the change of clothes. I’m in situations like this all the time because I’m actively involved with Cub Scouts. For obvious reasons, it is not appropriate for me or my boys to just change in the open. We have to be considerate and aware at all times that there are kids and other adults around. Protection of the kids is always the main concern at these camps. There is never an okay time at these events to get caught with your pants down. Yeah, the pun was totally intended.
This was a real issue and I needed to find a solution. So I decided to do some research and find ways to be discreet while hammock camping. I love everything about hammock camping so I wasn’t going to let this deter me from enjoying myself. I knew there had to be ways to gain my privacy back. So here you will find my culmination of the research I have done so far. These tips would have been so nice to have known before my first trip. I hope they help someone out there.
1. Timing is Everything
If you are at a planned event or your camping trip is scheduled out, this tip may work well for you. It is one of the easiest of these tips to implement, but it may not work in every situation. It is also most beneficial if it is used in combination with one or more of the following tips. If you know what time your group will be leaving camp, you can easily plan around their departure. I use this a lot at scouting events. For example, the camp event has breakfast starting at 7:30 am. You can stay behind a little longer and do your changing while everyone else is away at breakfast. Sure, this does cut down on the time you have to eat, but it’s worth the sacrifice of a few minutes to change and feel human again in clean clothes. Of course, if you are camping as a group with other people, it’s not always going to be possible to get that kind of space from them. No worries, I have several other ideas to help you out.
2. Use your Tarp
First things first. If you are not already using a tarp, you should be. You should also always have a tarp in your pack, in my opinion. Not only will it save you from the unexpected change in weather and keep you dry during a rainstorm, but it will also provide privacy. In most configurations, a tarp gives you about 75% more privacy than not having one. I completely understand that sometimes you just don’t want a tarp and you want to be out in the open. Totally get that. However, if you always have one in your pack, you can just set it up when you need it for privacy and tear it back down when you’re done changing.
What about the two open holes at each end? Yeah, I know you are still fairly vulnerable to the passerby that happens to glance inside your tarp. To stack the deck in your favor, select trees that won’t set your hammock and tarp to have the holes facing in the direction of where the foot traffic will be. It’s not completely fool-proof and there is still a risk of being seen, but it does help. I’ve also seen people bring sheets that they throw over the ends of their tarp to give them extra privacy by essentially creating a tent. If you can spare the room in your pack, this isn’t a bad idea.
The best solution is having a four seasons tarp designed for use in the winter. These tarps are fantastic if you want privacy. Since this type of tarp is intended to block airflow in the winter and cold conditions it has coverage around all sides of your hammock. They basically give you the privacy that you would get with a tent. This option probably offers the most privacy out of them all.
3. Take A Towel
If you have towel-dressing skills, this tip I learned while on vacation with my family may help you out. I do not have these skills…at all. You know the scene in Tommy Boy when Richard goes into the bathroom on the plane and changes in like two seconds? Yeah, that is what these people on the beach were like with their ninja towel skills. So these two surfers came in from the ocean and had large beach towels that they wrapped around themselves and with one hand on the towel (and at some points holding it with their teeth) managed to completely change from their wet suits to street clothes in no time flat. It was super impressive and something that I could never as gracefully pull off, but I’m sure this could work for someone out there so it was worth mentioning.
I will say the use of a towel comes in handy with kids. You can hold the towel and they can get changed in that space with no issues. We’ve done this a number of times for our kids in various situations. I’m sure most parents have at some point. I guess it could work well for an adult as well if you had an extra hand to help.
4. The Cover of Night
This tip just takes a change in mindset and routine. Typically at home, most of us freshen up and get dressed in the morning. If privacy is a concern for you while hammock camping, then you might want to make use of the darkness of the night. Personally, I freshen up and wipe myself down before I get into my hammock at night. Since I was already doing that, it felt odd to put dirty clothes back on to sleep in. So I started getting dressed for the next day before getting into my hammock for the night.
This is my process for getting changed in the dark. You will need a flashlight so you can see when you need to. Just turn the flashlight on and off as you need it. Turn it on to get your clothes ready and turn it off while you change each article of clothing. Since you will likely be in complete darkness and you control the light with your flashlight, it is the best way to keep your privacy. One thing I will mention, wait until everyone else is settled and possibly asleep so you can avoid the random beam of light and someone asking “Hey, whatcha doin’?” while you’re exposed.
5. Change in Your Sleeping Bag
This is hard to do. I’m not going to lie, but it’s another method worth mentioning in the case that some of you might be able to do it. I’ve tried changing my clothes while in my sleeping bag and nearly fell out of my hammock. If you are sleeping in a sleeping bag, or even have an over quilt, you can try to change inside it. Have your clothes ready and essentially just squirm in and out of clothes while being covered up. This will take a lot of practice, but it is an option that will give you your privacy. Some people might find this method will work for one specific thing, like changing your pants, but doesn’t work well for changing your shirt without sitting up and exposing yourself. Still a solid option, but it does come with some difficulty
6. Take a pop up changing tent
They make special pop up tents that are essentially changing rooms. These pretty cool actually and if you can afford the space to bring one along I think it’s a great option for privacy. It would work especially well for people who are car camping or camping in a place where more gear can be brought in. I got the idea when I watched a woman at a nearby campsite pull out a small round disc, pop it open, and in a second there was a changing room right there in the middle of the woods. It had a door that you could close and have ultimate privacy even if there are tons of people around you. I realize there are some people that are ultralight backpackers and will not even consider this. On the other hand, there are people that truly need their privacy and this will provide it. These pop-up changing rooms are also multi-functional as they can be used as shower stalls, restroom privacy, and a place to sit down and get out of the rain. I think this is really a great option for any man or woman who can bring the extra gear along. Here is a link to a pop up tent I’ve seen people use successfully
7. One Thing at a Time
Change one article of clothing at a time. This probably goes without saying, but it’s a good last-ditch method of maintaining some privacy. This is also the method I use most often. Now I don’t know of many that would just strip all the way down to their birthday suit while changing out in the open, but hey if that’s you, go for it. You do you. However, if you prefer to be more discreet, this method is easy to implement just about anywhere and in a lot of situations. I’ll be honest people rarely realize what I’m doing when I’m doing this. I’ve done it right in front of a group and was completely undetected. Sometimes just not making a big deal about something people don’t even realize or notice what is going on.
I usually start with pants. I sit down and use my hammock as a chair, pull my sleeping bag over to cover me (you can use a variety of things – towels, blankets, etc) then change my pants under the cover. Then I just change my shirt. I realize women may need more privacy for changing shirts. In this case, also use the cover of your choice to throw around you while you change your shirt. Taking one thing at a time minimizes exposure to the world. Super simple. Give it a go.
8. Use a Rain Poncho
This tip is one that I learned out of necessity. It wasn’t a moment that I was proud of either. One of my first hiking trips with my hammock I got caught in an unexpected downpour. I was not well prepared for hammock camping in the rain on this particular trip, nor was I prepared to get soaking wet without anywhere to change into dry clothes. Note to my readers, always have a rain fly in your pack. Always.
Anyway, I was with other people and I had no other options but to change my clothes under my rain poncho. To my surprise, it worked out really well. My group also didn’t know that I was changing. My friend even said “That was a heck of an idea! I’ve never thought about just changing under a poncho. We didn’t even realize you were changing. I thought you were just situating your gear under your poncho.” Like I’ve said before, if you don’t make it a big deal or bring attention to yourself, sometimes you can get by without anyone noticing at all. I and my friends have now used the poncho changing method on several occasions. It’s definitely a go-to in a pinch. The one thing I will note, you must make sure that you have a quality poncho that you won’t be able to put a hole in easily and make sure it closes on the sides so the wind can’t catch it. This ensures maximum coverage and you won’t be accidentally exposed by a strong wind that suddenly whips up.
9. Borrow a Tent
Don’t discount this one. I am usually with a handful of people when I camp and at least a few of them camp in tents. There are situations I’ve been in that we’ve had to set up camp in designated campsites and there are a ton of strangers around. In this case, rather than risk it, ask your tent camping friends if you can hop in their tent really quickly to change your clothes. I doubt that a friend would deny the request. Just a warning though, your tent camping friend may give you grief about a hammock camper needing a tent. Psssh.
10. Tell Everyone
If you are camping with a good group of people that you know and trust, this is the best way to go. Now, I don’t recommend this if you are with people who will try to prank you or not respect your wishes for privacy. I know I have said a couple of times that it is usually best not to bring attention to yourself, but if you trust your group, just simply ask them to look away while you change. Easy as that. That being said, no one should ever give you issues with this. You deserve privacy just as much as everyone else. There is nothing wrong with asking for it. If someone does give you issues I would suggest no longer being around a person who isn’t willing to give you the respect that you deserve.
Getting Some Privacy
Privacy is sometimes one of our greatest challenges as hammock campers. Using these tips and suggestions will help you figure out how to be discreet while camping. If you are a new hammock camper, I hope this list gives you some ideas and helps you prepare. Don’t do what I did and opt for going around smelly for lack of privacy options. You will also learn some of your own tricks to maintain privacy along the way.
Here’s to being discreet in The Wanderful Wild.