Chickees

Advice
#1

No I am not a sexist pig. I’m asking about camping platforms.



I am toying with the idea of a road trip south from WV which could possibly include the Okeefenokee or some other swamp where camping is done on chickees.



I like to hammock camp, and I was wondering if teh construction of teh chickees is condusive to supporting a hammock? In most of the pics I have seen it appears that the uprights are 4x4’s which SHOULD work. ANy advice?



Jim

#2

There are Chickees and…
…then there are Chickeepoos…



Of the chickees, they are built to survive storms, so I imagine they would be fine with a hammock…

You might check to see if they are allowed though…

#3

As greyhawk say’s
it would probably work long as ya got enough line , but they are really designed for a free standing tent . Ya also wanna be mindful of tyin off yer boat to allow for the rise an fall o the tide . Met a person that awoke to a glorious morning till she saw her gear floating in the bay from tyin off at high water .

#4

Okeefenokee

– Last Updated: Dec-12-04 12:16 PM EST –

If you are traveling alone you need to know that the Okeefenokee National Wildlife Refuge will not issue a solo permit. It pisses me off to no end, but that is the rule. You can not travel alone overnight in the swamp. If anyone has heard that this has changed, I would like to know. Anybody want to take them to court over this?

#5

shouldn’t be a problem

– Last Updated: Dec-12-04 2:32 PM EST –

If I remember correctly from a trip earlier this year, the Okefenokee chickees are pretty sturdy.

#6

Seumas…
Well, that is not good news. I would be solo, so I need to do some further investigation. Thanks for the heads up.



Jim

#7

As for the solo permits
What if you registered your friend and kayak Edward Fitzgerald as a companion ;o)>



Or you could always name one of the ever present voices in your head since their going to accompany you anyway.



Enjoy OKY I’d like to do that one day.

Randy

#8

Yes, c2g your memory…
still serves you well. The three chickees we’d used were well capable of supporting a hammock (as for the rules allowing hammocks???).



Last winter’s trip was a great trip, but as a paddler who more often than not travels solo, I was glad to have had several fellow paddlers along for that swamp trip. I found the environs of the swamp were an experience very enjoyably shared.

#9

Randy
"Or you could always name one of the ever present voices in your head since their going to accompany you anyway."



Somehow, you know me well. Or I could register one of my invisible friends. Like Alferd Packer.



Jim

#10

hammock length
I havent been to the Ok swamp but I use to work on the chickees in Evergalades NP and we used 4x4 post for the beams to support the roof, which would be sturdy enough but Im not sure theirs enough room between post for a hammock ( it makes for a steep angle). At least their wasn’t when I tried it on the ENP hammocks.

#11

darn
Nice teaser.



Chickees is a sexist pig term?

#12

Seemed to me
that there were sufficient columns to facilitate hanging even the largest hammock on the OK chickees. You might have to angle the hammock and bypass the nearest column in order to fully extend the hammock, but with a hammock and a bit of sturdy line it’s definitely do-able. You might reference Waterjedi’s photos of our Feb 04 trip as there are several photos of our gang at the chickees:



http://community.webshots.com/album/120212430eQSZbS



One word of caution, although it is south, the swamp can get cold during the winter evenings, (we experienced frost). Once the sun is out, the area warms up quickly, but the unexpected cold can make for an uncomfortable night. If you’re using a hamock, make sure to provide sufficient insulation under your bod or you just might be a bit stiff by the morning.

#13

I would
be a sexist pig,(but my girlfriend won’t let me)

#14

Didn’t the Edward Fitzgerald sink?
Or was that Edmund?

#15

chickees in Everglades
I used my hennessy hammock to sleep on chickees in Everglades when paddling WaterTribe Everglades Challenge last March - a perfect span of vertical posts in diagonal. It may be quite cold in a hammock.



EC-2004 report and video: http://users.frii.com/uliasz/wayfarer/watertribe.htm


#16

check out…

– Last Updated: Dec-20-04 3:07 PM EST –

ENO or Eagle Nest Outfitters. They have a great Hammock.

www.eaglesnestoutfitters.com

#17

I use a Hennessey too
And I’m happy to hear that the diagonal span is accomodating. I just purchased an undercover accessory from HH, but have not slept in it yet.



Thanks for the info.

Jim

#18

Everglades Chickeees
Nope there aren’t any chickees out there worth getting sexist piggish about, but would like to try someday.



No problem with a hammock at Kingston chickee or others like it.



FYI we pull our kayaks up on the chickee before unloading our gear.



Brian

#19

solo unloading onto chickee
How in the devil do you get out of a kayak onto a chickee at low tide when the deck is about five feet up and you have no travelling companions and the water is two feet deep and mud. Heard from NPS to bring wood and hammer and make ladder and remove it when you exit the campsite. This was in Everglades NP

#20

Wow!
Had not thought of that. Canoes are relatively easy to disembark from, but getting up to a platform that high could be problematic. Maybe a climber’s etreae’ (sp?) or a small rope ladder that could be temporarily attached…



Jim