What’s Your View Towards Hammocks?

[Jeff M.]

I've recently become interested in hammocks as well. Never really considered one before until recently. I think it may handle my constant tossing during the night better than a pad on the ground. I'm thinking of starting off with a no frills Warbonnet Traveler (double) and get a bug netting sock made by a member over at hammock forums for when the bugs are out. Pretty low cost way to try out hammocks ($75 hammock + $50 bug net). I have high hopes. Now only if the thing wasn't back ordered…I hate waiting.

[Dale South]

I'm 62 with bad knees and two things have allowed me to continue to enjoy backpacking, ultralight gear and hammocks. I can no longer sleep on the ground in any comfort. No sleep and then I'm too tired to hike.

[Jeremy Platt]

Hi Guys,

Glad to see this forum as I have a burning question…

Do you get used to sleeping in a Hammock or should I be blown away by it the first time I try and sleep in it?

I was really excited about sleeping in a hammock after what everyone has said about them.

Firstly I found that doing anything is about 100 times harder in a hammock as everytime you try and readjust your mat, toss and turn or do just about anything there is nothing to push off from and the hammock seems to fight against you. Secondly, it is just really hard to sleep somewhat bent up in an airborne nylon sack.

Is this the normal process of getting into the hammock scene ( I have a hennessy A-Sym Expedition) or should I throw in the towel now?

Thanks,

Jeremy.

[Ken Thompson]

Everyone is different. My first night in a hammock I slept 14 hours. Like a rock… My choice for 11+ years.

[chris markley]

If your down bag has a zipper in the footbox, you won't need any new gear. My winter sleep system consists of a Grand Trunk Nano 7 ultralight hammock, whoopie sling suspension and 1 inch tree straps hooked with a Marlin Spike using found trail sticks. Pull the hammock & suspension through the bag at the footbox zipper. When the hammock and suspension and bag are all packed inside the compression sack (Kelty Lightyear 20 degree bag), my whole sleeping kit weighs 56 ounces. Add 7 ounces for my tarp and suspension and you've got a complete 3.9 pound sleeping system. If I add a mylar vapor barrier inside the bag (cheapo emergency survival mummy bag made of mylar and just a couple ounces) and use my down jacket as a top quilt on top of the mylar VBL and inside the sleeping bag, I'm good to about zero degrees. It all packs super small. Is it ultralight? Depends on how you define it. But what would your complete ground sleeping system from zero to 20 degrees weigh? The same? More? And oh, the comfort, to rock gently like a little baby all snug and warm in the hammock.

Here's a video of my Kelty Lightyear Down 20 degree sleeping bag with a Grand Trunk Nano 7 hammock pulled through the bag, creating an all-in-one cold weather sleeping system. Simple. No expensive, fiddly top or bottom quilts to mess around with. No pad required.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4C9hZYe4dno

[BlackHatGuy]

Like Ken, the first time I used one was the best sleep I'd ever had in the backcountry.

If you're a tosser/turner, simply grab some of the hammock fabric to assist your rolling around, it becomes more of a pull maneuver instead of a push maneuver – it's very easy to get used to.

Can't tell you about the second – I've slept curled up in my hammock with no issues. As far as the mat, I don't use one so also can't help you there – except to recommend using an underquilt instead.

[drowning in spam]

Switching to a hammock would add weight to my pack, but that's not the main reason I don't use them. I don't use them because I've found that I can't sleep because of the slight movements that a hammock allows. No amount of spectra and extra lines will make a hammock completely immobile, so it's not going to work for me unless I take some kind of pill to force myself to sleep. Sleeping in a hammock is also riskier during windy winter storms. I do like the idea of sleeping cleanly off the ground, but since I can't sleep that way, I'll successfully sleep on the ground and keep my weight savings.

[tommy d]

I've been thinking about giving hammocks a try. I backpack in the Northeast, primarily in Vermont and New Hampshire. Over the years, one of my biggest headaches has been finding nice, open campsites in the dense, overgrown, young forests where I camp. Finding a good space on the floor has been a PITA on many occasions, while at the same time I've walked by tree-after-tree and thought: "Gee, I could setup a hammock right there."

My GF has a hammock, so I may give it a try this spring once mud season is over. I'll be looking at the hammock forums this weekend, but if there are any other good "intro to setup" links, please share them with me.

[BlackHatGuy]

The Warbonnet site has setup videos for their hammocks, you might find that useful.

[te – wa]

@Jeremy: there have been, in the last 3 years, about 3 times I went to ground for various reasons. Camping along the Tonto tr. was one occasion where I purposefully brought my Prolite since I knew that out of the 4 nights out, Id be on the ground at least once.

here's the long and short of it: I have used down underquilts since my first few hangs. Its very hard to discount the comfort and ease of an UQ compared to pads. Anyway, using a pad even with my hanging experience has always been a PITA. I resist using pads at all costs.. unless forced to by camping conditions.

get a UQ, brother. you cant go wrong with any of the cottage UQ's out there.

[Eddy Walker]

I can take it or leave it. My worst night ever was sleeping in a hammock. Now I sleep the same whether I sleep in my tent or my hammock.

[tim hower]

A hammock setup is lighter than most tents. It is not as light as sleeping under your poncho on a sheet of tyvek. Hammocking gives me the most comfortable nights sleep for the lowest weight. I prefer a hammock over a bed.

A hammock will get you off the ground. Some hammocks allow you to sleep on your side or your stomache. Some people like a gentle rocking motion when they sleep, others need to feel sharp pointy rocks poking them. Most of the time hammocks are cooler which is great when it's hot and not so great when it's cold. My cold weather hammock setup down to 0 is still lighter than most people in tents. (present company excluded)

It's true you can't hammock where there is no place to hang but I've seen many pictures of creative hangs without trees. For most places where there are trees your more flexible than with a tent. The ground doesn't have to be level or clear of vegetation. You can hang on the side of a mountain. You don't have to worry about the ground being dry or having good run off in the event of rain. I can setup up my hammock and tarp in a fraction of the time of anybody that I go with that tents. Hammocks are generally more LNT friendly. I think it's easier to stay dry in a hammock over any ground system.

[Konrad .]

"My cold weather hammock setup down to 0 is still lighter than most people in tents. (present company excluded)"

Hey Tim, I'm glad you qualified your statement! I was about to say….haha

That said, I can't agree with your broad statement that ground dwellers enjoy having sharp pointy rocks poking them in their sleep. 2.5 inches of my neoair are as comfortable as my home mattress. No pokes for me! But then again, I bought my mattress off craigslist :/

But seriously, with a thick enough air mattress, we are plenty comfortable.

[tim hower]

The sharp pointy rocks comment was tongue in cheek. :) Kind of a general jab in the direction of ground dwellers.

Konrad it would be interesting to compare packed weights. That 14oz neoair is heavy by BPL standards. I don't carry a 7oz grand trunk nano7 as some hammockers do. My hammock of choice is a 31oz Warbonnet Blackbird. Probably similar to how you like your neoair, to me every ounce is worth it.

I don't look down on ground dwellers because of any disdain for them it is only because of my lofty perch above the ground. :)

[Eric Blumensaadt]

What's a hammock??

[Scott Lehr]

The idea of sleeping in a hammock is great, but i always sleep flat on my stomach. What advice to you hammock guys have for stomach sleepers? I did just buy a Grand Trunk Ultra Light travel hammock to try out, but havent got a chance yet.

[todd]

IMO, A Bridge hammock gives you the best shot (That's what I use).

That said, I can't stay on my stomach for long, even in a Bridge. No decent place for my arms!

[tim hower]

I sleep on my stomach or side or pretty much any way I want in a Warbonnet Blackbird. http://warbonnetoutdoors.com/

A bridge hammock is going to give you the flattest lay but a lot of people complain about shoulder squeeze and as the previous poster said no where to go with your arms when your on your stomache. I've never tried a bridge so I'm not speaking from personal experience.

[Stephen Barber]

Scott asks,
"What advice to you hammock guys have for stomach sleepers?"

Roll over! ;-)

Seriously, it's the fact that I'm primarily a side sleeper that helped push me towards hammocks. Despite Tim's experience, I'm not confident that a hammock is the best for stomach sleepers.

[spelt with a t]

What is your favored position, exactly? If it's like this (sorry for the silly memeage), I sleep like this and find I can do it in a hammock comfortably.

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ladvw6iPsy1qdeafco1_400.jpg

If you mean completely face down flat, I can't say. I mostly alternate between the above and curled up on my side, flipping sides.

[tim hower]

Hammocks may not be best for stomach sleepers. All I was saying was that I sleep on my stomach in my blackbird. I've tried other hammocks but not been able to stomach or side sleep in any I've tried. Best bet is to find someone with the hammock your interested in that you can borrow or at least try out. Don't try out a $20 hammock and say that hammocks aren't for you. That's like getting a tent at Walmart and saying all tents are bad based on the quality of that one. I slept a lot of nights in a $20 "hammock bliss" hammock and I'd chose that every time over any ground system.

I work with a guy that wants to love sleeping in a hammock in the worst way for several reasons but he just can't do it. Hammocks aren't for everybody. Fortunately most of the popular hammocks hold their value and can easily be resold for near what you paid for them. So if you do make the investment and it's not for you then you can turn around and sell it without taking to big a loss.

edit: I mostly sleep like Spelt's illustration above but I also move a lot. I have an under-quilt. I wouldn't recommend sleeping on a pad for someone that moves a lot in a hammock the UQ is definitely the way to go.

[William Johnson]

I am a side-sleeper, but find that on the trail, I can fall asleep rather easily on my back inside the hammock after a long day of hiking, and camp chores.

Then, as I get up in the middle of the night, I will roll onto my side, or onto my stomach, and it is much more comfortable as I am still half asleep. It is not easy for me to fall asleep on my stomach right away, however (in the hammock) if I try it when I first lay down to sleep, or am taking an afternoon nap.

Then again, I do not sleep very well on my stomach right away when I ground camp, either. :)

How about packing a flask of Drambuie so that you can sleep in any position, and under any conditions you might face?

[te – wa]

great idea! i prefer 3oz of Dewar's and a handful of snow. yum…

i sleep on my sides mostly, sometimes on my stomach at home. the blackbird is roomy enough to flip over in, spread out in, and easy for me to sleep on my back.. something that i cant do very well in my bed.
sometimes i'll use a jacket or something in a stuff sack as a knee pillow, form a slight fetal position, and sleep without movement for several hours.
i almost cant bring my black tarp anymore because i dont see the sun coming up and i'll sleep 12 hours. true story!

[Gerry B.]

My first hammock was a Hennessey Backpacker UL and after several nights over a couple of years, I gave up on hammock camping. I could not get comfortable, could not sleep, and got serious headaches. After selling it I decided to try a Warbonnet Blackbird. The first night out, I slept better than I do in my own bed! It was incredible. I have since purchased and use a homemade lighter weight hammock most of the time. I use a down underquilt (Hammockgear 3 season Crow'sNest) and topquilt (a couple of different choices depending on the season)for insulation. I don't know what the issue was with the HH but for me, my two hammocks provide me with the best camping sleep I have ever had, and that covers 41 years!

Besides the comfort issue, I like the ability to sleep almost anywhere there are trees. I can stop whenever I want, not having to camp in established, often worn-out campsites. I can set up my rig as quickly as I can a tent or tarp if that includes preening a natural site when ground sleeping. Plus, I can use it as a chair as I cook my meals quite comfortably under my cuben tarp. I have been in some pretty severe storms and I have stayed completely dry and comfortable in my hammocks.

I may fine tune my gear a little more as time goes on but as long as the weight of the hammock with suspension and tarp with lines and stakes do not exceed two lbs, I am satisfied with the weight. There is always a tradeoff between comfort and weight that each person has to define for themself. Not that I am opposed to ground sleeping. In fact, I just recently purchased a 19 oz Lightheart Solo for when I do want to use a tent. BUT most of the time I choose a hammock over a tent.

[Hamish McHamish]

I am looking into hammocking as well. I have never slept well on the ground, even on 'good' sites. By the time I include the thick pad and doodads it would take for me to sleep well on the ground, it adds up to at least as much weight as a hammock setup (or close to it). Being blitzed the next day from poor sleep is not worth it anymore now that I am older.

I chuckle when I read Ray Jardine saying "just find a flat spot of soft forest duff well off the trail". Buddy, in a lot of NC you are in rhodo jungle if you take 2 steps off the trail (forget about level ground too), and the few flat spots are quite hardened from heavy use. Try it in Linville Gorge, my friend.

I had quite the realization while hiking in the Shining Rock area of NC this past weekend. I was walking through an area with lots of rhodo and small scrub. I thought "wow if I had to bivy here it would be miserable… unless I had a hammock".

I'm going to look into one of those Warbonnets (the hammock, not the headwear…).

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