Hammocks… For Log Sleepers Only?

If you're flipping around in your bed all night and you know it then I'd be inclined to think that maybe you're not getting a good night's sleep in your bed.

You need to spend a night or two in a hammock to understand. I'm normally a side sleeper in a bed or on a pad on the ground. In a hammock I do switch between being on my back and sleeping on my side, but don't remember changing positions as often as I do in a bed.

Borrow a hammock and try it…

I toss and turn a bit sleeping, but I will say I slept better and moved around less in a hammock then in my bed, and not because I felt constricted. Laying on a diagonal in a hammock I can pretty easily switch from my side to back. I sleep way better in a hammock then on the ground.

If you can, try out a friends hammock, or look at grand trunk who makes one for $20. Not the lightest, or very big but a cheap way to try one out.

OR… if you can sew even barely…you can get some 1.1oz uncoated ripstop from backwoodsdaydreamer.com for $3.00 a yard and make a super cheap and light whipped end hammock.

The benefits of a hammock keep going; not just a good nights sleep, a comfortable chair, clothesline, can easily attach your gear to the suspension lines and keep it off the ground, super fast setup, and I think they are pretty cool to look at.

Good luck

I tend to find my self rolling over from side to side and some time on my back throughout the night. I rarely fully wake up to do it though, just enough to decide to turn to another position and then I am back out. I will add that I wake more in the hammock than my bed a home, but I am also more used to the bed. It takes time for your body to adjust to a new sleeping arrangement. But even so I sleep better in the hammock and feel more rested each morning I wake up on the trail. That alone counts for more in my book than any thing else.

I'm also a tosser and have found that it takes a little longer to find my "sweet spot" in the hammock but once I do I'm out like a light.

Like Paul said, you're body isn't used to it at first so it takes time to adjust, plus experience in hanging it correctly, etc. but once you do you'll enjoy every minute of it.

Sorry Marc, but i almost choked on my beer there!

English is a funny language. If someone on this side of the pond posted 'i'm a tosser', it would mean something totally different.

Would you post 'i'm a mastur*bator?' :)

That's master debater.

Yeah, it was darn funny to me too (cleans monitor and keyboard).

Cheers,

Rick

Try a asymmetrical hammock or a double hammock. You will likely find in either of those that you can sleep nearly flat on your back, side, or stomach.

Most people don't realize that there is a lot more to a hammock than just laying in it banana shaped. With a small amount of research and effort you'll find there is as many different ways to hang a hammock as there is to pitch a tarp tent and some small adjustments can make huge differences.

Is your Avatar on the bridge over the Manistee? With the big open dirt campsite just bellow you to you left? If so, fond memories for me.

-Tim

Yes Tim that is the bridge up by Hodenpyl dam. I've been up there 3 times this year. I really like hiking that area. Here's my every trail log from hiking the loop earlier this year. http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=657465

Back on topic-
Try a hammock and see if it's for you. I work with a guy that wants in the worst way to sleep in a hammock but he hasn't been able to comfortably sleep in one.

Going there this coming weekend … yeah!!

I started following this new forum to see what hammocking is all about. Chris mentioned Grand Trunks for $20, and I bought 1 off Amazon. I need to see if I can sleep in one of these. I'm not like Tim, meaning I'm 5'9" tall and weigh 150 lbs.

I went hiking over the weekend and spend some time looking for a clear spot large enough for my Tarptent Contrail. I could've set up a hammock everywhere I looked….heavily wooded up here in the NW.

I shift around constantly in my rig. For me that's why a wide body hammock is crucial..

In fact, there's nothing better than full fetal position sleeping turned sideways in the width of the hammock.

I can even sleep on my stomach somewhat.

It's really a learning process, just like anything, finding which spots and angles in the hammock are comfy for which sleeping mode. All in all though, I find it much more accommodating than ground sleeping

One of the many surprises about sleeping in a hammock is the discovery that my "regular bed" sleeping positions (right side to almost stomach sleeping) are NOT how I sleep in my hammock. When I'm in my hammock, I'm tilted (15-20 degrees??) toward my right side, but otherwise more-or-less sleeping quite happily on my back.

I do find that I move my legs about, pulling one or the other (or both) up to about a 90 degree bend at the knee for variety and a change of position.

In my experience, there is a poor correlation between sleeping position in a normal bed vs. lying diagonally in a hammock.

It's interesting, really. I took to hammocking immediately, no 'break in' period needed. The first time I ever backpacked with one was the best sleep I had ever had in the backcountry. I toss and turn when at home or on the ground, but in my hammock I usually get in, stretch out on my back, and I'm out til morning. Like William I'll occasionally bend a leg, but that's about it.

I still ground dwell occasionally, but that's rare. I simply much prefer the hammock!

I always sleep on my side in my bed at home.
On the ground, I flop like a freshly beached fish.
In a hammock, I lay down on my back, and the next thing I know, it's morning!

There is a learning curve to setting up the hammock for the most comfortable position. But, once you've figured it out, that's it!

If you do pursue hammocking, go to http://www.hammockforums.com for expert, detailed advice from some of the nicest folks on the internet. And then, attend one of their "group hangs" for hands on learning and camaraderie.

Myself, I only sleep well at home. In a tent on a pad or in a hammock I lay awake most of the night, not tossing, just unable to sleep. I chose a hammock because I'm not sore or bruised when I finally chose to get up.

Very true… but it's really no more different than when you all smoke your f@gs.

I just got back from a short hang trip and really struggled with my legs cramping or pressure on my outside foot against the hammock body. Perhaps, a longer wider hammock would help but i am still very new to the whole thing and have a lot to learn yet. Still i much prefer it to the ground.

-Tim

I've got a Hennesy Ultralight Asym. I sleep like a dream in it. Best sleep I've ever had out on the trail. Took me a few times to get used to it, but once I did; it's great. I toss and turn a lot more at home than I do out on the trail in a hammock.

HJ

Nice one Marc. :)

I keep my f@gs in my 'fanny' pack though. ;)

Tim,

You mentioned that you have trouble with pressure on my outside foot against the hammock body.

When I purchased my hammock, I had heard that complaint from a few people, and that's one reason I ordered a Warbonnet Blackbird. The built-in footbox eliminates that problem.

I am aware of the footbox of the WBBB but would like to make my own, or use what i have now if it is a matter of setup and not just a limitation of all gathered ends minus footbox.

-Tim

How about you guys who have bad lower backs, lower back injuries, etc.? Are you able to sleep in a hammock without it aggrivating any back pain conditions you might have?

i am currently dealing with some serious low back issues. I am up right now at 4:45am because i can't lay in my bed, or stand, or sit because it all hurts too much (not sure what is left that wont hurt right now) I slept in my hammock 3 of the last 5 nights (the last 2 in bed) and slept 100 times better than i am now that i am home. That isn't to say that my back felt perfect in the hammock but it was for sure much less aggravated in the morning and the issues of my legs pressing against the hammock was more frustrating then anything my back felt. The more even support of the hammock forming to me vs laying on a flat bed has helped my pain and i may have to start using it at home.

-Tim