ground sleeping in a hammock

[James Howell]

I used a Hennessy as a ground hammock on the AT once. Behold my results:

Works well when the weather gets cold and you start losing too much heat through the bottom.

[Dale South]

Check out hammockforums.net for all the info you might want on hammocks.
Check out http://www.2qzqhammockhanger.com/ for Hennessy zipper modifications. You can have your Hennessy converted to a side entry and work is outstanding.

[Lori P]

It's interesting that one of the top "reasons" to not hammock camp is motion sickness. I've never felt the motion of the hammock, even when others have commented on it being in motion. Over the fourth of July I backpacked with a Hennessy user who complains of extreme motion sickness but she loves her hammock and finds it most comfortable.

So far as going to ground… I have one of the Warbonnet Blackbird hammocks and intend to spend time on the JMT with it. I plan to take (pending some testing beforehand), instead of my usual JRB underquilt, the NeoAir medium and a Gossamer Gear wide evazote pad. On the off chance there are places I can't hang, the wide evazote will fold in half under the NeoAir and the hammock will only come into play if there are bugs, in which case I want to put it on top of the pads to preserve the bottom from wear. The evazote by itself is adequate insulation in the hammock to the high 40s; the NeoAir should push it below freezing if necessary.

[te – wa]

swaying should be a non-issue with the HH or BB hammock. and any hammock can be held in place by a simple string/stake tied to it. did she not tie out the asym strings?

lori, the main reason why many of us use 2/3 uq's is to have that leg pad serve quadruple duty
1)leg pad in hammock
2)pack frame
3)sit pad
4)ground pad, if needed
i use the nightlite torso. that way i dont have to pack "extra" insulation. its already a part of my kit.

any and all issues related to a hanging hammock have already been addressed by the veterans at HF.

[Lori P]

Sorry, that wasn't clear, was it? I meant that she is prone to extreme motions sickness *but never has it in the hammock.*

I realize all the smarts in the world about all things hammock exist at HF – I'm over there too…. There's just too much to read and too little time to fiddle with searches. I'm reading as fast as I can. :)

The fun part about high elevations is that temps can dip pretty fast. I'm concerned about being at 12,000 feet or better in 20 degree cold at 1 in the morning with nothing but an evazote pad and a granite slab. Maybe I'm worrying about nothing, but when you don't want to get separated from your group and you're the only hammocker, it's a little harder. Flexibility is my goal.

[te – wa]

i know youre over there. thats why the comment struck me especially interesting.
see you in the trees!

[Dale South]

2Questions over on hammockforums.net will convert your HH to a side entry with zipper for about $35.00. Exceptional work. He has added a zipper to two of mine and many others. He offers three different configurations and will sew up the bottom slit if so desired. This conversion would make using the HH as a bivy pretty simple. His web site is:

http://www.2qzqhammockhanger.com/

[Lori P]

Dale, if you're talking to me, I don't need a side zipper. I already have one on the Blackbird. If I had kept my HH I probably would have sent it in, 2Q does fine work, judging from all the good reviews.

[Dale South]

No Lori I was not directing that to you, in fact it was not to anyone in particular. Just addressing some of the concerns of Hennessy owners in regards to using it on the ground with the bottom entry. I had my two Hennessy hammocks modified before I bought a Blackbird also.

[Lori P]

I was only curious because you had posted the same thing just a few posts ago, earlier in the thread… just seemed like you might be directing it to me.

[Dale South]

Just a senior moment. Did not realize that I had already post the same thing back in May. Sorry for the double post.

[Tom Caldwell]

Back when I was using a Hennessy with the birth canal entrance I wanted to test out the ground mode, just in case. I never got around to it. However do you get in and out of the thing?

[Lori P]

Dale, no problem… if it makes you feel better I have found threads on forums and thought about replying only to find that I had already done so.

I'd guess the HH would be like a bivy only instead of going in feet first you'd crawl in. Or you could do it feet first and just put the feet where the head usually goes. I've seen someone do that with the hammock in the trees.

[Rick Beaty]

No Trees No Problem!

Use the hammock cord that you'd tie to a tree, wrapped around the handle of a trekking pole and anchored to one side and the tarp cord wrapped to anchor the other. This is a super easy set up I did at night in a light rain the first time. The JRB weathershield gives the duel use of acting as a great ground cover. Sleeping in the asym posision gives you a full pads length and a pretty comfortable sleep with the netting well off your face. Its a little cramped but makes the HH a truly versatile piece of gear.

[Rick Beaty]

just got the zipper mod for my HH from 2 Q's and man, it totally made the above ground set up WAY more practical.

[Rick Beaty]

I am now truly a fan of the hammock since I discovered its versitility!

[Frank Deland]

Since you have a tarp for the hammock, if you want to sleep on the ground, why not just use the tarp? I made a hammock with removable netting. so the netting can be left at home when the bugs are gone, or I could just use the netting under the tarp, if I needed to sleep on the ground.

[Rick Beaty]

the only reason to set up a hammock on the ground is for bug protection.

[Kris Hampel]

For anyone who has used a Hammock on the ground, has anyone experienced how it went during a rain storm? (I'm thinking here of ground water running into the bottom of the hammock and soaking you…)

I'm wondering if I can get away with carrying just a hammock for trips off my dirt bike. Living in Australia, there is not always suitable tree's for the hammock to be hung so I'm wondering if I should be carrying a Bivvy Bag as a backup for the really unfortunate combination of being caught in a rain storm where there are no suitable trees…

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