Hammock Camping

Anybody out there a hammock camper? I saw an article about this earlier this year and I find the idea tempting. Would open up a lot of possibilities for where you could camp (i.e. steep areas that are very scenic, get much closer to tree line, etc). Real space and weight saver too based on some of the models I looked at. Could carry in a day pack. Just for the heck of it I got a $49 EMS hammock w/ built in screen and set it up out in the yard and with a sleeping mat inside it was pretty darn comfortable although a little claustrophobic (I may not have hung it correctly).

Curious if anyone has been doing this in real conditions, brands for a quality and durable hammock, rain fly options, books on the subject, etc, etc.

I am a convert. For the past 12 months or so I've been mostly hammocking. I have a few winter trips and several warmer weather trips under my belt. It takes a few trips to dial everything in but after I got my system to my satisfaction I'm set and comfortable. I've had it in during torrential rains that lasted all night and stayed dry. I have to admit I do not have the same confidence for my tents or for the availability of ideal camp spots where water does not pool up. Many times, here in NE there is a trail through a dense forest where the designated campsites are a few flat patches on a sloping grade. During torrential rains when the water runs down the mountain it is tough to stay completely dry. I believe a hammock setup is advantageous in these situations.

I find hammocks are ideal for off-trail backpacking trips. My hammock makes it much easier to find a spot in the woods.

I have been using a hammock year round for about 5 years. There is a significant learning curve. You can get by with a sleeping pad and sleeping bag as your insulation but most people eventually get a top quilt and an under quilt. So it can become expensive if you let it.

I suggest you attend a "hang". These are "car camping" weekend gatherings where you can see a ton of different set-ups. Hammock owners LOVE to talk gear.

https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/showthread.php?t=74524

Tom_Murphy said:

I find hammocks are ideal for off-trail backpacking trips. My hammock makes it much easier to find a spot in the woods.

I have been using a hammock year round for about 5 years. There is a significant learning curve. You can get by with a sleeping pad and sleeping bag as your insulation but most people eventually get a top quilt and an under quilt. So it can become expensive if you let it.

I suggest you attend a "hang". These are "car camping" weekend gatherings where you can see a ton of different set-ups. Hammock owners LOVE to talk gear.

https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/showthread.php?t=74524

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Wow those Dudes are in to it. Definitely gives new meaning to "Let's Hang Out". I did a lot of Hammock camping back when I was a college student because of the low budget aspect. I second a lot of the reasons to Hammock camp already mentioned. The Hammock I use and like now is made by these folks.

http://www.hennessyhammock.com/

I've used one. Very practical in treed terrain. More comfortable than sleeping on the ground too... Some have hiked the AT using a hammock in preference to a tent.

I initially tried a Hennessy, but returned it and got a Speer Hammock. IMO, the Speer is a better design.

http://www.speerhammocks.com (The website seems to be down right now--no idea why.)

http://www.tttrailgear.com/brands/Speer-Hammocks.html seems to have some for sale.

You can also make one yourself--Ed Speer wrote a how-to book: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=hammock+camping+by+Speer

BTW, there are a number of prior threads threads with useful info: search on the word "hammock" for more info.

BTW2: a Google search on "Speer Hammocks" will also yield a bunch of useful info too.

Doug

Ok. Someone has to ask the obvious question here... wouldn't sleeping in a hammock overnight kill your back? I suppose no more than carrying a 40lb pack all day up and down mountains, but I digress.

iagreewithjamie said:

Ok. Someone has to ask the obvious question here... wouldn't sleeping in a hammock overnight kill your back? I suppose no more than carrying a 40lb pack all day up and down mountains, but I digress.

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Nope. If hung properly (loose), I find it way more comfortable than the hard ground (even with a pad). The 2 drawbacks are/can be: (1) bugs. If you are in an area that has bugs post-dusk, and don't have integrated netting, you'll get eaten or (2) cold. In cold weather, sleeping bags don't insulate as well, because thay are crushed between you and the hammock cloth.

Both of these can be addressed, and are unrelated to the "posture". And usually you don't have both bugs & cold simultaneously.

iagreewithjamie said:

Ok. Someone has to ask the obvious question here... wouldn't sleeping in a hammock overnight kill your back?

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Most hammock users will tell you their back feels better when sleeping in a hammock.

iagreewithjamie said:

Ok. Someone has to ask the obvious question here... wouldn't sleeping in a hammock overnight kill your back? I suppose no more than carrying a 40lb pack all day up and down mountains, but I digress.

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I am under the impression that one sleeps somewhat diagonally in a hammock - not parallel with to the side. This allows the user to lay flat instead of with their butt sagging.

DougPaul said:

http://www.speerhammock.com (The website seems to be down right now--no idea why.)

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I think it's http://www.speerhammocks.com (with an 's' at the end). However, that page is down to (interestingly enough).

Diagonal lay gives you flat back position

Double fabric and integrated netting shield you from mosquitoes

Underquilt gives you insulation from below

Tarp cut to provide doors, protects you from the fiercest wind driven rain

Good info to start some research. Thanks.

Watch THIS GUY if you have time. He breaks it down pretty well and he hammocks in the fiercest weather. Gotta respect that, ... even for a professional clown.

TJsName said:

I think it's http://www.speerhammocks.com (with an 's' at the end). However, that page is down to (interestingly enough).

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You are correct--a typo. Original fixed.

Thanks,

Doug

I switched to hammock hanging 10 years ago, and with rare exceptions (when I know I will be treeless, as in the Yukon), have not gone back to ground. Most of my hiking is backcountry bushwhack style, both by foot and remote pond hopping with a pack canoe. I can recall many times searching for a very long time to find even the most uncomfortable lumpy dry patch of ground for a tiny tent. Since I switched to using a hammock, within a minute or two I am successful in finding a couple of properly spaced trees. I can and have slept most anywhere... on slopes, over dense low brush, over rocks, even in swamps. None of those places would support a tent in any way. Rarely am I without adequate trees.

I do have a bad back. An external frame backpack is more comfortable for me than an internal frame, because the external keeps my back straighter. I normally sleep on my side at home, not on my back. However, a properly hug hammock is far more comfortable than the ground in a tent, and I sleep soundly all night on side or back.

There is a bit of a learning curve on your first couple of nights in a hammock. Mainly with the sleeping pad, which is necessary not for padding, but for insulation from the open air beneath you, even during summer nights. To get around that you can use the already mentioned underquilt method. A pad will tend to "squirt" out from beneath and end up on top of you unless you have a method to hold it in place. There are a couple of solutions. An inexpensive overbag, containing both pad and sleeping bag works well. For a long time I used an old thin bed sheet, simply sewn into a bag of proper size. Now I use a sleeping bag with an integral pad pocket on the bottom, such as the Big Agnes design.

When I was 13 or so, my mom sent me on a wilderness adventure for 7 days. We slept in hammocks in the Whites and they had a roof and bug netting. To my memory, it was both comfortable and easy to break down and set up. Also the snakes cant get yah!

sierra said:

Also the snakes cant get yah!

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They can still climb down the hammock guy lines or bite you in the a$$ from below.

Maybe that's the real reason for using a pad under you in warm weather...

Doug

DougPaul said:

They can still climb down the hammock guy lines or bite you in the a$$ from below.

Maybe that's the real reason for using a pad under you in warm weather...

Doug

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Looking at a hammock hanging in the woods, I can't help but think that a bear sees it as a giant version of a candy wrapper... you know, the kind with the soft chewy center...

Nessmuk said:

Looking at a hammock hanging in the woods, I can't help but think that a bear sees it as a giant version of a candy wrapper... you know, the kind with the soft chewy center...

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A bear using the hammock as a swat toy is a standard hammock camping joke...

Doug

Nessmuk said:

Looking at a hammock hanging in the woods, I can't help but think that a bear sees it as a giant version of a candy wrapper... you know, the kind with the soft chewy center...

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That's funny, but the center of mine has a hard metal treat with 14 not so chewy nuggets.