Nah, hammocks are used for comfy overnighters. Too bulky and heavy when paired with an over/under quilt. Plus not knowing if you're going to have trees to pitch with makes it pretty irrelevant (yes, you could just lay it on the ground as a bivvy, but then you don't have a pad as you replaced it with the under quilt...).
I switched to a hammock in 2006 and never went back. I’ve tried all kinds of hammocks, suspensions, and tarps, and honestly a simple gathered end hammock with a typical 11x9 cat cut hex tarp and strap suspension is my favorite. There are lighter options out there but meh. There are also more comfortable options, but again, meh.
Weight is basically a wash compared to a double walled tent. An underquilt isn’t much more bulky than a comfy inflatable, a tarp and hammock are about the same size as a tent and ground sheet, and a top quilt is literally a quilt. It is slightly heavier, but that depends on temperature. In the South during the warmer months I don’t need a top or under quilt while a tent is basically impossible to use because it’s so damn hot (and even if you do you’ll still need a pad). >you need trees
That’s not a problem for the eastern half of the US, including the South. It’s sort of a given that you wouldn’t take a hammock if it were questionable, but in those areas there’s no question; you can find trees in a forest.
I've done a couple in a snugpack hammock and the issue i ran into was the banana shape your body takes, this was solved this year when my gf bought me a Haven hammock which is flat so you can sleep on your side / stomach, its heavier then most hammock kits out there tho.
This pic is my setup, which is similar to OP’s. It’s actually quite simple.
Once you’ve set it up a few times, you learn how high the ends of the hammock should be so the bottom of the hammock will be the appropriate height off the ground (so you can sit with your feet flat, like a chair). Parts of my suspension are different colors, so when I set it up the bug net zipper will be on the appropriate side.
You also learn how high each end has to be, and where the tarp has to sit so it’s evenly spaced. You’d think there would be a lot of fiddling to get these things right, but not really.
I don’t even bother taking my tarp out of the skins until bed time (unless it’s raining). I just hang it over the hammock until it’s needed. Sometimes I leave it off just to look at the stars. Same with my under quilt. It doesn’t get put in place until it’s bedtime, unless it’s cold enough while I’m eating (I eat in my hammock because why not?).
So complications of setup aren’t really a thing once you’ve used it a few times, and setup time isn’t really a thing, since it’s not set up from start to finish in a single process.
I don’t understand why a hammock is preferable to a tent when there is flat, dry terrain available.
I love my Hennessy when I’m somewhere really hilly or boggy , but it will never be as comfy or easy to set up as a good tent.
I sleep way better in a hammock than I do in a tent. I'm normally a side/stomach sleeper who tosses and turns throughout the night. Hammock I sleep on my back more or less solidly through the night.
Personally I sleep way better in the hammock which is why it's my go to for most camping. Although it's more insulation to buy, I don't have issues with awkward side sleeping or a hurting neck which is something that I just couldn't 100% eliminate from my ground set up. Ground set up still has a place in areas where I know there will be more fields than trees, alpine areas, or god forbid I get talked into an established camp ground. Thankfully a lot of my set up works fine moving to ground. Same tarp, same quilt, typically just adding a ground sheet, pad, and sometimes a nylon bivy sack for wind/splash. One downside obviously is you cannot frick in the hammock but I post here so that's not an issue for me.
On thing that really improved my hammock experience (and ground if I'm just tarp camping) was a tarp snake and setting up the fly to use zero knots. The tarp has linelocs and addition of a couple carabiners and prusik knots makes it simple as hell to get up and down.
Honestly the same reason you might go thicc air pad over closed cell. Comfort is the maximum goal, hard to enjoy the next day with a shitty night's sleep. It doesn't matter what you end up with as long as you're warm and comfy.
And where do you store your stuff safely?
I'm a 130kg guy wondering if I'll ever feel save enough to sleep in a hammock.
Just make sure your hammock and suspension system cover that limit with room to spare. A lot can do 160-180kg without issue. As far as storing stuff I often bring a small ground sheet anyway as an interior mat. Stuff not in the hammock with me (either just in the quilt footbox or in a pouch on the ridgeline) goes back in the pack and then I just toss poncho or rain cover over it. Only issue I've had so far is a mouse or something nibbling my sit pad.
For many people the only way to camp but it requires some know-how about knots.
I do both but sleep a lot better in a hammock.
what knots would you realistically have to know besides bowline, figure 8, square knot, clove hitch, half hitch, and sheet bend?
Hammocks are different but may not be better or worse. Hammocks and tarp campers are cut from the same cloth so to speak, the thing that people get hung up on is that there's many ways of doing everything and people constantly fiddle with their set ups. A big advantage of a tent when starting out is that it only goes up one way. When you're just starting out it might not be the worst idea simply because at the end of the day you can just select a site and do things the same way each time. A hammock or tarp's flexibility is also a challenge as you get kind of option overloaded. If you're still a beginner it may be better to just go with a decent tent and get dialed in on all the other things insofar as gear and planning, then complicate the shelter arrangement. The good news is if you buy any decent tent it's still good kit if and when you go hammock.
yeah i'm really keen on buying a hammock and making my own tarp. located in new england and grew up sailing so this whole "you need trees" and "you need knots" meme is kinda irrelevant
>knots
Tautline and truckers hitch, pertusset(sp?) maybe.
Basically I only use the above, and with dutchware's toggles and some tree straps you basically need zero knots anyway if you spend a bit more.
Tautline is dumb easy, truckers is optional, pertusset is also dumb easy and optional.
I have used backpack and hammock plenty of times in different scenarios. Tent more often but i like em both. Hammocks are great when the logistics work out
I've only really been tent camping. I eventually got pic related but never got the chance to try it out until recently. Unfortunately it was cold and i don't have an underquilt but I at least wanted to set it up. The only trees that were in the yard seemed wide enough apart. Maybe 10-12'. I was able to pull the hammock itself about right but it didn't leave enough room to pull the tarp tight across the ridge-line. At least now I know that with a daisychain strap and/or more distance it will be easy to setup. I'm using carabiners with rings to adjust tension. I also got to pack it up in the snakeskins so unpacking will be a lot easier next time. I just didn't realize this thing was meant for almost a 20' span.
Minimum spacing would be the length of your tarp from tip to tip, plus roughly 2 feet (giving you enough space to comfortably tighten your tarp ridge line).
If you use trekking poles, just hold them outstretched, trying to tough each tree. If you can touch both trees, they’re probably too close together.
yeah, i definitely needed about an extra two feet on each side to properly tighten the tarp. might have been achievable using a daisychain strap instead of the tree straps that I had, only one loop at each end. as far as ataching the main line to the straps, this is what i'm using. screenshot from a YT vid, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buf_iWKI8io
It actually worked pretty well as far as tightening and release. I went with this because I've seen where some people cut permanently attached a carabiner to the main line and cut off the excess. I'd rather not cut anything off though.
So you use that + a sleeping bag in your hammock and you don't need an underquilt?
That's cool as frick, but it looks like they don't make that one anymore 🙁
it's not as warm as an underquilt but your bag lofts into the gaps which provides a good amount of warmth if it doesn't get too cold at night
got mine years ago, sorry if they're out of production
Think of the tarp as a giant vestibule. If you’re in a tent, you keep your pack, shoes, and whatever else on the ground, outside of your tent and tucked away in the vestibule. With a hammock, you leave it on the ground, under your tarp. It’s visible but it won’t get wet.
If you’re worried about being too heavy for a hammock, get a double layer. Many are rated to 400lbs.
I am almost the same weight anon and only hammock camp because sleeping on the ground is for schmucks. Get a double layer ripstop hammock rated to 400 pounds with a bugnet and you will be golden. If you are looking for a brand my hammock is a Warbonnet Blackbird XLC with the shelf and its the breasts. Worth every penny spent.
There’s no reason a lack of backpacking experience would extend to using a hammock. Even if you had plenty of experience with a tent you’d still be starting from the same place with a hammock (ie, no knowledge at all).
Best hammock/tarp combo? My drill Sergeant used Chill Gorilla but I haven't seen them anywhere.
Literally any 11’ gathered end hammock with an attached bugnet and a silpoly 11x9 cat cut hex tarp is all you need.
Dutchware makes the Chameleon which has several options that I think are extraneous. They also make a tarp out of Xenon, which has bonded seams rather than sewn seams, but time will tell how well they hold up. Warbonnet has a large selection of tarps with beaks, which adds an extra amount of protection but takes away some ventilation. All of these are worth looking at.
Yes and no
For many people the only way to camp but it requires some know-how about knots.
I do both but sleep a lot better in a hammock.
I haven’t tied a single knot setting up my hammock since I got rid of my whoopie slings in like 2010.
Hammocks are different but may not be better or worse. Hammocks and tarp campers are cut from the same cloth so to speak, the thing that people get hung up on is that there's many ways of doing everything and people constantly fiddle with their set ups. A big advantage of a tent when starting out is that it only goes up one way. When you're just starting out it might not be the worst idea simply because at the end of the day you can just select a site and do things the same way each time. A hammock or tarp's flexibility is also a challenge as you get kind of option overloaded. If you're still a beginner it may be better to just go with a decent tent and get dialed in on all the other things insofar as gear and planning, then complicate the shelter arrangement. The good news is if you buy any decent tent it's still good kit if and when you go hammock.
Why would I wanna sleep in a bear burrito?
A full hammock setup is heavier, bulkier, and more tedious than a tent setup.
Plus, you can’t use one above tree line, which is pretty much the only real PrepHole anyways
I got out and camp in the middle of fricking nowhere a few days a year and I swear by the hammock set up. >Off the ground, no bugs or shit can get you >Keeps you cool >Easy set up/tear down >Can just tie up a tarp or camo to blend in.
This was my last hammock set up I did, wasn't very nice since I was freezing, but I could have fixed that by preparing better. I slept fine under the circumstances though
I do. But only on trails where I picked out suitable camp spots beforehand. If you are anywhere in the south, subtropical, maybe even florida its a no brainer to just go in blind with the hammock.
My cousin only hammock camped and now he’s dead. A bear ate him alive. He had just eaten honey. He used to always say, “I can move camp so swiftly thanks to my hammock”. Then a bear ate him because of the hammock. He tried to escape but the hammock flipped him around like in a comedy movie. The bear kept flipping him round and round until he was completely stuck. He had a jar of honey in his hammock too
The following is a sort of bare-bones minimum, but honestly you don’t need more.
>the hammock
Gathered end with a zipper-attached bug net is pretty standard. Bridge style is expensive and rare, also heavy, but super comfortable. Spreader bar is a meme.
The hammock should be 11’ from end to end. 10’ might work if you’re a woman or the height of a woman. ENO and most Amazon hammocks are too short for most actual men.
Make a structural ridge line. It’s a rope with two permanent loops on either end. Make it 83% the length of your hammock (about 110” if you have an 11’ hammock). This ensures that you’re always hanging at 30° no matter what your suspension is doing. They’re pretty cheap if you want to just buy one, but it’s super easy to make.
Hang the foot end higher than the head end. This will prevent you from having the sensation that you’re constantly sliding down whenever you readjust. Play around with it; I like mine about a foot higher.
Lie on an angle. This will cause you to be nearly flat in a hammock hung with a fair amount of sag (which it will have due to the ridge line).
>suspension
Whoopie slings are ok. They save a little weight and a little bulk. You have to pair them with tree straps anyway.
Long straps (generally 1” wide, 12’ or 15’ long, polyester, NOT NYLON) with some kind of hardware (such as cinch buckles) are a little easier because there’s a single adjustment and no knots. Straps with multiple loops are ok, but the advantage over plain straps with hardware isn’t that big considering they’re twice as heavy and bulky.
>underquilt
You can try a pad, but it’s just not as comfortable. They move around and don’t bend easily. Get an underquilt or make a “no sew PLUQ” for maybe $60 months f you’re poor (Google it; it’s good down to maybe 45°).
>tarp
Hex shape, catenary cut, 11’ from end to end. Doors and beaks are nice but not needed. Zing-It makes an excellent guy line rope.
It’s 8’ 10” (270cm). Why is it the same size as the cheap Chinese hammocks on Amazon while cottage vendors are all 10’ or 11’ (305cm to 335cm)? Is the UK really Manlet Island?
Hennessy. Sea to Summit makes some decent stuff, but they don’t have a singular focus. Hennessy is a hammock manufacturer. Some of their hammocks have that weird bottom entry, and they’re the only ones using that design. I don’t see any kind of advantage. But they do have hammocks that are more typical.
It says on their website that Ed Stanford used one of their hammocks when he walked the entire length of the Amazon over an 860 day period. He sited it as the single most import piece of gear that he carried.
I didn’t realize some of their hammocks were so cheap. ~$200 for a good quality hammock, tarp, and suspension isn’t bad at all (a little heavy, and I don’t care for diamond tarps).
Today day I threw out my bed frame after sleeping in my Hammock strung up in my apartment bathroom for the past month straight. this is my hammock arch, I am such a hammock-cel
I feel like tent camping is lower stakes because even if your tent develops a hole somewhere, it's still usable. If one of the poles breaks, you can use a stick/trekking pole, etc. What happens if your hammock fails? Are you just shit out of luck?
I've slept in hammocks hundreds of times and I've only had two mishaps. One was because because I hung one end on a bad branch like a complete moron and it came down in the night, totally preventable and my own fault. The other was because like a complete moron I was using an extremely worn out single layer silnylon that had pinholes; I rolled over in the night and my elbow went through one like a scythe. Totally preventable and would never happen with my multi-layer Hennessy + underquilt.
It doesn’t really happen. I guess it could, but how? If you hang it banjo string tight it puts an incredible amount of stress on the hammock body and it might tear. And I guess a pocket knife or something could poke a hole in it. Age and heat don’t seem to matter; I have two netless Dutchware hammocks from when he first started selling hammocks instead of just hardware that I keep in the trunk of my car.
The suspension isn’t going anywhere; 7/64 AmSteel is like 1,600lb average and 1” poly webbing is several thousand. Both are pretty UV resistant. Even if they broke you could just type them back together. Various hardware (buckles and clips) are four or five hundred.
I use a hammock for mid summer when I know for sure the nights will be warm. But with even slighter cooler weather it is very difficult to keep warm in them and they are not suitable for extended periods as for me they hurt my back and I don't tend to get a good night sleep.
>too cold
Here’s the video of Shug camping in a hammock during a Midwest winter, with temps dipping to -31F. I think he’s in Minesota but I’m not really sure.
In some ways those temps are a lot easier and more comfortable than temps close to freezing since there is absolutely no moisture whatsoever, whereas closer to 32f you can end up with damp gear and be miserable/die.
>too cold
Here’s the video of Shug camping in a hammock during a Midwest winter, with temps dipping to -31F. I think he’s in Minesota but I’m not really sure.
if you expect colder nights its almost always worth to bring a underquilt just for this, your butt/back will be cold in normal type of hammocks without insulation, there are some where you can slide a thermarest pad between you and the outer layer which i generally do when i go out.
I feel like tent camping is lower stakes because even if your tent develops a hole somewhere, it's still usable. If one of the poles breaks, you can use a stick/trekking pole, etc. What happens if your hammock fails? Are you just shit out of luck?
Yes I do. Exclusively. I live on the east coast, so finding trees isn't a problem.
Nah, hammocks are used for comfy overnighters. Too bulky and heavy when paired with an over/under quilt. Plus not knowing if you're going to have trees to pitch with makes it pretty irrelevant (yes, you could just lay it on the ground as a bivvy, but then you don't have a pad as you replaced it with the under quilt...).
I switched to a hammock in 2006 and never went back. I’ve tried all kinds of hammocks, suspensions, and tarps, and honestly a simple gathered end hammock with a typical 11x9 cat cut hex tarp and strap suspension is my favorite. There are lighter options out there but meh. There are also more comfortable options, but again, meh.
Weight is basically a wash compared to a double walled tent. An underquilt isn’t much more bulky than a comfy inflatable, a tarp and hammock are about the same size as a tent and ground sheet, and a top quilt is literally a quilt. It is slightly heavier, but that depends on temperature. In the South during the warmer months I don’t need a top or under quilt while a tent is basically impossible to use because it’s so damn hot (and even if you do you’ll still need a pad).
>you need trees
That’s not a problem for the eastern half of the US, including the South. It’s sort of a given that you wouldn’t take a hammock if it were questionable, but in those areas there’s no question; you can find trees in a forest.
He needs a pad.
I've done a couple in a snugpack hammock and the issue i ran into was the banana shape your body takes, this was solved this year when my gf bought me a Haven hammock which is flat so you can sleep on your side / stomach, its heavier then most hammock kits out there tho.
The all-in-1s are good, like a bivvy sack with a built in tarp above it.
Forget doing it like picrel though, just bring a tent.
This pic is my setup, which is similar to OP’s. It’s actually quite simple.
Once you’ve set it up a few times, you learn how high the ends of the hammock should be so the bottom of the hammock will be the appropriate height off the ground (so you can sit with your feet flat, like a chair). Parts of my suspension are different colors, so when I set it up the bug net zipper will be on the appropriate side.
You also learn how high each end has to be, and where the tarp has to sit so it’s evenly spaced. You’d think there would be a lot of fiddling to get these things right, but not really.
I don’t even bother taking my tarp out of the skins until bed time (unless it’s raining). I just hang it over the hammock until it’s needed. Sometimes I leave it off just to look at the stars. Same with my under quilt. It doesn’t get put in place until it’s bedtime, unless it’s cold enough while I’m eating (I eat in my hammock because why not?).
So complications of setup aren’t really a thing once you’ve used it a few times, and setup time isn’t really a thing, since it’s not set up from start to finish in a single process.
I don’t understand why a hammock is preferable to a tent when there is flat, dry terrain available.
I love my Hennessy when I’m somewhere really hilly or boggy , but it will never be as comfy or easy to set up as a good tent.
I sleep way better in a hammock than I do in a tent. I'm normally a side/stomach sleeper who tosses and turns throughout the night. Hammock I sleep on my back more or less solidly through the night.
>a hammock will never be as comfy as a tent
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Personally I sleep way better in the hammock which is why it's my go to for most camping. Although it's more insulation to buy, I don't have issues with awkward side sleeping or a hurting neck which is something that I just couldn't 100% eliminate from my ground set up. Ground set up still has a place in areas where I know there will be more fields than trees, alpine areas, or god forbid I get talked into an established camp ground. Thankfully a lot of my set up works fine moving to ground. Same tarp, same quilt, typically just adding a ground sheet, pad, and sometimes a nylon bivy sack for wind/splash. One downside obviously is you cannot frick in the hammock but I post here so that's not an issue for me.
On thing that really improved my hammock experience (and ground if I'm just tarp camping) was a tarp snake and setting up the fly to use zero knots. The tarp has linelocs and addition of a couple carabiners and prusik knots makes it simple as hell to get up and down.
Honestly the same reason you might go thicc air pad over closed cell. Comfort is the maximum goal, hard to enjoy the next day with a shitty night's sleep. It doesn't matter what you end up with as long as you're warm and comfy.
Just make sure your hammock and suspension system cover that limit with room to spare. A lot can do 160-180kg without issue. As far as storing stuff I often bring a small ground sheet anyway as an interior mat. Stuff not in the hammock with me (either just in the quilt footbox or in a pouch on the ridgeline) goes back in the pack and then I just toss poncho or rain cover over it. Only issue I've had so far is a mouse or something nibbling my sit pad.
Tarp skins are such a gamechanger. They make the system so versatile and quick and easy to set up and take down.
based simple setup
what knots would you realistically have to know besides bowline, figure 8, square knot, clove hitch, half hitch, and sheet bend?
yeah i'm really keen on buying a hammock and making my own tarp. located in new england and grew up sailing so this whole "you need trees" and "you need knots" meme is kinda irrelevant
>knots
Tautline and truckers hitch, pertusset(sp?) maybe.
Basically I only use the above, and with dutchware's toggles and some tree straps you basically need zero knots anyway if you spend a bit more.
Tautline is dumb easy, truckers is optional, pertusset is also dumb easy and optional.
Do you not need to worry about cold coming from below when using a hammock?
Yes you do. You need an underquilt to stay warm
Something this comfy is never a meme
Try this with a tent tentgays.
>He goes to the nogcorral known as the airport
Why would I set up a tent in an airport?
I’ve used my Nemo pad to sleep on during a 7 hour layover before, didn’t need to set up a tent to do that
Yeah and it wasn’t nearly as comfortable. Hammocks win again.
Enjoy getting your boots stolen.
I have used backpack and hammock plenty of times in different scenarios. Tent more often but i like em both. Hammocks are great when the logistics work out
I've only really been tent camping. I eventually got pic related but never got the chance to try it out until recently. Unfortunately it was cold and i don't have an underquilt but I at least wanted to set it up. The only trees that were in the yard seemed wide enough apart. Maybe 10-12'. I was able to pull the hammock itself about right but it didn't leave enough room to pull the tarp tight across the ridge-line. At least now I know that with a daisychain strap and/or more distance it will be easy to setup. I'm using carabiners with rings to adjust tension. I also got to pack it up in the snakeskins so unpacking will be a lot easier next time. I just didn't realize this thing was meant for almost a 20' span.
Minimum spacing would be the length of your tarp from tip to tip, plus roughly 2 feet (giving you enough space to comfortably tighten your tarp ridge line).
If you use trekking poles, just hold them outstretched, trying to tough each tree. If you can touch both trees, they’re probably too close together.
yeah, i definitely needed about an extra two feet on each side to properly tighten the tarp. might have been achievable using a daisychain strap instead of the tree straps that I had, only one loop at each end. as far as ataching the main line to the straps, this is what i'm using. screenshot from a YT vid, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buf_iWKI8io
It actually worked pretty well as far as tightening and release. I went with this because I've seen where some people cut permanently attached a carabiner to the main line and cut off the excess. I'd rather not cut anything off though.
this little homie changed hammock camping for me forever
you put it inside your bag, it give you just enough structure to be comfy
So you use that + a sleeping bag in your hammock and you don't need an underquilt?
That's cool as frick, but it looks like they don't make that one anymore 🙁
it's not as warm as an underquilt but your bag lofts into the gaps which provides a good amount of warmth if it doesn't get too cold at night
got mine years ago, sorry if they're out of production
Looks like something I'd see at a seedy Thai massage place.
>massage
Bamp
And where do you store your stuff safely?
I'm a 130kg guy wondering if I'll ever feel save enough to sleep in a hammock.
Think of the tarp as a giant vestibule. If you’re in a tent, you keep your pack, shoes, and whatever else on the ground, outside of your tent and tucked away in the vestibule. With a hammock, you leave it on the ground, under your tarp. It’s visible but it won’t get wet.
If you’re worried about being too heavy for a hammock, get a double layer. Many are rated to 400lbs.
I am almost the same weight anon and only hammock camp because sleeping on the ground is for schmucks. Get a double layer ripstop hammock rated to 400 pounds with a bugnet and you will be golden. If you are looking for a brand my hammock is a Warbonnet Blackbird XLC with the shelf and its the breasts. Worth every penny spent.
Is hammock backpacking good for beginners, or should a beginner start off with a tent?
I live on the east coast btw
>t. homosexual who has been backpacking twice in his life and wants to start solo backpacking
Yes and no
For many people the only way to camp but it requires some know-how about knots.
I do both but sleep a lot better in a hammock.
There’s no reason a lack of backpacking experience would extend to using a hammock. Even if you had plenty of experience with a tent you’d still be starting from the same place with a hammock (ie, no knowledge at all).
Literally any 11’ gathered end hammock with an attached bugnet and a silpoly 11x9 cat cut hex tarp is all you need.
Dutchware makes the Chameleon which has several options that I think are extraneous. They also make a tarp out of Xenon, which has bonded seams rather than sewn seams, but time will tell how well they hold up. Warbonnet has a large selection of tarps with beaks, which adds an extra amount of protection but takes away some ventilation. All of these are worth looking at.
I haven’t tied a single knot setting up my hammock since I got rid of my whoopie slings in like 2010.
You'll have a slightly steeper learning curve, but it's far from inaccessible for a beginner.
Hammocks are different but may not be better or worse. Hammocks and tarp campers are cut from the same cloth so to speak, the thing that people get hung up on is that there's many ways of doing everything and people constantly fiddle with their set ups. A big advantage of a tent when starting out is that it only goes up one way. When you're just starting out it might not be the worst idea simply because at the end of the day you can just select a site and do things the same way each time. A hammock or tarp's flexibility is also a challenge as you get kind of option overloaded. If you're still a beginner it may be better to just go with a decent tent and get dialed in on all the other things insofar as gear and planning, then complicate the shelter arrangement. The good news is if you buy any decent tent it's still good kit if and when you go hammock.
Best hammock/tarp combo? My drill Sergeant used Chill Gorilla but I haven't seen them anywhere.
Why would I wanna sleep in a bear burrito?
A full hammock setup is heavier, bulkier, and more tedious than a tent setup.
Plus, you can’t use one above tree line, which is pretty much the only real PrepHole anyways
Weak bait.
I got out and camp in the middle of fricking nowhere a few days a year and I swear by the hammock set up.
>Off the ground, no bugs or shit can get you
>Keeps you cool
>Easy set up/tear down
>Can just tie up a tarp or camo to blend in.
This was my last hammock set up I did, wasn't very nice since I was freezing, but I could have fixed that by preparing better. I slept fine under the circumstances though
Looks like a screenshot from a horror b-movie.
That's the appeal of going stalking
I do. But only on trails where I picked out suitable camp spots beforehand. If you are anywhere in the south, subtropical, maybe even florida its a no brainer to just go in blind with the hammock.
My cousin only hammock camped and now he’s dead. A bear ate him alive. He had just eaten honey. He used to always say, “I can move camp so swiftly thanks to my hammock”. Then a bear ate him because of the hammock. He tried to escape but the hammock flipped him around like in a comedy movie. The bear kept flipping him round and round until he was completely stuck. He had a jar of honey in his hammock too
So sad, hammocks are dangerous
RIP, send love and prayers
Many such cases!
RIP in pepperoni
what are the bare necessities for hammock camping? Tried it before and hated it, so I assume I did something wrong. gimme the quick rundown.
What did you hate about it? Did you forget to bring your underquilt?
The following is a sort of bare-bones minimum, but honestly you don’t need more.
>the hammock
Gathered end with a zipper-attached bug net is pretty standard. Bridge style is expensive and rare, also heavy, but super comfortable. Spreader bar is a meme.
The hammock should be 11’ from end to end. 10’ might work if you’re a woman or the height of a woman. ENO and most Amazon hammocks are too short for most actual men.
Make a structural ridge line. It’s a rope with two permanent loops on either end. Make it 83% the length of your hammock (about 110” if you have an 11’ hammock). This ensures that you’re always hanging at 30° no matter what your suspension is doing. They’re pretty cheap if you want to just buy one, but it’s super easy to make.
Hang the foot end higher than the head end. This will prevent you from having the sensation that you’re constantly sliding down whenever you readjust. Play around with it; I like mine about a foot higher.
Lie on an angle. This will cause you to be nearly flat in a hammock hung with a fair amount of sag (which it will have due to the ridge line).
>suspension
Whoopie slings are ok. They save a little weight and a little bulk. You have to pair them with tree straps anyway.
Long straps (generally 1” wide, 12’ or 15’ long, polyester, NOT NYLON) with some kind of hardware (such as cinch buckles) are a little easier because there’s a single adjustment and no knots. Straps with multiple loops are ok, but the advantage over plain straps with hardware isn’t that big considering they’re twice as heavy and bulky.
>underquilt
You can try a pad, but it’s just not as comfortable. They move around and don’t bend easily. Get an underquilt or make a “no sew PLUQ” for maybe $60 months f you’re poor (Google it; it’s good down to maybe 45°).
>tarp
Hex shape, catenary cut, 11’ from end to end. Doors and beaks are nice but not needed. Zing-It makes an excellent guy line rope.
some people just dont like it. my little brother is an absolute shitter with hammocks. i sleep like a baby.
I love the DD Nest hammok. Very comfy, no insects getting in, quick to set up, underquilt is easy to attach. Best hammok I've ever had.
Pity about being multicam only. But yeah, DD are pretty good.
It’s 8’ 10” (270cm). Why is it the same size as the cheap Chinese hammocks on Amazon while cottage vendors are all 10’ or 11’ (305cm to 335cm)? Is the UK really Manlet Island?
DD is Amazon-tier, so you answered your own question
Ionosphere bros... we lost... and got a back cramp trying to squeeze into our part tent part bivvy part swag...
should i get hennessy or sea to summit?
Hennessy. Sea to Summit makes some decent stuff, but they don’t have a singular focus. Hennessy is a hammock manufacturer. Some of their hammocks have that weird bottom entry, and they’re the only ones using that design. I don’t see any kind of advantage. But they do have hammocks that are more typical.
It says on their website that Ed Stanford used one of their hammocks when he walked the entire length of the Amazon over an 860 day period. He sited it as the single most import piece of gear that he carried.
I didn’t realize some of their hammocks were so cheap. ~$200 for a good quality hammock, tarp, and suspension isn’t bad at all (a little heavy, and I don’t care for diamond tarps).
Today day I threw out my bed frame after sleeping in my Hammock strung up in my apartment bathroom for the past month straight. this is my hammock arch, I am such a hammock-cel
You just gave me a horrible flashback to the hammock apartment. What an abomination that was.
I feel like tent camping is lower stakes because even if your tent develops a hole somewhere, it's still usable. If one of the poles breaks, you can use a stick/trekking pole, etc. What happens if your hammock fails? Are you just shit out of luck?
The same thing you do if your inflatable pad leaks: sleep on the hard, cold ground.
I've slept in hammocks hundreds of times and I've only had two mishaps. One was because because I hung one end on a bad branch like a complete moron and it came down in the night, totally preventable and my own fault. The other was because like a complete moron I was using an extremely worn out single layer silnylon that had pinholes; I rolled over in the night and my elbow went through one like a scythe. Totally preventable and would never happen with my multi-layer Hennessy + underquilt.
>what happens if your hammock fails?
It doesn’t really happen. I guess it could, but how? If you hang it banjo string tight it puts an incredible amount of stress on the hammock body and it might tear. And I guess a pocket knife or something could poke a hole in it. Age and heat don’t seem to matter; I have two netless Dutchware hammocks from when he first started selling hammocks instead of just hardware that I keep in the trunk of my car.
The suspension isn’t going anywhere; 7/64 AmSteel is like 1,600lb average and 1” poly webbing is several thousand. Both are pretty UV resistant. Even if they broke you could just type them back together. Various hardware (buckles and clips) are four or five hundred.
I use a hammock for mid summer when I know for sure the nights will be warm. But with even slighter cooler weather it is very difficult to keep warm in them and they are not suitable for extended periods as for me they hurt my back and I don't tend to get a good night sleep.
>too cold
Here’s the video of Shug camping in a hammock during a Midwest winter, with temps dipping to -31F. I think he’s in Minesota but I’m not really sure.
In some ways those temps are a lot easier and more comfortable than temps close to freezing since there is absolutely no moisture whatsoever, whereas closer to 32f you can end up with damp gear and be miserable/die.
There is plenty of moisture you exhale through the night
if you expect colder nights its almost always worth to bring a underquilt just for this, your butt/back will be cold in normal type of hammocks without insulation, there are some where you can slide a thermarest pad between you and the outer layer which i generally do when i go out.
This also solves this guys question:
homie just put a pad in the hammock. Helps with laying flat too.
>t. never hammock camped