View Full Version : Whats the fascination with hammocks?
rancid badger
30-05-2007, 23:08
I have used hammocks a time or two, and where its particularly wet on the ground or you have severe insect/ creepy crawley,slimey bitey things( like Belize) they are great for keeping you out of harms way. They are also great for letting cooling air circulate around you in rain forest.
The fact is that if you use a hammock in normal temperate conditions you end up freezing because of the air flowing freely around your body as it hangs clear of the ground.
This is what I found anyway and I have always much preferred a carefully chosen, sheltered location to set up a low slung basha, gtex bivvy bag, mat and sleeping bag.
Admittedly, this was how I was trained, the main emphasis being on concealment and protection but I have always slept better on the ground. It just seems strange to me that hammocks are so popular in this country.
Still, if your happy and comfortable; carry on swinging!
kind regards
R.B.
No idea - never slept in one and they scare me a little. Just hanging there... !
I've loafed in one of an afternoon, it was a hammock that was designed for loafing
rather than sleeping and it was fine. But in a 'real' one I'd be waking up all night
wondering when I was going to hear that almighty creak followed by the bump of
landing on my backside. Also, I'd be anxious about being relatively immobile -
- how do you turn over without wobbling?
On the plus side I suppose the movement of the thing might be quite relaxing,
assuming it does actually move in the wind?
The recent thread on the canoe trip with the hammocks looked pretty relaxing
as you'd be floating on water by day, and floating on air by night...
stuart f
30-05-2007, 23:45
For me its being up off the ground and being able to see whats going on around you,it also makes quite a good hide for watching wildlife, i was out for a couple of nights last week and i had some great encounters,as i lay back i watched a badger pass by,also pheasants, plus a rabbit ran past and i thought he was in a bit of a hurry when about a minute later a fox came trotting by all within 10 feet of the hammock. Also its just so comfy taking the weight of your feet after a long day in camp,a cuppa in one hand and a hot bannock in the other, bliss!
As for cold air,one word"underblanket"
I used to be a ground dweller and i don,t have an aversion to it either but the hammock sure is comfort.
Eric_Methven
30-05-2007, 23:46
Well, I love them simply because they are so comfortable. When you get older, and your bones start aching first thing in the norning, it's so easy to cock your legs over the side of the hammock and stand up. No aches, no pain, no heaving yourself out of a sleeping bag on the ground.
I agree that cold can be a problem, but only if you fail to insulate yourself. Kip mats are generally too stiff in a hammock and by morning it will either be on top of you or at your side at least. Most hammock users, until recently, relied on a skin under their bag. I use a red deer skin, but i also have a reindeer skin which conforms to your shape and stays in place. It makes the sleeping experience toasty warm. More recently the hammock under blanket has been developed and has proven to be the ultimate in off the ground sleep systems. It's like a big duvet that goes under the hammock and stops the cold getting to you. There have been quite a few group buys on these.
You really need to try it for a couple of nights then you will see just how good it is. I'll bring a spare to the Chopwell festival and you can have a go yourself. I'm guessing you'll be the next convert.
Eric
rancid badger
31-05-2007, 00:08
I'm only about 10 years behind you dear boy and when I roll out of bed in the early dawn it's like an old tea clipper in a full gale.Grunts squeaks groans, bxxxxr me's and OOh! shxx'x!
I also tend to walk into walls and doors
However, in the spirit of giving it another shot, I am willing to accept your kind offer, and have a bit loonge aboot ( bet this throws a few!)at the festival.
Cheers
R.B.
Eric_Methven
31-05-2007, 00:16
The secret of course is to have the right kind of hammock. Mine are double hammocks from Paradise Hammocks. That way you can sleep in them at an angle, and you end up almost sleeping flat (rather than banana shaped). That's where the comfort aspect lies.
Eric
Scots_Charles_River
31-05-2007, 09:48
No idea - never slept in one and they scare me a little. Just hanging there... !
I've loafed in one of an afternoon, it was a hammock that was designed for loafing
rather than sleeping and it was fine. But in a 'real' one I'd be waking up all night
wondering when I was going to hear that almighty creak followed by the bump of
landing on my backside. Also, I'd be anxious about being relatively immobile -
- how do you turn over without wobbling?
On the plus side I suppose the movement of the thing might be quite relaxing,
assuming it does actually move in the wind?
The recent thread on the canoe trip with the hammocks looked pretty relaxing
as you'd be floating on water by day, and floating on air by night...
A tree 6inches dia. or greater can support your wt. I have slept in a hammock on the 'Law' hill in the Ochills, one end clipped to a 'nut' between two rocks, the other tied to a fence post.
The recent trip, I was there, was relaxing. The children looked really comfy as the hammocks were for adults that they slept in.
Happy Hammocking.:cool:
Nick
Graywolf
31-05-2007, 09:56
I only got one because of the fact that I had read that they were good for people who have bad backs.When in a hammock I always get a good sleep,never get a good sleep otherwise.And you are right about the cold spots but if properly insulated not a problem.
C_Claycomb
31-05-2007, 10:34
The biggest issues for me though are comfort and location. I get pain in my back if my heels are even a little big lower than the rest of me. The only way I can avoid his on the ground is to rest my feet on my rucksack. I have no such problem in the hammock. Next, while I need trees, I don’t need flat, or even clear, ground. A hammock can be set up over rocks, bushes, brambles, roots, tussocks, or on a 1 in 5 hillside. :D It is funny how you can have room to yourself if you camp on a wooded 1-5 ;)
gregorach
31-05-2007, 10:39
Yep, everyone else has already said it - they're darned comfy, and you can pitch in places you would never pitch a ground-based bivy.
I love my hammock - i've tried mats, cots and airbeds but none give me a night's sleep like a hammock! I've used it in the pouring rain in the middle of a cold february weekend and over lovely warm nights. Never been cold or got wet. The trick is to insulate well (under and over yourself) then lie back and watch the wildlife! I was woken one morning by a small bird landing on my head!
Try it again mate, maybe we can convert you :)
Squidders
31-05-2007, 11:40
I have a tipi for the autumn/winter and a hammock for the spring/summer months...
I don't like the underblanket idea as if something happens and I end up sleeping on the floor it's going to offer no insulation. I did have a pocket for my therm-a-rest sewn in to my hammocks though and it's sublime, no movement at all and as stated by everyone else... very comfy.
I like being able to sit up in bed too, in the tipi I use a folding US type camp cot with the same therm-a-rest and in the hammock, I often just sit in it to relax... even at home in the back garden.
I have hung the hammock up in the peak district off a few cams, from trees and from our apple tree and a fence post at home... for the warmer months, I don't think i'll go back to ground dwelling unless something goes wrong.
Neanderthal
31-05-2007, 13:19
The wife is full of cold at the moment so after tucking her up in bed surrounded by tissues, drinks etc it was down the garden for me and into the hammock. Had the underblanket set up and a fleecy cover instead of a sleeping bag.
We both had a great nights sleep. This morning it was like going into work straight from a Bushmeet. :)
Tonight I may take a hobo stove out to make a brew in the morning.
Stu
It's a bit of a branch issue to the main thread but anyway, here goes: I snore semi-professionally and am told repeatedly that it happens when I sleep on my back. I have a hammock which I love using and find really comfortable but the default sleeping position is on my back. Lo and behold: the subsonic rumble continues, upsetting the wildlife and defoliating nearby trees.
Is there any way of sleeping comfortably on one's side in a hammock or will I have to rely on slinging my hammock out of the hearing range of any other living thing?
william#
31-05-2007, 15:46
i always end up curled up on my side in my hammock though i have a very wide hammock which i can roll around in quite happily .
so it all depend on the hammock you
have .
friend of mine has a great light weight hammock but if he rolled in it he would be out (must remember to set up a camera on his pitch next time.
i did use a thin hammock for a while but i do need to roll around in them a bit other wise my body siezes up by morning and the thinner ones i did fall out off a few times
gregorach
31-05-2007, 16:31
Yeah, the trick to getting on your side is to lie diagonally in the hammock, at about an angle of 10-20 degrees to the center line, and not to have it pitched too slack.
Squidders
31-05-2007, 17:50
I myself am a snorer and I know a good few others... we use this handy tip: pitch your hammock close to me and expect an ear full of snore all night... over there are 2 lovely trees you may like to use :lmao:
It's a bit of a branch issue to the main thread but anyway, here goes: I snore semi-professionally and am told repeatedly that it happens when I sleep on my back. I have a hammock which I love using and find really comfortable but the default sleeping position is on my back. Lo and behold: the subsonic rumble continues, upsetting the wildlife and defoliating nearby trees.
Is there any way of sleeping comfortably on one's side in a hammock or will I have to rely on slinging my hammock out of the hearing range of any other living thing?
PhilParry
31-05-2007, 20:54
yep....been said already,....one word says it all.....
COMFORT!!:rolleyes:
I was recently reminded of this when I went to the Ardeche canoeing with Woodlore.
Took a rather large tent to put my gear in during the week just to keep it out of the way, and thought every night "jeez....wish I'd put my hammock up"....they are Soooooo much more comfortable!
Hammock me up!! :)
Phil
Eric_Methven
31-05-2007, 20:59
There's nowt wrong with snoring. Helps keep the bears away.
Morch snored all the way through the Achray meet last autumn, and I never saw a single bear.
Eric
william#
31-05-2007, 21:57
is there some remedy with a fork or is that onions
It's a bit of a branch issue to the main thread but anyway, here goes: I snore semi-professionally and am told repeatedly that it happens when I sleep on my back. I have a hammock which I love using and find really comfortable but the default sleeping position is on my back. Lo and behold: the subsonic rumble continues, upsetting the wildlife and defoliating nearby trees.
Is there any way of sleeping comfortably on one's side in a hammock or will I have to rely on slinging my hammock out of the hearing range of any other living thing?
Your post made me giggle so much yesterday afternoon that my colleagues made
me read it out to them :)
Twoflower
01-06-2007, 09:08
Is there any way of sleeping comfortably on one's side in a hammock or will I have to rely on slinging my hammock out of the hearing range of any other living thing?
I'm a world class snorer too and i've been wondering the same thing recently whilst looking for hammocks. I've also been looking for alternatives (aparently my snoring is not always welcome on campsites :D ) and I was flicking through a beterware catalouge yesterday and noticed they sell a little plastic clip that you stick up your nose that supposedly stops snoring. I'm gonna try the sticky strips that you can get from boots before I start sticking things up my snout first though!
Well last year its been 15 or so years that i camp out. Camp at a state camp ground this camp ground is all in the woods nice.So this is a nylon one did not sleep over night just took some naps yep them are rocks under there but its a wide one no worry
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d52/oops62/th_hammock.jpg (http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d52/oops62/hammock.jpg)
Eric_Methven
01-06-2007, 13:06
Using a hammock shouldn't be a barrier for side sleepers. I can't sleep on my back, and I manage just fine in a double hammock. The secret is to lie in it at an angle. Then you can roll from side to side without falling out. The first night you'll wake up each time you turn over, but once your body realises it isn't going to fall out, you just turn in your sleep therafter. The advantage (apart from being able to sling it over rough/wet ground) is that it is totaly supportive. So if you suffer back problems, or ache on the ground because you're getting older, or snore if you lie on your back, a double hammock is the answer. That, and a decent tarp over you will give you a sleeping solution that's hard to beat.
Double size hammocks can be had from here (http://www.paradisehammocks.co.uk/shop/index.php?main_page=product_in fo&cPath=1_6&products_id=31&zenid=a0f3f18c4a22102cb2e9c4d5 7c89c30a). These are almost the same as the ones on the group buys - except they are a tad longer.
Eric
Ditch Monkey
01-06-2007, 18:54
I agree with the idea that hammocks are over-rated. The floor is not only much more comfortable and warmer but you tend to be able to find it where ever you are. I'm going to have to sleep in a hammock for a year, not looking forward to that but I guess by the end of the year I'll be converted and feeling superior to those who sleep on the floor. My main problem with them is that I roll about all night long, I have woken a number of times to find that the hammock is upside down and I'm only being held in by the mossie net.
I have to disagree with you on that, Ditch Monkey.
Personally, I've never slept in a real 'camping hammock' (waiting for mine to arrive from the groopbuy), but I think the comfort is personal; some people like to lay on the ground, some floating in the air ;)
Also, you can't find a suitable place to pitch your tent or whatevergroundthing everywhere, because there may be lots of roots and other stuff on some places. In the desert or something like that, a hammock isn't the best thing ;)
Another advantage of a hammock, is the 'leave no trace' -philosophy; you barely disrupt the ground, and if you have good treehuggers; the trees won't protest either!
Matt Weir
02-06-2007, 22:10
Just though I'd mention that the kids are camping in the back garden tonight so I'm in the hammock :rolleyes:
:D :D :D :D :D
dommyracer
02-06-2007, 22:15
I love the hammock, but it is a bit specialised, ie you need trees.
If you're not sure whether there's gonne be trees then its a bit useless. Mind you I have seen a pic of a Hennessy hammock being used as a rudmentary tent.
RobertRogers
03-06-2007, 11:59
bugs rodents wet ground etc
I love the hammock and the floor i just tend to use what ever fits the place i wish to stay in. The weather i feel is a big cosideration with hammocks as without a big underblanket can be cold so i find its best in winter to use the floor.
However the hammock is far more comfortable than the floor and i find i can sleep on my side diagonally/on my back and almost on my front without any issue. The real indication of comfort is the fact that if i sleep in my hammock i cant get out of bed in the morning :rolleyes:
In regards to worrying if i will fall out of it or not i usually give it a good weight test before hand plus i only sleep a few inches from the floor and i usualy leave my kit under the head end of the hammock just in case.
w00dsmoke
03-06-2007, 14:28
Using a hammock shouldn't be a barrier for side sleepers. I can't sleep on my back, and I manage just fine in a double hammock. The secret is to lie in it at an angle. Then you can roll from side to side without falling out. The first night you'll wake up each time you turn over, but once your body realises it isn't going to fall out, you just turn in your sleep therafter. The advantage (apart from being able to sling it over rough/wet ground) is that it is totaly supportive. So if you suffer back problems, or ache on the ground because you're getting older, or snore if you lie on your back, a double hammock is the answer. That, and a decent tarp over you will give you a sleeping solution that's hard to beat.
Double size hammocks can be had from here (http://www.paradisehammocks.co.uk/shop/index.php?main_page=product_in fo&cPath=1_6&products_id=31&zenid=a0f3f18c4a22102cb2e9c4d5 7c89c30a). These are almost the same as the ones on the group buys - except they are a tad longer.
Eric
I'm like u Eric, I can't sleep on my back, well I'm not supposed to. However I came up with your solution too, I bought group buy hammocks for the family and a paradise double for me...:) And yes you need a huge tarp. My 3m x 3m Tatonka is too small unless hung on the diagonal! But comfort far better than in a tent!
bugger, just bought the double and only have a 3mx3m tarp!! Some imaginative pitching may be required!!
Eric_Methven
03-06-2007, 21:59
Toby, if you sling the tarp diamond shape, and keep the sides pretty low you should be OK.
Eric
Ditch Monkey
04-06-2007, 13:49
I have to disagree with you on that, Ditch Monkey.
Also, you can't find a suitable place to pitch your tent or whatevergroundthing everywhere, because there may be lots of roots and other stuff on some places.
Trust me I can sleep on anything - I know I've tried :)
I have been given one of these bad boys though http://www.junglehammock.com/ and I can't wait to try it out.
I've started hammocking as I slept in one for 3 months on a ship.. Occasionally I had to get out of it though. We slept with 80 in hammocks, no one ever fell out because of the rope/hammock braking or because of turning in sleep, only some fell out because they were so silly they had other people sabotage their hammocks... just for fun
Yesterday I slept in hammock with my girlfriend, we tried that out once last year but didn't like it, but this time it was supercomfortable with two in the hammock. I don't really know why it was so much better, but it might have been because last time we were hanging on a quite steep hillside, not trusting the ropes to hold, and being afraid of some scary sounds in the forest at night... Anyway, my girlfriend had a warm and comfortable sleep too, I'm amazed. So this means we only need to carry one hammock, underblanket,tarp, mosquito net(don't really use it yet) and sleeping bag for us two! As long as we don't have a fight :D
I'd prefer sleeping in hammocks always, but I can't hang one in the caravan... Because I don't like matrasses much.. they get damp too easily. And making love is just as good on the floor... Anyone tried in the hammock? :)
I'm a convert to tree dwelling. I was dubious at first but haven't look back since. In fact the two times I've slept on the woodland floor since I've been very uncomfortable.
Yep, you need a couple of trees and you do need some insulation under you. A blanket is okay in warm weather or a thermarest is fine.
Pablo.
Yep, you need a couple of trees and you do need some insulation under you. A blanket is okay in warm weather or a thermarest is fine.
Which was my next question!! I've got a thermarest, my hammock (the original one) has 2 layers so you can fit the thermarest in between the 2, is that going to be warm enough?
I've been hammocking over the winter and I think it's fine, although some people prefer an underblanket. The worst problem is the thermarest slipping everywhere. I now put the thermarest inside the sleeping bag, but I'm thinking of sewing up the bottom of the hammock.
Pablo.
I hammock a lot in the pine plantations on the Black Isle. These are very rough underfoot, lots of gullies, hummocks and dips.
You'd struggle to find a pitch for even a bivi bag.
Coldest I've slept in is possibly -1/-2. Since I learnt *not* to but my bag on top of a windscreen cover it's not been too bad.
The underblanket... now, that's the Rolls Royce solution - but, mind, you'll tinker with it till you find how *you* like to fit it. I liked it so much I bought another one (3 hammocks, 3 mossie nets (and boy, do those work? Yep. Essential up here), 2 underblankets, a 3x3 Tatonka - which is OK; a Hex Fly which is wonderful; a basha - which is marginal.)
Never fallen out; pre underblanket, I sometimes struggled get back in after a night time pee. Now? Just pull the bag bag over me as a blanket...
Tried my hammock this weekend, couldn't stand it, ended up cutting the straps at 3 in the morning (couldn't get my quick release knot's undone!!) and lying on the hammock on the floor.
Turns out because your legs are straight mine don't like it for more than about 20 mins (motorbike accidents haven't helped there!).
Going to try the double hammock in a week or so's time to see if that's any different, but suspect it won't be.
Hammock's will go on the classified's for sale if it's no good for me...
wentworth
11-06-2007, 23:15
Have you tried putting your spare clothing under your knees to prop them up?
I sleep on my side in the hammock, so I never have straight legs. Make sure yous et it up with enough sag that you can sleep diagonally, without shoulder squeeze
Eric_Methven
11-06-2007, 23:34
Tried my hammock this weekend, couldn't stand it, ended up cutting the straps at 3 in the morning (couldn't get my quick release knot's undone!!) and lying on the hammock on the floor.
Turns out because your legs are straight mine don't like it for more than about 20 mins (motorbike accidents haven't helped there!).
Going to try the double hammock in a week or so's time to see if that's any different, but suspect it won't be.
Hammock's will go on the classified's for sale if it's no good for me...
Don't write it off yet mate. The double hammock will make all the difference. You can roll from side to side easily in one of them provided you lie on a slight diagonal, then you can get your knees up no problem.
Eric
My interest in hammocks is purely for relaxation. Somewhere to read a good book in on a balmy summers evening. Tents offer the feel of being in a den and I can have all my nic-nacs set out around me in a way that I couldn't in a hammock. Also my Exped Down mat is very comfortable. Having said that I haven't tried the hammock for a whole nights kip and will do so soon to see what it's like.
[QUOTE=Eric_Methven;290684
Double size hammocks can be had from here (http://www.paradisehammocks.co.uk/shop/index.php?main_page=product_in fo&cPath=1_6&products_id=31&zenid=a0f3f18c4a22102cb2e9c4d5 7c89c30a). These are almost the same as the ones on the group buys - except they are a tad longer.
Eric[/QUOTE]
Have you tried a single from the same place Eric or have you only ever tried the double. It's only I've seen singles exactly the same as the paradise for £15.
Eric_Methven
12-06-2007, 00:23
I've tried the singles and find them comfortable for lounging around in during the day, but too restrictive to sleep in with a sleeping bag. I also like the way the double wraps over you like a cocoon.
Eric
What do you use for insulation underneath? I have a thermarest which is fine in a single but I suspect will be all over the place in a double!!
Squidders
13-06-2007, 19:51
Most people deflate the therm-a-rest somewhat and also have it in the sleeping bag or have the sleeping bag and the mat in a bivi bag.
I would just suggest playing around and seeing what works for ya.
rancid badger
13-06-2007, 19:57
gtex bivvy bag,thermarest, snugpak gonk bag-carefully chosen and prepared area- done! no worries about dreaming of flying then crashing to the ground!
okay I admit it- obviously lots of people like their hammocks, what about the issue s.a.s. hammock/stretcher? any good?
regards
Le Badgere Rancide
Squidders
13-06-2007, 20:11
You may still be happier on theground, even in the best hammock in the world (no idea what that is)... some people are just happiest being ground dwellers.
I don't like any of the mil hammocks I've seen... they are well made but designed to keep the squaddie alert and ready at a moments notice... ie: uncomfortable :o
the group buy ones are highly rated though as loads of people here have them and no mutiny.
gtex bivvy bag,thermarest, snugpak gonk bag-carefully chosen and prepared area- done! no worries about dreaming of flying then crashing to the ground!
okay I admit it- obviously lots of people like their hammocks, what about the issue s.a.s. hammock/stretcher? any good?
regards
Le Badgere Rancide
i borrowed my dads one once.... its just not wide enough..
C_Claycomb
13-06-2007, 22:35
Insulation, I am playing with a suitably trimmed Large RidgeRest by Cascade Design. Most stores only have the standard size, but for a hammock you want the big one, then trim it to a coffin shape. It is bulky for packing, but it is very light, less twitchy than a Thermarest in that it bends to shape better and can still be used on the ground if you have no trees.
woodstock
14-06-2007, 16:23
I have just spent the last 3 nights in my hammock 1st night I was unprepared for the cold I had only a light sheet under me as during the day it was quite warm 2nd night I put my 3season as a liner it was nice and snug but took a little getting used to turning I woke almost every time
3rd night I had a great nights sleep problely the best I have had in a long time
Squidders
14-06-2007, 20:23
My hammocks have a sewn in pocket to fit a therm-a-rest snugly... I likes 'em.
Lordyosch
07-09-2008, 20:38
I've got a hammocky question...
I suffer from sciatica and I'm concerned that If I went to sleep in a hammock I'd not be able to get up in a morning.
Is this likely to be a problem or is it all about pitching?
I've got a hammock which I've not spent longer than 30 minutes loafing in so far. When I hung it there was a definite curve to it. Are flat hammocks more comfy?
Jay
discoveringtheforest
07-09-2008, 21:26
Id love to try out a hammock sometime. Ive never owned on because I have trouble sleep on my back and also because Im so used to sleeping on the ground with a thermarest,sleepingbag and bivi from a young age.
Although I can see reasons why people like to get off the ground from the damp,bugs etc but for me its nothing a bush made bed platform cant fix :)
I had a couple of chilly nights sleep when I first started sleeping out, but on the advice of others I found that I was actually wearing too many layers when I went to bed which was preventing me from warming the down bag around me which I slept in. Now I only sleep in my skiddies and a base layer - i have slept out in my hammock in all weather including snow and have not been cold once - gets a bit chilly if you need to getup and take a p*ss in the middle of winter though.
As well as my sleeping bag I line my hammock with a foil rescue blanket (I hold it in place with clothes pegs) which seems to reduce the effect of any air cooling around it - this summer I have not bothered with a thermarest just slept on top of the foil blanket in my summer weight bag. I can see how the design of the underblanket overcomes the problem of the reduced insulation given by a sleeping bag but with the bulk of having an underblanket and a quilt to pack in my opinion it takes away the whole point of a hammock and tarp as a lightweight sleeping system.
I use an underblanket and find that with a good woolen blanket, that is enough. Now that I've got the monster woolen Swannie coat from Eric, I reckon I could get away with a smaller blanket too!
gregorach
08-09-2008, 13:54
If you pitch it fairly tight and lie slightly diagonally across it, your hammock should pull more-or-less flat, and you can lie in almost any position. You most definitely shouldn't be flat on your back down the centre-line, curved like a banana - not only is it very uncomfortable after more than 30 minutes or so, but if you do manage to sleep like that you're liable to wake up in a ball at the lowest point.
Hammock_man
08-09-2008, 16:04
As you may tell from my user name I like my hammock. I have the 2008 DD hammock with the 3Mx3M tarp, which I normally hang on the diagonal which gives me just on 4meters of cover. I use a CCF mat in the double bottom. I have also added wings to the top of the mat. This gives a "wall" on each side near my upperarms without boxing me in. I use a single quilt cover as iff it was a sleeping bag liner ( Cheap ) and then have the unzipped sleeping bag over me as if it was a quilt. So comfy, so warm.
I read somewhere about pegging a foil blanket to the outside underneath. I think I will add this when I return to Glyn y Mul this October
I just don't get the attraction to be honest, hammock, tarp, quilts, underblankets etc seems a lot of messing about. Hex, thermarest, sleeping bag and thats me done for the night :) plus I would guess mine is a lighter camp setup? I know its quicker to pitch
I've still got a jungle hammock which is fine in the summer to use in the day, lay back, listen to radio four and read:)
When I go in my Hex and it rains, I get cheesed off with the lack of porch. Trying to get all your kit in and what not can be slightly irritating. Don't get me wrong, it's a great tent and mine is a keeper as I can't think of another tent that can be put up so easily by one guy without any poles and weighs less than a kilogramme, is green so blends in and is cool! When I hammock, I use a huge tarp in a similar way to Wayland. It gives you a massive area to work underneath and can become a meeting point. You get 360 degree viewing so no surprises from folk creeping up on you for a laugh! No drips from condensation. No hard divit in your back that you didn't feel when you got in and then wake up at 2 in the morning to find the boulder in your shoulder blades, you can sling the hammock low and use it as a good chair, it just has so many uses. It's more of a versatile camp. Weight wise, maybe an extra kilogramme if you are carrying a sleeping bag too, bulk wise I won't argue with you. An underblanket and sleeping bag does take up a fair bit of room. I prefer the tarp and hammock over the tent, tarp and ground dwelling comes between the two. So long as I'm outdoors though, I don't really care!
When I go in my Hex and it rains, I get cheesed off with the lack of porch. Trying to get all your kit in and what not can be slightly irritating. Don't get me wrong, it's a great tent and mine is a keeper as I can't think of another tent that can be put up so easily by one guy without any poles and weighs less than a kilogramme, is green so blends in and is cool! When I hammock, I use a huge tarp in a similar way to Wayland. It gives you a massive area to work underneath and can become a meeting point. You get 360 degree viewing so no surprises from folk creeping up on you for a laugh! No drips from condensation. No hard divit in your back that you didn't feel when you got in and then wake up at 2 in the morning to find the boulder in your shoulder blades, you can sling the hammock low and use it as a good chair, it just has so many uses. It's more of a versatile camp. Weight wise, maybe an extra kilogramme if you are carrying a sleeping bag too, bulk wise I won't argue with you. An underblanket and sleeping bag does take up a fair bit of room. I prefer the tarp and hammock over the tent, tarp and ground dwelling comes between the two. So long as I'm outdoors though, I don't really care!
I always take a cheap tarp with me to use a a porch, lack of cooking space in rain is the only real downer for the Hex. My next tent must have a porch area of some sort, after much thought I'm not getting a big tipi, maybe Big Horn II as its big enough to house a stove or at least a table and chairs and I can set up a cooker indoors. Knee problems mean its car camping for me so pack weight is not a problem now :(
I used a hammock for the first time at the Wilderness Gathering. A DD camping hammock for about £25 which was well worth it for an experiment. The hammock was hands down the most comfortable camping I have ever done in my life. The chill was kept of my back with a thermarest and I used my sleeping bag like a duvet. Slept like a baby.
The people that use hammocks aren't just being a bit 'hardcore' they're just in the know about how to get a good nights kip. This will be my first choice for sleeping outdoors from now on.
drewdunnrespect
08-10-2008, 17:02
dam right there adam hammocks are the best nights kip you will ever have
rancid badger
08-10-2008, 18:16
I still cant get away with them! :D
To be honest, it's probably down to the fact that I have had two spinal operations over the last 15 years and for good or bad, I simply can't get at all comfortable in a hammock.
nice to see the debate still tumbling along mind;)
best wishes
R.B.