Ground Hog

[Pignut]

Does anyone else sleep on the ground when out and about or is it just me that does not like to be suspended at waist height all night?

[squantrill]

Does anyone else sleep on the ground when out and about or is it just me that does not like to be suspended at waist height all night?

I do both! but!!! I always get a stiff back on the ground so I try and avoid now must be my age

[John Fenna]

It all depends on the place - rough/boggy ground = hammock.
Nice level dry ground = ground.
In summer I tend to go to ground as I can sleep in the "starfish" position if I get too warm!

[Pignut]

LOL!!!

My usual haunts are sandy mixed mature woodland so ground moisture is not a problem

[a12jpm]

Ground for me too. Tried the hammock, not for me. Only so many times you can put up with the hammock wrestle after a midnight pee.

[stooboy]

I recently bought an alpkit hunka for testing, I found it ok, but much prefer the hammock for comfort. I think it will just depend on what mood im in and where I go what ill take in future. I can pritty much sleep anywhere.

[Aaron]

I love sleeping in my hammock, in fact so much so that I felt compelled to write this short song 'Living on the Ceiling' about hammocking back in the 80's. I then made the mistake of sharing it with vocalist Neil Arthur from British synthpop band Blancmange in a pub in Harrow, who subsequently plagarised it for a well known song.

You keep me running the hammock lines round and round, [I use a round turn and two half hitches]
Well, that's alright with me
Up and down, I'm up the wall, I'm up the bloody tree
That's alright with me, yeah, that's alright with me
Well, it feels alright to me, yeah, it looks alright to me [but my advice would be to check the knots before you get in]

And I'm so tall, I'm so tall
You raise me and then you let me fall
I'm so small, I'm so small
Wrap me round your finger, see me fall
Here we go......:

Neil and I have not spoken since, although he does send me a Christmas card each year. True Story.

[In Wood]

As said before, both depends on what and where, but I do prefer my hammock (1 of 3).

Aaron, Sorry mate but I dont beleive a word. Damd good song though. Radio version had the edit and Cukoo was used in place of bloody! Never seen a cukoo tree.

[bushtank]

got a hammock never used it. The ground for me

[Tengu]

Hammocks are for monkeys and savages.

You didnt catch Nessmuk using one, did you?

Nor the Scouts.

[hiraeth]

Ground dweller me, but wouldnt mind trying a hammock out.

[Ogri the trog]

Gotta be carefull about saying I swing both ways
Love the hammock all through the year with my modified Ogripod, also enjoy the warmth of the Laavu and woodstove - it just depends on the situation I find myself in.

ATB

Ogri the trog

[Mike Ameling]

I usually sleep wrapped in the arms of the great mother of us all. Never felt the desire to sleep in the air. Plus my historical "camping" leads away from those 1700's and 1800's naval/sailor things.

And YES, I've slept in all conditions on the ground - mud, snow, rock, sand, with grass/leaf padding, even froze solid ground and freezing slush in an old cornfield. Some was comfortable, some was not, and some you just endured/survived. Altho, I do try hard to keep parts of me out of flowing water.

And in HOT weather, that "starfish" style sleeping while sky-clad helps - if the breeze keeps the bugs away and you can put up with all the laughter from the women folk (who seldom seem to follow the example).

Mikey - yee ol' grumpy blacksmith out in the Hinterlands

[Aaron]

lol 'starfish style' that sounds painful Mike

[John Fenna]

"And in HOT weather, that "starfish" style sleeping while sky-clad helps - if the breeze keeps the bugs away and you can put up with all the laughter from the women folk (who seldom seem to follow the example)." MA



The traditional image of a starfish has five limbs....

[stephendedwards]

Ground for me too. Tried the hammock, not for me. Only so many times you can put up with the hammock wrestle after a midnight pee.

Tried a Hammock several times but never got around to buying myself one - fancy one of those trick ones with tarp etc but....as I said. Ground all the time..

Steve

[h2o]

Ive been using hammock and tarp for a while now but went out last month with just a wool blanket and poncho and had a great nights sleep,but ill use the hammock when the grounds wet.

[SimonM]

Both for me too. It all depends on what I'm doing, where I'm going and who I'm with.

Simon

[spamel]

I spent a night on the ground in front of a fire with Bernies' feet to rest my head on the last weekend. Bernie was busy cooking himself! We were limited to the distance we could get as it was the barbeque brick thingy at Hill Holt Wood and it is under a lean to. You should be a full pace and a half away from a fire to keep warm but not fry yourself. We were about a half pace away! I had two blankets and a thermarest, Bernie roughed it with his Confederate sleeping system of a woolen blanket and oiled camvas waterproof cover. I woke up now and then to throw another log on the fire and keep the embers alive. Bernie woke up now and then to water the trees!

[hammock monkey]

Hammocks are for monkeys and savages.

(coughs)

well you know what monkeys are prone to throw at you from the branches?



(they dont call it 'chimping' for nothing!)

[Humpback]

Well I'm a hammocker and do some times feel like a pupa but as Heimlich says in 'A Bugs Life' *, "Look I'm a beautiful butterfly" ( I look like him too!). But I do like the bug net on my Hennesey.
So how do you bivi bag and tarp people deal with midges? You never know I might try out the low life.
Alan



*or is it 'Antz'

[John Fenna]

For Scotland or the tropics - a full on insecticide treated bug net!
For mild infestations - "Afterbite"
A smoky fire nearby helps, as does a 120 a day ciggie habit.....

[Pict]

For me it depends on where I'm going. In the forest here you really don't want to be on the ground, way too hostile.

Inthe scrub land you can sleep on the gound or in a hammock but locations are a mixed bag of small trees too far apart.

In the higher elevations there are no trees so I usually find some sheltered spot in the rocks and use a bivy/tarp.

I will say that I sleep much better inthe hammock. Lights out at 10 wake up at 3, look around, wake up at dawn. You gotta love that.

When I sleep on the ground its left side until goes numb, right side until goes numb, left side to numb, right side to numb, roll onto back, mouth open snore, bug falls in, sputter awake, fall into coma until dawn. Mac

[stooboy]

When I sleep on the ground its left side until goes numb, right side until goes numb, left side to numb, right side to numb, roll onto back, mouth open snore, bug falls in, sputter awake, fall into coma until dawn. Mac

Pritty much sums up my experience of ground dwelling to.

[Graham_S]

The ground is for dead people.

[leon-1]

I am with pict, situation dictates and my sleeping system is small and lite enough to cover all bases.

I agree with pict about ground dwelling as well.

[StJon]

I'm like others depends on where I am and who I'm with. With SHMBO tent, on my own hammock or tarptent, just got a bivie bag so will be trying that next. Location and walk/bike in sets the agenda...
jon

[Kirruth]

I'm far too long for a hammock, so it's the ground for me!

[groundhog]

Take a wild guess

[firecrest]

I dont know which I prefer, never been in a hammock. I have a bad shoulder and I dont sleep on my back so to be honest I dont know if Id be comfier off the ground or not.