Just a few questions

[Travis49]

I'm getting ready for my first long hike onto the A.T.
So far its been an overnight and some day hikes mostly but me and my friend want to do a month before we leave for college.

Anyway, my question is should I use a hammock instead of a tent. We don't anticipate staying at shelters very much so most of the time we'll be on our own. I've only done tents so far so this is why I'm asking.

1. What's a good type of hammock or where do I look and how much am I looking at price-wise? I've googled it but they don't seem the type to carry along hiking with.

2. I assume they are lighter than tents? It's the only reason I see for using them really.

3. Any advice you have from experience or opinions on whether I should bother with one would be great. I've never even heard about them until I started perusing the forums honestly (at least for hiking purposes).

[russb]

My suggestion is for you to use what you have experience using. A month long hike is not a time to be trying out new gear, especially a sleep system. If you are interested in trying out a hammock before you go, check out Hennesy hammocks, Speer, Claytor, Clark, just to name a few. Also go to: http://www.tothewoods.net/HammockCamping.html and http://hammockforums.net/

[Seeker]

2. I assume they are lighter than tents? It's the only reason I see for using them really.

as stated, a month is probably not enough to make the switch. stick with what you know for now.

hammocks are not necessarily lighter. they're part of a system. let's leave sleeping bags out of the equation, since you use them for both tent and hammock systems. what's left is something to keep you dry up top, something to keep the bugs off, and something underneath to keep you comfortable/padded/warm.

lightest of all would be a tarp (8 x10, 19oz) , mosquito headnet (1-3oz?), and ccf pad cut down to fit just your back (5-6oz?), using a pack to put under your legs. you get the point... for about 28 oz, +/-, you've got it all.

my hennessy, just for example, weighs 25oz by itself with bugnet. my homemade speer type weighs about 17oz. my tarps vary. the stock tarp (a small diamond) weighs 7 oz. my larger 8 x 10 tarp weighs about 20oz. if i use a really wide ccf pad (and you have to, due to the increased shoulder coverage needed), it's another 17 oz. if i use my down underquilt, it's 20oz, but a lot more convenient. so, speer-type hammock and large tarp are 27oz, stock hammock and tarp are 32, plus underinsulation is 17-20... that's 44-47oz or 49-52oz depending on how i arrange it.

assuming a 3 lb (48oz) tent, plus a small ccf pad, you're in that 50+oz range...

so, a tarp/ccf pad/headnet system is lightest.
hammock systems vary widely.
tent systems tend to be heavier, as there are few sub-3lb tents, and many people use a big agnes or thermarest pad for comfort, but they can be made to weigh less than the heavier hammock setups.

the fattest, thickest thermarest does not make me comfortable sleeping on the ground. the hammock then, from a comfort standpoint, is the winner in my book, and worth the extra weight. ymmv, and not everyone seems to be able to get a hammock to work for them. there is a steep learning curve, especially if you're trying to 'figure it out' on you own, even with written advice. nothing substitutes for someone to physically show you the hows and whys... i'm not saying 'it can't be done in a month'... but it would be tough.

i made my speer hammock from a few yards of Dollar Bin fabric at walmart, paid someone $5 to sew in the mosquito netting and sew up the ends so i could thread a rope through it, and spent a couple $$ on the polyester rope. probably less than $15 total. it has a pocket in the bottom to hold a ccf pad ($6). i could have saved $5 if i'd just tied a knot in the ends of the fabric, but i wanted to experiment. my hennessy cost about $125 or so through ebay a few years back (it's US or Canadian made, not really foreign since canada doesn't count.) my underquilt is a JRB down one, and cost another couple hundred (i've forgotten exactly). so you can spend a little or a lot...

hope that helps.

[Fiddleback]

IMO, hammocks have huge benefits for their weight, e.g., comfort, convenience, etc. But they don't always have a weight advantage.

If you and your trail partner share a tent and, in turn, share the weight of the tent the two of you carry, your gross pack weight may not be much different than if you carried a hammock just for your use. And of course, tents have their own advantages (I know...I know...blatant heresy in this forum!:eek:). And I agree with the others here...there is a learning curve with hammocks and you should gain your initial experience through backyard experiments or somewhere with an easy and quick bailout, not an extended hike.

When I solo, I use a hammock. Most of the time when I'm with others I use a tent.

FB

[Marta]

Ditto to what has been said above. While the hammock itself is often attractive for weight and price, it's a sort of tip-of-the-iceberg purchase. There's a lot of fiddling and fooling and experimenting--and buying--that goes on while the new hammocker figures out how to keep warm in the hammock. (Unless you're going someplace tropical.)

As was already said, if you're sticking with a friend and can share gear, you have more opportunity to save weight by sharing a tent than you do by getting a hammock.

[Patchfoot]

I just got into the hammock thing. The hammock nearly doubled the weight of my Shire's tarptent. However, it is quite a bit more comfortable but for me the immediate advantage I've seen in the summer time is complete bug protection. It's better protection than any tent or bug bivy I've seen as I'm pretty much impervious to them. Seems like when I tent I end up with a small ecosystem in there with me anyway.

As an insomniac, if I wake up and can't go back to sleep it's way worth the extra weight to be able to pull out a headlamp and a book and ignore the hordes of beasties assaulting my shelter to no effect.

Also, this is the first time I've been able to sleep under the stars on the east coast. Usually its either too cold or I have to retreat to my shelter (and maybe there are bug bivies this good, but I've never used them) but it was nice looking up through the trees at the stars. Since the rain fly is quick to pitch on mine I don't think anything of leaving it half done till it starts raining.

As you can see it's not so much of a better or worse change from other shelters, just different. I haven't found the learning curve on a Hennessy to be very significant so far. Much simpler than learning how to tarp properly.

[BillyBob58]

And of course, tents have their own advantages (I know...I know...blatant heresy in this forum!:eek:). ..............

FB

Not at all, IMO! Though I am a dedicated hammock convert as of 2 years ago, I have no doubt that there are conditions where a low to the ground tent will serve me better than a tarp. Although, this is just as much a tarp vs tent consideration as it is tent vs. hammock.

But I would like to point out ( as I realize I have before) that there is an apples to oranges aspect of comparing weight for tarps/pads vs.hammocks plus tarps/pads. The hammock, depending on the brand of hammock used, is much more like adding a bivy sack to the equation, only more so IMO.

The fact is that, particularly if using a nice ultralight down bag that must be kept dry, using a tarp plus ground cloth ( don't forget that weight) plus tarp is ust not going to hack it. Your bag is at great risk for getting wet, unless you are using only developed camp grounds with nice level sites with great drainage.

All winter I have had a drainage problem in my back yard, causing things to be very slow to dry out after big rains. But no matter what the deluge, I can always sleep out with no concern of getting wet, even with a 3" deep lake forming under me. It matters not, I am high and dry every time. A tarp/pad/ground cloth would be unusable in these conditions, unless you didn't mind getting wet. Even a bivy or a tent would be questionable, particularly as time went on and leaks occurred. The floor and seam sealing had better be in perfect condition.

And in the undeveloped country that I hike in around here, it would take a hearty soul to lay down on this swampy bottomed, or brush covered, root covered ridge tops and hill sides with just a small pad and ground cloth. Even in the winter when the snakes and ticks are asleep, but the ground is even slower to dry out. I'm sure some would do it, but not me! ( I am a wimp in my old age :D ) Even a tent with a floor would prove very challenging to find a nice spot in these woods: A spot that wasn't on even a slight hill, or not in a swampy bottom, or not covered with brush and roots, etc. or several of the above problems. But with just a pad? Again, not me!

But none of these places are any problem with my hammock, though I sometimes have to spend five extra minutes to find two trees close enough and the right size and no poison ivy vine on them. But I ALWAYS can fin 2 adequate trees after a little hunting.

Bottom line. you can go a pound or two lighter with just a tarp and a minimal pad compared to a tarp and a wider pad PLUS hammock. But please remember that for similar protection from the elements, you should add a bivy sack to even approach the hammock's protection, at least in many environments and in really rainy weather. And also remember that if it is not very cold or even warm, you probably can use a thinner pad in the hammock ( or none at all possibly!). So depending on time of year, there is a possible significant weight savings right there.

And if I am talking comfort, for me there is simply no comparison. I would have to use a very thick heavy self inflating mattress to even consider sleeping on the ground these days. The older I get, the thicker the mattres! :o :( That is a lot of weight, and I still would no be as comfortable as I have been in my hammocks. But i do realize that not every one is successful in being comfortable in hammocks. But for me, I am at least as comfortable in a hammock over rocky, sloping ground, as I am in my expensive, super comfy bed. So for me ( to each his own HYOH ) that alone is worth a pound or two.

[Fiddleback]

Great write-up, BillyBob, and a super starting point for those who are thinking of entering the hanging world...

FB

[BillyBob58]

Thanks FB. I'm going to be taking my hammock once again to Wyomings Wind River Mountains this Sept, not very far from your neck of the woods. I notice the North west is getting some record cold in some spots this week, with the WR Mountains forecast lows ( above 10000 ft) of 15*F and highs of 25*F, with snow and 15-25 MPH winds. In June, while we are burning up down here!

Boy, that could be a "summertime" challenge for a hammock hanger with a tarp! But also for the tarp with minimal pad crowd, on the maybe wet, snow covered ground! Both better know what they are doing.

But I can see that it would be USUALLY easier for me to find a spot( high in the Rockies) with good drainage and dry ground free of brush ( not to mention fewer ticks, ants and snakes) than it would for me here in north MS. (Though maybe not any more free of rocks and roots and sloping ground) So, some places might be easier to use with just a narrow pad on the ground than other places would be. So one of the variables that should be considered when comparing hammock weights to tarp/pad weights is: where are you trying to sleep?

[Fiddleback]

It's been great. It snowed for about three hours this morning after a bunch of rain fell earlier. Tonight there's a winter storm watch with snow levels of 3500' forecasted (I'm @ 3700':)). It's been many, many years of unseasonable heat, drought, and early fire seasons. This wet and cool spring is most welcome.

For all those looking towards Montana this season, be advised: We're still accumulating snow pack.:D

FB

[BillyBob58]

........ It's been many, many years of unseasonable heat, drought, and early fire seasons. This wet and cool spring is most welcome.

For all those looking towards Montana this season, be advised: We're still accumulating snow pack.:D

FB

Whoohoooo! :D