Why do people not like hammocks?

[Raul Perez]

This whole weight thing was bugging me and since I'm riding out Irene tonight I did some research and posted on my Blog www.watermonkey.net

Here is my study:

First off... using just a tarp is right now the lightest option out there period. Undisputed. I get it and I have ZERO problem with that.
In this gangsta rap of a blog I’m going to see if these non-hammockers are right. Does a hammock weigh significantly more than the current basic ultralight tent option? Well since my 3 season base weight is at the 8.5lbs mark the answer is probably not. BUT I hate it when someone just makes a comment and doesnt back it up with thuggish facts. So let the Water Monkey spit some hot fire and lets be surprised together (since I’ve never done this much research in the subject before):
In this comparison lets look at the shelter in 4 areas for 3 season - Structure, Weather Protection, Bottom Insulation, and Top Insulation. All figures will be taken from the manufacturer’s website and the assumption will be an average 5’10” individual weighing 180lbs.
Tenting Option (Basic):
Structure/Weather Protection - Tarptent Contrail - 24.5oz ($199)
Bottom Insulation - Neo Air Medium - 13oz ($140)
Top Insulation - Montbell Down Spiral Hugger 30*F - 21oz ($285)
Total Weight (cost) = 58.5oz or 3.67 lbs ($628)
Hammock Option (Basic with some knowledgable UL changes):
Structure - Warbonnet Traveler 1.7 Single Layer ( 12.5oz) with dynaglide whoopies & Tree straps (3.5oz) = $93.00
Pappa Smurf Bug sock = $60 (2oz)
Weather Protection - Warbonnet Edge Tarp silnylon (11.5oz) with guylines = $100
Top Insulation - Warbonnet 3 Season Mamba (19oz) = $250
Bottom Insulation = Warbonnet Yeti (12.5oz) $189 & Gossamer Gear Thinlight Cut down pad (1.5oz) $30 = $219
Total Weight (cost) = 62.2oz or 3.89 lbs ($722)
So what’s the difference....
3.7oz or .23 lbs Favor Tent in weight. Less than a quarter of a pound.
$94 difference in favor of the tent.
So there you have it... This is where it becomes subjective. Is 1/4 of a pound a big difference to you? I’m not sure, I’m not you. But that’s fairly comparable if you ask me.
Now the reason that I threw in the prices also was because I know hammocking does cost a little more than tenting. And based on the basic version with some UL suspension swap outs you are looking at $100 more. This could be the deal breaker for many people so the Water Monkey wants to keep it real for ya.
You can go lighter on both sides by tossing in cuben fiber to the equation for the tent. You can also do the same for the hammock and even choose a smaller/lighter hammock (GT Nano Hammock). You can play the what if’s till you are blue in the face. I chose what I chose because it was easy to research and many who are on the quest for UL backpacking on both sides are familiar with those products and manufacturers.

[CrumbSnatcher]

Has anyone known someone to try using a hammock but not like it and stick with tent camping? I hear lots of rave reviews of people loving hammocks and I was just curious as to reasons why people may not like them.

they scare me

[rjjones]

Nice work MoMoMoMoMonkey.Great info.This site is great.And to clairify one of my statements in my last post.Its battling between hammockers,and,"anti-hammockers".{not tenters}Dont be a hammock "Hate-a".

[Bearpaw]

People who don't love hammocks are just poopyheads.


End of story.

[Hooch]

• People who don't love hammocks are just poopyheads.

End of story.

So sayeth the shepherd, so sayeth the flock!

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[Country Roads]

As for cooking and eating; I cooked breakfast this morning from my hammock and had breakfast in bed; hurricane Irene made me; she bad; hammock good. The downside: The dog is not happy; so I have promised that I would make her a hammock. Let's see what else have I done in a hammock: changed clothes, combed my hair, packed up (not that it helped) and .... Hmm.
Yes, I will still have to use my tent sometimes, but I likes my hammock more.

[BobTheBuilder]

I just finished assembling my pack for a seven-day section hike next week in VA. With my new underquilt and top quilt, my hammocking base weight w/o food and water is now 19lbs, about a pound less than my best with my tarptent. And I am about $400 poorer, but it's only money.

[stan]

I find it amusing, with the hater comments, Totally speaking from uneducated assumptions.. I would wander over to hammock forum and ask questions if you were indeed serious.. I agree some hangers get a little over zealous about it, but seriously it is because they want to share the extreme comfort advantage..( I am one of them) and how does one get claustrophobic in a hammock and tarp and not in a closed up tent? So many set up options for the tarp it is sick.. And do you really think a tent will stop a curious bear? Yeah right....lol.. The reason ground folks don't get all pushy about it, is purely because there is no plus to comfort sleeping on the ground imo.. To each their own,but childish uneducated banter helps no one.. I sleep full time in a warbonnet traveler, going on about a year and a half now..It is all about the comfort for me.. A lot of folks with serious back issues are converting over.. I think that says a lot.. Good luck either way!!

[Tipi Walter]

I think the biggest problem people have with understanding hammocks is they think of them as the shelter. The hammock is not the shelter anymore than a foam sleeping pad is ones shelter. The hammock is what one lays on while sleeping. One's shelter is what is above and/or around you. Most hammock users use a tarp of some sort as their shelter. Since tarps come in various shapes and sizes, it is the tarp which allows for or inhibits other activities, not the hammock or sleeping pad.

You said it: The hammock is not the shelter. I agree. So, we're back to the pros and cons of tarp camping.

I find it amusing, with the hater comments, Totally speaking from uneducated assumptions.. I would wander over to hammock forum and ask questions if you were indeed serious.. I agree some hangers get a little over zealous about it, but seriously it is because they want to share the extreme comfort advantage..( I am one of them) and how does one get claustrophobic in a hammock and tarp and not in a closed up tent?

How does one get claustrophobic in a hammock? BECAUSE IT'S GOT ABOUT EIGHT SQ FEET OF SPACE. A small tent is twice that and my winter tunnel is 37 sq feet. Of course, the tarp camp above and around the hammock becomes the real living space, but then you're stuck with the drawbacks of all tarps: Wind Hellstorms with horizontal rain and 50-60mph gusts, very tough in a tarp. And in the winter, well, you want exclusive protection from the biting winds at 0F (and you want to get out of the spindrift and blowing snow)---and you're cold dangit---so what can you do? Get in the hammock, get in the bag, and stay put for the duration.

You're shelter has now become your hanging bivy sack---the hammock---and all activities must be done from inside the protected hammock as it's the only real protection from the butt cold wind and blowing snow. All around inside and under the tarp has now become a half-foot of accumulating snow, so where is all your gear? Your pack, your stove and fuel, your boots, your crocs, your rain jacket, your ditty bag, your journal or books or maps? Are they nice and dry inside the hammock with you, or are they all crammed into your pack which is sitting under the tarp in a garbage bag? What if you need to get to your boots real fast?

[FritztheCat]

I've been a life-long tenter and took my tent with me on my thru attempt. In PA, I switched to a Hennessey hammock and a lighter pack to shave a few pounds off my pack. The hammock is awesome but took me quite a while to find that "sweet spot" where side sleeping is not only possible, but comfortable. Once I found it, I enjoyed the hammock almost as much as my tent.

Pros of hanging:
Lighter weight (for me at least)
Quick, easy setup and take down
No need to look for a flat spot
Much, much cooler during the summer nights
Love using the hammock as a chair

Cons of hanging:
Finding that "sweet spot", then having to get out and pee and climb back in and find it again
Never got stuck in the hammock during bad weather but it would have been pretty boring
I'm too clumsy to try and cook in the hammock (I'd certainly burn holes in the mesh)
Pack sits outside (I do hang it to get it off the ground)

Since I now have both, I'm using the lighter pack and hammock for summer hikes and will use my heavier pack and tent for cooler weather hikes. I'm actually very pleased to have both and will continue to tinker with the hammock as there is a learning curve, which I'm still learning.

[stan]

Tipi...Sorry if you have to hate hammocks.. Falling on deaf ears here.. I know better.. They make tarps to fit any situation..You can setup in porch mode and eat, dress, or just sit back and watch the storm for that matter, something you cannot do in a closed up tent..Sorry, not into staring at the walls..Don't miss the condensation either btw..

[ChinMusic]

Why don't I read about folks using hammocks at home instead of their beds?

[stan]

Chin....Please refer to my earlier post.. Many folks do this..

[scope]

I don't get the benefit of being "stuck" in a tent vs a hammock. Is it one of those, "look at all this space I have compared to a hammock, I can do so much more stuff!!" ?? Really ?!!!?? Seriously!?!?!?

The tarp (roof) defines usable space, the hammock just makes it a whole lot easier to sit around and do nothing in it. I'd much rather be "stuck" in my hammock, which by virtue of covered space, is similar to a 3-4 man tent - at half the weight.

This IS, however, IMO the number one reason people don't like hammocks. They take a cursory look at the setup and compare it to what they have with a tent. Apples and oranges, but the core basics are the same if you take the time to think about them - which, isn't that the real issue?

[Farr Away]

Why don't I read about folks using hammocks at home instead of their beds?

I like to sleep with my husband; he hates hammocks.

[Raul Perez]

I think the biggest problem people have with understanding hammocks is they think of them as the shelter. The hammock is not the shelter anymore than a foam sleeping pad is ones shelter. The hammock is what one lays on while sleeping. One's shelter is what is above and/or around you. Most hammock users use a tarp of some sort as their shelter. Since tarps come in various shapes and sizes, it is the tarp which allows for or inhibits other activities, not the hammock or sleeping pad. There are so many tarps out there, it is difficult to not find one to suit your needs. So far the only hammock shelter design I have not seen is one with an attached floor. I have considered cutting up an old tent to allow hammock straps through it but haven't gotten around to it because it would only be for fun since it isn't necessary to have the "floor" in all my years of using a hammock. Maybe I should just to do it.

I actually consider the hammock the same as a shelter. The tarp as the rain protection. If it is a nice night out I would go tarpless and enjoy the weather. The same as a tenter would take off the rain fly and enjoy a nice cool relaxing breeze with just the mesh body to protect against bugs. A hammock has bug protection the same as a tent and ways to protect in the rain.

[theinfamousj]

And then there are those of us who really, really like lying on a firm sleeping surface. When I went to buy a new mattress, I bemoaned the fact that no one made a fabric coated slab of granite. For me, the ground is as firm as you can get.

So, hammocks are not for everyone, but then neither is my method of sleeping. I've heard enough complaints about butt bruises from those who even so much as sit on my (at home) bed.

[ChinMusic]

And then there are those of us who really, really like lying on a firm sleeping surface. When I went to buy a new mattress, I bemoaned the fact that no one made a fabric coated slab of granite. For me, the ground is as firm as you can get.

I made a mistake in buying a pillow-top mattress a couple years ago. I HATED it, but not because it was too soft. I had to sleep on the floor as it was just TOO DANG HOT. The foam was unacceptable to me. I now have a very firm mattress with ZERO foam.

Maybe that is why I can use my Neo Air to 20° without added insulation......

[Yukon]

Switched to a hammock this past spring, can't imagine ever going back to ground unless it was really needed. When my fiancee and I go out, we still use the tent. But, that's only because I haven't finished making her hammock that she asked for after lying in mine

I simply get a much better nights sleep in a hammock. I wake up in a tent very stiff, I wake up in my hammock feeling great and ready to hike. Plus, it's A LOT easier to find two trees than flat ground in the area which I do 99% of my hiking, VT. It has allowed me to camp in spots that I always wanted to but couldn't because there simply was not a place to put a tent. You have different options for setting up your tarp which is really nice, or not using it at all if the weather is good. With a tent, the fly is either on or off. The too hot-too cold arguement is bunk, once you spend any amount of time in a hammock with your quilts you learn very fast how to moderate your temps.

I'm not anti-tent, I have just moved onto something that in MY opinion is an easier, more comfortable sleep system. HYOH and SYOS (sleep your own sleep)...

[mangus7175]

Personally, when Zombies start to attack, I would like the ability to hang my hammock way above ground and watch tent dwellers attempt to fight off said Zombies. j/k

I recently switched to hammock camping when hiking since it really helped lower my average pack weight but I still do have my tents. It really depends on where I will be hiking that determines which sleep system to bring and of course if my daughter or son is with me. If my kids come along, I'll most likely be packing my tent...that's just me. I'm not really sure what's with the "hate" of either system. If you choose to pack a behemoth tent, or tarp tent, or hammock...that's up to you.

Can't we all just get along?