Advice on taking the plung to hammock camping...

[Suckerfish]

I have two lightweight hammocks I absolutely love. I always take one with me on hikes. Nothing beats the comfort of it after a long day's hike or at mid day taking a break.

However I have never attempted to sleep overnight in one. I have set it up in attempt to then I bail out and set up my tent and crawl inside.

My tent weighs 3lbs 7oz with the rain fly. My ultra light grand trunk hammock weighs under a pound, just over a pound with the ropes.

My thoughts on hiking the AT or when I attempt my thru hike is to pack up a hammock, a tarp, and my big Agnes insulated air core pad.

My thoughts are this. I can sleep in the shelters in bad, very bad weather and sleep in the hammock in decent weather. Do I need to purchase an under quilt or would my Agnes do the job? With an under quilt, tarp ropes and hammock it would probably add up to weigh as much as my tent defeating the purpose.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

Also I have this mental block on trying to sleep overnight in my hammock; I always end up crawling in my tent. Something mentally secure in my mind in my tent.

I have owned this peak 1 cobra tent since 1999; have spent at least 300-400 nights in it and about 20-40 severe rain storms. It has only failed me once at a campground of all places; I didn’t secure the rain fly tight enough and was soaked by 5am. I now rig up my poles to keep the rain fly tighter and I have seam sealed the fly and the floor. This tent has worked like a champ for me over the years. 2 man tent big enough for all my gear, or my girlfriend and I.

I am just trying to get my weight down in my pack and my tent seems to be soaking in a good bit of it.

Any suggestions would help.

Oh my other hammock is a castaway parachute hammock, it weighs about a lbs and a half with the ropes.

But man get in either one with a pillow and you’re out cold.

[Suckerfish]

My Coleman, Peak 1 Cobra Tent...

[1azarus]

the pad is a fine idea. i have used a neoair pad when i've wanted to have the flexibility to sleep in a shelter. you may experiment with leaving your pad a little "mushy" so it fits the hammock better. when it is colder, you may want to bring about a 3' length of foam pad to put cross-ways under your inflatable pad at your shoulders so that it insulates your upper body if your big agnes isn't quite wide enough. try it!

[The Old Boot]

Sounds like it's a mental block more than anything else - you admit that the hammock is way comfortable but you keep bailing out of it to sleep on the ground.

Hammock sleeping vs tent sleeping is more about comfort than it is about weight so the only way to figure out which you want is to defeat the mental block and actually spend a few nights in the hammock.

Maybe you should go on a 3 to 4 night trip with JUST the hammock gear so that you can not bail out on yourself.

[rhjanes]

use 1.75 Zing-it to hang the tarp. Think about a Cuban fiber tarp (super light). My first night to actually sleep all night, well, lots going on in my head. I DID get CBS (Cold Butt Syndrom) at midnight and got up and hung my 3/4 UQ and then passed out for 4 hours....until the storm woke me. That was only around 55 degrees, so yeah, bring a UQ. I used it and not the pad (which I also had, but am thinking to use an inflatable in cold weather).
I would try a few nights out and leave the tent behind. We were on a canoe trip so we DID have an extra tent. Never even took it out of the water-proof canoe bag! AND, on our second day we hit an overhang HARD and dumped out. I have a bad lower back and it DID twist and hurt. I was thinking "this could be a trip ender". Well, that night I took two Tylenol-PM's and one of my prescription muscle relaxer. the next morning I awoke. My canoe trip buddy was saying "well, I had rocks in my back a lot last night.....How did you do? how's your back?". It felt GREAT! So yeah, it is more about equal weight, keeping warm, keeping DRY (off the ground) and keeping very comfortable. After my first night out, I fell asleep with no issues from then on and felt just great in the morning. I was packed up while my trip buddy had to face the bottom of his tent, to the morning sun to dry it.

[Wanderlost]

I have two lightweight hammocks I absolutely love. I always take one with me on hikes. Nothing beats the comfort of it after a long day's hike or at mid day taking a break.

My thoughts on hiking the AT or when I attempt my thru hike is to pack up a hammock, a tarp, and my big Agnes insulated air core pad.


But man get in either one with a pillow and you’re out cold.

Don't you think you pretty much answered your own question...??

Go on..!! You know you want to.....

[Six-Six]

You have to give it at least 3 nights in the hammock before you give up on it. It takes that long to get used to being so comfortable. If the temp falls below 70 you will need a pad or underquilt under you. Give it a chance and I'm sure you will love it.

[Train Wreck]

I read a really informative journal by "Certain" (her trail name) in the trail journals, It's a very interesting account in lots of ways, but what you might really enjoy is seeing how she progressed from being a newbie at hammock camping and became an absolute fanatic (in a good way). What I especially liked was the field testing aspect as she hiked through the seasons - she was very clear on what worked, what didn't, what modifications she made, etc.

[Creek Dancer]

I would love to give hammocking a try, but I have this stupid irrational fear that something is going to bite my ass in the middle of the night and I would never sleep!

[gunner76]

Take two sleeping pills and call me in the morning. About the only think that will bite you in the ass while hanging are skeeters.
This link whill show you a picture of why I dont sleep in a tent. http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...count=1&ref=nf

[Hoop]

Maybe transition gradually to the trees - try hanging a few nights in the yard if possible, with no tent nearby. I've recently got a hammock, and I wish I'd done it sooner.

[msupple]

I hiked from Springer to Damascus this spring and hammocked all the way...never sleeping in a shelter. I used a Dangerbird hammock which has both a built in bugnet and a solid weathershield which can be used in place of the netting. I consider the weathershield to be critical in my comfort on the trail. It blocks out all wind and raises the temp at least ten degrees. I also had a twenty degree down underquilt and a 30 degree down Western Mountaineering sleeping bag. I experienced snow, sleet, freezing rain, high winds and temps down into the low twenties. I always stayed adequtely warm. I did consider using an insulated air mattress in place of the underquilt just so I could sleep in a shelter once in a while. When it was pouring down rain it would have been nice to just crawl into a shelter instead of hanging a hammock. I have since purchased a Neolite extra wide insulted air mattress which I will consider taking when I get back to the AT. The suggestion to also take along a small lightweight foam pad to insulate the shoulder area is a good one. It can double as a sit pad. If you are serious about usng a hammock on a thru hike I would strongly urge you to look into the Dangerbird hammocks. The only other hammocks I know of which have a weathershield are the Clarks but they are heavier. For me using a hammock over a tent boiled down to comfort (priceless) and not needing to find a clear flat spot. I never had a problem finding a spot to hang and I rarely slept near shelters.

Good luck with your choice, Miguel

[Deadeye]

It took me a few nights to get used to the hammock, feeling like I was sleeping downhill (I swear that I really need to empty the bladder first, or it feels full because my legs are elevated), or feeling a bit claustrophobic. I had many test nights in the backyard where I came back in the house midway through, usually after I had to get up to pee, but then again, I'd do the same when I was testing a tent.

Here's my two cents:
1) you can definitely be comfortable with a pad. I use a BA or Thermarest, both are comfortable
2) Take a 2-4 day hike with the hammock - with no alternative! You'll survive. I find the hammock/tarp setup to be more stormworthy than a tent, you don't need to worry about ground moisture. If you're dead tired from hiking, you'll sleep sooner or later no matter what you have.
3) Take another 2-4 day hike with the hammock. If after 2 or 3 hikes you're not converted, then maybe a hammock isn't for you after all.

I'm fully converted. After taking a hike with a tenter, I found that I had many, many more options for good campsites than my partner did. I can set up the tarp, sit under it with my bear canister, and then put up the hammock. I could set up on unlevel or wet ground, etc. All I needed was two trees, my tenting partner needed a patch of flat, dry ground... you tell me what's easier to find on the AT! And after a few tries, I sleep soooo much better in the hammock that I'll go out of my way not to sleep on the ground (but it's always an option with my gear).

[letstieoneon]

I would recommend that you read a youtube post. Search "loner appalachian trail" Its an interesting dude that is doing a thru hike this year and is almost complete with his NB.

He used a Nano 7 almost everyday.

Try some 3-4 nighters. The best sleep I have ever had.

HYOH

[Theosus]

With hammocking you trade weight and some bulk for comfort. A hiking partner uses a tarptent. His tent setup with rainfly and tyvec might fit inside a gallon ziplock bag and still be pretty flat. My hammock with rainfly and underquilt is big, bulkier, and probably the same weight and size as a regular backpacking tent and inflatable ground pad. But water on the ground is no issue, nor rocks or roots or ant mounds. It's so comfortable. And when the wind blows the trees you are hanging from and it sets you to rocking gently... its so worth it. Then there are the shocked stares from the other newbie hiker ground-bounders when you are tying up your straps and staking out the fly... "You sleep in that? off the ground? That's awesome!"
but you DO need something under you to hold in the heat if its under 70... I learned THAT the hard way, almost froze to death in my 20 degree bag hanging in a 40 degree night. I had every piece of cloth in my pack under me and still froze. I was never so glad for sunrise. On my last trip I had a thermarest under me in my hammock and almost sweat to death, albeit it was only 50-55, it was a BIG difference. Before you go out in the woods, ptich the thing in your yard or even on your porch. Spend a night in it in temperatures close to what you will face. The last thing you want to be doing is laying awake shivering thinking "i guess I should have sprung for the underquilt!"

[YoungMoose]

adding to what everyone else is saying. If you worry about weight there are ways to reduce the weight. For example use a cuben fiber tarp. Another thing is to switch out the ropes to whoopie slings out of amsteel. (cant tell from picture if thats what you already have or not)

[bear bag hanger]

The Big Agnes pad should work fine. You might want to add a BB bugnet (about $75 last I looked). It'll add about 7 to 8 oz, but if you're hiking the AT I think you'll need it. Otherwise, your good to go.

[Hairbear]

i fairly new to the hammock world,and so far im at a loss.i really like the idea of hammock camping,but here are some problems for me .i started with a hennessy survivor nice hammock ,but where in the heck am i supposed to put my right leg?i tried messing with it and could not get comfortable for long stays in it with my leg being twisted and jammed.i finally broke down and threw some money at the problem,and ordered a warbonnet 1.1 double i think the hammock is a great design and well made ,but now i have a left leg problem where the folds gather pushing into my just below the knee area.i move around trying to get it to go away to no avail.can someone please tell me what im doing wrong or put me out of my misery and tell me it cant be done.im 5 foot 11 inches tall around 215 the chart on the warbonnet sight said this is the hammock for me ,but im not seeing the joy in it.please help hammock pimp down s.o.s.need back up.

[Theosus]

not sure your issue... your right leg goes to the right of your left leg. You lay in a hennessy on an angle. Your left shoulder should be up by the left tie-out point of the hammock. Your legs should both be to the right of the closure, looking towards your feet. I was confused with it at first too, but I've spent a few nights in it, and I'm finally getting the 'hang' of it... (that was NOT intentional).

[Wise Old Owl]

Appears that most folk have trees in the back yard in Dunwoody, suggest spending a little time there nothing like a little backyard practice... You don't need us to convince you. Watch the skeeters.