Tent vs hammok vs lean-to

[shaughnessey34]

I'm on the fence about if I would need my 4 pound tent vs a hammock i want to sleep comfortable and dry which is my biggest concern. Also considering bringing my pad and using lean-tos but not knowing if space will be available is putting it on the bottom of my list. I'm headed nobo April 1st. Any thought or suggestions on this

[Feral Bill]

You might add a tarp (cheap, light, versatile) to your list. Do have some personal shelter. All work.

[ScottTrip]

I ditched my tent when I reached Harpers Ferry. Looking back I spent about 5 nights in my tent. You will find the shelters much more crowded at the beginning of you hike, but it eases up after a couple 100 miles. I just figured I had to be really unlucky to have a rainy night and no shelter space (it did not happen). Everything mention about the shelters is true (mice, snoring, bugs) but I got use to the conditions.... Realize you may have big mile days to reach your shelter.

[illabelle]

I ditched my tent when I reached Harpers Ferry.....

As Feral Bill said, at least bring a tarp. You can't control the weather, and a personal shelter is important for your safety.

[shaughnessey34]

What type of tarp do you recommend

[kayak karl]

What type of tarp do you recommend i have a z-pack custom cuben 9 - 11 tarp. works well with hammock or ground.

[imscotty]

If you have the money to spend get a hammock/tarp/underquilt right now and start testing it out. There is a bit of a learning curve to hammocking that you will want to figure our before starting on a long hike. Everyone has their personal preferences but for comfort and to be high and dry - a hammock works for me.

[shaughnessey34]

I am hiking with my dog keeping him dry is important to not sure how hed do in a hammock

[kayak karl]

I am hiking with my dog keeping him dry is important to not sure how hed do in a hammock my dog sleeps in my hammock if she wants.

[shaughnessey34]

I guess I'll get a hammock and try that out cutting out 5 pounds would be great thanks for the advice

[jimmyjam]

Not meant to hurt your feelings but, a 4 pound tent is a car camping tent, not a backpacking tent.

[Feral Bill]

What type of tarp do you recommend
I use an 8x10 Equinox Silnylon tarp. It's about a pound with lines, and works with a hammock or sleeping on the ground. When I had a dog, he slept on a small ccf pad he carried.

[4shot]

I ditched my tent when I reached Harpers Ferry. Looking back I spent about 5 nights in my tent. You will find the shelters much more crowded at the beginning of you hike, but it eases up after a couple 100 miles. I just figured I had to be really unlucky to have a rainy night and no shelter space (it did not happen). Everything mention about the shelters is true (mice, snoring, bugs) but I got use to the conditions.... Realize you may have big mile days to reach your shelter.

otoh, take a shelter of some sort. There are many of us (myself included) that spent just 5 nights in a shelter and the rest in a tent or hostel/hotel. I couldn't sleep in a shelter and didn't feel like there was any advantage to them. i can setup/takedown my tent in just a few minutes. I carried a shires tarptent on my thru and have since started hammocking some. The biggest (and it is critical imo) disadvantage to just a tarp as a shelter is the lack of bug protection that a tent or hammock with bugnet afford.

[Slo-go'en]

Adding a dog pretty much limits you to camping out, so you can cross shelters right off the list.

What I would do is make a little doggie tent using a small tarp and a piece of CCF pad for him to sleep on. Pitch it right next to your tent, which could be a typical sub 2 pound, single person tent. It might take some training to get him used to it, but they catch onto the idea of dog house pretty quickly.

[Nooga]

I am hiking with my dog keeping him dry is important to not sure how hed do in a hammock

I don't hike with a dog, but couldn't the dog sleep on the ground under the hammock? With my hammock setup, it is dry, particularly if you bring a small ground cloth for the dog.

[shaughnessey34]

Not meant to hurt your feelings but, a 4 pound tent is a car camping tent, not a backpacking tent.
Yeah ive looked at lighter options its a 2 person winter tent used in when climbing Kilimanjaro. A hammock I was looking at 2 person, rain tarp, bug netting, and rigging was 4lbs 11 oz. I wouldn't consider bringing my dog a small shelter that seem like unnessary weight. Im headed down south today will be looking at lighter tent options that seems the way to go also needing a sleeping pad just looking for the lowest weight at this point. And I agree on the shelters as a no go with the dog

[Slo-go'en]

Most tents have some kind of vestibule and I believe that is where most people have their dog sleep.

[WILLIAM HAYES]

well personally I use a hammock you really dont need a two person hammock your dog can sleep underneath your hammock on a pad

[pnkwolfe]

One of the things I'd recommend is considering what your personal goals truly are. The different sleep strategies are very different. Hammocks tend to to run a little heavier, all in, but can be very comfortable. Tarps can be ultralight, but can fall short in comfort (e.g. bug protection). You can find very light, easy to use tents, but you might find sleeping on the ground (tarps, tents, somewhat for shelters) less comfortable. I agree with the recommendation on carrying something, though. You might be annoyed at the weight, if you don't need to use what you're carrying, but a shelter can be a lifesaver in certain conditions. Try out different options now, if you can.

[msupple]

If you want "dry" you want a hammock. I used one on my AT hike and never had a problem with wetness except a time or two in heavy dense fog. It's a simple matter to set and tear down your hammock while under the safety of your tarp. Upon leaving in the rain you'll be all packed up and ready to go before ever taking down the tarp. The tarp is then sored separately on the outside of the pack.

[Speakeasy TN]

My '11 attempt was a pretty even split between tent and shelter nights. This Spring I am going to switch to a hammock with a neoair pad. It gives me the maximum flexibility. I can go to ground with the pad and top quilt if I have to, but lack of sleep took a toll and I'm much more comfortable.

As for the dog, if you must, under the hammock will be dry and comfy.

[Connie]

It is easier to setup, take-down and carry a tarp in a mesh pocket outside the backpack, if your backpack is setup like that. If not, there is an add-on mesh pocket I haven't tried. Maybe someone else knows about that.

I use a tarp. I use a headnet, and have gloves and stretch gaiters if biting insects are out. I select campsites away from the places biting insects like. My bivy selection always has built-in bug netting.

If you camp where biting insects like, you may want a half-tipi bug net to set up under the tarp.

It is easier to camp away from water, not in low-lying ground, not on grass, and, choose a windswept ridge, or, at least where air movement is present. Biting insects prefer stagnant air, and, no air movement. Biting insects also like a certain time, for example, in the evening. Before and after, they are not active. Except horse flys. They have preferred hours they are active, but longer hours.

[overthinker]

I've been hammock camping for most of the summer, but I just bought a Moment DW TarpTent for my thru for three main reasons.

1) Hammocks = fiddle factor. You spend a lot of time adjusting, rigging, tightening, etc. to get the hammock and tarp just right. At the end of a long day hiking, I'd rather just set up a simple tent. I did a few punishingly long days this summer and, while I can deal with the fiddling for a couple of days, I can only imagine I'd get really tired of it after a week or so.

2) Site availability. Camping since pretty much always has involved tents, and campsites are therefore designed for tents. This ends up in the same place as number 1: I can deal with the trouble that can come with finding a hammock site a couple of nights in a row, but I doubt I'd want to do it for weeks on end.

3) Shelters, hostels, garages, AMC huts. I use an underquilt in my hammock, which makes sleeping anywhere but my hammock an uncomfortable proposition. I know there will be days where a shelter will be a welcome sight, or I'll snag a spot on some floor somewhere. So, to make sure I can take advantage of those opportunities, I'm taking a tent and a pad.

I definitely appreciate how easy it is to stay dry with a tarp set up, being able to put it up first and take it down last. However, with the model TarpTent I bought, I can set up the fly, step inside with the interior, zip the fly up and then attach the interior. Or I can leave it all attached if it isn't a torrential downpour.

Anyway, that was my decision process.

[chiefduffy]

For me, the comfort factor outweighs all other considerations. In my hammock, I sleep deeply, wrapped in warm down, extremely comfortable all night long, and wake up refreshed and recharged. On the ground or in a shelter, not so much. YMMV.

[LogHiking]

I've been hammock camping for most of the summer, but I just bought a Moment DW TarpTent for my thru for three main reasons.

1) Hammocks = fiddle factor. You spend a lot of time adjusting, rigging, tightening, etc. to get the hammock and tarp just right. At the end of a long day hiking, I'd rather just set up a simple tent. I did a few punishingly long days this summer and, while I can deal with the fiddling for a couple of days, I can only imagine I'd get really tired of it after a week or so.

2) Site availability. Camping since pretty much always has involved tents, and campsites are therefore designed for tents. This ends up in the same place as number 1: I can deal with the trouble that can come with finding a hammock site a couple of nights in a row, but I doubt I'd want to do it for weeks on end.

3) Shelters, hostels, garages, AMC huts. I use an underquilt in my hammock, which makes sleeping anywhere but my hammock an uncomfortable proposition. I know there will be days where a shelter will be a welcome sight, or I'll snag a spot on some floor somewhere. So, to make sure I can take advantage of those opportunities, I'm taking a tent and a pad.

I definitely appreciate how easy it is to stay dry with a tarp set up, being able to put it up first and take it down last. However, with the model TarpTent I bought, I can set up the fly, step inside with the interior, zip the fly up and then attach the interior. Or I can leave it all attached if it isn't a torrential downpour.

Anyway, that was my decision process.

I agree with this. I hammock camped for the past year. The hammock is more comfy than anything else for me, but the fiddle factor and amount of gear required to stay warm in various conditions began to be too much for me. I would vote tarp and bivy for maximum versatility and weight savings. I have an MLD Grace duo tarp at 16 oz and a borah gear bivy at 7.2 ounces. After guy line and everything it weighs 25 exactly. Bug protection, ground protection, and weather protection all covered in a pound and a half set up and you can use whatever piece you need for that day. Also without training your dog (and you) for it, planning on the dog sleeping in the hammock for the trip will likely cause more trouble than the comfort from the hammock is worth. It can be done, but there is a steep learning curve.

[Deacon]

I've been hammock camping for most of the summer, but I just bought a Moment DW TarpTent for my thru for three main reasons.

1) Hammocks = fiddle factor. You spend a lot of time adjusting, rigging, tightening, etc. to get the hammock and tarp just right. At the end of a long day hiking, I'd rather just set up a simple tent. I did a few punishingly long days this summer and, while I can deal with the fiddling for a couple of days, I can only imagine I'd get really tired of it after a week or so.

2) Site availability. Camping since pretty much always has involved tents, and campsites are therefore designed for tents. This ends up in the same place as number 1: I can deal with the trouble that can come with finding a hammock site a couple of nights in a row, but I doubt I'd want to do it for weeks on end.

3) Shelters, hostels, garages, AMC huts. I use an underquilt in my hammock, which makes sleeping anywhere but my hammock an uncomfortable proposition. I know there will be days where a shelter will be a welcome sight, or I'll snag a spot on some floor somewhere. So, to make sure I can take advantage of those opportunities, I'm taking a tent and a pad.

I definitely appreciate how easy it is to stay dry with a tarp set up, being able to put it up first and take it down last. However, with the model TarpTent I bought, I can set up the fly, step inside with the interior, zip the fly up and then attach the interior. Or I can leave it all attached if it isn't a torrential downpour.

Anyway, that was my decision process.

And to all this I will add:
4) a place to spread out your gear. This past summer I went with a lightheart Solong 6, and I absolutely loved it. The three years before that, I hammocked, but didn't like having my gear strewn about before the hammock setup was complete. In my tent that's not a problem.

I sprawl when sleeping, which I can't do in a hammock. I guess I should change my avatar.

[shaughnessey34]

I ended up getting a 2.8 pound 2 person tent and getting a decent pad. I did the Grafton notch loop here in Maine and stayed 3 overnights was very comfortable on dirt and platform. Managed to stay nice and dry in 2 days of rain my dog was happy too.

[1234]

Most people start staying in shelters, which when it is cold out are clean and comfortable. As it warms they can get nasty. Those with tarps end up staying under the shelters if they are full. ?? drier?? water flows right under a tarp and it rains hard all the time and it gets so foggy that just standing you get wet. Even tents get wet after a 3 day rain, I do not care what kind or who makes it. The hammock folks hang in the trees with the thunder and swinging, water runs down the string and they still get wet. Or should I say some do. NO one can say what will work for you. Those with the budget head for lodging every night and that works. I think those with the most experiance use a light 2 man tent so they can access all there gear.

[fastfoxengineering]

I started off using hammocks and my go to shelter is still my hammock. However, I have slept in plenty of tents and will be using a lightweight two person tent on my thru. I have slept in plenty of shelters and plan to avoid sleeping in most of them on the AT.

Hammock - I find it very comfortable and cozy. However, there IS a fiddle factor. You CAN get wet. And after a while they can feel confining. Furthermore, I don't like using sleeping pads for insulation and don't want to carry a pad and underquilt on the AT.

Shelters - There are good ones and bad ones. You should always carry some kind of backup shelter with you. Shelters are something you should experience.

Tent - An ultralight two person tent sounds like the perfect shelter for an AT thru hike....with a really good bathtub floor and ventilation

[LogHiking]

I ended up getting a 2.8 pound 2 person tent and getting a decent pad. I did the Grafton notch loop here in Maine and stayed 3 overnights was very comfortable on dirt and platform. Managed to stay nice and dry in 2 days of rain my dog was happy too.

Which tent did you end up going with? 2.8 lbs is not too shabby weight wise.

[Connie]

fastfoxengineering,
Tent - An ultralight two person tent sounds like the perfect shelter for an AT thru hike....with a really good bathtub floor and ventilation

Six Moon Designs has the Deschutes tarp 13 oz. and Serenity NetTent 11 oz., fit for each other, you might like.

[daddytwosticks]

fastfoxengineering,

Six Moon Designs has the Deschutes tarp 13 oz. and Serenity NetTent 11 oz., fit for each other, you might like.
Anybody have any reviews/info on the cuben version of this setup? Looks pretty nice, but have found little information from users. :)

[shaughnessey34]

Which tent did you end up going with? 2.8 lbs is not too shabby weight wise.
The North Face Mica FL 2 Tent pricey but a good tent

[Spirit Walker]

Not meant to hurt your feelings but, a 4 pound tent is a car camping tent, not a backpacking tent.

Not if you have a dog. When you have a dog, you will mostly not be welcome to use the shelters, especially when it's wet. People don't want wet dogs lying on their down bags or shaking all over or getting muddy feet on their gear. So you need space for the two of you. If your dog is big, that means a two person tent, which is about 3-4 lbs. Tarptents are large enough and lightweight.

[gunner76]

there IS a fiddle factor.

Its only as complicated as you let it be. My is very easy and fast to set up. I have seen people take an hour to set up their tents.


You CAN get wet.

You can get wet sleeping in tent. I was at a group hang where the only person to get wet during a major rainstorm was the one person sleeping in a tent. I have never gotten wet while sleeping in my hammock.


And after a while they can feel confining.

I will argue that point. The folks I know who find a hammock confining are claustrophobic. If you set your tarp up in porch mode you have a great view of what is around you and this can be used in a rain storm ( just leave one end of the tarp down so the water will run off )

[Tipi Walter]

Not if you have a dog. When you have a dog, you will mostly not be welcome to use the shelters, especially when it's wet. People don't want wet dogs lying on their down bags or shaking all over or getting muddy feet on their gear. So you need space for the two of you. If your dog is big, that means a two person tent, which is about 3-4 lbs. Tarptents are large enough and lightweight.

My dog hated the rat-box shelters and intensely disliked the people who used them. Me? I'm not as opinionated as my dog but figure if you're out in the woods for a backpacking trip and need the man-made cleverness and the engineered blight of shelters to get thru a trip, well, you might as well stay at home and sleep in the car port.

http://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backpacking2005/The-Seventh-Nutbuster-Trip-43/i-wxTx43F/0/L/Ranger%20Qualified-L.jpg
Here is Shunka passing final judgment on AT shelters and the people who use them. "Let's move on, Walt" he says. "Haven't we had a bellyful of chortling, grab-ass humans?"

[msupple]

[/COLOR]

Its only as complicated as you let it be. My is very easy and fast to set up. I have seen people take an hour to set up their tents.



You can get wet sleeping in tent. I was at a group hang where the only person to get wet during a major rainstorm was the one person sleeping in a tent. I have never gotten wet while sleeping in my hammock.

.

I will argue that point. The folks I know who find a hammock confining are claustrophobic. If you set your tarp up in porch mode you have a great view of what is around you and this can be used in a rain storm ( just leave one end of the tarp down so the water will run off )

I couldn't agree more. I'm amazed at the (IMHO) misleading information about hammock hanging I just read. I find hammocks way easier (less fiddling) than most tents, especially in the rain. Just trying to find a flat dry spot for a tent would be way more fiddling than I care to consider. With hammocks the possibilities are endless. I never got wet during my AT hike. I'd much rather be in a hammock for an extended length of time given that I can both lie in it or sit in it like a recliner with the tarp in porch mode. I never had a problem finding a place to hang. As they like to say...YMMV.

Cat in the Hat

[LogHiking]

I couldn't agree more. I'm amazed at the (IMHO) misleading information about hammock hanging I just read. I find hammocks way easier (less fiddling) than most tents, especially in the rain. Just trying to find a flat dry spot for a tent would be way more fiddling than I care to consider. With hammocks the possibilities are endless. I never got wet during my AT hike. I'd much rather be in a hammock for an extended length of time given that I can both lie in it or sit in it like a recliner with the tarp in porch mode. I never had a problem finding a place to hang. As they like to say...YMMV.

Cat in the Hat

I have hard time calling personal experience misleading. It is simply a matter of different people preferring different things. I have slept in the woods for a lot of nights in ground and hammock set ups. For the purpose of this discussion (starting his thru in April, does not have any hanging gear, assuming based on that he doesn't have an immense amount of experience hanging, is bringing his dog) I think people mentioning hanging possibly not being ideal is excellent info worth considering for the OP.

There are fanatical people on the ground and hanging side of the debate. I think everyone else is best served not listening to either of them.

[Slo-go'en]

All I can say is in Maine, it is rare to see a thru-hiker with a) a hammock or b) a dog. Though I suspect a few more hammocks make it then dogs do.

[johnnybgood]

Hammocks generally become "grounded " by the time they reach the White Mountains of NH . While hiking below treeline I definitely see the appeal of peeling off the trail on a whim, tying off to 2 trees w/o needing a flat slab of mother earth underneath.
Example A ; Suddenly a heavy downpour with gusty winds, ...Shazzamm !! rainfly goes up in a minute --you're suddenly covered -- either wait it out , or set up for the night.

[fastfoxengineering]

[/COLOR]

Its only as complicated as you let it be. My is very easy and fast to set up. I have seen people take an hour to set up their tents.



You can get wet sleeping in tent. I was at a group hang where the only person to get wet during a major rainstorm was the one person sleeping in a tent. I have never gotten wet while sleeping in my hammock.

.

I will argue that point. The folks I know who find a hammock confining are claustrophobic. If you set your tarp up in porch mode you have a great view of what is around you and this can be used in a rain storm ( just leave one end of the tarp down so the water will run off )


I couldn't agree more. I'm amazed at the (IMHO) misleading information about hammock hanging I just read. I find hammocks way easier (less fiddling) than most tents, especially in the rain. Just trying to find a flat dry spot for a tent would be way more fiddling than I care to consider. With hammocks the possibilities are endless. I never got wet during my AT hike. I'd much rather be in a hammock for an extended length of time given that I can both lie in it or sit in it like a recliner with the tarp in porch mode. I never had a problem finding a place to hang. As they like to say...YMMV.

Cat in the Hat

Let me first state that I'm not trying to spread misleading information about hammock camping. Furthermore, my post is opinionated and isn't the end all factual argument on tents vs hammocks. As stated, I'm an avid hammock camper. I sleep best in hammocks in the woods. I prefer hammocks over tents any day of the week depending on the situation. In my personal experiences with long distance backpacking, especially when taking the specific trail into consideration (the AT), I feel a tent is more beneficial than a hammock. In other parts of the world, a long distance trail might be better suited for a hammock. Once again, I just feel a tent would serve the majority of hikers better on the AT than a hammock. This might change in the future with hammock camping becoming more and more popular. But as it stands, the AT is setup for tent campers. Plain and simple. That doesn't mean hammocks don't work. I use mine all the time on small section hikes.

And when it comes down arguing which is better (tents vs hammocks), I stand in the middle. Neither is better, it depends on where I am and how I am applying the sleep system.

To address some of the vague points I made earlier for more discussion. I will first say that I find most veteran hammock converts are more stubborn than veteran tent campers. More stubborn in the sense that they think a hammock is the end all solution for every problem one can encounter with a tent. Hammockers tend to really stress boldly all the positives of hammock camping, which some are very valid, but never address the negatives, like there are none. To my point.

Hammocks are not greater than tents. Tents are not greater than hammocks.

Their is a fiddle factor for both. You can get wet in both. A single person tent is just as confining as single person hammock.

You want to jump right into a thru-hike with no camping experience, your better off buying a tent. Have the time to test out and get over the learning curve of hammocking, by all means, they're extremely comfortable.

My post is probably extremely contradicting, I'm trying to stress that one is not better than the other. But in my honest opinion, an ultralight two person tent would serve a person right on an AT thru hike. It'll definitely work, its proven.

Now someone is going to say how they know someone who completed a thru-hike with a hammock. I did too, not the AT, but the Long Trail. But correct me if I'm wrong, I'd say its 10 to 1 tenters to hammockers that show up to Khatadin on the Appalachian Trail.

One last thing, I stated one of the most influential reasons I was going to bring a tent over a hammock on the AT is too save weight. I am an under quilt convert and will never ever go back to using pads in my hammock for bottom insulation. I feel pads take a lot of the comfort out of hanging. Call me a gram weenie or whatever you want, I don't want to carry an uq and sleeping pad on the AT.

Tent, pad, and quilt - Works both in and out of shelters

Hammock, UQ/TQ - Works only in hammock. I'd rather not just sleep on a shelter floor without a pad.

Weight advantage goes to the tent setup once I add the extra weight of carrying a pad in the hammock setup.

*If you plan on using shelters at all, I say go tent. You'll learn whether or not you made the right decision in your shelter system after about a month on the trail.

[fastfoxengineering]

fastfoxengineering,

Six Moon Designs has the Deschutes tarp 13 oz. and Serenity NetTent 11 oz., fit for each other, you might like.

Thanks for the suggestion, I've really got my eye on a Zpacks Duplex tent. Once I have enough money to buy one, who knows, maybe there will be something else on the market. I'm kinda hoping to see some used ones pop up for sale sometime in the near future.

[shaughnessey34]

Hammocks generally become "grounded " by the time they reach the White Mountains of NH . While hiking below treeline I definitely see the appeal of peeling off the trail on a whim, tying off to 2 trees w/o needing a flat slab of mother earth underneath.
Example A ; Suddenly a heavy downpour with gusty winds, ...Shazzamm !! rainfly goes up in a minute --you're suddenly covered -- either wait it out , or set up for the night.
My choice ultimately came down to weight and a tent with a pad was lighter than a hammock net trap rigging by almost a pound

I couldn't agree more. I'm amazed at the (IMHO) misleading information about hammock hanging I just read. I find hammocks way easier (less fiddling) than most tents, especially in the rain. Just trying to find a flat dry spot for a tent would be way more fiddling than I care to consider. With hammocks the possibilities are endless. I never got wet during my AT hike. I'd much rather be in a hammock for an extended length of time given that I can both lie in it or sit in it like a recliner with the tarp in porch mode. I never had a problem finding a place to hang. As they like to say...YMMV.

Cat in the Hat

[Just Bill]

Thanks for the suggestion, I've really got my eye on a Zpacks Duplex tent. Once I have enough money to buy one, who knows, maybe there will be something else on the market. I'm kinda hoping to see some used ones pop up for sale sometime in the near future.
Give me a month before you buy anything- I may be looking for a gear tester this spring and you would be a good fella for that job. Don't let me hold you up, but PM me before you buy anything too big.

Still stuff to sort out but last night I slept in a 9 ounce bridge (tree to tree including poles). With an 8 ounce UQ. It was a very nasty 20*.

[Just Bill]

The lightest shelter with room you can have-
A micro tarp and bivy.

The biggest footprint(covered area) for the least weight (like you have a dog)-
Is a pyramid (mid) shelter. A floorless mid with a splash bivy for the owner is probably the best choice for the OP.

The most convenient shelter you can have-
A freestanding tent.
I mean a truly freestanding one, not the hybrids they are selling now to cut weight.

The toughest shelter you can have-
A tunnel tent with vestibule.

Fiddle factor-
If you were to place a simple freestanding dome tent in front of the average camper they would struggle to set it up.
If you were to hand an UL shaped tarp to a tent user they would struggle to set it up.
If you were to hand a hammock to a tarp user they would struggle to set it up.
If you were to hand a bivy to a hammock user they would struggle to make it work.

If you give anything to anyone who is not used to using it, it will be tricky to use and likely errors will occur.

Hammock hangers shoot their sport in the foot with all the insider terms and odd crap. From the outside looking in, it is a hard thing to pick up. The average camper understands terms like; stake, guyline, ground cloth, tarp, bivy. They generally understand how to use them.
The average camper does not understand terms like; Whoopie, UCR, Quilt, UQ, TQ, socks, anything made by Dutch or who Dutch is, Amsteel, Dynaglide etc. They have no idea how to use them or even why to buy them.

Tents are easy and safe.
Using a Hammock is tricky, but once you get past the initial curve, easier than either a bivy or tarp.
Using a Tarp well is tricky.
Using a Bivy well is difficult.

Very few hammock folks are UL. Though it can be done at weights equal to a ground dwelling setup.
In fact, it may even be possible to go lighter in a hammock. But we'll see.

[4shot]

I thru hiked with a Shires tarptent. I have section hiked several few times with a hammock. Weight differential was negligent. Sleep a bit better with a hammock. Fiddle factor much lower with my tent If I were thru hiking, tent carries the day. if I am section hiking (and/or with my dog) a hammock/tarp is great. Thru hiking is about efficiency. Section hiking is about relaxing in the woods. ymmv.