Hammock vs. Tent

[Bulldawg]

Again, not a thru hiker, but a two or three night guy. Whats the pros and cons of Hammock camping? I know I'll hear lots of good info here. Just joined yesterday and already learing more than I thought I ever could. This thing is addicting, this forum that is. Thanks folks!! Now, opinions!!

[Smile]

Time to get some popcorn and settle in. :)

[Lone Wolf]

hammocks suck. they're a fad. tents are great. they're tried and true

[Montego]

Save some popcorn for me. I'll call out for pizza!:D

[slow]

hammocks suck. they're a fad. tents are great. they're tried and true

Easy now:) Do i like them as you NO,But plenty can see them as a great home.:)

[SGT Rock]

Again, not a thru hiker, but a two or three night guy. Whats the pros and cons of Hammock camping? I know I'll hear lots of good info here. Just joined yesterday and already learing more than I thought I ever could. This thing is addicting, this forum that is. Thanks folks!! Now, opinions!!
Pros - very comfortable. Off the ground so you can camp most anywhere and stay dry because most folks get wet in tents when it comes in the bottom. Also very light compared to a tent.

Cons - harder to stay warm in. The interior of the hammock area is smaller - but depending on how you use it with a tarp you can actually have more room than someone with a tent. There is a learning curve to using one the optimal way.

[SteveJ]

<clip> ;) tents are great. they're tried and true

that's one reason I purchased a Speer Winter Tarp - now my hammock is in a tent! The comfort of a hammock with the protection of a full tarptent!

[Tinker]

Pros on hammocks:

1) Cooler in summer
2) No worries about rocks, roots, or water running through your tent, soaking your sleeping bag.
3) Hennessy Hammock sets up faster than almost any tent.
4) "Floor" is easily levelled.
5) You don't have to crawl in, getting yourself (and your bed dirty, muddy or wet).
6) If set up independantly of the fly, can often be taken down bone dry in a rainstorm.

Pros on tents:

1) Can be set up where there are no trees.
2) More "living space" for things like changing clothes (also counts as more privacy).
3) Can be used by more than one person at a time.
4) Provide a windbreak in very cold weather without having to add underquilts (therefore more weight - a winterized hammock such as a Hennessy may weigh as much or more than a solo winter tent).
5) Can be used to entertain others such as playing cards or whatever.
Google webshots tinkerdan winter hammock to see my makeshift winter (moderate) hammock.

[slamajama]

hammocks suck. they're a fad. tents are great. they're tried and true
im no expert hiker by any means, BUT, hammocking does not suck, nor is it impractical, Imho...
we can all tell u pros and cons, but u need to try it to c if it works for u, just like any advice u get in life.it has been mentioned to me that this subject seems to b a better ques posted on a site specifically for hammocks, which i agree.
no1 should b that adamant on any particular thing, with all due respect.


i like using my hammock.

[SGT Rock]

No sense in arguing with wolf LOL. It will never work.

[Lone Wolf]

im no expert hiker by any means, BUT, hammocking does not suck, nor is it impractical, Imho...
we can all tell u pros and cons, but u need to try it to c if it works for u, just like any advice u get in life.it has been mentioned to me that this subject seems to b a better ques posted on a site specifically for hammocks, which i agree.
no1 should b that adamant on any particular thing, with all due respect.


i like using my hammock.

nah. hammocks really do suck. for most people

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

Each option has its place.

Hammocks are more comfortable than ground sleeping. As Rock and others have noted, it requires more thought to stay warm (you have to have under insulation and over insulation.) The new Speer winter tarptents for hammocks make it possible to have the advantages of being in an enclosed space and being in a hammock - the best of both worlds.

[Fiddleback]

nah. hammocks really do suck. for most people

L. Wolfe --

Which ones didn't you like? Do ya' think a different model/manufacturer would suck less?:D The comfort level is so high I'd give it another try...

FB

[Lone Wolf]

L. Wolfe --

Which ones didn't you like? Do ya' think a different model/manufacturer would suck less?:D The comfort level is so high I'd give it another try...

FB

they all suck equally. when they make one that i can lay on my stomach and cook in the vestibule, i'll buy it

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

they all suck equally. when they make one that i can lay on my stomach and cook in the vestibule, i'll buy itIt's a done deal - you can sleep on your stomach in the JacksRBetter Bear Mountain Bridge Hammock (http://www.jacksrbetter.com/index_files/BMBH.htm) and the Speer winter tarptent (http://www.speerhammocks.com/Products/Tarps.htm) wings open up to give you a vestibule for cooking (http://www.speerhammocks.com/Assets/Images/Tarps/WinterTarp6.jpg) - or you can take one whole side up and have a front porch (http://www.speerhammocks.com/Assets/Images/Tarps/WinterTarp5.jpg).

So when can I expect to see a bear burrito with Wolf filling? :D

[SouthMark]

Wolfe, I have a 52 year old friend that will not eat anything but "American" food. He has never tried Mexican food, Chinese, etc. but he just knows they suck.

[peter_pan]

they all suck equally. when they make one that i can lay on my stomach and cook in the vestibule, i'll buy it

L. Wolf.... Mosey on up to Mt Rogers, Wise shelter area, on the week end of 25 Jan for the Winter Hang Out and try out the new JRB Bear Mountain Bridge Hammock.... It is a lay flat, lay straight design....It is easily a side sleeper and with a proper hang and a pad some may like it as a stomach sleeper.... There will be a cook out Sat evening, soooo it is in your neighborhood and there is free food..... Plus you are invited!!!

Pan

[Lone Wolf]

Wolfe, I have a 52 year old friend that will not eat anything but "American" food. He has never tried Mexican food, Chinese, etc. but he just knows they suck.

i've tried a hammock. i know they suck. most mexican and chinese food DOES suck

[rafe]

What I don't understand is why those who've switched to hammocks are so intent on getting others to switch? :-? At what point in time did the hiking community divide along the lines of preferred sleeping method? Just seems weird.

[MOWGLI]

I've tried hammocks. They're OK. Slept in one on the Florida Trail for 3 nights, and on the Lakeshore Trail for 2 nights. I'm a tent guy. I like to stay grounded. YMMV

[SGT Rock]

What I don't understand is why those who've switched to hammocks are so intent on getting others to switch? :-? At what point in time did the hiking community divide along the lines of preferred sleeping method? Just seems weird.
We didn't divide. It only appears that way to some stuck in a divided mind frame.

It is like when internal frame packs came out and people that tried them were singing their praises and most old external frame pack guys didn't see any reason to even consider something else when externals were the kings for years. Now the majority of hikers use internal frame packs because they work better for a lot of people - including some of the die hard external people.

Hammocks are the same sort of thing - I can't think of anyone that just started hiking by sleeping in one (except maybe my sons) the majority of them started by sleeping on the ground somewhere and then switched over at some point - and like finding anything they think works better they want to tell others about it.

I reckon the only divide is people that think they shouldn't be told that a hammock is more comfortable than a tent. Sort of a strange idea like a Christian not wanting to hear about Buddhism because he doesn't understand why people would want to believe something different when Christianity has worked so well in the past.

[rafe]

I reckon the only divide is people that think they shouldn't be told that a hammock is more comfortable than a tent.

Once or twice would be fine... but it gets a bit old after a while. :rolleyes:

I hiked with a fellow that was hammocking in '90. (Indiana Dan.) In that regard Dan was quite a pioneer. But I don't recall Dan trying to "convert" me to his method or sell me on its benefits.

[SGT Rock]

I don't think we are trying to sell it either. Notice we put up cons as well. We are answering the question the poster asked. Read the whole thread. No where did the topic go to "why people describing hamocks are annoying Terrapin".

If you don't care about hammocks why do you keep posting on this thread? You know you do have the ability to opt out of the hammock forum now.

[rafe]

If you don't care about hammocks why do you keep posting on this thread? You know you do have the ability to opt out of the hammock forum now.

Actually, I wasn't aware of that. I'll check it out (opting out, that is.)

[SGT Rock]

I take that back - I don't think we have added that to the main board - only the test board. If anyone ever needs to opt out ahead of time we have been doing that. Normally that is something wherre someone just cannot stand to read or participate in a forum like the Dog forum.

[Ewker]

I reckon the only divide is people that think they shouldn't be told that a hammock is more comfortable than a tent.


I don't think a hammock is anymore comfortable to sleep in than a tent. I can sleep in either just fine. My worst night sleep ever was in a hammock and no it wasn't the first night I slept in one or due to cold weather. I still have a hammock and I just ordered a no-net hammock from Claytor but I will still use my tent

The discussion on this is just like the discussion on a alcohol stove vs a cannister stove :p

[littlelaurel59]

Again, not a thru hiker, but a two or three night guy. Whats the pros and cons of Hammock camping? I know I'll hear lots of good info here. Just joined yesterday and already learing more than I thought I ever could. This thing is addicting, this forum that is. Thanks folks!! Now, opinions!!

I first used a hammock back in the early 80's. Nylon mesh that wrapped you up like a cacoon. Nothing like what is available today.

I am one of those who sleeps better in a hammock. When on the ground, I sleep poorly the first night, fair the second night, and decent thereafter. In a hammock, I generally sleep decent the first night, and well thereafter. As a result, I usually come home from weekend trips (the 2-3 nighters like you do) much more rested if I hammock.

In warmer months, I often set up my hammock in the yard or the basement for a Sunady afternoon nap. Can't have too much practice, y'know.

Best advice- try it our for yourself to see how it sleeps. Then practice and ask lots of questions if you find it comfortable.

[Lone Wolf]

The discussion on this is just like the discussion on a alcohol stove vs a cannister stove :p

or walking poles vs. no poles. cannister stoves are a whole lot better than alcohol stoves. poleless is the way to go too

[SGT Rock]

Or how much Nalgen bottles suck and only weenies use them.

[Lone Wolf]

i love nalgene bottles. i'm a weenie.

[SGT Rock]

I was going to get you a Strawberry Shortcake (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlF90vkjhzM)sticker this year for your bottle:

Sticker art (http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/602-1587570-0210229?ASIN=B000GHHW9Y&AFID=Froogle&LNM=B000GHHW9Y|Strawberry_Shortcake_Wall_Stickers&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=B000GHHW9Y&ref=tgt_adv_XSG10001)

[Nearly Normal]

Again, not a thru hiker, but a two or three night guy. Whats the pros and cons of Hammock camping? I know I'll hear lots of good info here. Just joined yesterday and already learing more than I thought I ever could. This thing is addicting, this forum that is. Thanks folks!! Now, opinions!!

With your address, borrow one and try sleeping out tonight and the next. You'll find out quick.

[BillyBob58]

What I don't understand is why those who've switched to hammocks are so intent on getting others to switch? :-? At what point in time did the hiking community divide along the lines of preferred sleeping method? Just seems weird.

Reading some comments makes you wonder why some would seem intent on keeping others away from hammocks? Any one can give them a try, and then it is usually a quick decision. I have no interest in getting any one to switch. If you like the ground, stick with what makes you happy. After 20+ years of ground dwelling, I will now stick to hammocks when reasonable to do so. No tree in sight or high above timberline on the snow may require me to go back to the ground. Or it may require more wind stability than I can feel safe with in a tarp.( tarp limitation, not hammock!)

Stomach sleeping requires a JRB or homemade bridge hammock, but I don't sleep on my stomach, so no problem for me.

BTW, all camping hammocks have vestibules for cooking, AKA tarps of varying size. And as many ground sleepers are already tarp users to save weight, it's not much change to add the hammock, maybe instaed of a bivy. Now, if severe weather(especially wind) is to be expected, I don't think a tarp can match the pretty bombproof security of a low profile tent with it's intersecting poles. But, that is a limitation of the tarp, not the hammock. And many a ground dweller has already made the switch to tarps for most trips, for the weight savings and the pleasure of a more open shelter when weather is pretty good. Adding the hammock to the tarp does nothing to make the tarp less secure. It only adds being off the ground when the flood waters or sideways rain come rushing under your tarp, and greater abilty to maybe escape the wind by being able to chose a spot out of the wind! Because you don't have to worry about level or root free ground under you! :banana


The longer I use hammocks, the more I am impressed with the new found ability to quickly find a camp site without worrying with level ground, roots and rocks. That really is a huge bonus. As long as there are trees. My limitations with finding acceptable campsites usually are determined by my ground sleeping buddies who are with me. And no matter how unacceptable the site might otherwise be for the tent/tarp ground sleeping, my comfort is going to be the same as on any other night in a hammock. Which is to say: for me, still more comfortable than my best night on the ground, at the best perfectly level, root and rock free campsite.

Though I do like to share the good news for any one who is interested, if some of you prefer the ground, by all means stay there. After all, I do occasionally- sadly- have to go back to ground myself. Zero trees of the right size or right distance apart, or just too cold for the under insulation I have with me, or regulations about where I have to camp, etc., and I am back on the ground. :( But there is always much happiness if the next night I am able to get back in my super comfortable hammock!

[Tipi Walter]

For all you hammock fanatics, show me someone who lives in a hammock for weeks at a time in the winter. Or someone starting the AT in December thru March and uses a hammock exclusively??

Or open bald camping during a blizzard??

[Lone Wolf]

For all you hammock fanatics, show me someone who lives in a hammock for weeks at a time in the winter. Or someone starting the AT in December thru March and uses a hammock exclusively??

Or open bald camping during a blizzard??

hammocks are a fad. serious long distance hikers don't use them. mostly weekenders. they're just not practical

[SGT Rock]

For all you hammock fanatics, show me someone who lives in a hammock for weeks at a time in the winter. Or someone starting the AT in December thru March and uses a hammock exclusively??

Or open bald camping during a blizzard??
I'm starting a thru in January and using one - we shall see how exlusivly.

As for camping on a bald with a hammock - well that is just silly since a bald normally doesn't have trees.

This is like saying all you screwdriver fans let me see you pound in a nail with a screwdriver. Screwdrivers screw in screws while hammers can pound one in flat or pound a nail. If you want to pound a nail (camp on a bald in winter) then you need the right tool. But just because a hammer can pound in a screw instead of a screwdriver (or a tent can sleep in the woods all seasons while a hammock can sleep in the woods in 3 seasons) doesn't mean everyone always has to use the same tool for every chore.

[Tipi Walter]

I agree that hammocks can offer a tremendous amount of freedom, i.e. camping on steep mountainsides, camping over mudpits or small creeks, etc. But I just can't see spending 5 days holed up in one during a mean blizzard or high elevation windstorm. Or even an all day rainstorm with whipping winds and horizontal velcro-ripping sleet. Where does one cook?

[Just Jeff]

Or open bald camping during a blizzard??

Some people camp in places besides open balds. Even during blizzards. Hard to believe, but even AT hikers camp in places besides open balds during blizzards.

Do you take the same sleeping bag for your "open bald during blizzard" trips as for your summertime trips? How come you're not bashing your summer sleeping bag since you don't use that when camping on open balds during blizzards? Or the shorts you probably wear in the summer...don't use those on an open bald during a blizzard, so they must be useless.

Seriously man - like Rocks says, you gotta pick the right tool for the job. Hammocks can be used in the winter...I know lots of folks who have been below freezing and a handful that have been well below zero, so it can be done. Just not on an open bald. You can camp in treeless areas if you have some rock climbing gear to attach to boulders. I can point you to some pics if you want.

Re: being holed up during a rainstorm - I'd rather be in a hammock. You can pitch the tarp head high so you have a dry place to stand up in, unlike a tent. You can use your hammock as a lounger, like a chair, so you're not Indian-style the whole time, unlike a tent. The tarp has excellent ventilation, so condensation isn't as much of an issue as many tents. You still get good views, even with the rain protection, unlike most tents.

And I can sit chair height on a soft surface to cook under my tarp, rather than hunched over in a tent vestibule.

Just different tools, man. Gotta pick the right one for the trip, and the right tool that fits your style. If hammocks aren't for you, that's fine.

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

I just can't see spending 5 days holed up in one during a mean blizzard or high elevation windstorm. Or even an all day rainstorm with whipping winds and horizontal velcro-ripping sleet. Where does one cook?See post 15 on this thread for answers. You could take down the hammock during the day and have all kinds of space to ride out a storm.

[SGT Rock]

I agree that hammocks can offer a tremendous amount of freedom, i.e. camping on steep mountainsides, camping over mudpits or small creeks, etc. But I just can't see spending 5 days holed up in one during a mean blizzard or high elevation windstorm. Or even an all day rainstorm with whipping winds and horizontal velcro-ripping sleet. Where does one cook?
Well I wouldn't spend all that time inside the hammock most likely - I would probably be out of the hammock and under the tarp - that would be in the rainstorm scenario. I wouldn't go out with a hammock if I expected a blizzard and if I got one I would most likely change my plans.

As for cooking in the rain - the entire hammock fly is your vestibule when you are not in it. My winter hammock tarp is a 6' x 10' with more space than many tent users have. I can spread out under that and the sides can even go all the way to the ground if needed. You don't spend all your time cooped up in the actually hammock body. But if you are lounging around in the hammock during a rainstorm I've found it a lot more comfortable to be in a hammock than a tent where you end up laying on your side reading and listening to musing while occasionally switching sides as that becomes uncomfortable, With the hammock you have a regular chair if you sit sideways so you can sit down in a chair to cook. If you want to kick back like a lounge chair - well a hammock rocks at that.

[Just Jeff]

Forgot to mention - if a hammocker uses a sleeping pad for bottom insulation, he can always cowboy camp or use the tarp on the ground - even on an open bald.

[BillyBob58]

Once or twice would be fine... but it gets a bit old after a while. :rolleyes:

I hiked with a fellow that was hammocking in '90. (Indiana Dan.) In that regard Dan was quite a pioneer. But I don't recall Dan trying to "convert" me to his method or sell me on its benefits.

I don't understand why telling some one why you like something is trying to convert them. Don't we all talk with other folks about our various equipment choices and why we prefer them? If Wolf says "hammocks suck", is he trying to convert me to the ground? Maybe he is, or maybe he could care less what I do and just wants to state his opinion on a piece of gear.

What about it, Wolf? Do you want to keep people from trying hammocks, or convert those that do back to the ground? ( For the latter, I hope not- but if so, good luck with that! :D )

Re: the "hammock fanatic" comment by Tipi Walter( who is apparently a "tenting fanatic"? :D ) I can't comment on using hammocks exclusively for multi-month hikes. Though I have read comments by several who have done so. I have only used mine for for week long Sept. trips at 10,000 feet and above in Wyoming's Wind River Mountains ( lows about 20*, wind and rain) and for a week in Olympic National Park. All was fine( 1 night on the ground due to no trees), and I'm not sure what would have been different on a multi-month trip other than having to resupply food. I have spent as long as a month straight in the Wind Rivers. Still under a tarp, with heavy snow in June. Again, the only thing I can see that would be different is I( and evey one else) was pretty miserable after 30 days on the ground on CCF pads. I would have been infinitely more comfortable and rested on most nights of this trip had I been in a hammock. On some nights I would have had to go back to ground. But no worse off than the non-hammock users were every night.

Do any of you ground sleepers ever use a tarp to save weight? Or, are tarps a "fad" also? If so, do you see how this works? If every thing is kosher, you hang in blissful comfort. If there are no trees, and no rocks to hang from with climbing gear, or it's just to windy and cold, you still stay under the same tarp as your ground sleeping buddies. Only now, you take your pad which is part of your back up ( or total) insulation for your hammock, and you place it on the ground next to your every night ground sleeping buddies. Now you are (hopefully for just this night) as uncomfortable as they are! You use your hammock ( or not ) as a sort of bivy under your tarp, with bug netting if needed. You are now all equal again, on the ground and still under tarps.

If conditions are ok for hammocks, you have great comfort. Assuming you are among those ( many ) who find hammocks so comfortable- some don't. If conditions are poor for hammocks, you go back to the ground. What's the big deal?

Most of the draw backs being mentioned about hammocks are really the pros and cons of tarps vs. tents. Are you anti-hammock folks equally against tarps for all trips? Are there any of you who ever take a tarp on a long trip, or do "tarps" suck as well?

[SouthMark]

What I don't understand is why those who've switched to hammocks are so intent on getting others to switch? :-? At what point in time did the hiking community divide along the lines of preferred sleeping method? Just seems weird.

I'm a hammock user and I agree with you but this thread was started by someone who was asking the pros and cons of hammock sleeping. I think that means that hammock users would naturally talk about the pros and ground dwellers would talk about the cons. Hammock use is not for everyone and ground sleeping is not for everyone (especially us older hikers). HYOH, make up your own mine and let others do the same.

And I really do not care what others use!

[SGT Rock]

FWIW I did live in a hammock for months. Those months were September thru March, but it was in Iraq so the winter wasn't that bad at all, I think about 30F was the coldest it ever got.

[BillyBob58]

I agree that hammocks can offer a tremendous amount of freedom, i.e. camping on steep mountainsides, camping over mudpits or small creeks, etc. But I just can't see spending 5 days holed up in one during a mean blizzard or high elevation windstorm. Or even an all day rainstorm with whipping winds and horizontal velcro-ripping sleet. Where does one cook?

Under your tarp, with the hammock in it's "skins" and pulled out of the way up near the tarp ridgeline, or to one side. If you can tarp camp without a hammock, you can tarp camp with a hammock. And I did for 30 straight days at high altitude in Wyoming- sometimes wished for a tent but got by ok and saved much weight. Which was already at 70 lbs with winter clothing( June, but plenty of snow and cold), 4 lb. synthetic bags, climbing gear( ropes, ice axes, helmets. crampons, etc) and at least 7 days of food between resupply at caches.

Again, most of these objections are more bases on tarp vs tent than tent vs hammock.

[BillyBob58]

PS: I meant I used a tarp for 30 days in Wyoming, not a hammock. But, I wish I did have a hammock on that very uncomfortable trip. Rather than all 30 days on CCF on the ground. The improved rest on many nights would have been worth an extra pound or two added to the 70+ I already had.

[BillyBob58]

I take that back - I don't think we have added that to the main board - only the test board. If anyone ever needs to opt out ahead of time we have been doing that. Normally that is something wherre someone just cannot stand to read or participate in a forum like the Dog forum.

Why would you need to opt out? Couldn't you just not read the hammock section of WB? I don't really read anything here EXCEPT the hammock section. So, it won't even effect me if someone in the "tent" or whatever section is talking a lot about tents.

[SGT Rock]

It is just a complaint we occasionally get from folks that I reckon like to complain. They are tired of reading about X. X could be hammocks, dogs, women's forums, ultralight, or whatever and instead of not reading the forum they apparently hate or at least don't want to read about they actually ask us to get rid of that section despite the fact that many other users do find a use for it. It boggles my mind, but it happens - but I think that is the way of America these days. America - land of the offended.

So, to give the individual the option to stop reading things that bother them we are looking into installing a hack that allows people to opt out of those forums voluntarily. So if reading about the Benton MacKaye trail somehow irks someone to the point of violence, they can select to no longer read the forum about that where the software takes care of it for them instead of simple self control. That said, we also have the ability to lock people out of forums where they decide to be annoying instead of exercising discipline - such as being an ass in the women's forum or the dog forum or whatever.

[Tipi Walter]

Under your tarp, with the hammock in it's "skins" and pulled out of the way up near the tarp ridgeline, or to one side. If you can tarp camp without a hammock, you can tarp camp with a hammock. And I did for 30 straight days at high altitude in Wyoming- sometimes wished for a tent but got by ok and saved much weight. Which was already at 70 lbs with winter clothing( June, but plenty of snow and cold), 4 lb. synthetic bags, climbing gear( ropes, ice axes, helmets. crampons, etc) and at least 7 days of food between resupply at caches.

Again, most of these objections are more bases on tarp vs tent than tent vs hammock.

Thanks to you and Just Jeff for the up front and civil comments, you guys obviously know your stuff. My comments really have to do with high elevation winds. I'm talking about tent pole bending winds which I seem to encounter on a regular basis where I go backpacking. During such windstorms while I'm sitting tentbound in camp, I often muse on the poor tarp/bivy and hammock campers in such conditions, and hence my skepticism with such sheltering systems.

I just can't see using a tarp/hammock tarp in 50-65 mph winds and winds with rain or sleet. I mean, I look for such conditions when I go out and I like the freedom a tent offers to be out in such weather, but it's even hard in a tent to stay sane, much less a hammock or tarp. I'm talking about winds that beat a tent to death, that dump rain or sleet like a liquid knife and the whole thing sounds like a giant piece of velcro ripping across the tent.

As I said once before, I spent 10 days under a tarp in a blizzard at -10 below in 1982 and was miserable--never again. I woke up every morning covered in a foot of snow no matter how tight I configured the thing. I would imagine the hammock tarp to be the same, like an umbrella in a hurricane. And it seems to sit so high off the ground!

[travis71]

I have started looking into camping recently, & have decided to go the route of the hammock for a number of reasons.

1) I can make a hammock for cheaper than I could buy one.

2) I can make the accessories that will go with it for cheaper than I could buy them.

3) I have 3 kids & a wife who has had 4 major invasive surgeries on her spine, & does not work. In other words, I am freakin broke, so DIY appeals to me. :)

4) I am definitely NOT a DIY guy. I am good with computers, but making stuff.... not me. The project to make my own camp gear is one I am looking forward to undertaking, because I think that anyone could do this. I wont have to buy 15 different makes of hammocks to figure out which one I like... I can just re-whip a hammock I have & hang it until I have it right.

5) I live in West Virginia, 100% of my camping will be done in the woods, where there are trees. Not on balds, & not in a blizzard.

6) I will be camping with a friend (who I am also making a hammock for) and if we go someplace we need a tent, he has one.

*FOR ME* I weighed the pro's & con's & realized that a hammock was the way to go for now. As I said, most of my campsites will be in national forests in WV. There will ALWAYS be trees. If somehow I manage to land myself in Dolly Sods, in an area sans trees, I am not stuck... I *CAN* go to ground with my tarp, pad & quilt. In short, I dont plan on going anywhere that my gear wont support me (literally, heh) in. If a year or two down the road, I need to go to an area where I need to tent camp, I will get a tent.

In the short term, I dont see me planning on taking a trip for more than 2 or 3 nights... if the weather is going to be absolute crap, I wouldnt enjoy the trip, so I wouldnt go, or stay if I was already out. So the question of being stranded in my tent/hammock, etc for 5 days doesnt apply. I am planning on camping as a way to extend my hikes, & the trails/sights I get to see. I dont hike to camp, I camp to hike. I would recommend that you ignore the rhetoric in this thread, & the people going on about how MY OPINION IS RIGHT, educate yourself, & get gear that suits you & your plans.

[peter_pan]

hammocks are a fad. serious long distance hikers don't use them. mostly weekenders. they're just not practical

There have been AT thru hikes using hammocks for years.

Pan

[Lone Wolf]

very few

[BillyBob58]

S...................
Re: being holed up during a rainstorm - I'd rather be in a hammock. You can pitch the tarp head high so you have a dry place to stand up in, unlike a tent. You can use your hammock as a lounger, like a chair, so you're not Indian-style the whole time, unlike a tent. The tarp has excellent ventilation, so condensation isn't as much of an issue as many tents. You still get good views, even with the rain protection, unlike most tents.

And I can sit chair height on a soft surface to cook under my tarp, rather than hunched over in a tent vestibule.

Just different tools, man. Gotta pick the right one for the trip, and the right tool that fits your style. If hammocks aren't for you, that's fine.

Jeff et all, on my Olympic Mountains trip last September, I was with two tenting friends, who borrowed my 3-4 man 4 season Walrus tent. I don't think they could stand being confined with each other in that small 2 man tent they used last year. Any way, they ended up spending much of that rainy trip with me, or the other hammock camper, under our tarps! Most of the time pitched awning style for good room and views, still adequate for the rain, most of the time anyway. It was much roomier than even that 9+ lb. tent, and they could stand up.

Last year they were both kind of laughing at me in my hammock. But I noticed this year, they were showing a lot of interest and asking a lot of questions. Now they both say they are going to have to look into that hammock thing. No selling on my part. I think it had something to do with a weeks worth of watching me lounging in hammock as a chair, or listening to me and the other hammock guy talk about how great we slept every night. I didn't here them say that on any morning, though they may have slept well and just didn't mention it. I know there were some nights when they did not sleep well. They did mention that, I heard them grumbling to each other.

But had a hurricane(sp?) blown in, they might have had an advantage in that bomb proof 4 season tent. Especially as we camped in fairly unsheltered areas dictated by a flat spot for their tent, and all stayed close together.

[SouthMark]

hammocks are a fad. serious long distance hikers don't use them. mostly weekenders. they're just not practical

I first used a hammock on the AT from Springer to Fontana in 1981.

[peter_pan]

Maybe we can get Lone Wolf and Neo to stage "The Great Debate" at TD this year? Each aguement limited to 12 words or lesss....Wonder if we could sell tickets for it for the benefit of WB and HF..... could finance these great sites for a long time,:rolleyes: :D

Pan

[BillyBob58]

It boggles my mind, but it happens - but I think that is the way of America these days. America - land of the offended..

LOL!....................

Actually, sad but true.

[Lone Wolf]

Maybe we can get Lone Wolf and Neo to stage "The Great Debate" at TD this year? Each aguement limited to 12 words or lesss....Wonder if we could sell tickets for it for the benefit of WB and HF..... could finance these great sites for a long time,:rolleyes: :D

Pan

there's nothing to debate. hammocks suck for long distance hiking. tents are are practical and the only way to go. i'm right. end of discussion.

[4eyedbuzzard]

Burn the shelters, carry a tent and a glock, elect a conservative, and all will be well in the world. Got that everyone?

[Lone Wolf]

Burn the shelters, carry a tent and a glock, elect a conservative, and all will be well in the world. Got that everyone?

hey! you're cool

[4eyedbuzzard]

hey! you're cool

:cool: :rolleyes: :-? :eek:

[Lone Wolf]

:sun :eek: :D :banana :rolleyes: :welcome
:cool: :rolleyes: :-? :eek:

[BillyBob58]

Thanks to you and Just Jeff for the up front and civil comments, you guys obviously know your stuff. My comments really have to do with high elevation winds. I'm talking about tent pole bending winds which I seem to encounter on a regular basis where I go backpacking. During such windstorms while I'm sitting tentbound in camp, I often muse on the poor tarp/bivy and hammock campers in such conditions, and hence my skepticism with such sheltering systems.

I just can't see using a tarp/hammock tarp in 50-65 mph winds and winds with rain or sleet. I mean, I look for such conditions when I go out and I like the freedom a tent offers to be out in such weather, but it's even hard in a tent to stay sane, much less a hammock or tarp. I'm talking about winds that beat a tent to death, that dump rain or sleet like a liquid knife and the whole thing sounds like a giant piece of velcro ripping across the tent.

As I said once before, I spent 10 days under a tarp in a blizzard at -10 below in 1982 and was miserable--never again. I woke up every morning covered in a foot of snow no matter how tight I configured the thing. I would imagine the hammock tarp to be the same, like an umbrella in a hurricane. And it seems to sit so high off the ground!

TW, you are very welcome. And you make some very valid points about severe weather vs. tarp, especially wind and heavy snow. I also have woke up with a tarp on my face, collapsed from the weight of snow(June 1985). I was on the ground, not in a hammock. Though all I had to do then was push the tarp up with my hands and the snow would slide off. And I was still dry. I would not choose a tarp ( with hammock or otherwise) if I was expecting a whole bunch of that. Still, that was one night out of 30 on which that happened, and we mostly did just fine. And 3 men under a large tarp save a good bit of weight, with no other problems. Plus we could pitch high in fair weather. I also would not have wanted to be enclosed in any 3 man tent with those stinking guys for 30 days! :eek: ( It was them that really stunk, not me of course! ;) )

Also, if the weather was bad and I had a tarp AND a hammock, I would at least have the hope of being to find a place out of the wind, sheltered by a large boulder or on the lee side of a steep ridge. Places that might otherwise be impossible to sleep on the ground.

[Minerva]

i'm right. end of discussion.

Yes you are! But let the hammock users continue their discourse. They make the rest of us look really sane!

MrsG

[BillyBob58]

there's nothing to debate. hammocks suck for long distance hiking. tents are are practical and the only way to go. i'm right. end of discussion.

OK, then! That settles it. I'll burn my hammock and go back to the ground!

[SGT Rock]

You mean I was deluding myself this whole time?

Damn...

Actually I don't need my method to be popular or agreed on. I actually like it that people think it is WRONG. Makes me feel better about myself.

[Tinker]

Hey, live and let live.
Hammocking is a lifestyle for some folks.
Tenting is for some others.
Yet others are into tarping.
(Some even go both ways - or all three). Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. ;)

Why can't we all just get along??????????:rolleyes: :D

[Trillium]

I was going to get you a Strawberry Shortcake (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlF90vkjhzM)sticker this year for your bottle:

Sticker art (http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/602-1587570-0210229?ASIN=B000GHHW9Y&AFID=Froogle&LNM=B000GHHW9Y|Strawberry_Shortcake_Wall_Stickers&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=B000GHHW9Y&ref=tgt_adv_XSG10001)
you have sons and have been in the military for a long time; how the heck do you know about something like this? <scratches head>

[Lone Wolf]

Hey, live and let live.
Hammocking is a lifestyle for some folks.
Tenting is for some others.
Yet others are into tarping.
(Some even go both ways - or all three). Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. ;)

Why can't we all just get along??????????:rolleyes: :D

me and rock get along fine. we did a little hike in the smokys, he hammocked, i tented. screw them shelters

[Just Jeff]

Maybe we can get Lone Wolf and Neo to stage "The Great Debate" at TD this year? Each aguement limited to 12 words or lesss....Wonder if we could sell tickets for it for the benefit of WB and HF..... could finance these great sites for a long time,:rolleyes: :D

That's probably the BEST idea I've read on these sites!


there's nothing to debate. hammocks suck for long distance hiking. tents are are practical and the only way to go. i'm right. end of discussion.

And that's probably the longest post I've ever seen from LW.

Hey LW - you gonna be at Mt Rogers this month?

[Lone Wolf]

Hey LW - you gonna be at Mt Rogers this month?

depends on the weather

[SGT Rock]

me and rock get along fine. we did a little hike in the smokys, he hammocked, i tented. screw them shelters
Absolutly. And I have a daughter too (now 22) so I know about the girly things.

And the shelter system in the Smokies sucks for anyone that wants a tent or a hammock - some shelter lover made a rule to ruin it for everyone. The Birches are a good start to fixing that though.

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

Maybe we can get Lone Wolf and Neo to stage "The Great Debate" at TD this year? Each aguement limited to 12 words or lesss....Wonder if we could sell tickets for it for the benefit of WB and HF..... could finance these great sites for a long time,:rolleyes: :D
Neo: My set-up is geat
LW: Hammocks Suck
Neo: My Sportsguide tarp rocks
LW: Tarps suck
Neo: Hillary's hot
LW: No she's not

[4eyedbuzzard]

Neo: My set-up is geat
LW: Hammocks Suck
Neo: My Sportsguide tarp rocks
LW: Tarps suck
Neo: Hillary's hot
LW: No she's not

"No she's not"? I thought it would have been Hillary sucks.

Oops, my bad, that was Monica.:banana

[Just Jeff]

Neo: My set-up is geat
LW: Hammocks Suck
Neo: My Sportsguide tarp rocks
LW: Tarps suck
Neo: Hillary's hot
LW: No she's not

except neo, doesnt' use capps

neither does lone wolf, but the punctuation and spelling are enough to make his grammar school teacher cry.

lone wolf - depends on the weather? you don't think your ground setup will keep you as comfortable as our hammocks?

[Lone Wolf]

lone wolf - depends on the weather? you don't think your ground setup will keep you as comfortable as our hammocks?

no. but only a dumbf*** would drive all that way in a 35 deg. rain, hike in and set up in that kind of weather. a typical january scenario

[Lone Wolf]

you don't think your ground setup will keep you as comfortable as our hammocks?

yes my tent would be a LOT more comfortable.

[Tinker]

L. Wolf. What do you use for a tent? I agree that a tent in winter is a safe bet vs. a more exposed hammock. Some with more winter hammock experience than I have may disagree. The biggest thing to recommend a tent in winter is protection from biting cold wind and spindrift (especially while cooking). Note: Many people discourage cooking in a tent for safety reasons (carbon monoxide and fire, mostly). With the right stove, ventilation, and care, it can be done safely.
When I think of winter camping in my hammock, I look at my big 10x12 silnylon fly and think of what a great sail it would make with poor staking conditions, and how much closer it brings me to the weight of my Hilleberg Akto, a tent I highly recommend to solo winter hikers.

[Lone Wolf]

Northface Canyonlands

[FanaticFringer]

Neo: My set-up is geat
LW: Hammocks Suck
Neo: My Sportsguide tarp rocks
LW: Tarps suck
Neo: Hillary's hot
LW: No she's not

Neo: My Claytor jungle hammock is great

[cannonball]

How many times do I have to say it? Hanging like a bat inorder to sleep just isn't civilized:confused: .

Hamocking+ sold soul to the dark side.:D

[Tinker]

Northface Canyonlands

That's a nice tent! I had one and loved it for warm weather before buying a hammock (almost sorry to admit I liked the hammock better). I lightened it a bit by cutting out the fabric in the center of the triangular stake outs, figuring the webbing would be strong enough. Also replaced the zipper pulls with old fly fishing line and cut out one of the inner pockets (hey, it's a one person tent). My winter tent, the Akto, is kind of like a fabric Canyonlands, only sideways:-? .
How do you keep spindrift out in the snow, or do you use another type of shelter in snow? Inquiring minds want to know!

[Just Jeff]

To get back to the thread's original point, most hammocking on the AT isn't in "winter" conditions. There are some sections/times when those skills and gear are certainly warranted, though. Maybe it would be best to tarp/tent/shelter, then switch to hammocks for the warmer months if you don't have the gear and experience for Smokies in Feb/Mar, for example.

However, some folks have hammock experience in "true winter" conditions. There are some pros and cons, just like in non-winter conditions. One big problem I had in a blizzard in Yosemite was that the snow was dry and light enough to blow under my tarp and settle on top of my bag. I didn't want it to melt there, so I bailed to a tent. Now I have a hammock sock so that won't happen again. (Incidentally, I ended up with even more of it on my bag when I bailed to a tent that night, and several folks - there were about 10 other folks in tents on that trip - said the same thing. The snow even got into the vents on the 4 season mountaineering tents.)

So the spindrift problem is pretty easily solved for tent vs hammock, but the vestible is still an issue. For normal conditions it's much more comfortable in a tarp/hammock, but for true winter and blizzard conditions it might be more convenient to have a big vestible so it's completely protected from the wind and snow. You can partially fix this with a bigger tarp that goes all the way to the ground...but hammock tarps are best pitched broadside to the wind, which makes a big area in strong winds. There are a couple of winter tarps, and the JRB tarptent, that would be excellent winter solutions...but they're still not mountaineering tents. Like I said, you need the right tool for the trip. Winter hammocking isn't so hard, but it's also not mountaineering, or sleeping on an open bald in a blizzard.

Sleeping in a protected grove during a blizzard? Easy. All about choices.

Turk is planning a hammock trip in northern Canada that could possibly see -90F (worst case). He's using a JRB tarptent that he modified with a stove jack for a woodburning stove inside. There are a few threads about it at hammockforums.net if you're interested.

Re: weights - they're almost identical to ground selections, even at 0-20F, if you compare feature-for-feature and look at what folks actually use, rather than saying "A 1/4" torso pad and a 5x8 tarp is lighter than your hammock...I got those numbers from a website." You can see some real-world numbers here:
http://www.tothewoods.net/HammockGroundWeights.html

Not trying to convert anyone - either it fits your style or it doesn't. But if you're gonna knock it, at least knock it based on facts and not perceptions!

[MOWGLI]

For normal conditions it's much more comfortable in a tarp/hammock...

Therein lies the flaw in your argument. That is a subjective statement, and is not true for everyone.

What's more comfortable for the trees, I wonder?

[SGT Rock]

Trees don't mind. I asked them.

LNT endorces hammock use. At least they did last time I talked to the LNT Org rep at Trail Days. Seems hammock sites get less compaction, are less likely to get "groomed" and using tree straps protects trees from damage.

[Bulldawg]

Wow, what a controversy I have brewed up here. I HATE the ground. And I will not be Hammocking in a blizzard either. If Blizzard conditions are forecasted for when I decide to go do my two and three night hikes, guess what? I'll stay home and read WB. So all that considered, I am going to probably make me a hammock and see what I think, pretty darned soon. Thanks to everyone!

[mudhead]

Neo: My set-up is geat
LW: Hammocks Suck
Neo: My Sportsguide tarp rocks
LW: Tarps suck
Neo: Hillary's hot
LW: No she's not

You forgot:

cool
no its not

Do most hangers use tree straps?

[rafe]

Wow, what a controversy I have brewed up here. I HATE the ground.

Wow. Sounds like you landed on the wrong planet. You have my sympathy. Good luck on that hike, though. :rolleyes:

[MOWGLI]

Trees don't mind. I asked them.

LNT endorces hammock use. At least they did last time I talked to the LNT Org rep at Trail Days. Seems hammock sites get less compaction, are less likely to get "groomed" and using tree straps protects trees from damage.

Yup. Tree straps should alway be used.

[Just Jeff]

Therein lies the flaw in your argument. That is a subjective statement, and is not true for everyone.

Awp - you got me. But since he was asking about opinions, I'm gonna let myself slide on this one. :D

[4eyedbuzzard]

...And I will not be Hammocking in a blizzard either. If Blizzard conditions are forecasted for when I decide to go do my two and three night hikes, guess what? I'll stay home and read WB.

That's my tenting philosophy as well. I may be prepared to survive a late spring blizzard in an absolute emergency sense, but I sure as heck ain't intentionally hiking into one. If I were on the trail and knew in advance that a really bad storm was coming, I'd be looking to hike down to the nearest road and find a motel - with a hot tub.:D Got caught in an ice storm in the Smokies many years ago. Not going to repeat that experience.

[SGT Rock]

At one time I didn't use tree straps and I imagine there are still some hammockers that don't - but the trend I see in hammocks is to go away from rope to tree contact. Some hammocks are totally ropeless these days. A good set up with straps can go up faster than ropes.

[saimyoji]

By straps do we mean webbing?

[SGT Rock]

I think we are talking the same thing.

[Lone Wolf]

hundreds of useless signs are nailed to trees on the AT, with USFS and ATC approval. a few hammock straps here and there don't hurt s**t

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

That's my tenting philosophy as well. I may be prepared to survive a late spring blizzard in an absolute emergency sense, but I sure as heck ain't intentionally hiking into one. If I were on the trail and knew in advance that a really bad storm was coming, I'd be looking to hike down to the nearest road and find a motel - with a hot tub.::: Dino peeks out from below stack of down quilts and nods her approval of this philosophy :::

[SGT Rock]

hundreds of useless signs are nailed to trees on the AT, with USFS and ATC approval. a few hammock straps here and there don't hurt s**t
Don't forget the dufusses that cut limbs off live trees to make fires from in camp instead of walking a few extra yards off the trail or away from the shelter. I haven't seen a shelter site yet that didn't have bunches of damaged saplings around because of lazy hikers.

[Trillium]

L. Wolf.... Mosey on up to Mt Rogers, Wise shelter area, on the week end of 25 Jan for the Winter Hang Out and try out the new JRB Bear Mountain Bridge Hammock.... It is a lay flat, lay straight design....It is easily a side sleeper and with a proper hang and a pad some may like it as a stomach sleeper.... There will be a cook out Sat evening, soooo it is in your neighborhood and there is free food..... Plus you are invited!!!

Panis there any chance that one of these might be brought to the Southern Ruck? Being up in Michigan I can only make one trip south in January. Being a stomach sleeper, I'd REALLY like to try one of these out!

[MOWGLI]

hundreds of useless signs are nailed to trees on the AT, with USFS and ATC approval. a few hammock straps here and there don't hurt s**t


Don't forget the dufusses that cut limbs off live trees to make fires from in camp instead of walking a few extra yards off the trail or away from the shelter. I haven't seen a shelter site yet that didn't have bunches of damaged saplings around because of lazy hikers.

With all due respect, that's called rationalization. Learn to setup a hammock without harming trees, and don't make it OK by comparing to anything else.

[Lone Wolf]

is there any chance that one of these might be brought to the Southern Ruck? Being up in Michigan I can only make one trip south in January. Being a stomach sleeper, I'd REALLY like to try one of these out!

me too. can't wait :rolleyes:

[gaga]

just take all 3 -tent-hammock-and tarp, sleep in all 3, each night in a different one.-after 10 days you know exactly what you need and send the rest home. but we sleep 40% of our lives, sleeping well, not necessarily a lot,makes a big difference between crankiness and happiness, sleep deprivation is the worst torture of them all.:-?

[Tipi Walter]

Wow, what a controversy I have brewed up here. I HATE the ground. And I will not be Hammocking in a blizzard either. If Blizzard conditions are forecasted for when I decide to go do my two and three night hikes, guess what? I'll stay home and read WB. So all that considered, I am going to probably make me a hammock and see what I think, pretty darned soon. Thanks to everyone!

You're locking yourself out of some of the best backpacking on the planet by avoiding blizzards and the snows of winter. Can't figure it but to each their own . . .

[SGT Rock]

I'm not rationalizing, I'm just saying there are a lot of things out there that are bad for trees that no one questions. But something I have noticed (and maybe it wasn't meant this time) - for some reason people that also are afraid that a hammock camper is trying to convert them all the sudden will develop a great concern for tree damage.

It is sort of like building a trail. It creates erosion, there is impact, and the land would probably be better off without the trail being there. No one objects to trail use by hikers with 60 pound packs and waffle stompers - but when someone hates trekking poles they suddenly develop a concern for erosion that somehow the extra minor damage created by a couple of poles is suddenly the worst thing that is happening to the land.

Anyway, there are a lot worse things happening to trees along the trail than the occasional hammock hung off one for a night. Even when their wasn't tree straps around I never noticed any damage from my ropes.

[SGT Rock]

You're locking yourself out of some of the best backpacking on the planet by avoiding blizzards and the snows of winter. Can't figure it but to each their own . . .
It is a different experience. I've had a few trips out in ice storms - now that is adventure.

[4eyedbuzzard]

It is a different experience. I've had a few trips out in ice storms - now that is adventure.

Ice storms. Brings back memories of an ice storm in the Smokies. Stunningly beautiful - but deadly. Big ice and branches falling everywhere. Seriously high-risk. Not recommended.

[SGT Rock]

Yes, most times I would take snow over an ice storm. Those ice storms were also pre-hammock days.

[Tipi Walter]

Ice storms. Brings back memories of an ice storm in the Smokies. Stunningly beautiful - but deadly. Big ice and branches falling everywhere. Seriously high-risk. Not recommended.

Good time then to hit the open balds . . .

[SGT Rock]

I was thiking the same thing Walter.

[MOWGLI]

I'm not rationalizing...

I know that you know how to setup a hammock. I was trying to make a larger point for the newbie out there who might read some comments and think it's OK to setup without straps because of X, Y or Z. That's all.

[FanaticFringer]

This site is great. Easy details about making your own hammock.
www.tothewoods.net/HomemadeHammock.html


Wow, what a controversy I have brewed up here. I HATE the ground. And I will not be Hammocking in a blizzard either. If Blizzard conditions are forecasted for when I decide to go do my two and three night hikes, guess what? I'll stay home and read WB. So all that considered, I am going to probably make me a hammock and see what I think, pretty darned soon. Thanks to everyone!

[cpzuroff]

I prefer using a hammock in the summer. I use a tent in cold weather.
-
Positives: I think that I sleep better in a hammock than on the ground. Since I sleep suspended in the air, then ground conditions { water, rocks, tree roots } are a non-issue. If I use a large enough tarp, then hammocking in the rain is a pleasure. No chance of laying in water because I'm up off of the ground. I like to place a filled stuff sack under my head and I can then write in my journal at night like I'm propped up in a lazy-boy chair. I think my legs were more comfortable after hiking each day this summer in the elevated position. I have lots of room under my tarp to set up camp. The hammock is sort of nice to toss things into while I'm stuffing my pack in the morning. Sort of like having a large storage shelf.
-
Negatives: If you select a large tarp, then the weight savings over a tent are almost negated. It is a hassle to arrange yourself at night. I use a Feathered Friends Winter Wren sleeping bag which has left and right arm zippers. Having my arms sticking out from the sleeping bag made getting settled into the hammock a much easier situation. Even in warm weather insulation from the outside world is important. My short thermarest pad worked perfectly and was also useful when I decided to use a shelter. ( I avoid shelters when they are full of people to save others from my snoring. ) If I sleep in a shelter then I often use the hammock as a platform cover to lay my sleeping bag over. When the weather gets colder then the larger insulation pad and additional quilt negates the weight savings of a cot, so I use a one-man dome tent in the cold weather.

[SGT Rock]

I know that you know how to setup a hammock. I was trying to make a larger point for the newbie out there who might read some comments and think it's OK to setup without straps because of X, Y or Z. That's all.
Good points. I think anyone that is really interested in learning a lot about hammocking and the finer points of it ought to try Hammock Forums. There are a lot of good ideas coming out of there on such things - and these ideas are making it into production hammocks because of how good that site is.

[saimyoji]

sleep deprivation is the worst torture of them all.:-?

Nah, an unhappy marriage is much much much worse. :mad:

[Tipi Walter]

Nah, an unhappy marriage is much much much worse. :mad:

I think Albert Camus said there are two forms of suicide, a pistol and marriage.

[SouthMark]

Interesting story from a trip last month to the Sipsey Wilderness. My friend (still somewhat a newbie) wanted me to go with him and his 15 year old daughter. He and I both sleep in hammocks. His daughter wanted to use my tent and take my dog along to sleep in the tent with her. Well after making camp, setting up the tent and hanging hammocks she got cold feet about sleeping in the tent with only my dog (small dog at that) and wanted to sleep in one of the hammocks hanging beside her dad. I had to go to ground in the tent on a 1.5 inch Thermarest. It was the worst night I have had in years. I slept maybe 3 hours total all night. My hips hurt, my back hurt, I rolled over and over, changed positions every 15 minutes or so.

Now I was determined to prevent this in the future. I bought a PO 2.5" InsulMat and took my dog on an overnight 2 weeks ago using my tent. I did sleep better but not great and not as well as in my hammock. Now all this means is that I sleep better in a hammock, that for me hammocks do not suck. It DOES NOT MEAN that hammocks do not suck or suck across the board, only that they may suck for some and may not for others.

Also I do not want to convert anyone. I could care less what someone else chooses and prefers. I have yet to be elected dictator.

Now move on and answer the guys question intelligently.

And as Forrest Gump said "That's all I got to say about that".

[saimyoji]

Doesn't it suck that you had to include all that qualification BS just to say that you usually sleep in a hammock, but when you slept on the ground it sucked? :-?

[Hurley]

I miss sleeping on my stomach.

I do not miss sleeping on the ground.

Your going to be spending half your time in your sleep system and the other half in your shoes. Might as well make those the two most comfortable things you own.

I vote for hammocks, but a tent will also have it's own place depending on where I might be hiking.

[peter_pan]

Your going to be spending half your time in your sleep system and the other half in your shoes. Might as well make those the two most comfortable things you own.


Most intelligent remark.....

Pan

[Cannibal]

As far as cold goes, a hammock can be as comfortable as a tent; IMO. I spent Christmas week in Colorado in a hammock. 3 of 6 nights were below 0F and I was toasty warm with a sleep system (hammock, tarp, quilts) just a hair above 5lbs.

It has been correctly pointed out that a hammock newbie would probably not be well served to dive into winter with a hammock, but after a little learning and practice it really isn't that difficult. I've got several friends that wanted to try hammocks; some switched some didn't. We all still camp together.

[neo]

I miss sleeping on my stomach.

I do not miss sleeping on the ground.

Your going to be spending half your time in your sleep system and the other half in your shoes. Might as well make those the two most comfortable things you own.

I vote for hammocks, but a tent will also have it's own place depending on where I might be hiking.

:) you are right dude,makes sense to me:cool: neo

http://www.mosquitohammock.com/junglehammock.html

[CoyoteWhips]

Frankly, I would prefer tent people did not try hammocks. In the morning, when a ground sleeper asks me why I am so well rested, I will answer, "for I am a grizzled woodsman, accustomed to the deprivations of the untamed wilderness!"

Then I will make a nice cup of green tea for breakfast, using my alcohol stove.

[Montego]

Frankly, I would prefer tent people did not try hammocks. In the morning, when a ground sleeper asks me why I am so well rested, I will answer, "for I am a grizzled woodsman, accustomed to the deprivations of the untamed wilderness!"

Then I will make a nice cup of green tea for breakfast, using my alcohol stove.

Now that's funny :D

[Tinker]

I'm not rationalizing, I'm just saying there are a lot of things out there that are bad for trees that no one questions. But something I have noticed (and maybe it wasn't meant this time) - for some reason people that also are afraid that a hammock camper is trying to convert them all the sudden will develop a great concern for tree damage.

It is sort of like building a trail. It creates erosion, there is impact, and the land would probably be better off without the trail being there. No one objects to trail use by hikers with 60 pound packs and waffle stompers - but when someone hates trekking poles they suddenly develop a concern for erosion that somehow the extra minor damage created by a couple of poles is suddenly the worst thing that is happening to the land.

Anyway, there are a lot worse things happening to trees along the trail than the occasional hammock hung off one for a night. Even when their wasn't tree straps around I never noticed any damage from my ropes.

I like to think of trekking poles as aerating the soil along the trail so that plants can take root and grow more easily. ;)

Everyone should own at least two hammocks and two tents - maybe a tarp or two just to show he/she hasn't gotten soft. :D

[dessertrat]

What I don't understand is why those who've switched to hammocks are so intent on getting others to switch? :-? At what point in time did the hiking community divide along the lines of preferred sleeping method? Just seems weird.

Which end do you break first when you eat a hard boiled egg? The little end is the best end to break.

It's that Gulliver's Travels thing-- people often want to make a subjective preference into "right" or "wrong". I think a hammock might be a great idea for traveling in places that are wet or boggy, or where there are not many good tent sites. ON the other hand, they would probably not be worth much in the desert. (But then, a tarp would suffice in the desert, most likely).

Seems to me that using a hammock is like using a tarp and bivy, except the bivy is off the ground.

[Just Jeff]

And comfortable enough for a good night of sleep...that's the biggest difference. Whether or not there are good tent sites available. Just personal preference.

And it's been said several times on this thread alone that you need the right tool for the job. No one has said that hammocks are best in the desert, above tree line, or on an open bald during a blizzard. Some folks think they're more comfortable than sleeping on the ground.

"Hey, I have this great new car...goes 0-60 in 3.2 seconds, corners like it's on rails, floats on water and runs on normal air."

"Yeah? Well, I bet it sucks as an airplane, doesn't it? I'm certainly not gonna try it..."

[BillyBob58]

And comfortable enough for a good night of sleep...that's the biggest difference. Whether or not there are good tent sites available. Just personal preference.

And it's been said several times on this thread alone that you need the right tool for the job. No one has said that hammocks are best in the desert, above tree line, or on an open bald during a blizzard. Some folks think they're more comfortable than sleeping on the ground.

"Hey, I have this great new car...goes 0-60 in 3.2 seconds, corners like it's on rails, floats on water and runs on normal air."

"Yeah? Well, I bet it sucks as an airplane, doesn't it? I'm certainly not gonna try it..."

And I bet with low clearance that enables it to "corner like on rails" and street tires, it sucks as a mud bogger or rock crawler- so keep it away from me! :rolleyes:

[1Pint]

Does anyone know what sort of weights you'd be looking at for a reasonable tent sleeping system (tent, poles, rope, pad, sleeping bag) vs a reasonable hammock sleeping system (hammock, tree straps, ropes, sleeves, pad, quilts, tarp). I'm not looking at the most expensive, absolute lightest ones out there. Just a normal, basic system for Fall conditions along the trail.

[Just Jeff]

1Pint - Check here:
http://www.tothewoods.net/HammockGroundWeights.html

[ofthearth]

Time to get some popcorn and settle in. :)


Save some popcorn for me. I'll call out for pizza!:D

Sorry I'm late but I'll bring the beer