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cmr_hiker
06-06-2005, 14:58
After reading all the info here. wow, sounds like a great piece of gear.
i checked out the website. wow, wow wow.
then i checked out backpackgeartest wow wow wow wow wow

then i bought one on ebay.

i started hiking back in 98 i could say. i went through the connecticut section of the at. i was using the sierra designs clip flashlight. the quality of rest/sleep while hiking is incredibly important. i am so very excited for the gear upgrade! ill save about 2lbs and have a better night rest.

well i am just so excited i had to share!
chris

Just Jeff
06-06-2005, 15:54
Eh...care to share what piece of gear you're talking about?

Heater
06-06-2005, 16:01
Eh...care to share what piece of gear you're talking about?
I betchya he is talking about a hammock of some kind... just a guess though.

cmr_hiker
06-06-2005, 17:00
Eh...care to share what piece of gear you're talking about?
i picked up the hennessy backpacker asym hammock.
funny, a guy from masspirg, environmental group, came and asked for donations and we started talking about gear. hes a hiker too. oh wells yea. hammock yum

Just Jeff
06-06-2005, 18:20
I betchya he is talking about a hammock of some kind... just a guess though.
Heh...good guess...

Welcome to the hammocking crowd.

Don't forget to check out the hammock camping group at yahoo:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hammockcamping

And there are several hammocking pages out there, so read up! I'm kinda partial to this one:
http://www.geocities.com/jwj32542/HammockCamping.html

Enjoy your new gear.

Heater
06-06-2005, 18:49
Heh...good guess...

Welcome to the hammocking crowd.

Don't forget to check out the hammock camping group at yahoo:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hammockcamping

And there are several hammocking pages out there, so read up! I'm kinda partial to this one:
http://www.geocities.com/jwj32542/HammockCamping.html

Enjoy your new gear.
Ahhhh... another one's gone over to the "dark side." :D

(Ducks and covers.) :jump

neo
06-06-2005, 19:45
welcome to hammocking,the way life should be:cool: neo

Just Jeff
06-06-2005, 20:13
Ahhhh... another one's gone over to the "dark side." :D

(Ducks and covers.) :jump
Naw, I won't throw anything at you. I'll just let you enjoy your aching back from sleeping on the hard rooty ground, and your bad night's sleep from snuggling up next to the snorers and rats in the shelters. Kind of self-critiquing, actually. :jump

Hammock Hanger
06-06-2005, 20:41
:) Welcome. Sue/HH

TOW
06-06-2005, 20:51
holy wow cow pow pow how...................

Heater
06-06-2005, 21:05
Naw, I won't throw anything at you. I'll just let you enjoy your aching back from sleeping on the hard rooty ground, and your bad night's sleep from snuggling up next to the snorers and rats in the shelters. Kind of self-critiquing, actually. :jump
If I could sleep on my back, believe me, Hammock haging would be a consideration. But, I am a side/frontside sleeper and I move around a lot during the night. While hammocks are good for me as far as relaxing and napping... I don't think I could sleep comfortably on my back. Plus, I am a little claustrophobic.

A lot of people on here are real happy with their hammocks and you now have one of the best! Congratulations on your purchase and HAPPY HIKING! :D

Just Jeff
06-06-2005, 21:55
If I could sleep on my back, believe me, Hammock haging would be a consideration. But, I am a side/frontside sleeper and I move around a lot during the night. While hammocks are good for me as far as relaxing and napping... I don't think I could sleep comfortably on my back. Plus, I am a little claustrophobic.
See the first picture on this page:

http://www.geocities.com/jwj32542/HammockCamping.html

Mountain Hippie
06-06-2005, 22:27
My hammock has made sleeping out more of a pleasure. So much so that I may need to start carrying an alarm clock so I won't sleep until noon everyday. :)

MedicineMan
06-06-2005, 23:24
Dont know if any one has told you this, but you CAN side sleep--I do stretched out and fetal..I've even woke up on my stomach but with a slight twist. Surely you've heard this though, many committed stomach sleepers after getting into the hammock will fall asleep ON THEIR BACK and be very surprised that it happened (maybe a 15 mile day helps)....so please try, if you honestly try and dont like then let me know....I can always find a use for a slightly used hammock.....just make sure you order a Light Racer from Hennessey.

Just Jeff
06-07-2005, 07:25
Surely you've heard this though, many committed stomach sleepers after getting into the hammock will fall asleep ON THEIR BACK
At home, I ALWAYS fall asleep on my stomach and usually end up on my side. I hardly ever sleep on my back.

In the hammock, I almost always fall asleep on my back, then roll onto my side. Just before I wake up, I often end up on my stomach for a short time, but for most of the night I'm on my side, slightly fetal.

Ramble~On
06-07-2005, 09:28
Me too Me too.

At home I'm a stomach and side sleeper.
In the hammock I fell asleep almost instantly once and woke up with my headlamp still on my head. I spent the entire night on my back. That's unheard of for me. No matter what position I always seem to get a great night sleep in the hammock. I wake up rested and not sore or stiff as I have from sleeping on the ground. No matter what kind of sleeping pad the ground is still the ground.
Ridding my pack of the tent, stakes and sleeping pad shaved off pounds.
The hammock goes up in about a minute and it goes up just about anywhere.

Heater
06-07-2005, 13:13
Dont know if any one has told you this, but you CAN side sleep--I do stretched out and fetal..I've even woke up on my stomach but with a slight twist. Surely you've heard this though, many committed stomach sleepers after getting into the hammock will fall asleep ON THEIR BACK and be very surprised that it happened (maybe a 15 mile day helps)....so please try, if you honestly try and dont like then let me know....I can always find a use for a slightly used hammock.....just make sure you order a Light Racer from Hennessey.
I'd like to try one out. Got an extra? :)

I've thought about getting one from REI to see if I could sleep on my side and stomach without feeling too constrained. Then take it back if I don't like it.

I'd have to talk to REI and see if that's cool with them to do that.

Just Jeff
06-07-2005, 13:54
I've thought about getting one from REI to see if I could sleep on my side and stomach without feeling too constrained. Then take it back if I don't like it.

I'd have to talk to REI and see if that's cool with them to do that.
Lots of stores, including REI and EMS, have a "no questions asked" return policy. If you don't want it, for whatever reason, you take it back with the receipt and they accept the return.

FWIW, I find my homemade Speers to be more comfortable than my HH Backpacker. I think the longer one (Explorer) might be more comfy. If I had to do it again, I think I would have bought a Speer instead...

Bolivershagnasty
06-07-2005, 18:39
Is it cold without having an insulator (pad) under you? Just "twistin" in the wind. Or do you put a "pad' under you in the hammock? I'm a side sleeper too and I roll back and forth but I'd try it.

Just Jeff
06-07-2005, 21:18
Is it cold without having an insulator (pad) under you? Just "twistin" in the wind. Or do you put a "pad' under you in the hammock? I'm a side sleeper too and I roll back and forth but I'd try it. It's comfy to ~70F without insulation underneath. Below that, you'll need something to keep you warm.

Pads are probably cheapest, but not the most comfortable, IMO. You need ~24"-30" wide to be comfortable (vs the ~20" of most pads), but there are several tricks like overlapping pads, or Ed Speer's pad extender, to keep it cheap. This way, you still have a pad for shelters/ground sleeping if you want it.

Underquilts are very comfy, as are PeaPods. They're more expensive, but worth the money if you want to be comfy in the cold, IMO. They'll get you to 30F-40F for about 30-40 oz depending on type. Keep in mind that 30-40oz replaces your sleeping bag, so it's not really adding weight over a traditional bag/pad combo.

There are some other things you can do. Some are simple and cheap, others are more involved. I have pics and explanations at http://www.geocities.com/jwj32542/HammockCamping.html if you're interested, and I'm always adding to it.

cmr_hiker
06-08-2005, 23:04
hi all,
id first like to thank whiteblaze.net and all you fabulous hammock diciples!

in about the course of two hours i am convinced that the value of the hammock is unbeatable! i recently purchased the hennessy hammock ultralight backpacker asym. Previously i was using the sierra desogns clip flashlight. this hammock blows that tent over. Comparing ounce for ounce, dollar for dollar, and most importantly, COMFORT of the hammock vs the comfort of the tent; hammock wins. so much more comfortable than the ground. Only thing im scared of in the hammock is the boogie man.

first time setting it up, in the dark, at 10pm, success. took it down and tried again, sucess. uber


This piece of gear, within two hours, has easily jumped into the #1 must have piece of gear. :clap


holy crap, im so happy im gonna cry!
chris

ps im going to the backyard to sleep through a thunderstorm!

Big Dawg
06-09-2005, 10:05
hi all,
id first like to thank whiteblaze.net and all you fabulous hammock diciples!

in about the course of two hours i am convinced that the value of the hammock is unbeatable! i recently purchased the hennessy hammock ultralight backpacker asym. Previously i was using the sierra desogns clip flashlight. this hammock blows that tent over. Comparing ounce for ounce, dollar for dollar, and most importantly, COMFORT of the hammock vs the comfort of the tent; hammock wins. so much more comfortable than the ground. Only thing im scared of in the hammock is the boogie man.

first time setting it up, in the dark, at 10pm, success. took it down and tried again, sucess. uber


This piece of gear, within two hours, has easily jumped into the #1 must have piece of gear. :clap


holy crap, im so happy im gonna cry!
chris

ps im going to the backyard to sleep through a thunderstorm!


It's posts like this that really intrigue me, & make me want to go ahead & take the plunge,, order a hammock, & see what all the fuss is about for myself. The "comfort" claims are the biggest attraction to me.

Hammock Hanger
06-09-2005, 10:10
They are comfy. There is a learning curve for things like where and how to hang, what do I do with my gear, what about cold weather, etc. However, once you get it all figured out you are just are so happy with the great night's sleep that you get that it is almost impossible to return to tenting. -- It is not for everybody, some find issue with this or that and that's okay. It leaves for trees for us who enjoy hanging!! :)

neo
06-09-2005, 15:27
hi all,
id first like to thank whiteblaze.net and all you fabulous hammock diciples!

in about the course of two hours i am convinced that the value of the hammock is unbeatable! i recently purchased the hennessy hammock ultralight backpacker asym. Previously i was using the sierra desogns clip flashlight. this hammock blows that tent over. Comparing ounce for ounce, dollar for dollar, and most importantly, COMFORT of the hammock vs the comfort of the tent; hammock wins. so much more comfortable than the ground. Only thing im scared of in the hammock is the boogie man.

first time setting it up, in the dark, at 10pm, success. took it down and tried again, sucess. uber


This piece of gear, within two hours, has easily jumped into the #1 must have piece of gear. :clap


holy crap, im so happy im gonna cry!
chris

ps im going to the backyard to sleep through a thunderstorm!


welcome to the hammock club:cool: neo

Kerosene
06-09-2005, 23:49
If you're at all curious, especially if you'll be sleeping in warmer weather, I think that it's definitely worth the effort. I'm an inveterate side-sleeper who tosses most of the night, but I can sleep on my back in a hammock and do not toss-and-turn because there are no pressure points. It is extremely comfy.

Stumblefoot
06-10-2005, 11:47
Welcome to the wonderful world of hammocks. I have a hip that gives me problems and keeps me from hiking as much as I want to, but I still enjoy kayaking and camping out with my hammock. I find that when I sleep in the hammock, I don't have pain in my leg as I do sometimes when I am in bed. I like hammocks so much that I own four camping hammocks - you never know when a friend will need one. Hope you enjoy yours as much as I do mine.

:welcome