Hammock newbie

[squeezebox]

So here we go again. I know that hammocks exist, not much else. So please set me off in the right direction to learn.
x I'm a side sleeper, can not sleep on my back.
x Sound like the wt. is not much different than a tent.
x More stuff to buy and store and use.
x how to store gear when hiking?
x very handy when there is not a flat spot for a tent.
So fill me in, please.

[ChrisJackson]

Your insulation system could be different from tenting, it doesn't have to be though. You will find many use a top quilt and underquilt, myself included although I'm experimenting with an incorporated air mattress in winter.

Your deal breaker may be your side sleeping. But, considering this, you may want to start with a bridge hammock as opposed to a gathered end hammock. Bridges have flatter lays. Although you very much can get a flat lay in a gathered end when you lay diagnol.

If I were you, I'd try to find one used or sample one at a group hang.

Gear storage while hiking? Really no difference.

Gear storage at night? Just under your tarp or hang from your hammock suspension.

It's a lot of fun. Give it a go.

[Hoop]

Well, they're a bit more versatile and comfortable for most users. Log on to Hammock Forums for mucho info; look for a 'hang' in your area and check out everyone's set-ups.

[Slosteppin]

So here we go again. I know that hammocks exist, not much else. So please set me off in the right direction to learn.
x I'm a side sleeper, can not sleep on my back.
x Sound like the wt. is not much different than a tent.
x More stuff to buy and store and use.
x how to store gear when hiking?
x very handy when there is not a flat spot for a tent.
So fill me in, please.

I sleep about half the time on my side and roll around a lot. My Blackbird Warbonnet hammock works just fine for me. I also have a Bear Mountain Bridge hammock from Jacks R Better I don't use because I can't sleep on my side.
Considering the shelter and sleep gear as a system, my hammock system and m tent system weigh within a few ounces.
Yes, more to buy and store but more choices when I hike.
I use a waterproof pack, it sits on the ground under my hammock at shoulder level. I can reach anything not in the hammock with me. My food is hung at least 200 feet away from where I camp.

[Just Bill]

Start with Shug. He has a nice video series that takes you through it. Don't bother reading hammock forums until you watch his series or you'll be even more lost.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7NZVqpBUV0

Find a hang- hammocks are very personal- helps to try them out in person
https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...hp/114-Midwest

Wait til spring- sleeping in winter is a different deal.

Like anything else- nothing costs more than **** you don't use.
As a result hammock forums has a pretty active used gear market, and with the largest group of MYOG folks I can think of you get lots of folks selling prototypes.

[Dr. Professor]

I also am a side-sleeper who uses a Warbonnet Blackbird. It works great for me. I almost always use my hammock when hiking out east but tend to use a ground shelter out west.

Hammocks are better for forests, slopes, and rain; ground shelters are better for meadows and above the tree line.

Both systems take a similar amount of pack space. My Enlightened Equipment top quilt works great for both. The hammock system weighs more due to the underquilt weighing far more that the bluefoam and air pads I pair together in my ground system (I nevertheless highly recommend an underquilt).

I have a strap from Walmart and a small carabiner which I use to attach my pack to a tree when camping in dry weather. In rain, I put my pack on a ground sheet which can be polycro, tyvek, or cuben (your choice -- pluses and minuses to each).

Regarding the tarp -- bigger is heavier but is warmer offering better wind and rain protection. A cuben tarp with doors is the holy grail of winter hammocking. Lower, tighter pitches are better in nasty weather. In warmer weather, I like to use poles to create a porch by elevating the tarp lines on the entry side of my hammock.

[Dr. Professor]

image.jpg

Here I am setting up last week. The underquilt isn't on yet. As for the porch, I could make it higher by extending the poles.

As an aside, Dutch Gear has some great stuff for helping you to set up and adjust your hammock.

[DaleW]

x I'm a side sleeper, can not sleep on my back.
I'm a side sleeper on the ground, but a hammock is so different that I find sleeping on my back to be no problem. I can sleep on my side in my Hennessy.


x Sound like the wt. is not much different than a tent.
It can be. The lightest hammock setups are a few ounces more than a really ultralight setup.


x More stuff to buy and store and use.
Tarp lines and stakes, hammock with bug screen and suspension, top quilt/sleeping bag, bottom insulation--- pretty much the same as a double wall tent. In addition to your existing tarp/tent, yeah more stuff.


x how to store gear when hiking?
Hang your pack from the hammock suspension and hang your food normally, away from camp. You have lots of room under.



x very handy when there is not a flat spot for a tent. Indeed! Rocks,roots, sloping ground, mud, running water, etc, are no problem. If all the campsites are taken, you just need a couple trees 12-16 feet apart.

[slbirdnerd]

I sleep VERY comfortably on my side in my Warbonnet Blackbird. I have top and under quilts, but many successful hangers use pads in the hammock. I tried this in my basement, with my winter air pad partially inflated, and it was much warmer than I expected. As with tents, you can end up heavy or light depending on your setup. I have a Cuben tarp and use Hammock Gear quilts with my hammock, so I am about the same or a little lighter with the hammock than a tent. I can say I believe the investment in hanging is worth the effort and expense, best night sleep I've ever had in the backcountry. Just. So. Cozy.

[gbolt]

+1 for slbirdnerd. I am a side sleeper except in the hammock. I can sleep long hours on my back and never create pressure points that would cause me to shift to my side (the way I have too in a conventional bed or on the ground). I am lighter than I was prior to the hammock now carrying under 18lbs. Everything fits in a ULA Ohm 2.0 that hangs from the suspension or rest underneath me when I sleep. Best part is coffee in bed in the morning!

[squeezebox]

I'll get something cheap from Xmart, with a blue tarp, and see how that works out. And I'll look for a hammock hang.

[andyg]

Hey squeezebox! I'll be setting up week after next somewhere near St. Louis. Keep in touch and I can show you my setups. I've got a few tarps and two hammocks, and all kinds of crazy gadgets you'll read about on the hammock forums.

As as far as packing and weight go, you'd have to have a very basic, cheap hammock set up to compare to the weight and volume of an advanced, expensive tent. That said, with a cheap, light sleeping bag, a Walmart roll, and a tiny asym tarp I've stayed dry and warm in storms and temps in the high 40s.

Side sleeping. Depends on the hammock size and your size. Hammocks generally come in 10 or 11 feet lengths, the longer the hammock the easier it is to side sleep. I do it pretty comfortably in an 11ft with me being 5'9. For me, the 10ft hammock is not comfortable.

[Kaptainkriz]

I'm in the same boat...hammock newbe wannabe. I've been looking at the DH Sparrow. Anyone have experience (pros/cons) of this particular company/model?

[Recalc]

I'm in the same boat...hammock newbe wannabe. I've been looking at the DH Sparrow. Anyone have experience (pros/cons) of this particular company/model?

I too am currently in the process of entering the hammock world. After viewing all of the Shug videos and browsing Whiteblaze and Hammock forums, I went with DH Darien. Although I have yet to spend my first night in it, Randy & Deanna Smith were really helpful in answering my questions before I placed the order.

[Nodust]

x I'm a side sleeper, can not sleep on my back.

You may change in a hammock. My wife is a side/stomach sleeper but says she sleeps on her back 75% of the time in a hammock. Also try a bridge hammock. Some say side sleeping is easier in it.

x Sound like the wt. is not much different than a tent.

Not much, but it is only good for one person. a two person tent will net less weight for two people than two hammocks.

x More stuff to buy and store and use.

Hammock and tarp, not much more stuff than tent and ground cloth.

x how to store gear when hiking?

Hammock goes in trash compactor bag with insulation and extra clothing. Tarp and hammock suspension go in outside back pocket of pack. Keeps everything inside dry.

x very handy when there is not a flat spot for a tent.

Yes it is. Also roots and rocks don't bother me. But you must find trees.

[xMagnolia]

I'm a side sleeper and love my gathered end hammock. I use a pad & it gives a bit more form which helps w/ that position. You can't beat the cozy, rested feeling when you wake in the morning without bruises on your hip bones and elbows.