Hammock Sleeping

[titanium_hiker]

the other difference between the test hammock and the speer is bulk/weight but definitely bulk. speer packs down smaller.

titanium_hiker

[Just Jeff]

Depends on what material you use. If you have 1.9 oz DWR it'll be about the same.

[Deerleg]

Congrats - welcome to the club!

If you're going to continue using it, I'd recommend putting a simple rolled hem down the long edges (better yet, all the way around).

If you like, you could try this technique as an alternative to the hem:
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=14374

[WadeH]

All of you are very intimadating. You talk about sewing and making your hammocks, guilts and tarps. I do not think that is something I could tackle. I do not even own a sewing machine. It seems that most of you think the Hennasey (SP) is one of the best hammocks. But is there a cheap version that works pretty good to try out before investing a couple of hundred bucks on one. And a list or something of everything that you would need along with the hammock to make the experience better. Thanks to everyone for all your input. This has been and seems to be a learning experience and allot harder than just setting up my tent and going to sleep.

[txulrich]

All of you are very intimadating. You talk about sewing and making your hammocks, guilts and tarps. I do not think that is something I could tackle. I do not even own a sewing machine. It seems that most of you think the Hennasey (SP) is one of the best hammocks. But is there a cheap version that works pretty good to try out before investing a couple of hundred bucks on one. And a list or something of everything that you would need along with the hammock to make the experience better. Thanks to everyone for all your input. This has been and seems to be a learning experience and allot harder than just setting up my tent and going to sleep.

I have a hennessey and love it. If you have an REI nearby, you can always buy one from them. If you don't like it, you can return it. Their policy is pretty generous.

Much above 70, you won't need much else. Below that you will want to have insulation, top and bottom. I started using my sleeping bag and a pad. I eventually went to a bottom quilt and used my sleeping bag as a top quilt. I have now invested further and have a quilt for the top as well.

At some point you may want to consider a larger tarp. I never felt truely comfortable with the stock tarp. I was always worried about rain sneaking in. So, I invested in a MacCat Deluxe and no longer worry about it. In addition, I gained extra room for camp activities if needed.

You may also want to consider a set of snake skins. They will allow you to setup/tear down camp a lot quicker. I am going to make a set that will accomodate my bottom quilt (HH #4s are too small). That way, set up is even easier. I can setup my hammock and be in and asleep while you're still staking out your tent, except for the all the racket you would be making!!

Having told you all of this, your best bet is to get one and experiment with what works best for you. We're all very willing to share our experience and to help any way we can.

[Just Jeff]

There are lots of cheap hammocks suitable for sleeping in - they'll be right next to the Hennessy at REI. Amazonas, Byer, etc. Or check out the Moskito at www.jacksrbetter.com for a full-on camping hammock w/ bugnet for about $60...lots of people seem to be happy with the value of that one.

All you need is a hammock to lay in and a tarp to keep you dry. Then you can use a pad under you when it's cold - upgrade to an underquilt if you want to. Put your sleeping bag on top of you instead of getting inside. That's about it...until you realize how comfortable it is and start getting the extra goodies.

Hammocking isn't "harder" than tenting, it's just a new way of doing things. Remember the learning curve when you first started tenting? How to clear the ground, how to find good sites with soft duff instead of dished sites in overused areas, how to avoid drainage (did you ever dig a trench to avoid runoff?), which way to orient the door, how to pitch for different weather, etc. It was just as "hard" but you did it so long ago that you're already at the top of the curve.

And it's really not as complicated as we make it seem - some of us just like talking about the details. "Ask me for the time and I'll tell you how to build a watch" sorta thing.

[Time To Fly 97]

I evolved from tents to tarps to now...a HH (3 season only so far). Best sleep ever and you'll be hanging out while the ground dwellers dry out. : )

TTF

[MedicineMan]

i looked forward to each night in the hammock....
look at this photo here on WB:
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/...s&cutoffdate=7

notice the tarp is all the way to the ground, notice that i've hand raked a body size mound of leaves under the hammock....i set up the hammock much much lower than normal and got it right the first time (luckily), that is the hammock nestle into the bed of leaves (if you do this look for copperheads)....point is that depending on time of year and where your hiking there are other ways to stay warm in a hammock in addition to quilts or pads.

[Buckles]

Sarge, and all of you hammock pros, please weigh in...

I'm very happy with tent camping, but I'm always open to new ideas. I have a Shires Squall2 Tarptent, with a sewn-in floor and love it. Since I use my trekking poles, my total weight is 33 ounces. I carry an Evazote 3/4 pad and a Mountain Hardwear Phantom 15+. I'm 3-season good. No other quilts and insulation I see with hammocks. Another benefit: My Squall2 sleeps two and it's only me out there, so every night I can explode my pack right beside me on the tent floor. No gear exposure.

That said...with the hammock and tarp, quilts, pad, skins, blah, blah, blah, what's your TOTAL weight? I never travel with "hammock heads" , so where's your pack and gear at night? Sitting out in a t-storm?

I willing to give this a try, but I'm not going to add lbs. to the journey. By the way, in pictures, the setup I've seen so far that looks appealing is the MacCat Deluxe with a HH UL (++ lbs.?).

Thoughts?

PM me, if you prefer.

[Chalumeau]

I'm certainly no expert (I'm an absolute novice to be precise), but I would encourage you to give the hammock a go. Had my first experience of hammock camping last week and loved it - the gear was light weight, cozy, easy and quick to set up and I slept far better than I have ever done on the ground (and for those of you who worry about sleeping on your side, it was not a problem - I tend to move around quite a bit -from side to side and sometimes onto my back and the hammock allowed all of this).

[MedicineMan]

Hennessey Lite Racer: 22oz
McCat Delux Fly: 14oz
Arc Ghost: 16oz.
Jacks r Better Shenandoah: 15oz
tot.=67oz or 4.12 pounds

[Just Jeff]

Weights here - http://www.tothewoods.net/HammockGroundWeights.html

You won't add pounds, but maybe a few ounces. How many ounces is a great night's sleep worth? When is the last time you had a great night's sleep in the woods? Not a good sleep, but a night where you woke up without a sore back and hips and shoulders.

But it's not for everyone - there are a few people here on WB that tried it and went back to the ground. Not many, though.

[MedicineMan]

most backpacks no matter how skillfully made (with the exception of the LLP) will still deliver a load to the shoulders-maybe reduced by the hip-belt but still a load pushing down ultimately on the spine (you know, knee bone connected to the thigh bone theory, its all connected)....having said that i have never slept post a long hiking day in the hammock and awoke to a stiff or sore back....

[Just Jeff]

Hey MM - I just put your setup on the Hammock Ground weight comparison page. Would you say that's good into the 40s?

[MedicineMan]

but you saw the pic where i made a leaf mound to increase the temps, this after a ham contact said it was going to be even colder that night....

[Just Jeff]

Yeah - that's a cool pic. Do you have a more close-up pic showing the hammock nestled into the leaves? My x-ray vision is fading so I couldn't see thru the tarp so well. That would be a good one for the stay warm page.

Good to see the Delux reaches all the way to the ground w/ enough room for the hammock, too - that would be great for snow camping.

[MedicineMan]

but no pic with the hammock nestled...could re-create but that would be too much like hollywood
I think having a tarp that can go to ground is very important....no matter how a-sym a hammock 'feels' it is still curved and ANY wind will create a venturi increasing windspeed and heat robbing potential....closing that gap could be critical on specific nights.....
Years ago (OK 2-3 years) i played around with a piece of sil-nyl that simply draped to the ground along the entire perimeter of the hammock---attaching where the bug-net meets the hammock material, where it hit the ground i used rocks,sticks,whatever to hold it in place---all in an effort to stop venturis....the problem was knowing how much material for each hammock setup, obviously for my preferred shoulder height setup it took too much material...if you knew the temps were to be low this simple 'bedskirt' or ruffle could help at an extra 3-4ounces for one that is a foot high....the goal again being to stop wind from going under the hammock...would be nice if no leaves are around....your thought?

[Buckles]

Chalumeau, Medicine Man, Just Jeff,

Thank you for the hammock advice. Jeff, thank you for the link. Great essay! It's worth a try. I've never been averse to new ideas. Now to try to figure out how I can leverage what I have into what I'll need. Re-use the pad? Re-use the sleeping bag? Time to do a lot of reading.

[Seeker]

I have a Shires Squall2 Tarptent, with a sewn-in floor and love it. Since I use my trekking poles, my total weight is 33 ounces.

HH ULBAsym is 32 oz.

I carry an Evazote 3/4 pad and a Mountain Hardwear Phantom 15+. .

evazote pad... how much does that weigh? a common blue foam pad is about 11 oz, iirc, about 15 if you add wings to the sides. is it nice and soft? i'm guessing not... i need a 1.5'' thermarest (about 2.5lbs) to feel anywhere close to comfortable on the ground.

sleeping bag's gonna be the same in a tarp or hammock. if you used a quilt in a hammock, you'd come out few ounces ahead.

My Squall2 sleeps two and it's only me out there, so every night I can explode my pack right beside me on the tent floor. No gear exposure..

i don't leave my gear out either, 'less it's nice out. all my 'extra' gear fits in the small single outer pocket of my gust pack, which fits inside the hammock with me. i can hang it on a biner off the ridgeline at the foot end with my shoes, and it stays out of the way. light, thermometer, and glasses go overhead on the ridge line. stove and fuel and food go up a tree in the bear bag. that's it... no storage problem for me. ymmv.

i came out about even when i swapped my thermarest for a hammock... tarp's the same, bag's the same. underquilt's 21oz vs foam pad of about 15oz, so that's 6oz heavier. thermarest was 2.5 lbs. hammock is 2. i think i'm 2oz to the good. however, as has been mentioned, what's a great night's sleep worth to you? what's the peace of mind knowing you don't have to find a flat campsite? how nice is it to not have to get up and go out into the rain to pee or take down a tent? how nice is it listening to an absolute howler of a rainstorm, and knowing that it's not going to get inside, and not going to splash up under your tarp/tent/bivy? how nice is it to not have to mess with setting up a tent? personally, it's worth the loss of the two ounces. if i'd started out using even a 2lb tent (VERY light) instead of an 18 oz tarp, i'd be up by about a whole pound... to me, it's worth it.

[Buckles]

HH ULBAsym is 32 oz.



evazote pad... how much does that weigh? a common blue foam pad is about 11 oz, iirc, about 15 if you add wings to the sides. is it nice and soft? i'm guessing not... i need a 1.5'' thermarest (about 2.5lbs) to feel anywhere close to comfortable on the ground.

sleeping bag's gonna be the same in a tarp or hammock. if you used a quilt in a hammock, you'd come out few ounces ahead.



i don't leave my gear out either, 'less it's nice out. all my 'extra' gear fits in the small single outer pocket of my gust pack, which fits inside the hammock with me. i can hang it on a biner off the ridgeline at the foot end with my shoes, and it stays out of the way. light, thermometer, and glasses go overhead on the ridge line. stove and fuel and food go up a tree in the bear bag. that's it... no storage problem for me. ymmv.

i came out about even when i swapped my thermarest for a hammock... tarp's the same, bag's the same. underquilt's 21oz vs foam pad of about 15oz, so that's 6oz heavier. thermarest was 2.5 lbs. hammock is 2. i think i'm 2oz to the good. however, as has been mentioned, what's a great night's sleep worth to you? what's the peace of mind knowing you don't have to find a flat campsite? how nice is it to not have to get up and go out into the rain to pee or take down a tent? how nice is it listening to an absolute howler of a rainstorm, and knowing that it's not going to get inside, and not going to splash up under your tarp/tent/bivy? how nice is it to not have to mess with setting up a tent? personally, it's worth the loss of the two ounces. if i'd started out using even a 2lb tent (VERY light) instead of an 18 oz tarp, i'd be up by about a whole pound... to me, it's worth it.

Seeker,

Thanks for the info. I think I'm going to give it a try. The Evazote Pad I use is 7.5 oz. http://www.nunatakusa.com/lunapad.htm