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  • #1

    Hammock camping

    I know a number of guys on BPL who swear by Hammocks. Well, I just had an eye-opening experience. My son has been insisting that I try out his camping hammock, and doggone it if he isn't right! I'll never sleep on the ground again. There is a lot of misunderstanding out there, and hammock camping does involve some technique and the correct gear.

    It's totally worth it!

    Here is an introductory guide http://www.treklightgear.com/treklife/

    This will simplify my sleep system considerably, especially in warm weather. Plus it's WAY more comfortable.

    Everything you think you know about hammocks is wrong. Just so you know :-)
    2018: Any way the wind blows; doesn't really matter to me....Too Meee....
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Re: Hammock camping

    Different folks find different thinks that they like/prefer...
    I expect it depends a lot on the hammock, tried several and they all were OK.
    The best ground to sleep on is fine sand (beach or dune), IMO... the downside is that it gets into everything.
    Since I camp in different terrains properly spaced hammock trees are often hard to come by.
    After giving up backpacking, due to physical limitations (got old) found a cot with a thick foam pad to be best for me (even better than a thick air mattress on the ground) works in the desert just as well as in the woods. It is a bit of a pain to haul but a good, comfortable, nights sleep is worth it.

    Enjoy!
    2006 Jeep Rubicon, TJ; 4.11 gears, 31" tires, 4:1 transfer case, lockers in both axles
    For DD & "civilized" camping; 2003 Ford explorer sport, 4wd; ARB & torsen diffs, 4.10 gears, 32" MTs.
    Ground tents work best for me, so far.
    Experience along with properly set up 4WD will get you to & through places (on existing, approved 4WD trails) that 4WD, alone, can't get to.

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    • #3
      Re: Hammock camping

      i love hammock camping
      especially size/weight


      Comment

      • #4
        Re: Hammock camping

        It's a no-brainer for BP'ers, but really, those who dislike it don't know how to do it. WAY better than a cot. Plus a hammock doubles as a chair.

        Am I sounding like TP yet?
        2018: Any way the wind blows; doesn't really matter to me....Too Meee....

        Comment

        • #5
          Re: Hammock camping

          I've gone out in a hammock a couple of times. Can't say I liked it as my primary shelter. Great for naps, but I find it too constricting overall, even when sleeping on "the proper angle" hammock advocates always talk about. It might have something to do with my being one of those people who moves around a lot while I sleep. Same reason I don't like mummy bags.

          Comment

          • #6
            Re: Hammock camping

            Originally posted by MacGyver View Post
            I've gone out in a hammock a couple of times. Can't say I liked it as my primary shelter. Great for naps, but I find it too constricting overall, even when sleeping on "the proper angle" hammock advocates always talk about. It might have something to do with my being one of those people who moves around a lot while I sleep. Same reason I don't like mummy bags.
            X2. I'm also a side sleeper for most of the night and I don't find a hammock to work well for that.
            “One could not be a successful scientist without realizing that, in contrast to the popular conception supported by newspapers and mothers of scientists, a goodly number of scientists are not only narrow-minded and dull, but also just stupid.” - James D. Watson

            Comment

            • #7
              Re: Hammock camping

              Originally posted by Irate Mormon View Post
              It's a no-brainer for BP'ers, but really, those who dislike it don't know how to do it. WAY better than a cot. Plus a hammock doubles as a chair.

              Am I sounding like TP yet?
              Yup! (agreeing about back packing, not with the TP question) some cots are not sleepable, IMO (especially some military cots; billiard tables might actually be preferable, in some cases).
              ... However once a good comfortable cot and pad configuration is found its way better than an OK hammock (just another opinion; worth almost as much as it cost).

              I say keep trying things until one is found that is comfortable, for you, then stick with it until something better comes along (and the only way you will find "better" is to actually try many things...(have actually slept on a pool table; cannot recommend it)).

              Enjoy!
              Last edited by Happy Joe; 11-08-2016, 05:17 AM.
              2006 Jeep Rubicon, TJ; 4.11 gears, 31" tires, 4:1 transfer case, lockers in both axles
              For DD & "civilized" camping; 2003 Ford explorer sport, 4wd; ARB & torsen diffs, 4.10 gears, 32" MTs.
              Ground tents work best for me, so far.
              Experience along with properly set up 4WD will get you to & through places (on existing, approved 4WD trails) that 4WD, alone, can't get to.

              Comment

              • #8
                Re: Hammock camping

                I'm not a huge fan of hammocks either. I know a lot of people enjoy them, especially my trail men. However, I move around too much and the constant thought of falling keeps me from sleeping well in them.

                Comment

                • #9
                  Re: Hammock camping

                  Originally posted by MacGyver View Post
                  I've gone out in a hammock a couple of times. Can't say I liked it as my primary shelter. Great for naps, but I find it too constricting overall, even when sleeping on "the proper angle" hammock advocates always talk about. It might have something to do with my being one of those people who moves around a lot while I sleep. Same reason I don't like mummy bags.
                  This has always been my worry about hammocks. I am just like you down to not liking mummy bags. I need to move around and don't like the idea of being constricted.
                  “I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority.”
                  – E. B. White

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Re: Hammock camping

                    Actually, I'll be on a hammock next week in the BVI, but that's because it's "Summertime" there. Unfortunately, the bulky frame you have to carry around here in California to use a hammock in public campgrounds is big and heavy (Don't make me taze you for touching that tree, camper!)
                    “People have such a love for the truth that when they happen to love something else, they want it to be the truth; and because they do not wish to be proven wrong, they refuse to be shown their mistake. And so, they end up hating the truth for the sake of the object which they have come to love instead of the truth.”
                    ―Augustine of Hippo, Fifth Century A.D.

                    Comment

                    • #11
                      Re: Hammock camping

                      You won't move around as much in a hammock because there are no pressure points. Plus if you are doing it right, side sleeping is NOT a problem. If you look like a banana then you are doing it wrong. Plus there are setup options that don't involve trees or frames. The more you know....
                      2018: Any way the wind blows; doesn't really matter to me....Too Meee....

                      Comment

                      • #12
                        Re: Hammock camping

                        I've slept on properly set up hammocks and yes, side sleeping is a problem. Maybe some folks find it comfortable, but for me it was awkward and bothered my back (and I don't have a bad back).
                        “One could not be a successful scientist without realizing that, in contrast to the popular conception supported by newspapers and mothers of scientists, a goodly number of scientists are not only narrow-minded and dull, but also just stupid.” - James D. Watson

                        Comment

                        • #13
                          Re: Hammock camping

                          Originally posted by Irate Mormon View Post
                          You won't move around as much in a hammock because there are no pressure points. Plus if you are doing it right, side sleeping is NOT a problem. If you look like a banana then you are doing it wrong. Plus there are setup options that don't involve trees or frames. The more you know....
                          Thanks, I did not know that. We look more like 2 BANANAS when we do it in a hammock... :penguin:
                          “People have such a love for the truth that when they happen to love something else, they want it to be the truth; and because they do not wish to be proven wrong, they refuse to be shown their mistake. And so, they end up hating the truth for the sake of the object which they have come to love instead of the truth.”
                          ―Augustine of Hippo, Fifth Century A.D.

                          Comment

                          • #14
                            Re: Hammock camping

                            I often fall asleep on my recliner.....and will turn on my side. It is actually not a problem for me.






                            But I'm pretty weird.
                            “I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority.”
                            – E. B. White

                            Comment

                            • #15
                              Re: Hammock camping

                              This was timely. I was listening to a podcast called The First 40 Miles yesterday. Its a hiking/backpacking podcast geared toward beginners (get it?....the first fourty miles) but they did a hammock episode in conjunction with another podcast that focused on hammock camping. I am bias because I just like the podcast but I found it peaked my curiosity. They mentioned that they were told to sleep inside the hammock on an angle. So your feet were on the left and head on the right. That prevented you from being folded up like a taco.

                              Link:
                              http://www.thefirst40miles.com/090-h...mping-episode/
                              “I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority.”
                              – E. B. White

                              Comment

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