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I've never used a hammock for overnights and would like to hear your thoughts about using one. I've use quite a few ultra-lite tents over the years but with a footprint, they never seem to be as "lite" or as compact as they say. Also, I'm getting kinda tired of the whole set-up/take-down process and I think a hammock would probably be way smaller and lighter in my pack. Plus you're off the ground in case of rain. Downside is that everyone needs their own hammock -- I don't think you can share one with your sweetie, but let me know if I'm wrong. Should I just go full-on hammock and leave tenting for the scrubs? PS - Trees are plentiful where I camp.
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Dec 29, 2015 19:25
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I have a friend who hammock camps when conditions permit, and he seems to really enjoy it. As long as you have a nice sleeping bag and don't mind feeling like you're in a cocoon, it seems like a completely fine alternative in good/mild weather. e: edited out wrong info, apparently they make rain flies for hammocks now? Cool Aves Maria! fucked around with this message at 19:44 on Dec 29, 2015 |
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Dec 29, 2015 19:40
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AARP LARPer fucked around with this message at 02:11 on Jan 23, 2016 |
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Dec 29, 2015 19:43
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Do Not Resuscitate posted:Why is that? You've got a rainfly, you're off the ground... Nothing! I've just never seen a rainfly used with a hammock and were unaware of their existence. My bad!
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Dec 29, 2015 19:46
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AARP LARPer fucked around with this message at 02:11 on Jan 23, 2016 |
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Dec 29, 2015 20:29
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Guys I'm going to use a hammock instead of a tent because it's lighter and simpler *buys rain fly, bug net, quilt, different sized air mattress, etc*
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Dec 29, 2015 20:30
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In my experience, they don't really save weight, or setup time, but I sleep like a baby in them when it's not cold at night. I wouldn't bother if it was a bug infested area, though.
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Dec 29, 2015 20:52
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If you have lots of trees but stony ground, your hammock site could be practically anywhere when it would be hard to find a good place to set up a tent. If you aren't concerned about getting mauled by a bear, the open rainfly of a hammock is nice to cook under.
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Dec 29, 2015 21:28
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AARP LARPer fucked around with this message at 02:11 on Jan 23, 2016 |
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Dec 29, 2015 22:44
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mastershakeman posted:Guys I'm going to use a hammock instead of a tent because it's lighter and simpler This is sadly true. But for us poor side-sleepers, it is the only way.
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Dec 29, 2015 23:21
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Do Not Resuscitate posted:I'd also like to ditch the pads, but I've heard that things can get cold in a hammock and you'd need one for this reason even tho you're off the ground. That would blow. Or you could use an underquilt. It's kind of like a sleeping bag for the underside of the hammock held on with shock cords. I have a Arrowhead New River synthetic and have been down to about 30F with a generic sleeping bag on top. Muuuch more comfortable than a closed cell pad, plus warmer, pads only keep you warm where they're under you. Have wider shoulders than your pad or slip off the pad while sleeping? You gonna get cold. If you want to hammock camp in anything under 70F, buy or make an underquilt out of a sleeping bag. You won't regret it. Between the hammock, tarp fly and underquilt, you're not going to see a big drop in pack weight or size, if any at all. What you do get is not sleeping on the ground and a better nights sleep, at least for me anyway. Ymmv. Retarted Pimple fucked around with this message at 02:32 on Dec 30, 2015 |
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Dec 30, 2015 02:25
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Retarded Pimp posted:Or you could use an underquilt. It's kind of like a sleeping bag for the underside of the hammock held on with shock cords. I have a Arrowhead New River synthetic and have been down to about 30F with a generic sleeping bag on top. Muuuch more comfortable than a closed cell pad, plus warmer, pads only keep you warm where they're under you. Have wider shoulders than your pad or slip off the pad while sleeping? You gonna get cold. Yeah, everything he said. Some hammock tents now have a double layer of fabric so that you can slip an insulating layer between. You can also use a close fitting cover over the bug screen to hold in warmth. I've got a Hennessy Hammock Expedition Asym, with their full supershelter setup, and I've slept comfortably at below freezing temperatures with just a 40 degree bag inside. The main advantages to hammock camping are ease of setup/takedown, comfort while sleeping, and that they get you off the ground. If you get into gazillion dollar custom ultralight rigs, you can get some weight savings, but not a ton.
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Dec 30, 2015 07:14
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AARP LARPer fucked around with this message at 02:11 on Jan 23, 2016 |
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Dec 30, 2015 09:45
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bongwizzard posted:This is sadly true. But for us poor side-sleepers, it is the only way. Sleep on your back like a normal person!!!
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Dec 30, 2015 14:50
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mastershakeman posted:Sleep on your back like a normal person!!! But then a cat might sleep on my face and kill me.
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Dec 30, 2015 15:01
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I do the hammock thing and am pretty happy with it. I got this one a couple years ago. Only 4 pounds but includes rain fly, netting, stuff sack and a spot to throw a sleeping pad in. Haven't taken it winter camping yet (next month hopefully) but it's good for that. That said I do still kinda want a tent.
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Dec 31, 2015 02:32
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Personally I prefer a tent so that you're not reliant on trees to hang your hammock. Also, the weight advantage of a hammock starts to disappear once you factor in a rain fly, underquilt, hanging straps etc as compared to a decent 1-2 person backpacking tent. Just my 2 cents. I like hammocks, I think they're comfortable for napping in but they don't work for me for a full night's sleep. I'm a side sleeper. Sleeping on my back causes me to snore and it wakes me up.
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Dec 31, 2015 08:03
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Retarded Pimp posted:I have a Arrowhead New River synthetic and have been down to about 30F with a generic sleeping bag on top. Muuuch more comfortable than a closed cell pad, plus warmer, pads only keep you warm where they're under you. Have wider shoulders than your pad or slip off the pad while sleeping? You gonna get cold. I have one of those! I use it with a Warbonnet Blackbird hammock. I use a 20F sleeping bag like a topquilt and I've been down to about 22F and windy and been perfectly warm. Had to get some better shockcord that loops over the ridgeline to keep the wind from pushing it from under me. I really like hammock camping. Easy set up, quick takedown, comfortable as gently caress. No rocks in the back or cold ground. Cons:
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Jan 1, 2016 07:52
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I do not generally use a tent at all and just sleep on the ground out in the open like a filthy savage, except the kind who somehow stumbled across a nice warm sleeping bag. I never even considered bringing a hammock but that actually seems like something I'd prefer to the tent in case of rain. If you're doing the rain cover aren't you basically just bringing a big tent and putting a hammock under it? I don't see how that would end up being lighter or taking up less room than a tent, or how it would require less set up?
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Jan 1, 2016 08:03
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PirateDentist posted:I have one of those! I use it with a Warbonnet Blackbird hammock. I have a Yukon Outfitters Mosquito Hammock and Walkabout rain fly with some Atlas straps and a Nature Hike LW180bag that literally take up half the space and use that with the UQ if space is or the temp isn't too much of a concern. GlyphGryph posted:If you're doing the rain cover aren't you basically just bringing a big tent and putting a hammock under it? I don't see how that would end up being lighter or taking up less room than a tent, or how it would require less set up? Pretty much, the biggest deciding issue to me anyway is if you want to sleep on the uncomfortable ground or hang in the gently rocking bliss of a hammock. They both have their own pros & cons. If you're with a few other people it's probably more efficient to use a big tent and share pack space. Edit: Wow, I like this. Making your own UQ out of a snugpak jungle blanket. http://theoutdoorreview.com/snugpak-jungle-blanket-as-a-hammock-underquilt/ Retarted Pimple fucked around with this message at 17:01 on Jan 1, 2016 |
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Jan 1, 2016 16:11
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I might have to try that. It's only 13 oz heavier than my CCF pad and probably a lot warmer. I pack relatively light (albeit inefficiently) so an extra pound can easily be worked in. Thanks for the link!
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Jan 1, 2016 17:17
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Can attest that the hammock is not good for sharing, unless you can handle sleeping real snuggly-like where you both cave in on the same point. Would maybe be better if you got one of the hammocks that has a crossbar so it stays unfolded, which are infinitely more comfortable but not as good for transporting out to camp. I still like the hammock camping option a lot because for me it was definitely lighter and much smaller to pack than a tent, but I never owned a high-end super light tent either. I have a cheaper grand trunk hammock with a mosquito covering over the top, and one thing to note was that mosquitos were still able to bite me a ton when I tried sleeping in it without any thick padding. Apparently the hammock is not as thick as the length of your average mosquito sucker probe thing.
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Jan 3, 2016 00:53
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bongwizzard posted:This is sadly true. But for us poor side-sleepers, it is the only way. Eh? I always sleep on my side in a tent on an air mattress (using clothing/pack/stuff sacks in a stuff sack as a pillow), as comfortable as sleeping at home, more so if it's quiet and solitary. Maybe you want a thicker mattress? I'm fond of my unfortunately discontinued four season bivy sack. It's the biggest "sack" I could find, little rear end in a top hat like me can almost sit upright in it and is totally comfortable unless there's a need to cook during a storm. 
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Jan 3, 2016 01:22
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meselfs posted:Eh? I always sleep on my side in a tent on an air mattress (using clothing/pack/stuff sacks in a stuff sack as a pillow), as comfortable as sleeping at home, more so if it's quiet and solitary. Maybe you want a thicker mattress? I can sleep ok on a pad but I also toss around so much the cradle of the hammock is really the best. I am just bitter as my first hammock packs down to like grapefruit sized and it was a huge bummer to realize that setting it up in the woods takes a lot more gear then setting under an stage. If I spent the money on a super light weight top/bottom quilt and a Cuban fiber tarp the kit would come out less then a tent but be way more comfortable then a lighter weight bivy.
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Jan 3, 2016 06:16
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tbh I just want to try taking a tarp instead of a full tent, that's probably the lightest way to go outside of no cover at all. Still have to pack stakes and guy lines and have a way to prop it up if necessary (hiking poles seem to be the main thing for this), though I'd worry some about how sheltered it'd be in a strong storm in an exposed area. Still intriguing though.
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Jan 3, 2016 17:43
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also you're gonna lose heat faster with that setup, unfortunately
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Jan 3, 2016 19:38
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Lotka Volterra posted:also you're gonna lose heat faster with that setup, unfortunately yeah slightly less worried about that, with a warm bag and ground pad and in the summer months when it shouldn't be getting really cold... Most of my trips now are with my wife though and she wouldn't go for that. Also kind of rules out the hammock setup as well, lighter and cheaper to use a light two person tent rather than two hammocks, and hammocks aren't great above treeline.
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Jan 3, 2016 19:54
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Wanting to bivy on the backside, but wife requires tent
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Jan 3, 2016 21:28
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Tying to trees is illegal in our parks up here, so it's either tent or tarp unless you're on crownland. Which is boring so no one I know even owns a hammock for backcountry or camping. Even hunters don't bother. Hammocks are just not a thing up here.
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Jan 4, 2016 03:53
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Aw poo poo I'm moving (back) to Canada soon, what province? A quick google didn't give me anything, but in my bones I feel like the answer is Ontario because they can never leave anything unfucked. e. or maybe BC. Guest2553 fucked around with this message at 05:08 on Jan 4, 2016 |
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Jan 4, 2016 05:03
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Guest2553 posted:Aw poo poo I'm moving (back) to Canada soon, what province? A quick google didn't give me anything, but in my bones I feel like the answer is Ontario because they can never leave anything unfucked. Alberta. The mountain parks are a world heritage site so regulations are pretty strict.
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Jan 4, 2016 06:43
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Do you have wimpy little trees and super tough undergrowth or something? My buddy and I camp on the farm I live on and his tent leaves a huge disturbed spot while my hammock really only leaves my trail from it to my piss spot.
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Jan 4, 2016 06:48
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Nope, we have awesome old conifer forests with no undergrowth but you can't tie to the trees in case they get damaged. It's extremely Leave No Trace up here.
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Jan 4, 2016 09:51
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hammock vs tarp is very dependent on where you live. in the PNW it's arguably a lot easier to find a good spot to set up a hammock, than a tent. i still need to acquire some way of sleeping so i can start doing overnights again. threw my old tent, bags, etc out last time i moved. hammock makes a lot of sense to me, except that all my hiking buddies are attractive, single women
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Jan 4, 2016 11:42
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Tashan Dorrsett posted:all my hiking buddies are attractive, single women
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Jan 4, 2016 22:48
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pitching a tent is definitely the way to go
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Jan 4, 2016 23:26
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I got a bivy sack a couple years back, and have pretty much replaced my tent with it. It's pretty neat because it literally is no setup other than unrolling (I got an army surplus one) and sitting it on a sleeping pad. It's water proof and pretty spacious too. So if it rains I'm fine and I end up putting my backpack/boots or whatever in my sack with me, and it keeps everything dry.
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Jan 5, 2016 16:12
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If you're interested in trying out hammock camping on the cheap, keep an eye on the Sports section of Woot. They have Yukon brand camping hammocks and rain flies all the time. Also, if you're on Reddit, there is a whole hammock camping subforum that explodes everytime Woot puts their hammocks on sale. For Canada, do they not allow any type of tree attachment or would something like Atlas Straps be ok? Unfortunately I haven't had a chance to try hammock camping but I really want to. Most of my camping is car camping with friends and family which is more about getting drunk in the woods than communing with nature.
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Jan 6, 2016 14:17
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Having slept in a hammock many nights, I can say that your fancy -12degree down sleeping bag will compress underneath you and provide insulation equivalent to a sheet of paper. I've never heard of hammocks designed to put padding inside but those sound like they'd be pretty sweet.
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Jan 6, 2016 18:05
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I use a Hennessey hammock as a tent since the last tent I used got rained out whereas it was a traditional. The rainfly gives a certain amount of insulation depending on if it's right down on you as a roof or more open. I also use a Thermarest insulating pad when it's supposed to get colder than 50 degrees outside. The coldest I've slept in while still being completely comfortable is around 19 degrees at night. Also, in a hammock mobility is key, this is why I use a Selk'Bag. Sure they look ridiculous, but they're dual purpose, I don't need any cold weather clothing and it's pretty great to be able to get up and take a piss without freezing your rear end off.
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Jan 6, 2016 19:27
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