Any Hammock Campers out there?

[Hoshnasi]

Just watch Shuge, it'll all be OK.



I went with the Eno Double nest as well.. But I bought the Kamock straps.

[Defy Concealment]

Just watch Shuge, it'll all be OK.

That guy kind of annoys me, but he does know his Shug......

[CandG]

I love backpacking with my Hennessy Hammock. Only problem is (something I never thought about til the first time I used it), they are impossible to change your clothes in. So if you require privacy, you'll have to head out to the woods to change. I also don't use it in cold weather, because the draft underneath makes my back cold, and to pack an insulating layer with the hammock would make it heavy enough to where I might as well just bring a tent.

[Reecek]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I am thinking about taking the dive and picking up an "entry level" hammock and testing it out at a local campground or friends backyard. I figure if I buy just the hammock, even if I don't like it i'll be out what? like 75 bucks? Then Ill just bring it along for other people to use or give it to someone to use in their backyard or something.

I am looking at an ENO at REI and a Skeeter Beater Pro on Amazon. I like that the SBP has a bug net, but it looks like ENO sells one that you can put around the hammock anyway.

Can anyone weigh in on those two options? or something comparable?

If you buy it from REI you can return it with no problems even if you use it.

[Darto]

Defy:
I would try this. Put a sleeping bag on the living room floor and see if you can sleep ok on a hard surface. If you have a pad to put underneath use that (you will need a pad in the hammock anyways so might as well buy a pad). However, some hammocks have a slot to slip the pad inside the hammock lining (so you need the exact custom size pad for that).

If you can sleep on the hard floor, a tent is the way to go because it is much much warmer than a hammock. Traveling along hwy 80 in the winter the slick (frozen) patches in the road is usually over a bridge because air flows under the bridge, just like it does under a hammock.

The hammock is infinitely softer.
The tent is infinitely warmer.

[Defy Concealment]

Defy:
I would try this. Put a sleeping bag on the living room floor and see if you can sleep ok on a hard surface. If you have a pad to put underneath use that (you will need a pad in the hammock anyways so might as well buy a pad). However, some hammocks have a slot to slip the pad inside the hammock lining (so you need the exact custom size pad for that).

If you can sleep on the hard floor, a tent is the way to go because it is much much warmer than a hammock. Traveling along hwy 80 in the winter the slick (frozen) patches in the road is usually over a bridge because air flows under the bridge, just like it does under a hammock.

The hammock is infinitely softer.
The tent is infinitely warmer.

Excellent point brother!

I should clarify a couple of things though. I can sleep on the ground no problem. I have been camping in tents and such for years so I am not worried about that so much. I just haven't ever been backpacking before. I usually load a bunch of crap into my truck and sleep within ten feet of it at a nice campsite, or just off a 4wheeling trail at the worst. I am interested in actual true backpacking however so I am currently changing out my whole gear set up as basically none of it has been set up to fit in a hiking backpack and be rucked for hours and hours hahahahhaha. So this is more an experiment on space and weight saving than anything. I suppose the comfort is a plus too.

I also don't plan on any winter camps as of yet hahaha so I am not to worried about warmth. At least until it gets back into the double digits around here anyway.


Also, I already bought one hahahaha. I got an Eno Double Nest from REI and am going to go test it out at a near by campground next weekend. Stay tuned for the "any lightweight tent recommendations" thread

Thanks everyone I will report back soon

[ElvenSoul]

I keep going back to my old trusty
Warbonnet

http://www.warbonnetoutdoors.com/

[ElvenSoul]

The shelf on the Blackbird Warbonnet puts a 1911 Officer in quick reach!

[Catalyst81]

Excellent point brother!

I should clarify a couple of things though. I can sleep on the ground no problem. I have been camping in tents and such for years so I am not worried about that so much. I just haven't ever been backpacking before. I usually load a bunch of crap into my truck and sleep within ten feet of it at a nice campsite, or just off a 4wheeling trail at the worst. I am interested in actual true backpacking however so I am currently changing out my whole gear set up as basically none of it has been set up to fit in a hiking backpack and be rucked for hours and hours hahahahhaha. So this is more an experiment on space and weight saving than anything. I suppose the comfort is a plus too.

I also don't plan on any winter camps as of yet hahaha so I am not to worried about warmth. At least until it gets back into the double digits around here anyway.


Also, I already bought one hahahaha. I got an Eno Double Nest from REI and am going to go test it out at a near by campground next weekend. Stay tuned for the "any lightweight tent recommendations" thread

Thanks everyone I will report back soon

The backpackinglight forums would be a good source of info for you as well getting into backpacking and lightening up. If you carry too much stuff or too much heavy stuff backpacking can become miserable pretty quickly. Best thing you can do is get a small postal scale and weigh all your gear. It seems a little extreme at first, but it helps you not carry too much and keeps you organized. The below link is my gear list for when I go to the Sierra.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...p=docslist_api.

[valdier]

Defy:
I would try this. Put a sleeping bag on the living room floor and see if you can sleep ok on a hard surface. If you have a pad to put underneath use that (you will need a pad in the hammock anyways so might as well buy a pad). However, some hammocks have a slot to slip the pad inside the hammock lining (so you need the exact custom size pad for that).

If you can sleep on the hard floor, a tent is the way to go because it is much much warmer than a hammock. Traveling along hwy 80 in the winter the slick (frozen) patches in the road is usually over a bridge because air flows under the bridge, just like it does under a hammock.

The hammock is infinitely softer.
The tent is infinitely warmer.

This really isn't true though... with a pad, or underquilt, you will be just as warm in your hammock as you would be on the ground with a pad.

I've easily done sub-freezing nights with nothing but a sleeping bag and thermarest silver pad. I never got cold, never had a problem. With an underquilt you won't even notice its cold outside.

Admittedly there are more considerations for a hammock, but there are benefits as well.

[DallasGreen]

Banana hammock