A few questions for you guys that know what your talking about.

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razorsdescent

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Jan 16, 2005
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Im a survival novice. so ill make these questions quick and to the point.

A) what do you guys think of hennessy hammocks and hammocks in general as survival shelters?:confused:

B) Whats the best coldweather sleeping bag? which can be in the coldest and which has a good weight/performance/cost ratio.?:confused:

C) what are some of the best survival guides that you have read. What are the true feild manuals written by people who now what they are doing?:confused:

Thanks for taking time to answer my stupid questions:thumbup:
 
razorsdescent said:
Im a survival novice. so ill make these questions quick and to the point.

A) what do you guys think of hennessy hammocks and hammocks in general as survival shelters?:confused:

B) Whats the best coldweather sleeping bag? which can be in the coldest and which has a good weight/performance/cost ratio.?:confused:

C) what are some of the best survival guides that you have read. What are the true feild manuals written by people who now what they are doing?:confused:

Thanks for taking time to answer my stupid questions:thumbup:
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A. Good for warm weather, but you get a cold ass in the winter.

B.Down is the warmest insulator, but if it gets wet you're screwed, blued and tatood. If its going to be wet, go with a good name brand synthetic. North Face, Marmot Mountain.

c. The S.A. S. Survival Guide by John "Lofty" Wiseman
 
Tom Brown's Field Guide "Wilderness Survival" is a great book to have. It's very graphic which can be quite helpful. Also read Greg Davenports book "Wilderness Survival" Greg has some good points. Both of these men are very knowledgable. Greg and Tom have trained our military as survival instructors. I usually carry one of these books in my rucksack when out in the wilderness.
 
razorsdescent said:
Im a survival novice. so ill make these questions quick and to the point.

A) what do you guys think of hennessy hammocks and hammocks in general as survival shelters?:confused:

B) Whats the best coldweather sleeping bag? which can be in the coldest and which has a good weight/performance/cost ratio.?:confused:

C) what are some of the best survival guides that you have read. What are the true feild manuals written by people who now what they are doing?:confused:

Thanks for taking time to answer my stupid questions:thumbup:
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Not saying I am an expert, this is just my opinion.

c) (only one im qualified to answer)
1 SAS survival guide
2 Tom Brown's Survival Guides(multiple)
3 U S Army Survival guide
4 How to stay alive in the woods
those are some of the best imo.
 
A) Like was said, best suited for warm weather.

B) Wiggy's! I don't own one yet, but everything I've read from satisfied customers says it's the bag to have.

C) 98.6, the art of keeping your ass alive by Cody Lundin
 
A) A hammock is a great shelter. I love my HH and plan on using it on an AT thru hike in '07, but the hammock has drawbacks. One, if the weather drops into the 60's or 50's or lower you need more insulation than a sleeping bag alone can provide. Happened to me on a overnighter on the AT in PA when testing out my hammock. I was super cold with only my sleeping bag (a 35 degree) and it was about 55 out. Now I have a Jacks Are Better Nest underquilt and the moment I laid down with it on I noticed a huge difference. I was a lot warmer and more comfortable. There are other methods in keeping warm such as using a pad, but they thend to slip around (unless your pad slips inside your bag like my Big Anges Storm King). I perosnaly think underquilts are the way to go, as now i can slip my gossimer gear pad between the quilt and the HH, and I can also add a emergancy blanket as well between the two (but be careful of condesiation forming when you do this with a e-blanket). Check out Jacks Are Better for awsome quilts http://216.83.168.206/index.htm. The HH super shelter is also recommended. Try Around the Campfire and Whiteblaze for more hammock info and insight.

Now that is said that about insulation, I get the best night sleep in my hammock and I wont go back to tent camping any time soon. The versitality an convenionce of a hammock is great. Now worries of level ground, no trees, it can be set up like a tent. Tie it to a cliff (of course with proper rock clips and gear to do so) .

B) not sure how to respond to that. Each sleeper is a bit different, so what one bag works for someone wont work for others (by this I mean If you sleep warm or cold, a tosser, a ultra light zelot, sleep on your side, blah blah.) Although Big Anges makes some pretty good bags. The pad slips right into the bag itslef so your never off of it. Marmot, North Face and REI makes some good bags for your buck, but trust me the more money you invest in a piece of gear like a bag the better it is.

C) SAS survival guide
US Army survival field guide
Ray Mears books
Tom Brown's manuals

As a side note check out Touching the Void for an awe inspering mountaineering story of survival. Written by Joe Simpson.
 
I haven't tried hammocks, so I don't know.

I'll use just about any bag (since I've usually had little choice), but I also carry a wool swiss army blanket to use inside anything I sleep in.

I have to agree on the SAS mentioned earlier. But, I supplement with many military manuals such as the Snipers manual and the Rangers medical handbook.
 
I have no experience with a hammock.

From what I hear the two part bags are the best. One part is the bag you get in and then theres a padded bottom you slide in to insulate you depending on the conditions.

I've read a couple books on the subject. This is about half of my collection, the other half are at work where I do most of my reading.

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Which one is best depends on what you're looking for. Some are very broad spectrum, some are highly specialized in one very specific field which may or may not be what you're looking for.

Any of the ones in the pic are a real good start aside from "Back in the day" and "survivalist little book of wisdom" which basically cover areas of things you may want to look at in your preparations but dont provide any real detail in them.

You need to decide if you're looking for survival or bushcraft. If you're looking for survival narrow it down to urban or wilderness. I havent read any really good books that covered both well so its best to pick up one in the field you intend to study.


BTW "The Ultimate Survival Guide" is a reprint of Lofty's "SAS Survival Handbook" you an pickup for $6 new and about $2 used. Its a great read but he uses some pretty thick brittish slang in certain areas. Its easy to get through but you'd want to read through it once before you needed it, so you have time to sort out what the hell hes trying to say.
 
I love hammocks, but only in warm weather. The under quilt is the way to go to make them warmer. The idea is to not compress the loft under your body. I have used a simple rig of a doubled over poncho liner tied up under the hammock and it worked great.

Hammocks solve all sorts of problems, especially in areas with lots of trees and bad ground. Rain will follow the ropes right into your shelter so you have to work out a strategy to keep them dry. Mac
 
Thanks guys. Im not going to get into camping anytime soon as ive just enlisted. I ship the 18th :D (airborne ranger contract for those that care, who knows after ranger school i might never wanna see the woods again)

I was thinking that maybe when i get back from basic i might try camping as i havent camped in a looooong time. Thought id have a hiking/camping adventure. im just trying to get a good picture of what kind of gear to get and avoid. The hammock system really appealing to me with its light weight and easy carry, but im just concerned about getting caught in cold or wet weather.

I'll definatley pick up the SAS survival manual. And i might be able to wrangle myself a U.S FM 21-76 for free if im lucky. :D

Thanks again anymore comments would be more than welcome.
 
I'm going to guess that you'll see plenty of camping and the woods in the service. Good luck to you!

A) Hammock - I'm trying the hammock thing for the first time this weekend. I've read that a sleeping pad placed in the hammock can add to the comfort level and serves as a great bottom insulator in colder weather.

B) As mentioned, every sleeper is different. I recommend investing in a good bag by a reputable brand. My two good bags are a 0 The North Face Snowshoe with the old Polarguard insulation, and a +20 The North Face Cat's Meow with the Polargaurd HV insulation. Both bags have never let me down. I've also camped in temps below 20 degrees with the Cat's Meow, and I was fine. I ahve also found that I have better luck increasing the warmth of a bag by adding outer layers to the bag (bivy, overbag, spaceblanket) rather than adding a liner for warmth.

C) All the books mentioned thus far are great. My suggestion would be to not get just one book, but try to accumulate as many as possible, read them all, try different techniques for doing things, and see what works best for you.
 
The above mentioned books are all good. One book you may also want to check out, if you can track it down, is Complete Book of Outdoor Lore by Clyde Ormon. It's an old outdoorsman book from the 60's. Covers everything from survival, to hunting, tracking, plant identification, navigation, trip preparation, etc. Good luck at ranger school razor :)
 
aaronjayl said:
The above mentioned books are all good. One book you may also want to check out, if you can track it down, is Complete Book of Outdoor Lore by Clyde Ormon. It's an old outdoorsman book from the 60's. Covers everything from survival, to hunting, tracking, plant identification, navigation, trip preparation, etc. Good luck at ranger school razor :)
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That is such a good book. My dad gave it to me when I was in JR high and started me on this path. I have the first edition hardback with the blue and white cover.

That brings back some memories.
 
Just checked, there's a few copies of the book I mentioned available for cheap over on that, ahhhh, auction site.
 
A) I used a hennessy hammock. Ultralight Asym. I did about 400 miles in one on an extended backpacking trip. in summer, they cant be beat for offtrail hiking and cool setup locations and ease. In the cold you WILL freeze. Ive used mine through October and had a few really terrible nights when it dipped too low. Think of a down bag, it insultes through "fluff". Once you are squishing that air layer, you can get some seriously terrible cold spots underneath you as the air flows around the hammock...There are reflector solutions, but Id stick to warm weather for the hammock.

B) For bags, its a tossup. I always go with down and my staple is a Subkilo 20 degree bag. Weighs almost nothing. it iwll keep you alive at 20 degrees, but done expect to be comfortable. Down rocks the house for weight, comfort and warmpth, but if you get it wet, you are in trouble. Takes forever to dry and offers little protection once that down cant fluff up. In cold weather, with a down bag getting it wet can be a death sentence....

C) I havent read many survival books and acquired most of my skills on the trail or off it. Hiking or camping with someone knowledgable is worth a thousand books...so cant help there.

I have lots of experience with the hammock, so ask any questions you want. ive spent 2 months straight sleeping in one every night, so learned quite a few tricks for getting comfy. Ive also experienced my ultimate fear when a deer got his leg caught in my flyline in the middle of the night. Visions of being dragged through the woods flashed through my head before he got away...
 
razorsdescent said:
Thanks guys. Im not going to get into camping anytime soon as ive just enlisted. I ship the 18th :D (airborne ranger contract for those that care, who knows after ranger school i might never wanna see the woods again)

I was thinking that maybe when i get back from basic i might try camping as i havent camped in a looooong time. Thought id have a hiking/camping adventure. im just trying to get a good picture of what kind of gear to get and avoid. The hammock system really appealing to me with its light weight and easy carry, but im just concerned about getting caught in cold or wet weather.

I'll definatley pick up the SAS survival manual. And i might be able to wrangle myself a U.S FM 21-76 for free if im lucky. :D

Thanks again anymore comments would be more than welcome.
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Congrats on your enlistment! :thumbup:

I'd also recommend this book: http://www.amazon.com/Field-Guide-E...=pd_bbs_1/102-2998975-3416166?ie=UTF8&s=books

Although it's not strictly a "survival" book, knowing what plants to gather is an invaluable skill. Also, books/videos on snaring are great to have - snaring will feed you better than hunting any day. Just ask those who survived the Great Depression or were displaced in Europe during the Second World War. Check out: http://www.buckshotscamp.com/Video-6-Sales.htm

I'm also real fond of this book for it's no nonsense, practical advice: http://www.amazon.com/Rural-Ranger-...=pd_bbs_1/102-2998975-3416166?ie=UTF8&s=books
 
Thanks for the kind words. I enlisted for a few reasons. Im not keen on having other people do my fighting for me :( Iv'e wanted to be a soldier for a long time too. I was ecstatic that i was a candidate for the R.I.P contract. Besides im young and healthy i wanna do my part even if there wasnt a war going on.

akennedy73 - funny you should mention snaring as that is a skill id very much like to acquire. Seems like a very efficient means of obtaining food. I must say id be pissed if i had to live of plants for more than 3 days. I like meat in my diet. And that is ignoreing the fact that meat or beans is essential to a human diet.

Tictock- That sounds like a very scary situation. To pick your brain a little how did you deal with the afore mentioned problem of rain running along the lines into the the hammock?

Kenk- thanks for the link ive been there before but im gonna browse more :D

Aaronjay- i will try and obtain that book you mentioned. :thumbup: The older books im sure contain more tried and true methods, been wondering what the old timey trackers and fur traders used as their guides???? :confused:

Thanks to everyone whos posted. Anyone else that chimes in thanks to you to. I admire the outdoors greatly, and it warms my heart to know that other people treasure this planet that we live on. Its the only one we got so we should all enjoy it and protect it. Not just for us but for those who come after too. :D
 
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