Hammock Or Tent??

A

akee

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Aug 25, 2004
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Which do you prefer and why?

Asked about Hammock camping in an earlier thread but I hope to see some comparision between hammock and tent as well.

I can see a few pros and cons of each, but let's hear it from those who have first hand experience for feed back. Thanks.
 
Akee,

Here's a few simple rules that reflect my thinking on hammocks and tents.

1. Good ground and bad trees take a tent.

2. Bad ground and good trees, take a hammock.

3. High wind and cold weather take a tent.

4. Light wind and warm wether take a hammock.

5. Rain is a wash

Bad ground - swamps, slopes, rocks, hordes of biting insects, damp musty jungle humus that rots your very boots off.

Good Ground - Pine needles, level, good drainage, leaves.

Bad Trees - bamboo, saplings, barren ground, small scrub.

Good Trees - Anything that will support your weight, spaced at reasonable intervals.

The hammock gives you the wonderful advantage of camping on really bad ground that you could never pitch a tent on. Steep slopes and swamps are no problem provided that you have adequate trees available.

A tent is better in wind and cold, but you have to have decent ground to pitch it on. A slight incline is fine but too much is a problem.

In my area of Brazil I take a hammock for lowland "jungle" camping (no true jungle where I live but you wouldn't know it from the hacking). Steep slopes and hostile ground are the rule. I stay with the hammock when camping above the lower forests in scrub areas.

Above this scrub forest there is an alpine ecosystem that is too beautiful not to explore. There are no trees and the slopes are steep and rocky. There are flat spaces where a small two man tent is great. Other areas are hard to fit a bivy sack. High winds and dense cold fog demand a good tent, or a warm bivy and bag.

I've been searching for a one-size-fits-all shelter system and haven't hit on it yet. My best solution is a hammock for the lower elevations and a bivy for up high. It all depends on the weather. I wouldn't want to try rainy season in a bivy. I'd sleep fine but cooking would be a hassle.

I don't do much winter camping but keeping warm in a tent is far easier than a hammock. In hot weather the hammock is great. Where tents will get stuffy, the hammock stays ventilated. Hammocks can be lighter weight as they are all nylon and string as opposed to poles and stakes.

I'm a big fan of hammocks where appropriate, but I'm not selling my tent or bivy sack any time soon. Mac
 
Good post. I can imagine the disadvantage of a hammock in non stop drizzling rain too. Whereas in a tent, one can sit upright and move around a little. In the hammock, one will be coop up all day.
 
Im with Pict on his list of "goods" and "bads". However, I'd like to add something. Weight can also be a factor. I know my hammock weight 1 lb or less, and the plastic painters sheet weights a 1/2 lb give or take. For long trips, I think that this setup is more useful than the tent (unless you are going into some REALLY cold areas. Just a couple of thoughts.

Another thing to take in consideration is privacy. If I was going on an excursion where I knew I'd want some privacy while changing (several people, differening genders) then I'd carry the tent.

BTW...Pict, that area sounds GORGEOUS! Want to trade places for a little while? :rolleyes: :D
 
Akee,

Not so. When I camp with my hammock I string up a tarp over it that provides a large dry area underneath. There is plenty of room to cook under it. I take the hammock and tie it up to the ridge line so its out of the way.

As ILikeSA says a clear plastic tarp is great for allowing light in during the day. Under tropical sun sometimes it's nice to have a sunshade though. The only problem is in high wind the tarp flaps around a lot and may even flap at night creating some noise. A more expensive nylon tarp would be quieter, maybe even lighter. I am cheap, however and haven't bought one yet.

ILike SA,

I spent two months in GA this past year. You don't have it too bad there either! I didn't get out camping but I did go out in the woods with my daughter and build a debris shelter. There was abundant pine straw and dry leaves. There was all sorts of tinder to use her BSA hotspark on as well.

If you want to see photos of where I live google "Serra Do Cipó" or "Minas Gerais" or "Belo Horizonte". I'm in PA right now but we're moving back there this Wednesday. Mac

PS Not my photos but I live 1.5 hours from here...

http://www.verinha.de/brasil_galeria_3.htm
 
Wow...some pretty nice photos of a pretty area. What part of Ga were you in? If you ever get a chance and get back this way, in Western Ga there is a place called Pine Mt. There is a 24 or 26 mile trail there with some beautiful overlooks. The trail can get rocky and pine trees have a habit of letting roots get out of the ground, hence the hammock. Callaway Gardens is also near, a must see if you get this way. The time to be in the Georgia Mts is in either the spring or the fall (late Oct-Nov 20th). Its very warm in the summer but the spring has flowers abounding and the fall has the changing leaves.

Ive never heard of a nylon tarp...that may be worth looking into.
 
A hammock will keep you warm without a bulky ground pad. If the air is still but cold, a hammock will work great by keeping you off the ground. If you got good trees, the wind will never be terrible.

If you don't get a good hammock, your back will hurt like a bitch.
 
Even with a good hammock, you have to be able to sleep well on your back. I'm a side to 3/4 stomach sleeper. Forget the hammock as it's a recipe for pain and no sleep for me.

Phil
 
Yes sleeping in a hammock requires a whole new set of sleeping positions and takes some getting used to. I can sleep on my back in a hammock but don't normally fall asleep that way in a bed. I have trained myself to shift as needed in a hammock. My problem is that I wake up with my feet in the lower cords. Several times during the night I have to wake up and pull myself up. I find I sleep better floating in a hammock than on hard ground.

One thing that is essential is to string the hammock high enough that it dosen't rub or touch anything below it. This can cut a hole in the bottom and you wind up falling through it. I watched my brother do just that this summer. His butt touched a rock and it sliced the hammock wide open. He made a ground shelter for the last night of the trip. Mac
 
Hi Pict,

Sound interesting about the nylon tarp, is it of special construction type? Is there a brand or is it home made stuff. Seriously looking into this particular piece of gear.

Heard mostly about Hennessy, but a little on Clark Jungle hammock too. Which one of them is more rugged or stronger, better construction and so on.....Any user feedback,anyone?

Thanks,
akee
 
Akee,

The hammock I use is a very simple one made locally in Brazil. Its made out of hang glider material and cord. It couldn't get simpler than that. The tarps are sold by several sources. Really any tarp will do as long as it is as long as the hammock when strung up and hangs down about 3 or 4 feet on each side.

Ray Mears uses one that has sort of a shower curtain type rigging along the top and a web strap that goes around the trees. He just slides it together, folds it up and wraps the strap around it. I haven't found the brand yet but will most likely improvise one like it once I get back to Brazil. Bugs are not a problem where I live so mine has no netting. Mac
 
Akee:

I often use the Tropical Hammock available through Brigade Quartermaster. I use an 8 x 8 ft silnylon hammock that was custom made (about $100) but 7 x 9 ft or 8 x 10 ft tarps work just fine and can be had ready-made for much, much less.

You can try out a hammock on your own for $9 and no sewing. You can use a Home Depot poly tarp for under $9.

All you lose is a teeeny bit of weight and volume.

See:

http://www.imrisk.com/testhammock/testhammock.htm

Bear
 
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