Jungle Hammocks

D

deadeye dave

Joined
Apr 24, 2001
Messages
1
Does anyone have any experience using a jungle hammock? There are some pretty nice ones on the market, but I've never tried one. How about the cheapo ones you see around (they claim to be copies of the WW2 version.)
I'm a pretty big guy (around 250) will this present a problem?
Thanks!
Dave
 
I don't like them if you are planning on using them in a tropical environment. Too hot, too awkward, my feet go to sleep. The cheaper ones leak and have to have a tarp placed overhead to be waterproof. They're a real pisser when you have to get up in the middle of the night to take a leak. I opt for mosquito nets with a poncho top. This way you can store gear inside and get out of it easily on any side you want. I have the same sentiments about one-man bivys. All of these may work well under good camping conditions but in survival living or hard environments the weaknesses show up quickly and the absolute best route is to use what the natives have used for years. This is one area that I have the exact opposite opinion of Cresson Kearney and his book "Jungle Snafus and Remedies." In my opinion hammocks are made to be open air devices for relaxing around a campfire while swatting mosquitos. A lot of jungle trekkers like hammocks because it takes a certain amount of fear away. In other words they feel safer from the creepy crawly stuff on the ground by being supported in a tree. What's funny is when the tree breaks or gives in the middle of the night and they end up on the ground anyway wondering how they can repair this in the middle of a dark jungle...seen this happen many times.

Jeff

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Randall's Adventure & Training
jeff@jungletraining.com
 
I'm with Jeff on this one.

In addition to the aforementioned problems you have your back shoved tight against the fabric. This gives free reign to mosquitoes who go for the "Sangre de sucre" alongside your spine. If you wanna see what I mean go to our website, check the jungle video and look at the photo of one of our guys back.

I've tested a couple of cool designs including one that has an integral canopy and mosquito netting and can only be entered from the bottom but when ya wanna, or gotta piss... it sucks.

Ron

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Learn Life Extension at:

http://www.survival.com ]

[This message has been edited by Doc Ron (edited 05-12-2001).]
 
Ron, the same thing happened to Newt Livesay during one of our trips. The mosquitos feasted on his shoulder during the night. I will credit Kearney on this issue though. He designed a hammock that had a false bottom which hung below and kept the bugs at bay, but this does not solve all the other problems.

My main problem with hammocks is accessability. I even thought about cutting a very small
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hole in the bottom to take a leak through but it's a bitch turning over on your back and then you're attracting more bugs on the ground below you. So you have to get up, step out on to wet ground, put your shoes on, stumble off into the woods, then come back, take your shoes off, try like hell to find the entrance, crawl in, zip it up, kill everything that crawled in with you, get comfortable, and then remember that you forgot to put your shoes back up so things wouldn't get in them.
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I spent one night in an old WWII GI hammock. Worst night I ever spent. The top leaked but the bottom didn't so I ended up sleeping in a pond. Since then I've tried some higher quality models but still have the same problems.

Jeff

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Randall's Adventure & Training
jeff@jungletraining.com
 
hey doc,
that jungle video looked pretty interesting.(except for the spit beer)
might just have to pick one up soon.
 
Speaking of hammocks - does anyone know where I can buy some cargo netting? A home-made hammock is really pretty easy to make if you have the netting material. Nice to have in the back yard!
 
I enjoy my Clark Jungle Hammock.
It is a bit pricey, but well worth the $$$$$ IMHO.

WWW.JUNGLEHAMMOCK.COM has all the info you seek.

Skeeters were no problem in mine.

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"There are more things on this planet with fangs, claws, poisons and scales than
there are things that are warm, fuzzy, and full of love. It's a simple fact."
-James Keating-
 
The Clark Jungle Hammock people put up a pretty impressive web page. Anyone else here ever try one of these?

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Hoodoo

I get some pleasure from finding a relentlessly peaceful use for a combative looking knife.
JKM
 
I used the Clark Hammock for two 4 week expeditions in Peru. It was fairly comfortable and definatly a cut above the other hammocks we had along. However I used a thermarest under me to stop the chingaderras from draining my arteries. Still as Jeff said it was a problem when it was time to piss. Also, my gear was not under the same cover so if I felt like I wanted a midnight snack I had to get up and get it. This meant stepping into mud much of the time as well as having to separately shelter my gear. With the gear I generally just wrap some 1 inch tubular web around a tree and hang the pack by a biner then cover with a poncho. Keeps the rascals out of the pack.

To it's credit. We had some serious rain storms and I never got wet. You can really batten down the hatches with that hammock. What finally stopped me from using it as a hammock and started me using it as a ground shelter was the night I rolled over to get out to take a piss and the thing rolled right over. The Indians were having a laughter fit as I hung from the mosquito netting inside my hammock... 1 inch from the ground... Of course the zipper was now my roof and my pad was everywhere. I laughed so hard I blew snot on my chest and that ruined everyones night....

From then on the clark was a one man ground shelter except when we rented space along the river in some families palapa.



[This message has been edited by Doc Ron (edited 05-14-2001).]
 
Hi everyone. I have lurked here for a long time. I normally post over at Plainsman's.

I registered here so I could share my experience with the Clark Jungle Hammock. I LOVE mine. I have had it for a year, and have taken it out a half dozen times ranging from a weekend to a week at a time.

I would never go back to tent camping again. First of all, you don't have to carry a ground pad unless it is really cold. All I carry is a fleece blanket. (I live in Georgia.) I did have to learn to tie the head a few inches lower than the feet to keep from sliding down in the hammock, but after that modification, it is truly comfortable sleeping. Also, I am a middle aged female and simply can't sleep on the hard ground any more. I sleep like a baby in the hammock.

Secondly, it only takes me a couple of minutes to set up, and I can set it up anywhere. Here is a picture of the view from my hammock when we went camping in Florida three weeks ago. The ground was very steep and uneven. There's no way I could have set up a tent there. The only thing I had to be careful of was to remember to step out of the right side of the hammock. If I had stepped out the other side, I would have broken my neck.

vac1.jpg


I have had no problems with mosquitos--probably because the pockets underneath the hammock give an extra layer of protection. And the pockets are wonderful for storing items. I have even stored fresh eggs inside a pan in the pockets and the eggs were unbroken in the morning. They hang down low enough that you don't feel anything in them.

The best part is being able to sit in the hammock and then take your boots and socks off, and just put them in one of the pockets. Your feet never touch the ground. I keep a pair of campshoes handy in the pockets so when I have to get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, I just reach in the pocket, grab the shoes and slip them on. I sleep with a small LED light on a lanyard around my neck, so I don't have to fish around for a light.

They also have two small pockets inside which are really great for keeping my glasses easily accessible and safe.

They also are a comfortable chair to sit in if you stuff your blanket or sleeping bag underneath the back of your knees to keep the zipper from cutting into them.

When you are ready to break camp, just a quick tug on one of the lines (if you use the bow knot) is all that's needed. You then roll the hammock up with the other end still tied to the tree, so it never touches the ground. Then you untie the second line and wrap it around the hammock, and you are ready to leave.

As you can tell, I am absolutely crazy about my hammock!
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Great post!

Thanks for sharing. For use in the locations you mentioned you made a great choice. Your comment about the hillsides was very good. Mine has been used in similar circumstances on many trips and recently I switched over to the Hennessey Hammock for backpacking
Go to

http://www.hennessyhammock.com/

I've used mine in the mountains here and was very happy so long as that pad was under me... when that cold wind blows.... Brrrr. But in nice weather it is nice to have a lounging place to retire to and read a book or just "Hang".

Thanks again...

Ron



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Learn Life Extension at:

http://www.survival.com ]
 
Doc Ron, I have also talked with people who have the Hennessy Hammock. They love them, and they cost less, too. I don't like the idea of the bottom entry, but then I have never tried it.

Good reminder about needing the pad in cold weather. I spent one very cold night wishing I had one!
 
I was kinda wierded out about the bottom entry as well but that things snaps closed and unless you try... you ain't going through. It also makes a great chair as you butt is in the hammock and your feet dangle through the bottom you are centered and ready to slip on your shoes. You can literally stand up (feet on the ground) while inside the hammock and get dressed.

The odd think with the Hennessey is that you sleep diagonally in the hammock. This is not your traditional end-to-end sleeper. With diagonal sleeping you don't need to tighten the hammock Hell-fer-tight to make it lay flat. You can sleep on you side if ya want.

A buddy of mine is 6'5" and loves his cause he can strech out or sleep on his side or belly.

Ron

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Learn Life Extension at:

http://www.survival.com ]
 
I can't believe it. I just realized who Doc Ron is!!!! I have your trapping and primitive weapons videos and eventually plan to collect the whole series.

I had absorbed a lot from books, but had trouble making some of the techniques work. Your videos make things easy and intuitive to understand.

OT--I bought some 60# spyderwire to try for snares. It a lot more convenient to carry in a tiny pack than wire. I have it wound around a sewing machine bobbin. The spyderwire will require more physical support than wire, but I can't see why it wouldn't work. Also, several strands could be twisted together to make a stronger snare for a larger animal.

Do you have any thoughts on that?

And I like the idea of being able to sleep diagonally in a hammock. It does sound like it would be more comfortable.
 
Thanks for the Kudos! My head will be fat for a day
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The spyderwire will work for a snare but as a monofilament wire can be cut by the critters teeth or claws. I have trapped with mono but only had real success when it was a machine type trap that lifted the critter. It is VERY good as a nearly invisible trip wire for two stick deadfalls like to promontory peg or top stick.

Ron

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Learn Life Extension at:

http://www.survival.com ]
 
The spyderwire I have is the green braided kind--supposed to be a lot stronger than mono. It will slice your hands in a heartbeat, and I imagine would do the same thing to the critters neck if a machine trap were used. That's why I thought it might also work if you twisted multi strands together for bigger animals. The only machine trap I have used is the tripod one for rabbits. Don't quite trust those saplings yet!

I also have a small amount of ultra limp transparent mono in my mini fishing kit... wouldn't have thought of using it for a tripwire.

Thanks!
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I just have to jump in here to say that once I tried a Hennessy Hammock I became a believer! Sleep on your side, on uneven ground or water (swamp),2.25 lb camo shelter with integral rainfly and mosquite netting!
I liked them so much I started carrying them in my outdoor sports shop. Got one setup inside for customers to try. Sets up in 2 minutes, and you can't fall out.
The draw back is they are no good for cold weather (yet) until they figure a way to insulate the bottom. I have found that the bottom material on these is tough enough that mosquitoes cannot bite through it.Great for lowland , buggy camping and people who want to lighten their load.
Bill
 
I rig sort of a hammock with an Army surplus wool blanket. It's best to have a real Army surplus rather than a discount import, since they come apart pretty quick.

First you fold it in thirds, and then give several turns of rope around one end and knot it off. Drag it up a tree(palm, pine, or cypress `round here), and give a few wraps around the tree before trying off the other end same as the first.

Depending on how much rope you have, and slack you give yourself, you'll sleep anywhere from kinda vertical to nicely horizontal.

The main thing is that you're off the ground, and don't need two trees. You really don't want to sleep on the ground in the glades. Rattlers and coral snakes can and will nest with you, people have woken up next to aligators, and at the south end, crocodiles....
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You don't see plack bears or panthers much anymore, but the boar are very common and can be really brazen when you go out a ways. If nothing else, it sucks to have raccoons come screw with you in the night. And then they act like you are the one in their tent!!!

Yeah, the racoons are the worst. They're everywhere, and know no fear.
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Anyway, you fold the thing is thirds so it has a flap that keeps the bugs out, bad in the winter, and even worse in the summer.

I don't have a problem with having to whiz in the middle of the night, but if you've been hit'n the `shine, you should be able to stick your tweeter out of the flap and have at it with minimal backsplash.

We've been going through a drought for a long time now, but in these parts we don't much mind getting a little wet if that's what nature intends for us, anyway. Wool still provides a degree of insultation, even when it's raining.

We don't commonly pack so much gear as to worry about not being able to sleep with it. If nothing else, it's no trouble to string it up on the support rope.

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http://schoolofarms.tripod.com
 
Hennessy has a "generation II" version of their hammock made from the new high tech silicone impregnated materials. Their new top of the line model weighs in (including fly) at only 1.5 pounds, amazing! In reading over this and other hammock threads I'm thinking this is the one to try not only because it is so light, but because of the diagonal "flat spot" that seems to be the Hennessy hammock trademark. Like others here, I've slept in hammocks before only and always to have my legs go to sleep on me. Maybe this one will get me through the night without that problem.
 
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