talk me out of a hammock

J

j_d

Joined
Jan 14, 2006
Messages
283
Greetings,
I'm considering picking up a hammock for 3 season camping in the midwest. Speciffically a Hennessy or Clark. After reading and watching a number of videos and hearing the owners rave about them I'm having a hard time seeing a downside other than possibly not being able to find a tie off point (not really a problem where i camp). Am I missing something? Can you think of any downside?
Thanks,
josh
 
Only downside is she prefers a bigger um sleeping area

jessica-alba.jpg
 
Comfort. I don't like sleeping in hammocks. It tends to make my knees ache, like they are being bent backwards.

If you are comfortable in a hammock, though, go for it.
 
I think a younger person would be fine but if you have some miles on your body, a hammock may end up being the thing that keeps you up all night. They are great to lounge in and have a cigar but for a good night sleep, not very comfy IMO. The plus side is your off the ground.
 
Super comfy, easy to pack, easy to set-up, If you have the trees, and fall into the weight limit of them, they are great. I love mine. Best sleep Ive had outdoors.

Look at the skeeter beeter from bensbackwoods. Its cheap, and a nice hammock to get the feel for one.
 
having had my henessey for a while and having it out on a few trips heres what i can say.

the henessey is a great product for when your out camping in 3 seasons. please make sure to get a sleeping mat to put inside along with the sleeping bag as your back will get cold in the nights. i learned this the hard way when out in australia and i ended up putting two socks on and slept with my cloths on while still being cold. this was of course with a 0 degree sleeping bag which i had assumed would be sufficient for sleeping winters in australia. (i was out in the noosa everglades area)

also the henessey requires a place with trees which when you think about it is crucial IMO. so your location will depend on the success of the hammock.

i realize now that i should have gotten a very strong and well made bivy bag (which is my next big purchase for 2009) as it is a bit more flexible for the range of environments.

soemthing like this
4006996_v1_m56577569830705746.jpg



if you already have a bivy or tent and just want to get a hammock for the occasional backpacking trip in a wooded area i say go for it. especially if you have the cash because they are fantastic to sleep in.

if you're making the decision between a bivy and a hammock as your sole means of sleeping throughout the year i suggest going with the bivy.

cheers

JC
 
one hammock trick I've discovered (it they make your knees hurt) is to get the wider version(two person hammocks) and sleep across them, otherwise you have to really get the ropes tight or deal with the knees. I would also recommend getting a hammock with spreader bars, they don't coccoon you as much and are easier to get in and out of. The spreader bars also make it easier to pack, you just wrap the hammock around the bars and tie it on your pack. Of course the spreader bars for a two person hammock are pretty long so that recommendation is for if you get a single person model.

David
 
The only downsides to a hammock that I've ever encountered is the temperature problem. Hammocks are colder than tents. You have the wind wiping under you and it sucks heat out. There are lots of ways to beat this, but they all involved carrying more bulk/weight than a comparable tent. I deal with it because I've never slept nearly as good in a tent as I sleep in my hammock. On summer days when it's not getting cold at all at night, I can't beat a hammock.

Oh... thought of another one. Nasty bugs that are on your clothes when you get in the hammock are horrible. In a tent, I can roll away and smash them. In a hammock, I'm stuck. I have this horrible nightmare of a wasp or something getting in there with me. Once you zip the bugnet shut, you're stuck.
 
I second the cold issue, slept in one once during the summer, got chilly that night and I got real cold.

And the bug issue is a problem if you don't plan for it, you're sort of a bug rotisserie hanging out there :-)
 
the cold problem will be there but there will be methods to keep you warm throughout if you want to sleep in a hammock i would suggest to study the art of it...

Yup there is a art to sleep in a hammock
 
There is a Hammock Forum out there. They have all the answers to any of the issues that have been raised.
bugs, cold, protecting trees.... etc.
 
Hammocks are GREAT! The only problem I've had is the lack of a mosquito net. Damn things ate me up! I bought a mosquito net from Academy for $9 bucks to solve that. The sleeping pad helps to make it more comfortable.

Go ahead and try one out... if it doesn't work out you can put it on the exchange here and probably get most of your money back.
 
Tallquietman1 said:
The other downside of Hennesseys is that bugs bite through the bottom, so you need a mat of some sort.
Click to expand...

That's one of the many reason I recommend the Claytor Jungle Hammock. The double layers (pad sleeve) is enough to keep bites out even without a pad. Though, without a pad I'd freeze so I always have one anyway.
 
I take my sleeping bag in the hammock with me. In the summer I can sleep ontop and if it does get cold I can just slip inside. So far the only downside to me is that when I camp with my wife I have to sleep in a tent, cause we both don't fit in the hammock; as I tried to say in my first post.

Oh one more thing. I find myself waking up having to go to the bathroom alot more often in a hammock then in a tent.
 
If you go with the Claytor Jungle Hammock you should be sweet - its big, roomy, has the double layer for a thermarest, has the option of a spreader bar (you make one out of sticks - or carbon arrows if you are flash), has a built in mosie net, and of course it can be used as a bivvy bag if you run out of trees - the HH is hard to do this imo because of its bottom entry (dampness could get in).
Of couse the NA Clark is even nicer, but being smaller and more than twice the price is offputting.
 
Cold becomes an issue in cold weather camping. I prefer my hammock in Spring/Summer seasons.

They're great to lounge in, and a snap to setup for a quick rest/nap. When you talk about spending the night in one, you bring into it weather related issues. Rain, snow depending on the season. Also it can be a bit uncomfortable to sleep in.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top