Advice please hammocks
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I'm a big advocate of hammocks, but there are cheaper alternatives to be more "at one with nature" if you are on a budget. If cash is tight, why not just start with a ground sheet and a tarp. See how you get on with that and then progress to hammocks. You will still use the tarp if you up grade to hammocks, but you will still get the full on outdoor experience.
Also hammocks don't suit everyone.
Also hammocks don't suit everyone.
Did you read the thread title? I think he actually intends to buy some hammocks and wanted advice. Why, when you read such a post, about a father enjoying the company of his sons, do you offer two bad tempered and trolling replies? I think you should keep out of it.
Hammocking is great fun, a lovely way to camp. Start with Tenth Wonder if you're a bit skint, but 2 things that are important for me are a mozzie net and a double skin beneath to keep your mat or whatever in place.
I used to wipe a bit of Lemon Eucalyptus (better than Citronella) around the tarp seams and hammock edges, and that works ok. The padding beneath you mustn't be underestimated either. Compressed sleeping bag is not warm at all, I use a semi inflated mat slid in the envelope.
You'll probably not get it quite right the first time, but there's great fun in the learning of new knots, hang positions etc. Every time you set up you'll be tweaking your techniques.
Ok I'm buying the hornet hammock and tarps with end doors one last price of advice if I can.
The hornet also comes in a insulated model my question is quite simple I expect these are slightly better in the winter but are these a hindrance in the hotter months
The hornet also comes in a insulated model my question is quite simple I expect these are slightly better in the winter but are these a hindrance in the hotter months
The insulated version must be a new model but it looks pretty good, even in summer you'd need some sort of insulation under you (even if its just a CCF mat) so it seems like a good bet. You'll probably need more insulation in winter anyway.
I have the green hornet extra wide (1.8m) a wider hammock gives a more comfortable lay. I'd avoid the waterproof base ones as they can lead to condensation.
I have the green hornet extra wide (1.8m) a wider hammock gives a more comfortable lay. I'd avoid the waterproof base ones as they can lead to condensation.
TurboGirl
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
My lad went straight into an 'adult' hammock (homemade but tbh, the prices mentioned here are cheaper than I bought my material for!) and he was super comfy in it- he was 10 when we started and he felt comfortable in the woods. If you've got use of a sewing machine, theres some good deals on fabric on fleabay and lots of folk use UK fabrics online on there.... you can make homemade fabsil to seal it wwith white spirit or turps and clear general purpose silicone sealant if you fancy a budget family make-it-yourself session for the weekends they don't drag you out to actually use them 
Lucky lads and lucky Dad to have found an interest you can all love together!!! Have many happy times along the paths you find together!
Lucky lads and lucky Dad to have found an interest you can all love together!!! Have many happy times along the paths you find together!
<Sighs> Getting even cheap hammocks for three people is going to be expensive. (I cannot afford fancy kit; Im limited to what I find at the car boot) Its a pity you cant try before you buy. And they can be a faff to put up. And yes, you need trees so theres a lot of places you cannot use them. Making your own would be a good project if you are up to it. I think a tarp and a groundsheet would be a better idea. (You could get a poncho to use as a tarp...these are really handy.) I don't know about my ancestors; My great grandfather was a Scottish tinker...He did not use a hammock, though I suspect it might be easier to use than a bender. Also, I sleep on my belly. Im sorry if I have offended the fashionistas.
You haven't mate
It's not a fashion thing, I have a 3 man, an Oztent, tarps, groundsheets etc. Depends on what kind of camping I want to do. Hammocks are just great fun, and that's the spirit of the thread
Your right its not a cheep option and I agree I'd love to let them have a try before paying out but such is life
I believe that it's the being part of the surroundings more like a part of them rather than having the barrier of a tent and I think that comes from my experience that every time I go out I want to be more in touch with the natural element I suppose the word I'm looking for is wild I can assure you I'm no fashionist actually I'm happy sleeping on the floor but at the end of the day my boys are my world and they have to be comfortable and feel safe and if they want to give it a go and it stops them from becoming a computer addict I'm definitely game
I believe that it's the being part of the surroundings more like a part of them rather than having the barrier of a tent and I think that comes from my experience that every time I go out I want to be more in touch with the natural element I suppose the word I'm looking for is wild I can assure you I'm no fashionist actually I'm happy sleeping on the floor but at the end of the day my boys are my world and they have to be comfortable and feel safe and if they want to give it a go and it stops them from becoming a computer addict I'm definitely game
Is there anyone who can lend a hammock(s)? I would do so, but I have none bar an old net one which is only good for lounging. Hammocks are like marmite. Im worried you will end up spending a lot of money to no avail. And you can be part of the surroundings with a tarp
TurboGirl
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Why not find a meet near you and chat with the hammockers there,, they'll maybe let you have a try or you could get lucky and find someone in the group is selling one. Getting a 2nd hand and taking turns to try it while the other 2. bivvy at close quarters might clarify what you all prefer before investing
They'll hold value if it isn't a suitable option. For lightweight one or two night camping they're great fun. Wouldn't want many more than two nights in one, my back starts to feel it a bit.
I quite regularly spend a lot more than a couple of nights in a hammock. I also offset my pelvis a few years ago which leaves me prone to back pain, but I don't tend to suffer for spending a week in a hammock. I do however string my hammock tight, it's not sagging like a banana.
Whichever hammock and tarp combination you go for it's worth setting up so that the sides of the tarp are considerably lower than the bottom of the hammock with you in it. Set up so that you are side on to the prevailing winds, in this manner you'll cut out a lot of the convection current that can sap your body heat, it's still worth having insulation beneath you, be it a thermal mat or underblanket though.
On Hammocks, make sure you are happy with both the length and the tension that you can get into the sashes, if you are not then change them for others.
If you are camping when the weather is bad make sure you have something fitted that will stop capillary action of the sashes be it rings fitted or otherwise. If the water makes it along the sashes to the hammock it can be a very unpleasant night. If you don't have that fitted then take a bivvi bag to sleep in as well as your normal sleeping bag.
On Tarps. Decent pegs are a must.
I would also replace the guylines for the tarp with ones that have either a reflective or GID strip in them, this should limit the chances of you tripping over your own guy's and looking a burk.
Use small prussick loops to tension the top of your tarp to your ridgeline, a couple of mini carabiners come in handy for this as well. Crabs attached to the tarp and then prussicks attached to the ridgeline. Mini carabiners can be purchased from alpkit at a reasonable cost and I also got Y Beams (tent pegs, which I have been impressed with ) from them as well about 2.5 years ago.
My first hammock was a net one and I hated it with a passion. My second hammock was issued military hammock which worked very well as a human catapult until you got used to it. My third hammock was a "Thai Hammock" which was given to me by a Jungle warfare Instructor before I went away to do JWLRPC. I still use the same style of hammock today, an enclosable, which is the same as the DD Hammock and looks very similar to the TW Hammocks as well. I have now been using that style of hammock for just under 20 years.
Hope this helps
If you want to see the wildlife, take a mirror. The night before last I had a hedgehog snuffling about directly underneath my hammock and I couldn't see the little feller at all...
Normally I prefer to sleep on the ground but a hammock makes a change. I'd have had no trouble seeing the little critter if I'd been on the ground in a bivvy bag. He might even have joined me, like a mole once tried to do.
Normally I prefer to sleep on the ground but a hammock makes a change. I'd have had no trouble seeing the little critter if I'd been on the ground in a bivvy bag. He might even have joined me, like a mole once tried to do.
I love hammock camping but you have to have an open mind to types & styles, so feedback from the forums is great.
I bought a great Hennessey Expedition hammock while I was working in the US on a long project but when I finally had a chance to try it out back here, I found I couldn't get settled with the "womb" entrance on the floor of the hammock. (Going to be selling that one soon I think).
I bought a great Hennessey Expedition hammock while I was working in the US on a long project but when I finally had a chance to try it out back here, I found I couldn't get settled with the "womb" entrance on the floor of the hammock. (Going to be selling that one soon I think).
If you really wanna do the hammock thing cheap as possible, buy 3 metres of Ripstop nylon (60-80g/m2) and make one. No sewing needed, just some decent cordage or heavy zip ties.
You can pick up decent nylon for 99p/m, which works out at £3/hammock
You can pick up decent nylon for 99p/m, which works out at £3/hammock
Here ya go, mate. Hope it helps
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