Are hammocks any good?

[Ogri the trog]

Yup, gotta say they are more comfy than my king sized double with posture-whatsit matress.
It will take a few tries to find a comfortable set-up - flat & tight or loose and loopy! If you have the ability, rig one in your garden when the weather is warm and go to it every few hours to try something different, tensions, heights, sleeping bags, foam mats, blankets, and so on.
If you or someone you know is handy with a sewing machine (or you have the patience to sew by hand) you can make all sorts of goodies to extend the capabilities of your system.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[sandbag47]

I'm doing DD group buy at the moment if your interested

 

[Paul_B]

Unfortunately I tend to go to areas that do not have the pre-requisite for hammocks and that is trees. I'd love to try them out but up here in the Lakes I am always camping higher up than the trees so it is ruled out for me. Even if I got to Scotland I can't justify a separate system. So my advice is get a tree dweller and a ground dweller systems that suit you or if you can't spare the cash then only a ground dwelling system will work everywhere.

Just one question to you tree dwellers, where are you doing your outdoor kipping? Down south in woods or up in Scottish woods or in Wales? I am just wondering in case I am able to become a tre dweller in the future (pay rise / step up the greasy pole at work). I guess I'm really taking to the Brits here not anyone from overseas that has more wilderness with trees than we do.

 

[rik_uk3]

Lots of folks love them, I don't, they just don't work for me. I like the 'idea' of them but the reality I can't get on with plus they limit you to camping in the woods and I like a bit open land camping from time to time.

 

[rancid badger]

As above, I can't get away with them at all.
The amount of extra insulation required, to fend off the frankly, pretty mild conditions, in this country, makes them totally impractical in my opinion.
Hammocks are designed for hot climates, where the cooling air flowing around the thing is a distinct advantage.

Basic comfort? ; the number of people who go on about "how to get comfortable" in a hammock, well...to me they are either comfortable or they aren't.
Forums on how to modify a hammock to make it comfortable?
If you have to faff about trying to fix, among other things; insulating underquilts (due to the cold) to stop them slipping, leaving you looking like an orange in a Christmas stocking, I can't see the point.

Bad back?, well each to their own but I've had two lots of spinal surgery and still suffer from lack of sensation in the right foot and frequent sciatica, which I've learned to live with.
I find that by far the best option, other than a tent, is the bivvy bag/thermarest/sleeping bag combination, with a tarp if practical.

I've used an original, sas hammock/stretcher a few times, and this was actually pretty good, due to the alloy spreader bars at top and bottom, which stopped the Christmas stocking effect but did nothing for the cold back.
If you have issues with creepy crawlies, then a hooped bivvy or small tunnel tent, with a mesh inner door, would be my solution.

Admittedly; there do indeed, appear to be plenty of people,who find hammocks comfortable. However; I think your best bet, would in fact be to try a few before deciding and make up your own mind

R.B.

 

[MrEd]

i enjoy my hammock, i like it tight and flat and low and have a ponch liner i sewn up with bungees for the outside for warmth, its only really good imo in spring and summer with just a blanket (and pocnh liner), and in autumn with a doss bag (and ponch liner). but in winter i would use a tent or bivvy bag.

i do quite like my hammock, but its not a one system for all situations setup, i chose my sleeping setup depending on the season and weather, and where im going, woods or open etc. and as for weight i find its not overly lighter than a bivvy cos is still carry a blanket, air mat and the tarp itself. i used bivvys a lot when i was a kid and had some horrible experiences in them lol so for me the hammock is different and a bit of fun.

one thing i have thought about but havent tried yet is to hang the ponch liner underneath like normal then stuff it with pine branches, leaves or bracken etc for extra insulation. if that work then i would prob use the poncho liner in the hammock and make up a sling for underneath out of light weight material to stuff with natural insulation

 

[Melonfish]

the idea interests me but i am a ground dweller, and i know that you can't always find two suitable tree's with which to attach your hammock, however many people swear by them rather then at them so they must have some merit.

 

[andybysea]

Never thought id like them,but i bought one of the nomadlandxxl ones tried it in my garden first then used it for the first time proper at the Achry meet and have to say single best nights sleep outside id had, the term '' slept like a log '' springs to mind to be honest in the morning i didnt want to get out, i did have a underblanket fitted though(with help from shewie)most of my time out is beach stuff so no hammock, but whenever i go in a forest i would defo take it with me.

 

[AJB]

I do like the idea of a hammock, but in general I’m too tall and heavy to contemplate ever getting one and anyway, by the time you have all the extra bits it’s the size of a small tent when packed (I think).

However, what really puts me off is how I imagine you sleep in one. I thrash about all night and tend to sleep in a position that you find outlined around corpses at the bottom of tall buildings, the notion of being bolted into a Smarty tube for the night is awful to me. Are there any fitful sleepers out there that are comfy in a hammock?

 

[drewdunnrespect]

better than sleeping at home in the kings size bed

 

[kilocharlie51]

Once again everyone, big thanks for the varying advice given.

 

[Tengu]

No, the ground is more comfortable and simpler to set up.

I can put up my Vango Force 10 in five mins.

(things with bendy poles take longer)

and its always there...as a rule

 

[FerlasDave]

No, the ground is more comfortable and simpler to set up.

I can put up my Vango Force 10 in five mins.

(things with bendy poles take longer)

and its always there...as a rule

Tarp goes up in about a minuet and a half if you practice it enough, then you are dry quickly no matter what the weather. and you dont have a wet muddy groundsheet to put away.

 

[Broch]

No, the ground is more comfortable and simpler to set up.

I can put up my Vango Force 10 in five mins.

(things with bendy poles take longer)

and its always there...as a rule

Ahh, I miss my Vango Force 10 it could stand up to anything (well force 10 really) - a bit heavy though for backpacking IMHO.

Cheers,

Broch

 

[UKdave]

Only if you have trees where you are camping

 

[Katanic]

What about hammocks for us fat blokes? im scared sh*tless of buyin one climbin in an then it just collapsin on my fat bottom in the middle of the night

 

[Shewie]

What about hammocks for us fat blokes? im scared sh*tless of buyin one climbin in an then it just collapsin on my fat bottom in the middle of the night

The one I'm using at the minute is good for almost 400lbs
http://warbonnetoutdoors.com/blackbirds.php

Plenty of big guys using them over the pond.


The NomadsLand XXL is a really nice one and will take the same kind of weight. It's only a single layer though so you need to think about insulation if you want to use it in the colder months.
http://www.hammock-nsl.com/hammocks-xxl.php

 

[sandbag47]

how heavy are you...most hammocks can take a fair amount of weight...i know the DD's
can take up to 150kgs

 

[Fredcompanybushcraft]

I can vouch for Tenth Wonder hammocks on ebay
I bought a basic one and as soon as I set it up I loved it.
Spent 5 nights in it so far (not much compared to most of the hammockers on here)
I can't compare it to the DD ones though, except that it's quite a bit cheaper.

 

[Carbuncle]

It's a trade off of comfort vs flexibility. Weight (like for like) is almost a wash - marginally extra insulation vs poles/trekking poles. The fact that you're constrained to somewhere with supports is stating the obvious. Against that, it's bloody great to find your spec in the rain, whip your tarp up in a minute, and *leisurely* finish your setup, *hang* up your coat and uco under the tarp, and *sit*, like, upright on the hammock, book in one hand, hipflask in t'other and stew on the stove. Lovely. And as for the comfort factor sleeping - well, you wouldn't lay your thermarest out well lozacking around on a summers day, would you? I take my hammock on our family caravan holidays to relax in during the day.

Like everyone else, all I'd say for anyone is to bear in mind that the big difference insulation wise is that you don't just compress it beneath you, but on the sides as well, hence the various options on insulation. I love my cocoon/nomands land combo.