Ground Mat Recommendations

[Hudson]

Hi,

recently had a week of Hammock camping in South Wales with a couple of mates, but had some issues with a punctured ground mat on the last night.

I use the mat for insulation in my hammock as it gives me the flexibility to sleep on the ground should I need to (so I am not interested in an Under-blanket).

The mat I was using was cheap and somewhat cheerful (up until it started leaking), but I am now looking to replace it with something a little more hard wearing and perhaps more suited to the occasional nap on the floor.

Does anyone have any recommendations?

I am not averse to foam mat (like the silver stuff used in car windscreens) but size and weight are a factor.

Many thanks.

 

[Nice65]

Hennessy do these. I’m very tempted to get one for the envelope in my Mosquito Hammock rather than the Multimat.

Insulation

Hennessy Hammock has designed several insulation systems to help you get through a range of conditions, from cool summer nights to cold winter nights. Choose your hammock model from the Quick Finder below to find the best solution for staying warm in your hammock.

hennessyhammock.co.uk

 

[Hudson]

Hennessy do these. I’m very tempted to get one for the envelope in my Mosquito Hammock rather than the Multimat.

Insulation

Hennessy Hammock has designed several insulation systems to help you get through a range of conditions, from cool summer nights to cold winter nights. Choose your hammock model from the Quick Finder below to find the best solution for staying warm in your hammock.

hennessyhammock.co.uk

Do you think this would be any good for sleeping on the ground?

looks like there’s athin layer of foam in there, maybe bubble wrap style, does seem very thin though...

 

[Nice65]

Do you think this would be any good for sleeping on the ground?

looks like there’s athin layer of foam in there, maybe bubble wrap style, does seem very thin though...

I really don’t know mate, I haven’t seen it but I suspect it’s quite thin and not designed for ground dwelling. I just know that I’ve had a couple of bad nights on the ground with a punctured mat, and some in the hammock where the self-inflating mat moves around. Closed cell foam isn’t great in the hammock either because it wants to crease. I wonder if a wide Multimat might work for you? The inner foam is quite dense and although I’ve had one deflate, I could still sleep on the ground.

I’m liking the Hennessy because it has fixing points for use within a Hennessy, and I’m thinking of selling the EasyHammock XL and trying a Hennessy.

 

[Paul_B]

AIUI Hennessy hammocks have a double layer of fabric underneath the sleeper. The top layer supports the sleeper with the bottom layer holding the insulation layer such as this pad. Not sure if it loads the pad or not. Either way no description of the construction materials on their website worries me over durability if the op has to ground dwell for the night.

Unless the op is confident of the durability I'd look elsewhere perhaps to a simple closed cell foam mat or a tougher self inflating from a good make like thermarest.

There's good egg box style CCF mats but you'd possibly not benefit from the 3D shape so no behaviour for the extra cost.

There's the 3D ridge rest from Thermarest which is also available with solarlite finish (silver). That 3D structure might not be a benefit when swinging. They are good for ground though. Costly compared to plain CCFmats.

I got a Robens CCF mat thrown in for free with a tent once. Cost£5 back then but was recommended for summer fast and light ground camping. 130g all in weight. I cut mine to torso size then scored it so it folded better for my pack. 80g insulation in the end!! Plus it gave form if I took out rucksack stiffened to reduce weight. Protected my back from rigid camp kit too.

There's options depending on your wish to save weight at the expense of comfort!!!

 

[Hudson]

AIUI Hennessy hammocks have a double layer of fabric underneath the sleeper. The top layer supports the sleeper with the bottom layer holding the insulation layer such as this pad. Not sure if it loads the pad or not. Either way no description of the construction materials on their website worries me over durability if the op has to ground dwell for the night.

Unless the op is confident of the durability I'd look elsewhere perhaps to a simple closed cell foam mat or a tougher self inflating from a good make like thermarest.

There's good egg box style CCF mats but you'd possibly not benefit from the 3D shape so no behaviour for the extra cost.

There's the 3D ridge rest from Thermarest which is also available with solarlite finish (silver). That 3D structure might not be a benefit when swinging. They are good for ground though. Costly compared to plain CCFmats.

I got a Robens CCF mat thrown in for free with a tent once. Cost£5 back then but was recommended for summer fast and light ground camping. 130g all in weight. I cut mine to torso size then scored it so it folded better for my pack. 80g insulation in the end!! Plus it gave form if I took out rucksack stiffened to reduce weight. Protected my back from rigid camp kit too.

There's options depending on your wish to save weight at the expense of comfort!!!

Was considering a Thermarest, but even the 3/4 ones are still quite large... best thing about my old cheap one was that it was small enough that I could roll it up and stick it in my pocket (maybe it isn’t soo surprising that it punctured so easily?!?).

Size vs. Expense vs. Durability... pretty sure I’ve had this issue before!

 

[Hudson]

I really don’t know mate, I haven’t seen it but I suspect it’s quite thin and not designed for ground dwelling. I just know that I’ve had a couple of bad nights on the ground with a punctured mat, and some in the hammock where the self-inflating mat moves around. Closed cell foam isn’t great in the hammock either because it wants to crease. I wonder if a wide Multimat might work for you? The inner foam is quite dense and although I’ve had one deflate, I could still sleep on the ground.

I’m liking the Hennessy because it has fixing points for use within a Hennessy, and I’m thinking of selling the EasyHammock XL and trying a Hennessy.

Love my Hennessy... used to have a Ticket To The Moon Double which I reallly liked, but the issue of needing an under blanket/keeping a insulating pad inside the hammock meant that I needed a change.

I have the Jungle Expedition Zip, double layered (as the other poster said) so the mat is secure inside the hammock and doesn’t slide around.
The built in big net is great too...

only word of advice (depending on how big you are) is to get the XL version... I have the standard size and while it is perfectly comfortable, I probably wouldn’t complain about a little extra ‘sprawl space’.

Jungle Expedition Zip

The Jungle Expedition Zip is a mosquito proof camping hammock. Like the Deep Jungle models, the Jungle Expedition Zip is also designed for the buggiest jungles on the planet, but at a more affordable price. The double bottom holds the heat reflecting Radiant DoubleBubble Insulation Pad on the...

hennessyhammock.co.uk

 

[Duggie Bravo]

I have the Hennessy bubble pad, I wouldn’t want to use it for sleeping on the ground.

You can get a cheap inflatable mat from GoOutdoors etc, and if you want the reflective, use a space blanket.


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[SaraR]

If you want a smallur inflatable mattress look at the small, women's or 3/4 sized ones. Very popular with the lightweight crew so plenty of information around.

Most Hennessy hammocks are not double bottomed so if you want that be sure to double-check the model you're interested in.

 

[Paul_B]

Yes the thermarest prolite 3/4 length or women's version (apparently higher level of insulation). The small is 119cm long x 51cm wide x 2.5cm thick.

Is that small enough? I think most TARs are 51cm wide and this is the shortest version I believe.

PROLITE small 119cm long

 

[cipherdias]

Hi,

recently had a week of Hammock camping in South Wales with a couple of mates, but had some issues with a punctured ground mat on the last night.

I use the mat for insulation in my hammock as it gives me the flexibility to sleep on the ground should I need to (so I am not interested in an Under-blanket).

The mat I was using was cheap and somewhat cheerful (up until it started leaking), but I am now looking to replace it with something a little more hard wearing and perhaps more suited to the occasional nap on the floor.

Does anyone have any recommendations?

I am not averse to foam mat (like the silver stuff used in car windscreens) but size and weight are a factor.

Many thanks.

I used to have a very expensive Exped mat which somehow got damaged and to replace it bought a British Army 3/4 length mat. For the money they are fantastic value, surprisingly comfortable and lightweight and self inflate about 80% and with a few puffs you have a very comfortable mat. Bought mine on here but you can usually pick them up in good surplus condition for about £20 on eBay


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