Hammock camping

[Gcckoka]

So guys as it gets warmer and as I'll be able to buy it I want to buy a hammock , what would you recommend? I have never slept in a hammock and I want to buy as cheap as possible but without losing the quality! I'm thinking of eno or dd if dd then which one ? I'm 1.92 in height and weight 106kg


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[Diamond Dave]

OK I'll go first.....

Tenth Wonder Super XL hammock, 3 metres long, 1.8 wide and only £23.99......

 

[Nice65]

I've been through a few hammocks. Sleeping on my side, or at least partially, is important. I can do a night in banana mode, but I get knee ache over a few nights.

Last season I got a UK Hammocks Woodsman X double layer. Only had one night in it, but it's comfortable. Worth a look, can be made longer to your requirements. Can take time, and there are reports of lack in comms. I found them easy to deal with, but it still took a while, hence only one outing.

Other highly rated hammocks mocks are the Hennessy Deluxe and Warbonnet Blackbird. I was put off the Warbonnet because the hammock sides need pegging out, I quite like being able to rock. And some reports on the Hennessy suggest it's a bit short, plus you buy the whole kit, tarp and all. I like my DD Lightweight and didn't want their fly.

 

[bopdude]

Before you spend your cash make one out of a blanket, tie a knot in the ends, add suspension and sleep / lay in it, you'll soon know if you're a hanger or not

 

[sunndog]

Get an 11 foot long tablecloth (seriously) and you've got a hammock thats 99% done....have a look on youtube

Best advice for starting out , go long (10 foot minimum) and use a structural ridgeline at 83% of the hammock's flat length

 

[Gcckoka]

I will need one without a doubt because I plan a few trips in summer and I will need a hammock , as you saw there is a group buy going what if I buy the dd frontline ?

 

[Wander]

What I would say is buy a hammock with a SEPARATE mossie net.

Having a mossie net is a very good thing. I prefer a hammock without an integral net so that I can use it when it's not insect biting season. You may wish, for instance, to use the hammock as a chair, or even to lie when out just for the day. An inbuilt mossie net is just extra bulk and also inconvenient when not needed.

So I would suggest getting a hammock with a separate net (because you'll probably still want one in Summer). When it is biting season you can always leave the net attached to the hammock to cut down on setting up/faffing around time.

The downside is that buying a separate hammock and net is a bit more expensive, though hardly break-the-bank expensive.
Here, you can have these two:
http://www.ddhammocks.com/product/camping-hammock?from_cat=32

http://www.ddhammocks.com/product/dd-bushmasters-hammock-mosquito-net?from_cat=31

For just £4 more than this one alone:
http://www.ddhammocks.com/product/dd-frontline-hammock?from_cat=32

And you'll get more versatility from having the separates.

 

[thehobbit]

Will be watching this thread - as I am about to embark on hammocking as well - and I am similarly tall..
However, one of my thoughts was to take one of my kids along and "hang out" in the night together - is that doable?
I've been looking at the Ticket to the moon double or king-size hammocks - any experiences with them?

 

[mousey]

I've never been comfortable sleeping with others in the same hammock, especially my kids as they are so much smaller than me I tend to squash them as you both slip to the bottom of the hammock, so it ends up with them sleeping on top of me - not the most comfortable. I also move quite a bit in my sleep so this doesn't help. However I don't have very large hammocks, maybe a really big one sleeps two acceptably. Still I'd take two and sleep side by side or maybe one over the other...

For a cheap starter hammock I got a Tenth wonder ultralight [a good few years ago at £10! - I think they maybe around £15 now] and it is still being used often. Although that table cloth [or rectangle of any material really] is not a bad idea, you can even try with different sizes see what suits.

 

[Nice65]

The point about nets above is valid. The UKHammocks Woodsman has a net stored in a bag at the head end. All you do is pull it out and yank the zip round you. It's a good system.

 

[Paulm]

I would definitely get one with a built in net, there is no real downside on most makes I know of. As Rich says, the UKHammocks one, and the Warbonnet Blackbird, and probably many others, just zip back and/or off when needed, quick and easy. Those that don't zip off like the DD Frontline aren't a problem either, just flip the hammock upside down and use the other side !

Even if not insect season I always use mine anyway, gives a degree or two of added temperature in colder seasons.

On the Warbonnet Blackbird Rich, I never bother pegging out the side with the "shelf", it still works as storage, just hangs down rather than horizontally but that's not a problem. I do use the side pull out on the other side, the entrance side, as it creates more space inside and keeps the net off your face, but its elastic shock cord and doesn't prevent sideways movement in the hammock (neither does the "shelf" side one).

If going for a DD Frontline, I would definitely go for the longer XL version given your height, it should pinch less around the shoulders which can be a problem for bigger blokes in that style of straight lay hammock, should also help a bit with lower leg tension that Rich mentions that is more common a problem in this straight lay type.

 

[Barney Rubble]

I've no experience of tenth wonder but would imagine that they'd make a good cheap option owing to their large hammock sizes. As per Sunndog's advice go for a hammock that is both long (min 3m) and wide (min 1.5m) to enable you to sleep comfortably on the diagonal.

As per above, my hammock was made by Mat at UK Hammocks and his hammocks are brilliant. I got his most basic Woodsman hammock, it doesn't feature on his website anymore but he will still make it if you ask him. That only cost me £35 and then I spent another £20 on the whoopie sling suspension. I've been using it regularly now for the last three years and it's still in great condition. As noted above, the hammocks do take a bit of time to arrive, this is simply because he makes them to order and tailors them to your spec. Mine doesn't have a bug net but to be honest, I don't think they like me very much! I camp all year round in the hammock and have only been bitten about 5 times!

I'd avoid the DD Hammocks simply because they are too short and narrow. I know a lot of people that have used DD Hammocks and subsequently ended up trading them for a bigger/better quality hammock such as the Hennessey.

 

[Gcckoka]

So I should stay away from DD ?
What should I get then for 50 pounds ?
https://www.ukhammocks.co.uk/collec...vel-hammock-colibri-green?variant=18780532165 ??

 

[Paulm]

So I should stay away from DD ?
What should I get then for 50 pounds ?
https://www.ukhammocks.co.uk/collec...vel-hammock-colibri-green?variant=18780532165 ??

No, you shouldn't stay away from them

If you go for a Frontline XL it will be larger than the standard size one and could be ordered on the group buy thread on here to get 20% discount which brings it down pretty much to your target price range.

 

[Gcckoka]

No, you shouldn't stay away from them

If you go for a Frontline XL it will be larger than the standard size one and could be ordered on the group buy thread on here to get 20% discount which brings it down pretty much to your target price range.

I was thinking about that actually but man it looks damn bulky and big....

 

[Wander]

It is.
Any hammock with a built-in mossie net is going to be.
Which is why I suggested getting a separate hammock and net. When you don't need the net you don't have to carry the bulk (in fairness, it's not about weight, but it is about added - unnecessary - bulk). When you do need the net then, well, you need it so you have to pack it. But having them separate means you don't have to carry things you don't need for that trip.

To be honest, hammocking is the bulkiest way of camping. If you are looking to cut down on bulk then you might want to give hammocking a second thought.
It's not just about the hammock, there's the mossie net as well, and the suspension system, and if you are going to use the hammock outside Summer then you will also need to take some kind of underquilting. That is all far more bulky than a self-inflating mattress for kipping on the floor.
A compact one-man tent is probably less bulky than a hammock set-up.
And then you have to add your tarp and sleeping bag (but that would be the case regardless).
Yes, a hammock is damn comfortable. It also means you don't have to worry so much about level ground or smooth ground (though you will need trees!!) so gives you more choice on where to camp. And there is something so peaceful, calm, and satisfying about lounging in a hammock.
But hammocking is bulkier. Much bulkier. You need to realise that before you start. Hammocking is NOT the light, space-saving option!

 

[sunndog]

Hammocking being heavy and bulky is an urban myth. It can be just as light and compact as tenting but it will cost more


For -5*c my set up of hammock, tarp, underquilt, and top quilt is under 2KG and an overnighter can be done with an 11ltr lumbar pack

 

[Gcckoka]

Im not talking about bulk in pack , Im talking about bult when opened I dont like the dome like mosquito net....

 

[Paulm]

Wander makes some fair points above.

My warbonnet blackbird hammock and suspension weighs in at around 1.2kg and the down underblanket 0.8kg, compared to an inflatable exped xtherm mat (large) at 0.7kg and alpkit hunka xl bivvi bag 0.5kg, so 2kg for the hammock stuff and 1.2kg for the ground set up.

Sleeping bag and tarp would be common to both set ups of course.

So not really much in it in reality, and the volume and weight of a fitted bug net in reality I suspect is minimal too. The hammock is a double layer one though and is available in single layer and lighter material which would be lighter still.

Again as Wander mentions, another option could be a one man tent like a hilleberg atko or fjallraven abisko lite at around 1.6kg and you would only need a mat and sleeping bag, but very expensive for those models. Cheaper ones are available of course, and lighter ones, but I'm not sure on weights and some cheaper / lighter solutions are single skinned and prone to more condensation, these might come in around the weight of a tarp perhaps.

So I think that summarises to something like this -

Hammocking
Hammock 1.2kg
Underquilt 0.8
Tarp (DD 3x3, pegs, line etc) 0.9
Sleeping bag (Snugpak Elite 3) 1.6
Total 4.5kg

Ground system
Tarp 0.9
Sleeping bag 1.6
Mat 0.7
Bivvi bag 0.5
Total 3.7kg

Tent
Sleeping bag 1.6
Mat 0.7
Tent 1.6
Total 3.9kg

Obviously there are massive ranges of different products and I'm most definitely not a light weight hiker so don't get too hung up on the actual weights of the individual items above, they just happen to be what I use and I know the weights, rather it was looking at the kind of differences between systems in total, and I don't think they are really all that far apart ?

There's probably other ways of looking at it all too though and I may have missed some aspects possibly, interesting to stop and think about it all though

 

[Wander]

Hammocking being heavy and bulky is an urban myth. It can be just as light and compact as tenting but it will cost more

No, I don't think so.
I have tented, I have bivvied on the ground, and I have hammocked (which, incidentally, is always my first choice. Because I enjoy it more than the other options).

Tenting can be the heavier and bulkier option, depending on your kit.
Being a ground hugger is the lighter and less bulky option of all.
Hammocking is bulkier than being on the ground by a long shot.

I know the above to be true because I have done all three! There is no myth. It is simple, experiential, fact.
You will also note that I have concentrated on bulk rather than weight. I'd guess there's not much in the weight difference, but my instincts tell me camping is heavier, then hammocking, and being on the ground the lightest. I could be wrong in that, but I don't care because I can't see there being much in it. Personally I'm more interested in bulk than weight (though the two often go hand-in-hand).