Hammock'n'tarp in France - nearly died

[spandit]

Tried pitching the tarp for the first time to spend the night in the Loire Valley. Had it quite low in bad weather configuration to see what it was like...

... nearly broke my spine trying to wriggle into my Lidl bag & then getting into the hammock! Bag, as it turns out, is too warm for this weather we're having & although I stuck the night out, should have turned round in the hammock as kept sliding down.

Comfy enough, though & hammock held together with the new rigging

 

[Highbinder]

All good fun messing with your setup eh When its' mild I just use my sleeping bag unzipped like a quilt as it solves the 10 minute wriggle.

 

[Shewie]

A good way to get round the wriggle ...

Unzip your bag about 2/3 of the way down, get in the hammock by sitting on top of the bag. Slip the feet in, lie back and then pull the rest of the bag out from under you. If you get it right you can put your head into the hood and it stops it from sliding down as you wriggle in.

 

[gsfgaz]

Tried pitching the tarp for the first time to spend the night in the Loire Valley. Had it quite low in bad weather configuration to see what it was like...

... nearly broke my spine trying to wriggle into my Lidl bag & then getting into the hammock! Bag, as it turns out, is too warm for this weather we're having & although I stuck the night out, should have turned round in the hammock as kept sliding down.

Comfy enough, though & hammock held together with the new rigging

One question how many beers did you have mate ,,,

 

[spandit]

It was a practice run for the Sussex meet but wish I'd had that advice sooner!

As for how many beers? A couple, plus some vino but it was trying to manoeuvre my 6'4" frame under a tarp pitched very low to the ground that was the problem!

 

[garethw]

Hi there
I've tried two or three of the various sleeping bags I have and I find that while they are fine on the ground or a bed, once you get into a hammock it becomes very difficult to get in to them, and once in they become considerably narrower than on a flat surface. I end up feeling totally tied up in the bag.

My solution has been to use one of the centre zipped military bags. I leave it open and use it downside up, just slipping my feet into the foot box and tucking it under my body...no more wriggling. With a self inflating mat, or more recently a Snugpak underquilt, I've been fine since April and have done over 20 nights out.

I have an British Army down version for the colder months and a Highlander Ranger 1 for the warmer times.

cheers
Gareth

 

[spandit]

Does that mean you're sleeping against the hammock nylon, though? Is that OK? Going to make an underquilt to try next weekend but still like something underneath me

 

[garethw]

Does that mean you're sleeping against the hammock nylon, though? Is that OK? Going to make an underquilt to try next weekend but still like something underneath me

hi there
Yes indeed, since I've had the underquilt I'm sleeping directly on the nylon. This is no problem as I always sleep in my clothes, so why would you need anything under yourself? I like the fact that when I turn I slide on the nylon....
The only time in over 30 years camping/carp fishing I've ever slept in my underwear was in a camervan. In a tent or now, hammock, I aways wear, either jogging pants and a hoodie or in the dead of winter a fleece and my regular clothes with thick socks & a fleece hat.

I look at it this way, you sleep well when you are neither too warm nor too cold..clothes and a lighter sleeping bag means you carry less weight that has only one use and remain warm enough at night.... Also if you need to get up in the wee hours for a wee!! you're not in your skivvies.

Re: the DD Travel hammock... many have mentioned condensation... well I guess its down to whether you're a hot or cold sleeper... I've had some slight dampness, mostly around my feet... and I've slept in some very varied temeratures and humidities this summer (over 20 nights). I've not found the condensation too bad... no worse than on a nylon covered camp bed for example. With the underquilt perhaps the DD Frontline would be better, but with a self inflating (rubberised mat) I doubt it.
cheers
Gareth