RodStrod said:
not sure it works horizontally.......
Ever tried standing up in a hammock ????
Hammocks in winter
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not sure it works horizontally.......
Ever tried standing up in a hammock ????
bikething said:not sure it works horizontally.......
Ever tried standing up in a hammock ????
Think if I was female I get one. It's not as though it's a great weight and expense if it doesn't work well enough.
I guess it it's not possible to use in on one's front ( trying that at home in the bath would be better than first time in you hammock I'd have thought ) one could at least swing ones legs over the side and use the hammock as a seat. It does claim that can be used by the chairbound.
I think the real thing is not having to go out a reasonable distance from one's campsite and back, in the dark, cold and possibly rain. If it can be used standing under a tarp to direct a jet into a container, that can be emptied at a more convinient time, it'll still serve a useful purpose.
In other situations if one was wearing a poncho I doubt if anyone would notice what was being done either.
Used my jungle mosquito hammock for the first time last night, turned pretty breezy, wet and cold over night, took my thermarest to see how much i could push my 1 season bag, all in all had a wicked night's sleep, with a warmer bag i'd have no qualms about using it in winter. May even take it to Germany in feb rather than build a shelter as per normal, bring on the cold 
Sickboy said:Used my jungle mosquito hammock for the first time last night, turned pretty breezy, wet and cold over night, took my thermarest to see how much i could push my 1 season bag, all in all had a wicked night's sleep, with a warmer bag i'd have no qualms about using it in winter. May even take it to Germany in feb rather than build a shelter as per normal, bring on the cold
I didn't know they made hammocks for mosquitos! Even supposing jungle mosquitos are bigger, you must be short!
I have a Hennessy and recently bought a clark hammock. I have the open cell foam matt that fits underneath the Hennessy but to be honest, its a fair bit of messing around to fit and take off as it cannot be folded up with it on.It also is not suitable to use on the ground if decide to do that. The easist method it to slip a partialy inflated thermarest inside your sleeping bag. That way you are only carrying a hammock on top of everyting else you would normaly need for sleeping out i.e basha,/tarp,sleeping matt, sleeping bag. You WILL need to have something under you, even in late summer, you can feel cold creeping through .With the method obove i have camped out in the trees with snow on the ground, with a decent sleeping bag.
Slightly off topic here, but I slept out last night too in my hammock and underblanket and luckily decided at the last minute to put my tarp over. Had the most amazing light show without any noise and then the rain arrived....WOOSH! My biggest worry then was would the two pegs hold in the wind and would I have to get wet and put in more? Eventually I simply fell asleep and the situation resolved itself as my daughter woke me saying the croissants were ready for breakfast. Lovely bright morning. Tarp hadn't blown away!
Just had my lightweight bag over me like a quilt and was very comfortable. Please bear in mind that I am an ex ground sleeper and a total convert to hammocking, I also like being able to sit on the edge and pull my clothes on without all that hopping about. BUT....Hammocks are no use at all without trees or similar to hang them in. I used to sleep on a short Thermarest but am very glad it is not with me now as it used to be quite a fidget to allign it correctly before dropping off, and as the thread has gone that way... when nature called... to do the allignment whilst bleary and cold was really a pain!
Swyn
Just had my lightweight bag over me like a quilt and was very comfortable. Please bear in mind that I am an ex ground sleeper and a total convert to hammocking, I also like being able to sit on the edge and pull my clothes on without all that hopping about. BUT....Hammocks are no use at all without trees or similar to hang them in. I used to sleep on a short Thermarest but am very glad it is not with me now as it used to be quite a fidget to allign it correctly before dropping off, and as the thread has gone that way... when nature called... to do the allignment whilst bleary and cold was really a pain!
Swyn
Eric_Methven said:Get a small dry bag and clip it to the guyline above your head (the one your tarp goes over.) Into the dry bag put a wide mouth bottle with a screw on top.
At 4am, when you wake up bursting, just reach up, unclip the dry bag fastex buckle, remove the bottle, pull it inside your sleeping bag, roll over on your side and fill the bottle. Replace lid, put it back in dry bag and reclip it above you. Empty in the morning.
WARNING! If you also keep a drinks bottle hanging, make sure you can tell the difference by feel!
Eric
That's got to be better than laying there for hours debating wether to trek out or put up!
I took my little lad Jack (6 yrs) off for a nights camping in a local wood, using it as an opportunity to try out my brand new Hennessy Explorer. I put my old DD up for Jack and then after a bit of trial and error erected the Hennessy (needed pitching slightly higher than the DD due to design difference). I put a foam mat under Jacks DD and a Thermarest inside the Hennessy then appropriate sleeping bags in each. My lad went off to bed no problem and I removed and stashed his shoes before lifting him in and tucking him up tight. A silent stalk over to his hammock 10 minutes later, with my head torch on low, confirmed that he had drifted off and was sleeping like a baby. A little later it was my turn and this was where the 'fun' started. I walked into the entrance as suggested, shifting the Thermarest to one side so I could turn around and sit down, again as suggested. The Velcro opening clamped shut on my legs, making the removal of muddy boots a somewhat challenging task. I reached down through the opening, my right arm warming up a treat as the hook side of the velcro fastener caressed the skin like sandpaper. At this point the Thermarest helpfully bounced around on top of my head occasionally slipping down to wedge against my neck, which enriched the experience. I eventually managed to remove my boots which were then placed up-turned and within easy reach on a couple of sticks. I then pulled my legs inside and set about repositioning the Thermarest beneath the sleeping bag, getting into my liner, getting into the sleeping bag then positioning the entire set up on top of the Thermarest. I must confess I don't believe I managed to carry out this task successfully for the 9+ hours I tried. I believe there were a number of contributory factors namely - I am 5 9 and weigh 16 stone having dedicated my entire life to the beloved sport of Powerlifting. I have built what I would consider to be a powerful set of shoulders which I have now found out will not fit in a mummy style sleeping bag. This situation cannot be improved despite roaring profanities in the early hours that would make truckers blush let alone a 6 year old child 
. I have also concluded that it doesn't matter how strong you are, a sleeping bag cannot be stretched. On reflection it might have been prudent to have checked out the fit of the bag when purchasing, as I had only ever used it Duvet style due to mostly fair weather trips. I finally collapsed exhausted, wrapped in a combination of liner, Thremarest and sleeping bag and almost felt comfortable. A quick check of my watch confirmed it was 2 a.m and I inwardly groaned knowing I was going to feel a little worse for wear later that morning. I gained a certain amount of pleasure from the local Tawny owl population conversing with one another in the surrounding woodland and felt myself beginning to drift off when I was alerted by a strange and unnerving high pitched call Daddy I need a wee wee! Fighting back the tears and murmuring soft words of encouragement through gritted teeth I struggled to the entrance and pushed my feet through, pleased at having removed my trousers and shirt, as the velco sanded my right leg, torso and arms while I put on my boots. Having attended to the needs of the little man I re-entered my cosy nest and commenced wrestling till dawn!
Can anyone give me some pointers PLEASE!
. I have also concluded that it doesn't matter how strong you are, a sleeping bag cannot be stretched. On reflection it might have been prudent to have checked out the fit of the bag when purchasing, as I had only ever used it Duvet style due to mostly fair weather trips. I finally collapsed exhausted, wrapped in a combination of liner, Thremarest and sleeping bag and almost felt comfortable. A quick check of my watch confirmed it was 2 a.m and I inwardly groaned knowing I was going to feel a little worse for wear later that morning. I gained a certain amount of pleasure from the local Tawny owl population conversing with one another in the surrounding woodland and felt myself beginning to drift off when I was alerted by a strange and unnerving high pitched call Daddy I need a wee wee! Fighting back the tears and murmuring soft words of encouragement through gritted teeth I struggled to the entrance and pushed my feet through, pleased at having removed my trousers and shirt, as the velco sanded my right leg, torso and arms while I put on my boots. Having attended to the needs of the little man I re-entered my cosy nest and commenced wrestling till dawn! Can anyone give me some pointers PLEASE!
I have two and a hooped bivvy 
Are there quality sleeping bags out there for the 'larger gentleman' (don't you just love the way they put that when what they really mean is fat ba**ard
)
Silverback,
Heres my thoughts. Thermarests are tricky in hammocks, so rig with an underquilt. Ditch sleeping bag and liner and buy a double zipped bag (e.g. Nanok -20 SF). Tie a single paracord loop between both zips (long). Rig hammock with underblanket and unzip sleeping bag fully. Climb in hammock sitting on middle of sleeing bag to hold it still. Swing legs in and lie flat. Flop unzipped "upper" of sleeping bag over body and pull up zips using paracord loop. Relax secure in the knowledge that you are a smartarse and that someone wil untie your tree huggers for being so smug
Red
Heres my thoughts. Thermarests are tricky in hammocks, so rig with an underquilt. Ditch sleeping bag and liner and buy a double zipped bag (e.g. Nanok -20 SF). Tie a single paracord loop between both zips (long). Rig hammock with underblanket and unzip sleeping bag fully. Climb in hammock sitting on middle of sleeing bag to hold it still. Swing legs in and lie flat. Flop unzipped "upper" of sleeping bag over body and pull up zips using paracord loop. Relax secure in the knowledge that you are a smartarse and that someone wil untie your tree huggers for being so smug
Red
Biddlesby said:I'm still at odds as to wether it is better to get into the bivvy, mat and sleeping bag first then hop in the hammock or kind of slide into it to all in the hammock. If anybody else has any techniques I'd be glad to hear them.
Why are you using a bivvy bag in the hammock? If you've got a tarp above you you don't need it.
Before I got the underblanket I used a thermarest in the hammock, stuck my unzipped baggie on the top and climbed in. I just lay back and pulled the zip up. Sounds simple, but in reality it can be hard work.
Silverback, I feel your pain I am 16.5 stone and braod in the back and shoulders. You can get a Snugpak Merlin with the 'Expanda panel' this will allow you to zip up without feeling like a sausage. The only other option I have any experience of is the 'The North Face Goliath' the problem here though is that its a low temp rated bag, its built dimentionally for big blokes, but as we get hotter than the nose of the space shuttle on re-entry with a minimum of effort, once you are in the bloody thing, you will be fighting with it so you can get out and cool off. Maybe a fleece blanket and large fulffy sock are the answer 
PJMCBear said:
To stop the wind? It whistles through my HH.
Rab will make sleeping bags to fit. My mate is short and stocky and they made him a shorter bag with an extra panel for width.
I know I keep moaning on about this very subject but I am still very much on The Clem quest for the ultimate sleep system,Ive come to the conclusion that getting up off the ground is indeed the way to go.Now like one or two of you Iam a big chap(not as big as I was,but still well built) and I find sleeping bags bordering on torture,Iam of a bulky build,not overly tall by todays standards at six feet tall but Iam both wide across the shoulder's,deep through the chest with thick arms and legs.Getting comfy is very hard as Iam sure you know.So I can totally understand where your coming from.I intend on trying to use some kind of top quilt while hammocking as bags are just not comfy to me even less so in a hammock,that said Big Agnes bags sound like they may be worth a look see!
