Using a hammock in winter

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Mat

Forager
Nov 20, 2003
121
0
53
Hampshire
Hi,

I'm going to use my hammock for the first time this weekend in 'winter' weather and I wondered if anyone could offer some top tips!

The forecast for the weekend is horrendous so I'm especially interested in what you can do to keep all your kit dry! Whenever I've used my hammock in the summer I've strung a line underneath my tarp to hang all my kit on, but I won't want to do that if it's all dripping wet. I've got a large dry bag I can use but what other tricks can you employ to organise yourself during inclement weather?

Also, is there a specific way to pitch the tarp and hammock? I'm guessing the closer the hammock is to the tarp, the better?

Thanks,

Mat
 
If there's likely to be wind and/or rain, then ensure that the tarp sides are brought in really quite close to the hammock, or at least ensure that you can bring them in quickly should the weather turn. It's amazing how in a storm gusts of wind can lift a tarp, so imagine what protection you'd have if the rain was near horizontal.

You'll know already that you need to have a mat or skin between the hammock and your sleeping bag, as that's where a lot of your body heat will be lost.

For storage I've used a cheap string hammock directly underneath my own to store kit in.

Don't forget to make sure you've got drip lines where needed (tarp and hammock lines).

Above all, enjoy it!
 
Hi Mat,

From my limited experience I do the following;

I have a cheap net hammock (the type that Gilert do) and I string that below my sleeping hammock. All my kit sits in the mesh hammock off the group and it can also shed any water on it and air at the same time.

Equally you could just tie a line below your hammock and suspend kit from that.

As far as hammock and basha positioning, if I'm not using a mossy net and the weather is foul the tarp is usually about 12-18 inches (30-45 cm) above my head. I try and leave enough room so I don't brush the tarp when I get out of the hammock.

If the weather is just cold rather than wind driven rain, I'll have a wider space between the two so I can use the hammock as a cling chair.

If it's cold make sure you have plenty of insulation between you and the hammock, an inflateable mat is best.

I've not ried it but I understand some people have gone so far as to have their hammock inside their sleeping bag ! obviously this means having a hole in the base of the bag to allow the hammock to be tied up but the logic is great as it means that the insulation under you is not compressed and therefore your a lot warmer :D

Hope that helps

moduser
 
Just one little tip that i was shown was to tie a couple of short (6 inches or so) peieces of string to the rope holding your hammock up....that way any rain water that starts making its way along the rope to your dry hammock will run down the string and drip off instead of making the hammock wet.
 
Can I ask how long your tarp is, morch? I see the Aussie hootchie is 2.8m long. My Kathmandu basha is 2.5m long so perhaps a bit marginal for hammock use.
 
morch said:
make sure your tarp is big enough

That's a good point. If you are stuck with a smallish tarp, then use it on the diagonal. If it's rectangular rather than square, then make sure that the orientation of the corners gives you the most protection against any prevailing wind.
 
Thanks Scout.

Using it on the diagonal might well help. If my trigonometry is right then a 2.5mx1.5m tarp has a 2.92 m diagonal. Thanks led.
 
I think Scout's setup actually was on the diagonal, and in those conditions was really just not large enough to give the protection needed. Wayland had his hammock under a 3m x 3m tarp which gave a good area of shelter.

A simple estimate is to measure the length of your hammock (but not straps) and add at least half a metre to that as the minimum length (or diagonal) you'd need for a tarp.
 
I've never used a hammock at all myself, so I have to ask the question.
Given all the warnings given in the previous posts: is it really worthwhile bothering with a hammock outside of summer?
 
anthonyyy said:
I've never used a hammock at all myself, so I have to ask the question.
Given all the warnings given in the previous posts: is it really worthwhile bothering with a hammock outside of summer?



I've found that the Hammock gives such a great nights sleep. (even better than bed at home)
I'll try anything to be in one regardless of the weather.
I have a 3mX2m tarp and never had rain get me wet yet.(fingers crossed)
Should be even better now Im getting a Hex Fly.
For insulation for the base of the Hammock I use a bog standard 8mm thick, full length kip mat, nice and toastie. :D
For an added bit of comfort, a bit of para cord tied to a tree 90 degrees to the Hammock so i can rock myself..........eeeEEE its grand :D
And I use the same as the other guys a cheap mesh Hammock to keep wet kit in to dry out.
 
led said:
I think Scout's setup actually was on the diagonal, and in those conditions was really just not large enough to give the protection needed. Wayland had his hammock under a 3m x 3m tarp which gave a good area of shelter.

A simple estimate is to measure the length of your hammock (but not straps) and add at least half a metre to that as the minimum length (or diagonal) you'd need for a tarp.

Should note that was 3x3 set diagonally. As such it covers more than a hex tarp with just two side poles.

anthonyyy said:
I've never used a hammock at all myself, so I have to ask the question.
Given all the warnings given in the previous posts: is it really worthwhile bothering with a hammock outside of summer?

Last weekend I was rather over hot and ended up with just a blanket on top but very comfortable. The ground I was over was not good enough for a tent or ground bivvi either.
 
I use a reflective windscreen cover in hammock, as do not need padding, but silver side up reflects body heat, small packed, light, cheap
 
I like a sheepskin under my upper body in the hammock. It moulds to my body shape and doesn't slide around when I turn over in my sleep. A reindeer pelt is better but I can't afford to import one and there's plenty of sheepskins around.

Eric
 
Thanks for the tips guys. Like anthonyyy says, I've always considered a tent to be the best shelter for the type of camping I do in the winter but I've always wanted to give my hammock a try.

I think I'll put my tent up as well so that I can crawl back into it in the middle of the night!

Mat
 
I've heard (from re-enactment freinds) that goat or deer skins are better than sheep for insulation (and you suffer less from getting a face full of fur in the middle of the night)... :)

This is what I'd try if I were planning on a night in the hammock in winter...

ODG
 
outdoorgirl said:
I've heard (from re-enactment freinds) that goat or deer skins are better than sheep for insulation (and you suffer less from getting a face full of fur in the middle of the night)... :)

This is what I'd try if I were planning on a night in the hammock in winter...

ODG

I use my dog for extra warmth when camping using a bivvy bag or tent. I wonder if I could train her to sleep in a hammock ;)
 

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