Whats the fascination with hammocks?

[rancid badger]

I have used hammocks a time or two, and where its particularly wet on the ground or you have severe insect/ creepy crawley,slimey bitey things( like Belize) they are great for keeping you out of harms way. They are also great for letting cooling air circulate around you in rain forest.
The fact is that if you use a hammock in normal temperate conditions you end up freezing because of the air flowing freely around your body as it hangs clear of the ground.
This is what I found anyway and I have always much preferred a carefully chosen, sheltered location to set up a low slung basha, gtex bivvy bag, mat and sleeping bag.
Admittedly, this was how I was trained, the main emphasis being on concealment and protection but I have always slept better on the ground. It just seems strange to me that hammocks are so popular in this country.
Still, if your happy and comfortable; carry on swinging!

kind regards
R.B.

 

[Jodie]

No idea - never slept in one and they scare me a little. Just hanging there... !

I've loafed in one of an afternoon, it was a hammock that was designed for loafing
rather than sleeping and it was fine. But in a 'real' one I'd be waking up all night
wondering when I was going to hear that almighty creak followed by the bump of
landing on my backside. Also, I'd be anxious about being relatively immobile -
- how do you turn over without wobbling?

On the plus side I suppose the movement of the thing might be quite relaxing,
assuming it does actually move in the wind?

The recent thread on the canoe trip with the hammocks looked pretty relaxing
as you'd be floating on water by day, and floating on air by night...

 

[stuart f]

For me its being up off the ground and being able to see whats going on around you,it also makes quite a good hide for watching wildlife, i was out for a couple of nights last week and i had some great encounters,as i lay back i watched a badger pass by,also pheasants, plus a rabbit ran past and i thought he was in a bit of a hurry when about a minute later a fox came trotting by all within 10 feet of the hammock. Also its just so comfy taking the weight of your feet after a long day in camp,a cuppa in one hand and a hot bannock in the other, bliss!

As for cold air,one word"underblanket"

I used to be a ground dweller and i don,t have an aversion to it either but the hammock sure is comfort.

 

[Eric_Methven]

Well, I love them simply because they are so comfortable. When you get older, and your bones start aching first thing in the norning, it's so easy to cock your legs over the side of the hammock and stand up. No aches, no pain, no heaving yourself out of a sleeping bag on the ground.

I agree that cold can be a problem, but only if you fail to insulate yourself. Kip mats are generally too stiff in a hammock and by morning it will either be on top of you or at your side at least. Most hammock users, until recently, relied on a skin under their bag. I use a red deer skin, but i also have a reindeer skin which conforms to your shape and stays in place. It makes the sleeping experience toasty warm. More recently the hammock under blanket has been developed and has proven to be the ultimate in off the ground sleep systems. It's like a big duvet that goes under the hammock and stops the cold getting to you. There have been quite a few group buys on these.

You really need to try it for a couple of nights then you will see just how good it is. I'll bring a spare to the Chopwell festival and you can have a go yourself. I'm guessing you'll be the next convert.

Eric

 

[rancid badger]

I'm only about 10 years behind you dear boy and when I roll out of bed in the early dawn it's like an old tea clipper in a full gale.Grunts squeaks groans, bxxxxr me's and OOh! shxx'x!
I also tend to walk into walls and doors
However, in the spirit of giving it another shot, I am willing to accept your kind offer, and have a bit loonge aboot ( bet this throws a few!)at the festival.
Cheers
R.B.

 

[Eric_Methven]

The secret of course is to have the right kind of hammock. Mine are double hammocks from Paradise Hammocks. That way you can sleep in them at an angle, and you end up almost sleeping flat (rather than banana shaped). That's where the comfort aspect lies.

Eric

 

[Scots_Charles_River]

No idea - never slept in one and they scare me a little. Just hanging there... !

I've loafed in one of an afternoon, it was a hammock that was designed for loafing
rather than sleeping and it was fine. But in a 'real' one I'd be waking up all night
wondering when I was going to hear that almighty creak followed by the bump of
landing on my backside. Also, I'd be anxious about being relatively immobile -
- how do you turn over without wobbling?

On the plus side I suppose the movement of the thing might be quite relaxing,
assuming it does actually move in the wind?

The recent thread on the canoe trip with the hammocks looked pretty relaxing
as you'd be floating on water by day, and floating on air by night...

A tree 6inches dia. or greater can support your wt. I have slept in a hammock on the 'Law' hill in the Ochills, one end clipped to a 'nut' between two rocks, the other tied to a fence post.

The recent trip, I was there, was relaxing. The children looked really comfy as the hammocks were for adults that they slept in.

Happy Hammocking.

Nick

 

[Graywolf]

I only got one because of the fact that I had read that they were good for people who have bad backs.When in a hammock I always get a good sleep,never get a good sleep otherwise.And you are right about the cold spots but if properly insulated not a problem.

 

[C_Claycomb]

The biggest issues for me though are comfort and location. I get pain in my back if my heels are even a little big lower than the rest of me. The only way I can avoid his on the ground is to rest my feet on my rucksack. I have no such problem in the hammock. Next, while I need trees, I don’t need flat, or even clear, ground. A hammock can be set up over rocks, bushes, brambles, roots, tussocks, or on a 1 in 5 hillside. It is funny how you can have room to yourself if you camp on a wooded 1-5

 

[gregorach]

Yep, everyone else has already said it - they're darned comfy, and you can pitch in places you would never pitch a ground-based bivy.

 

[aelf]

I love my hammock - i've tried mats, cots and airbeds but none give me a night's sleep like a hammock! I've used it in the pouring rain in the middle of a cold february weekend and over lovely warm nights. Never been cold or got wet. The trick is to insulate well (under and over yourself) then lie back and watch the wildlife! I was woken one morning by a small bird landing on my head!

Try it again mate, maybe we can convert you

 

[Squidders]

I have a tipi for the autumn/winter and a hammock for the spring/summer months...

I don't like the underblanket idea as if something happens and I end up sleeping on the floor it's going to offer no insulation. I did have a pocket for my therm-a-rest sewn in to my hammocks though and it's sublime, no movement at all and as stated by everyone else... very comfy.

I like being able to sit up in bed too, in the tipi I use a folding US type camp cot with the same therm-a-rest and in the hammock, I often just sit in it to relax... even at home in the back garden.

I have hung the hammock up in the peak district off a few cams, from trees and from our apple tree and a fence post at home... for the warmer months, I don't think i'll go back to ground dwelling unless something goes wrong.

 

[Neanderthal]

The wife is full of cold at the moment so after tucking her up in bed surrounded by tissues, drinks etc it was down the garden for me and into the hammock. Had the underblanket set up and a fleecy cover instead of a sleeping bag.

We both had a great nights sleep. This morning it was like going into work straight from a Bushmeet.

Tonight I may take a hobo stove out to make a brew in the morning.

Stu

 

[Tiley]

It's a bit of a branch issue to the main thread but anyway, here goes: I snore semi-professionally and am told repeatedly that it happens when I sleep on my back. I have a hammock which I love using and find really comfortable but the default sleeping position is on my back. Lo and behold: the subsonic rumble continues, upsetting the wildlife and defoliating nearby trees.

Is there any way of sleeping comfortably on one's side in a hammock or will I have to rely on slinging my hammock out of the hearing range of any other living thing?

 

[william#]

i always end up curled up on my side in my hammock though i have a very wide hammock which i can roll around in quite happily .
so it all depend on the hammock you
have .
friend of mine has a great light weight hammock but if he rolled in it he would be out (must remember to set up a camera on his pitch next time.
i did use a thin hammock for a while but i do need to roll around in them a bit other wise my body siezes up by morning and the thinner ones i did fall out off a few times

 

[gregorach]

Yeah, the trick to getting on your side is to lie diagonally in the hammock, at about an angle of 10-20 degrees to the center line, and not to have it pitched too slack.

 

[Squidders]

I myself am a snorer and I know a good few others... we use this handy tip: pitch your hammock close to me and expect an ear full of snore all night... over there are 2 lovely trees you may like to use

It's a bit of a branch issue to the main thread but anyway, here goes: I snore semi-professionally and am told repeatedly that it happens when I sleep on my back. I have a hammock which I love using and find really comfortable but the default sleeping position is on my back. Lo and behold: the subsonic rumble continues, upsetting the wildlife and defoliating nearby trees.

Is there any way of sleeping comfortably on one's side in a hammock or will I have to rely on slinging my hammock out of the hearing range of any other living thing?

 

[PhilParry]

yep....been said already,....one word says it all.....


COMFORT!!

I was recently reminded of this when I went to the Ardeche canoeing with Woodlore.

Took a rather large tent to put my gear in during the week just to keep it out of the way, and thought every night "jeez....wish I'd put my hammock up"....they are Soooooo much more comfortable!

Hammock me up!!

Phil

 

[Eric_Methven]

There's nowt wrong with snoring. Helps keep the bears away.
Morch snored all the way through the Achray meet last autumn, and I never saw a single bear.

Eric

 

[william#]

is there some remedy with a fork or is that onions