Your tips on hammock comfort

[davidpingu]

I've had a quick scout but haven't found a thread of collective ideas on what makes a comfortable night's sleep in a hammock. (Feel free to drop links in here if you find any)

I very recently bought myself a ticket to the moon parachute silk hammock. First night of using it I didn't have the worst night's sleep but I found my legs to get quite uncomfortable due to knees feeling locked all the time. I since read a very good article which gives tips on hanging the hammock nice and loose and sleeping across the hammock to an extent to help straighten you're sleeping position a little more. I've not slept in it again since but I did take it out for a little test again last weekend and followed the guidance I read and it certainly felt as though I was lying a little flatter so I think next time I go it will be an improved experience.

However the other thing I found was that even in 10 degrees C you can loose a surprising amount of body heat. I slept in clothes on a thermarest sleep mat in a summer sleeping bag in my T shirt and although I was far from cold what I did find was that if I moved around to the point where some of my back wasn't on the sleep mat that it felt a little cool. I certainly wouldn't have wanted to sleep in much colder temperatures mind you the comfort rating of my bag was only 10C so perhaps that had more to do with it? It's only a cheap Tesco mummy bag but packs nice and small so its why I opted for it, making a nice change to my usual heavy kit.


So a bit of a long intro sorry but my main question is, what do people tend to use in conjunction with their hammock lets say down as cold as 5 degrees?

I've read that underquilts are a popular choice but what sort of space do these things take in your pack? Is there such a thing as an effective hammock lining that doesn't take a lot of room? I'm also wondering about a wool blanket. How effective would something like that be?

Final question. I've noticed that in some pictures people have wrapped things like the US poncho liner around the hammock so that it actually runs underneath the bottom of the hammock. What is the advantage of this over putting the double layer on the inside? Is it because the bottom layer will go uncompressed?

Any tips and advice on what works well for people without packing too heavy would be fantastic.

Thanks everybody

 

[tom.moran]

i use a dd jura 2 hammock bag and a snugpak underblanket all year round, though in the summer i use the bag as a duvet and only on half my body. when it come to winter i use a hat and gloves aswell as a set of clothes and find im very comfortable down to about -7


your issue is probably down to your cheap bag. down is fantastic at keeping you warm and packs down a lot smaller than synthetic kit like mine but has its drawbacks in price and moisture absorption cutting its effectiveness.

i use to find sleeping in my hammock uncomfortable but he more i use it the more comfortable i am

 

[Cogola]

Look up 'shugemery' on youtube. He has some videos that should answer your questions plus more.

 

[copper_head]

Look up 'shugemery' on youtube. He has some videos that should answer your questions plus more.

Was just going to suggest that myself. I used an underquilt made from a poncho liner that worked pretty well, recently upgraded to snugpak one which is a great bit of kit. Bulky though!
Google pluq tutorial if you fancy giving it a go.

 

[Shewie]

Down underquilts and top quilts can pack to the size of a small down bag, as with bags though the more you pay the better quality you get, and with that better fabrics, workmanship and smaller packability (sp)

I have quilts from the US by Hammock Gear, spendy but highly recommended.

I still occasionally use a 3/4 Thermarest in the warmer months but it's rare, I have a short length (shoulder to knees) underquilt which packs to nothing and weighs about the same. Poncho liners will work in the warmer months but you'll struggle as it gets colder.

The locked leg feeling is hyper extension, slackening off the hammock can help but also laying diagonally can give you a flatter, less banana shape lay. Another tip is to just slip a jumper or fleece under your knees, this can really help. if you sleep on your back try laying with your legs in a figure four shape, in other words bring one foot up towards the opposite knee, then alternate through the night.

I still get occasional heel pain and I've not really sussed that one out yet

 

[bushcraftkid2001]

If you have a DD, always zip it up so you can move freely without being woken up by falling out onto the floor... Not a pleasant experience, it happened to me on my first night in my DD

 

[tom.moran]

I've never even cone close to falling out of any hammock you must dance in your sleep lol

 

[cranmere]

I normally sleep on my side and I simply cannot sleep in a hammock, my arthritic knees seize up completely and I get dreadful backache even though I'm not normally prone to it.

 

[tom.moran]

What about a flat lay hammock? I find I can just about get comfortable doing a semi side sleep if I string my dd fronting tightly. Though for Xmas I'm going to buy a ridge runner with all the toys from america

 

[ADz-1983]

I normally sleep on my side and I simply cannot sleep in a hammock, my arthritic knees seize up completely and I get dreadful backache even though I'm not normally prone to it.

That's simply because you're either setting up hammock incorrectly, have crap hammock or not laying diagonally or don't have a flat lay etc. I'm also a side sleeper and a hammock is the comfiest and best night sleep I have ever had in my life.

 

[mountainm]

What about a flat lay hammock? I find I can just about get comfortable doing a semi side sleep if I string my dd fronting tightly. Though for Xmas I'm going to buy a ridge runner with all the toys from america

Very happy with my Hammock Bliss Sky Bed (bug free). Very flat lay
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=122035&highlight=Hammock+Bliss

 

[mousey]

I'm youngish and therefore still fairly flexible, I've only ever slept in my TW lightweight hammock, and manage to sleep on my side, on my front, on my back and anywhere in between in it [although I am a heavy sleeper and can sleep anywhere]. I seem to like my head above my legs in the hammock though and have found that sometimes I slide down into the bottom of the u shape along the length [if that makes sense] so occasionally have to reach above my head to pull myself back up.

Comfort tips? just make sure you've got a long enough tarp to give plenty of over hang at each end of the hammock and also to give you some space to stand under at the ends.

 

[cranmere]

That's simply because you're either setting up hammock incorrectly, have crap hammock or not laying diagonally or don't have a flat lay etc. I'm also a side sleeper and a hammock is the comfiest and best night sleep I have ever had in my life.

I disagree and I think it's very personal. I move around in my sleep and if I sleep on my back my knees will wake me up with serious pain. It may be that one of the flat lay hammocks would work but that's quite a lot of money to spend to find out.

 

[rickyamos]

I have a DD hammock, I like to set it up pretty taught at about chest hight with the end where my legs are just a slightly touch higher. I find that a pretty good setup and I sleep well and don't sag.

Sent from my KFSOWI using Tapatalk

 

[ged]

I'm not a regular hammock user, but I do occasionally like to swing.

I like the suspension to be as flat as I can get it. Agreed with Shewie about the jumper under the knees, although with me that's where in the morning I tend to find my water bottle, torch, boots, cordage, biscuits, and anything else I've taken into the hammock with me.

Not sure I agree though, Rich, on the figure four thing. Sounds like staying awake all night to me.

I always use a bivvy bag in a hammock. In fact I almost always use a bivvy bag outdoors, however I sleep.

With the bivvy bag and an old (over a decade) sleeping bag, plus a full-length closed cell foam mat, and wearing a little clothing, I find I have enough insulation to be toasty warm in anything down to -10C.

I find the full length closed-cell foam mat fits better and stays where it's put better than a Thermarest although admittedly I've only tried a three-quarter length thermarest. Either way, the bivvy bag is a big help with the inevitable condensation if you're on a non-breathing mat.

The sleeping bag is hollow fibre polyester - I'm allergic to down so I can't use it. It was rated -18C extreme when new, so probably realistically now rated 0C for comfort.

I've never used an underquilt. One of the things on my TODO list.

 

[bushcraftkid2001]

@tom.moran Athough, to be fair, I had a roll mat on the top layer with me, so it was no surprise I fell out!

 

[Miniwhisk]

I normally sleep on my side and I simply cannot sleep in a hammock, my arthritic knees seize up completely and I get dreadful backache even though I'm not normally prone to it.

Side sleeper in the main myself but choose a hammock in the main for woodland camping to overcome the rough ground issues. It usually takes me about a week of prior 'sleeping on my back' training to overcome the side sleep.

They say that a bridge hammock works better for side sleepers. Not personally tried one but might be worth looking into. Plenty of info on youtube.

 

[ADz-1983]

I disagree and I think it's very personal. I move around in my sleep and if I sleep on my back my knees will wake me up with serious pain. It may be that one of the flat lay hammocks would work but that's quite a lot of money to spend to find out.

You dont need to spend loads to get a flat lay, It just depends on how the material is cut and whether you can sleep in it diagonally. I have a warbonnet blackbird and it did cost a lot of money but I'm sure you could get same effect from a lot of other hammocks. For example a friend made a Snipe clone and you can get a proper flat lay diagonally on it and looks very comfy.

You should jump on hammockforums.net and have a good read, I'm sure there will be lots of info on it.

 

[ozzy1977]

Its all down to trial and error with getting the hammock right for you. I sleep on my side/front and have a tenth wonder hornet and dont have a problem getting to sleep, it is set up with my feet slightly higher and quite flat.

 

[PDA1]

http://theultimatehang.com/

This web site, and the book of the same name, contain just about all the information you need to get warm and comfortable in a hammock.

Note especially the 30 degree hang angle. It is needed, on two counts, 1 to allow lying diagonally, thereby getting a flat "bed" . 2 reducing the stress on the suspension cords, thus making it much safer.

Becasue you are hanging in the breeze,you will lose heat quickly without adequate insulation under you. This can be a UKP 200 down underquilt or a UKP 5-10 CCF mat, which is just as good as an insulator and less "fiddly" to set up, and is not effected by rain(surely a consideration in the UK?)