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Sleeping hammock

Paws

Google "Shug hammock" he has enough how to videos on hammocking to keep you busy for weeks. Understand it is a steep learning curve but in my mind worth the effort. You need to know how to hang your hammock, how to cover your hammock (ie how to tarp) and how to keep warm. Shug covers all of these in great detail with humor. i was never fond of crawling out of tents and i find you can more aware of your surroundings in a hammock because the infinite ways you can set up the tarp. They are not for everyone but you may want to give one a try.
 
Add me to the strictly hammocking crowd.

Most has been covered here:

If you get a standard Hennessey, I'd suggest a somewhat larger tarp. Where I live it rains a lot. Unless you set up your standard tarp perfectly you might get a little wet.

Check into whoopie slings after you try using the standard suspension once.

Get an underquilt. Seriously, if you're going to do this much (I'm out about 40 nights a year with the Scouts) you're going to want an underquilt.
 
This whole thing is starting to scare me. I have spent sooooo much money already and just bought a new Thermarest. I can't spent $300 or more on this stuff, too. I'm just gonna have to figure out other ways to sleep better in the tent, I think.

The hammock forum is terrifying.
 
Do some back yard testing with various pillows, etc., to figure out what body configuration works best. Then you will know what you need to take. Figuring this out one overnighter at a time could be unproductive and tedious.
 
Astoriadave said:
Do some back yard testing with various pillows, etc., to figure out what body configuration works best. Then you will know what you need to take. Figuring this out one overnighter at a time could be unproductive and tedious.
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+1 on Dave's advice.

You can do the camp test anywhere in your house on the floor if outside is not convenient -- just set up your sleeping pad and bag and pillow and see if it works. Of course, it's not nearly as fun as camping out in the back yard but it'll get the job done.
 
If you already have a tarp and a pad and a sleeping bag - then all you really need is a Hammock and some suspension. You'll want a double layer hammock so you can put your pad in the sleeve - that will cost about $50 (Dutchware). You can make your own suspension straps - just 1 to 1.5 inch polyester straps or that tubular nylon (doesn't stretch as much as single layer) climbers use. It's somewhere between 30 to 50 cents a foot at R.E.I. - maybe about $10 worth.

No one I know uses the "knot" tying shown in the Hennessy videos. Sooooo much easier to put two rings on a loop (or carabiner) and run the line through the rings (youtube).

I don't know about the "bug net" situation in your area. But it only takes one critter buzzing around your head to make a bad night. There are plenty of nets you can add (hammock goes inside the net - which has a zipper entry and the hammock suspension lines go out through bug proof exits at the ends) if needed. BIAS (ButtInASling) has some light weight nets but the price goes up as the weight goes down. The good news is, as a kayaker you don't have to be was worried about weight as a through hiker. Sure, it's a concern; just not as much as one. Looks like "new", a bug net will cost as much or more than the hammock. There are often used burnets on sale in the HammockForum.

Also, several times a year R.E.I has a 20% off on one retail item sale and they carry nets from ENO (Eagle Nest Outfitters) and Kammok.

It's difficult to advise now as we are into "winter" and that's a whole other layer. I'm guessing, with what you already have, you can add the hammock option for less than $100 (hammock, suspension hardware, bug net).

Hammock forum is also a great place to sell well treated gear. Lots of people buy new gear to try it out, then sell it and figure the small financial loss is the price of education.

So your $50 investment in the hammock itself isn't so much. If sleeping in it doesn't work out, you'll have something you can lounge around in on warm afternoons and take on day hikes.

Finally - yes money again - I've used it all - line, webbing, whoopie slings and Atlas/Python straps. Those straps are what climbers call a "daisy chain" - webbing with loops sewn in. You cinch it around the tree and just carabiner clip into the appropriate loop. Easy-peasy. But that "easy-peasy will cost $30 (and two carabiners).

I started out with just some nylon straps and knowing how to tie a figure 8 knot.
 
Pawsplus,

I have to thank you.. You really make the forum a nice place to visit. I check WCP once or twice a week to see the paddling trip reports and to see what others are still up to. Your posts are awesome and I really enjoy seeing others so into paddling their boat.

I have been getting into doing the hammock thing instead of sleeping in a tent.

I have a Hennessy hammock and I have also purchased Eno's single and double. Also, the Grand Trunk double and single.

They all have their pluses and minuses. Mostly the length difference between the GT's and the ENO's is what I tell people. GT has the better length for their single over the Eno for me, but they are basically the same material and the GT carabiners aren't as good as the ones that come with the ENO's. The Eno double I got has an insect shield impregnated in the fabric. Would I use it on the coast during the summer? It is ok at keeping the local bugs away when I use it out on the back deck but the bugs can get really bad while sea kayaking and I think you would want a full bug screen. Though, I am going to insect shield my Hennessy this spring.

I use the ENO slap straps for both and they are super easy to set up. The Hennessy, I use a carabiner at each of the supplied tree straps, then attach two rappel rings per and put them through the carabiner as well. It kinda makes the same sort of attachment you find in motorcycle helmets with the two rings that you lace the strap through. It makes it super simple to adjust while hanging on two trees.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iJTjful66M[/youtube]

The thing that I bought and would recommend to anyone with a hammock is an under quilt. I purchased a Hammock Gear incubator 20. The people at Hammock Gear are really nice and their products are great. I haven't used it with the Hennessy because I have only used it during the summer and you enter it from below at the foot end. When it gets colder I haven't really felt the need for a the bug mesh. They have the top quilts, but I have just used my mummy sleeping bags totally open and use them as a quilt. Quilts are just so much more comfortable than trying to be in a sleeping bag in a hammock. Plus, the fact sleeping bags don't keep you warm from underneath in a hammock.

I like the singles a bit more for sleeping than the doubles. I have felt like I was being smothered by the doubles a few times during the night. You are supposed to sleep at an angle in the doubles, it keeps it from collapsing around you.
The singles you can angle in a bit, but it isn't a big deal if during the middle of the night you get in the very center and it starts to wrap around you. I also purchased a large ENO hammock tarp to go over the hammock in case of rain or dew during the night. Though, I prefer seeing the stars and a little dew is just what it is. There are also drip stoppers ENO has that stop any moisture that makes it onto the suspension straps and heads towards the hammock.

The only thing that sucks about a hammock is when you go to bed during a summer evening and it is warm out, then about 2 am the temp really starts to drop and you get the cold from under. Nothing you do is going to warm you at that point and it is what it is. It sucks. I have used a closed cell foam mattress to lay on, but anything that hangs out beyond it gets very cold.

The comfort is so awesome that ever getting back in a tent and back on the ground sorta sucks.

I would tell anyone to try a hammock. We go to Hawaii once a year and setting up a hammock at the beach or outside our rental is awesome. So many different ways to sit and enjoy the world around you.

Thank you again for being so awesome on this forum.

Greg
 
"We go to Hawaii once a year and setting up a hammock at the beach or outside our rental is awesome. So many different ways to sit and enjoy the world around you."

Greg - where do you go in Hawaii where you can string your hammocks up on the beach. We were on kauai and the beaches there were pretty barren. Nice and and water, but no palm trees.

Also - though an under quilt is the way to go for sure, if you had a double layer hammock you could put a sleeping pad in there and it would keep the cold away. The "problem" with kayaking and hammock camping - of which I am a strong advocate (see HammockForums.net) - is you can end up on beaches without trees. For that reason, I'm prepared to use just a pad/tarp/bug net. If I also carry a tent, I make sure it is completely free standing - no stakes required.
 
Designer,

We haven't done Kauai yet. I did find a great place on the southeast side that is a plantation setting with a grove of trees all around the small house and then a great lawn right up to the beach. My wife decided on a place I found in Waikoloa on the Big Island this coming May. We have stayed in Waikoloa before and there are great palm trees and others to hang a hammock at the beach. We usually do Maui and have done Oahu, the last few times we have done the Big Island. I guess it is just a beach by beach thing and some are better than others. I have been fortunate so far. The ENO and GT hammocks are so compact that throwing one in the beach bag isn't a big deal. I just scope it out and see what will work.

The Hennessy was my first hammock.. I just find I use it less and less. I am looking at getting an external bug net for the ENO and GT hammocks, I like the ones that ENO offers. The closed cell sleeping pad isn't too bad being underneath but I find I wake up with cold spots on my shoulders and my hips, and the side of my back. The underquilt has always been awesome and I find I sleep much better throughout the night with it.

It does suck when you get to a location and there isn't good options for hanging your hammock. I was up on Mt Shasta coming back from doing a remodel job in the Bay Area. Tons of trees, but out of fifty or so options to be had I finally just strung the hammock across the back of my box truck over all my tools and was so happy for that decision when the rain started in the middle of the night.

Hammocks aren't a perfect solution by any means, but they sure are awesome when the conditions work out.
 
Wish I could do the hammock thing, but I sleep in a prone position and move around a lot. I've tried to sleep in a Hennessy but after about three hours I wake up and want to roll over. If you're not a back sleeper in your bed at home, you may want to think twice about a hammock.

Also, if your skin comes in contact with the single walled sides, mosquitos can get you.

My current sleeping system in a tent consists of an Exped Downmat 9, Sierra Designs Down Backcountry Bed and a Thermarest foam pillow. This combo really works for my prone position hibernation.
 
PawsPlus, You can get a Dutchware Gear hammock for about $38. For additional amount you could consider one with a bug net and/or a double layer. In your case - kayak camper - instead of a double layer, you might find an under quilt protector (UQP) more useful. 2QZQ sells UQP's for about $35.

You already have a sleeping bag. You can use that as a sleeping bag or unzip it most the way (keeping a foot box) and using it as a top quilt.
You already have a sleeping pad. You can use that inside the hammock or in the sleeve of a double layer hammock or in between the hammock and the UQP. Convection heat loss under the hammock is the challenge - easily met once understood.

You may already have a tarp you use in conjunction with your Tent/Rainfly. So maybe $300 isn't necessary.

However, as a kayak camper, you could arrive at beaches and open fields without trees - so you need a Plan B. That could be your tent, or just using your Pad/Sleeping bag/Tarp. I've skipped poles and bug net because a comprehensive answer is too long and solving some of these challenges is part of the fun.

Below are some photos of tree options on the main camp site in the Burwood Group, my setup on Denham Island - notice the flat (not) ground under my hammock, and your choice of trees on Mound Island [Yes, Dave - they will make their way into a trip report] :)

Trees in the Burwood group - main camp site


Hammock hang at the camp on Denham island site


Tree choices on Mound Island - where shall I begin


It usually takes a night to adjust to the hammock. In a bed, a person might move about because pressure points are created. That is reduced a lot in the hammock but the muscles sort of have to relearn it. It works best if you can practice with short naps or hanging out, reading, listening to music (Martin Denny's "Quiet Village") at home. If bugs are there to bite under the hammock, I'm guessing you'd have some netting solution above that either covers below or your double layer or UQP will protect from below.

It really is worth investigating. But again, your first time may not be the best. There are little adjustments you can "dial in" and wake up feeling like you are floating on a cloud.
 
I haven't bought one yet. Met someone who has one, so will see if I can hang out in it sometime to see what I think. They're so expensive, and I don't want to spend that and then find out I don't like it!

Re: expense--the $38 one isn't going to have a bug net or be the kind where you can sleep on your side. I can't sleep on my back--no way, no how!
 
Good campsite shots, designer ... especially that Denham site! Loved the camo tarpage.

You are teasing us with that stuff from the Broughtons! Becky and I both instantly recognized the Burdwood shot.
 
Paws, I'm guessing you are thinking of a bridge hammock like the WarBonnet RidgeRunner. Bridge hammocks have spreader bars on each end. It's a different feel. Some prefer them to gathered end. I use both, but the Bridge Hammock usually needs wider spaced trees - like around 15 to 17 feet rather than the 10 to 13 foot spacing of a gathered end model.

One note: the gathered end hammocks are designed to hang with about a 30 degree sag, plus or minus a little bit to taste. You obtain "flat" by turning a bit diagonal to the center line and NOT by stringing the hammock up guitar string tight. The forces really multiply as you get tighter than 30 degrees.

If you send me your address via PM, I can send you a loaner book called The Ultimate Hang. However, you might be able to get it via interlibrary loan and postage back and forth would be about 75% of the shelf price.

Here are two photos of the RidgeRunner on Jones Island in the San Juans (just west of Orcas). The first shows it empty and yes, we were aware of that rock underneath. I think we moved the wood so if something should happen, it wouldn't come straight down on the rock. The second photo shows the bridge hammock with an occupant reading a book.

Empty Ridge Runner Bridge Hammock - Jones Island


Ridge Runner Bridge Hammock occupied - Jones Island


For comparison, here's my Warbonnet BlackBird Gathered End hammock at Pirates Cove in the Gulf Island. I have the UnderQuiltProtector on and the nylon on the end suspension is called SnakeSkins. They slide down over the empty hammock so it looks like a long python and you just roll it up. These days I just stuff it in a double ended bag.



Heres the BlackBird on Stuart Island. You can see the built in bug net rolled up on the side and my under quilt. I was experimenting with very light shock-corded poles that go over the ridgeline holding the tarp and connect to panel pull outs about half way up the sides. It really opens the area up under the tarp compared to the usual A-Frame setup. In the morning I am often on my side, snuggled down. If I use a pillow at all, it is more for a knee or knees as the hammock itself supports my head.



Surely hammocks aren't for everyone. I just feel bad if someone tries it just once, or doesn't have information to make it comfortable - like the diagonal lying position with maybe one leg bent.
 
pawsplus said:
I wish I lived up there so I could try a bunch of them. I only know one person here with one! I'll try it when I have a chance and see what I think!
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Should be hammockers on the Appalachian Trail. Hiking/outdoor store, maybe?
 
designer said:
Surely hammocks aren't for everyone. I just feel bad if someone tries it just once, or doesn't have information to make it comfortable - like the diagonal lying position with maybe one leg bent.
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Tell me this doesn't look comfy way to sleep after a long day on the water! :big_thumb
 
This is a photo from HammockForums. I don't see any back pain in those eyes.


Getting back to "outdoors" - here was my base camp on the way to the top of Middle Sisters in Bend. Note that in a hammock, you always have the same floating comfort. Concerns on ground condition only relate to access limits because of thick brush.


But I want to emphasize again that unlike hiking, when kayak camping I need to be very aware that trees might be scarce (east beach camp site on Clark Island - San Juans).

However, with extra line (we all carry that, right?) and driftwood poles, one can rig up two triangle "bases" an have a long pole/s horizontally between them, then hang the hammock from the ends of the horizontal pole.
 
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