Best bag for a hammock

I plan to purchase a Clark hammock and was wanting to know the best sleeping bag for use in it. I tend to toss and turn some during the the nite. Will a mummy style bag allow me to turn in the bag without the bag turning with me. I'm 6' 170 lbs. I've allways used a rectangular bag but think the mummy will fit the hammock better??

The best bag is a quilt. I tried using several different bags, but the quilt works best.

The bag that can be used as a quilt may be the best choice.

before you buy that hammock check all the hammock threads and consider making a Speer Hammock, easy and cheap.. and very comfy... also check out risk's pages, he has some great info on quilts!

robi

Chaz I've used a Clark since Gary Clark began making them, good choice. Get yourself the 'weathershield' feature and most night's you can sleep with it 3/4ths the way up without anything more than your clothes in Late Spring thru Early Fall, depending upon what you wear. Remember if you do this then you'll need a warm jacket for the mornings to replace what you've worn to bed due to possible moisture buildup with the insulation of your fleece PJ's <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

Oh, I use a Fanatic Fringe 30F synthetic quilt that someone gave me a year ago, and it works fine. You can toss and turn under it all night without it shifting, when you use one. Much easier to push to your feet if not needed than a sleeping bag too IME.

Bags are hard to get in and out of. Quilt is the best choice. An underquilt is a must for maximum comfort. Have you looked on hammock forums? There is a lot of good advice on that board.

I have the Clark Tropical and I just use my WM bag unzipped as a quilt.

check out hammockforums.net for lots of hammock info. I vote for a quilt too. I like mine from www.jacksrbetter.com

Not sure how stable a clark jungle hammock is, but with my hennessy it's rather easy since the hammock doesn't move to much. I often sleep in the fetal position during winter and with a mummy bag it's not a problem. I'd say you can use any quilt in any hammock. It just takes a little practice with using your bag and hammock of choice.

A quilt. I acutally use bags, but quilt style. a bag under you in a hammock does no good
at all.

Thanks everyone for the info on using a quilt. Makes perfect sense. I'm just getting to old to sleep on the ground anymore and the next adventure I take in Arkansas doesn't have a lot of flat/ remote sites for tent camping. So the hammock should solve 2 problems. Plus I got my mind set on the Clark anyway. I've never owned a mummy bag and wasn't sure of the need for one, so I'll buy a lightweight rectangular bag that I can use for a quilt. I'm not a winter camper so I'll use for mild 3 season etc.

I second the 'open bag' or quilt. Makes getting in and out really easy and it's warmer.

Chaz, you CAN use a mummy bag as a quilt as long as it has a 3/4 length zipper or full length zipper. Anything shorter makes it difficult to get in and out of.
I speak from experience. I find a rectangular bag to be more than I need.

Just my 2 pennies worth <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I would suggest that you use a mummy bag with a full length wrap around zipper. I use a North Face Cat's Meow in my Clark Jungle Hammock. If it's a warm night, I unzip the bag completely and use it as a quilt, or even sleep on top of it. If it gets really cold, by using a bag instead of a quilt, I can zip the bag up by degrees to find the comfort zone I want. Using a quilt does not offer you the same heat retention, when needed, as a sleeping bag does. I also use a Therm-a-Rest Pro Light 4 mattress under my North Face bag. The combination of hammock, mattress, sleeping bag, and mountain air makes for a terrific night's sleep.

Just consider... if quilts had been the ideal sleeping accessory on the trail, then sleeping bags would have either never been designed or they would have fallen out of favor quickly. I like quilts very much, I have one my Apache Indian grandmother made by hand, but it's on my bed at home, and my sleeping bag is in my backpack along with my hammock.

The main issue I have with using a sleeping bag in its traditional manner is getting in and out of it, in the hammock. It's like wrestling with a pig, and the pig wins. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

In colder temps, I do rig a makeshift underquilt (which goes under the hammock) so it's like using a sleeping bag around the whole thing. Similar to Ed Speers 'pea pod'. I've even converted a Slumberjack bag to go around my hammock.

Lot's of different options and many ways to get to a comfortable, toasty night's sleep. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> As a hammock hanger, I'm sure your'e aware of all this. I think that's half the fun of hammocks - you get to try lot's of different things to find what works for you.

Okay, I was gonna stay out of it, but I'll go ahead and give Big Agnes a pitch. This isn't a problem with a BA bag due to the pad sleeve -- the attached pad keeps the bag positioned so getting in-and-out is easy enough.

I'd hate to try to get in and out of a standard mummy bag in a hammock, though. Like trying to wind up in a sheet without getting wound up in a sheet. I wonder if anyone's ever been choked to death by their sleeping bag?

Depending on your hammock and depending on your experience getting in and out of your hammock it shouldn't be that hard.

Getting into my mummy back in my hammock is easy... takes like 12 seconds. Getting into my fleece sleeping bag that I put inside my mummy bag in the winter is pretty dang annoying.

In the hammocks that don't have much room inside (claytor for example), a pad helps move widen the bottom of the hammock so you have more room to move around. This helps getting into the bag easier.

Made a trip to wally world and found the goods to make the test hammock. I plan to hang it in the back yard this weekend to get the feel of getting in and out with my sleeping pad and bag. I will also experiment with sag etc. After looking at a few online DIY sites I may get out the sewing machine. But first things first.

I can attest to the problem of getting in and out of a mommy bag in the hammock. When I first tried the bag in the hammock I didn't bother to unzip the bag on the side of the hammock I was exiting from. But instead, tryed scooting backwards out of it, and I ended up with my torso hanging half out of the hammock and my feet still in the mummy bag which was still partially in the hammock. Fellow campers (ground dwellers) were quite amused by my entanglement, but offered no assistance. I was given retribution when the heavens opened up that night and they and their earth bound tents were nearly washed off the mountain side.

Now I first unzip the bag on the side I'm entering and exiting the hammock. Yeah, Tango, it still feels like I'm wrestling a sumo pig at 3am when I need to make a quick exit for a bathroom break. But, all in all, it's worth it isn't. later, Brum

<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> LOL <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> I would have liked to have seen that, both you getting out, and their faces the morning after the deluge. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

I just hung a test hammock I made last night. Pulled out the daughters sewing machine and also made a couple of stuff sacks. I tried to hang the hammock with some sag and then readjusted it after a few tries in it. It will take some getting used to thats for sure. I put a foam pad and a rectangle bag in it and just got on top of it. That was ok untill I tried scooting around. The bag bunched up and the pad was off center. Should I not use a pad and plan on having insulation under the hammock? I don't have much trouble getting in and out of the hammock but I think a mummy bag is the way to go as long as their is a long zipper on the bag. I plan on doing some more tweeking on it today. So far I think it will be better than a tent for sure.

If you think that was funny, then listen up. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif" alt="" /> I had a friend who wanted an opinion on a hammock brand that costs less than $75 new. So he gave it to me for a weekend trial. It was a short weekend <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> I got in it once, got out adjusted the lines and got back in. All's well...then I moved around <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" /> Unlike a Clark Jungle Hammock, which I KNOW to be very stable; this other rig suddenly flipped me over almost completeing a full revolution with me face down in the bug netting <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> Much to the amusement of some local squirrels heard chatterring away at my yelping <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> By the time I untangled myself, and climbed out, both of the ridgeline fabric loops had torn off removing large sections of the bug netting <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" /> Having wrenched my back severely I felt I was ready to condemn this piece of garbage and told my buddy...who shrugged, and just returned the now 'defective hammock' <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Tell him to get it back and repeat the test with you just to make sure it's defective, but be sure to get pictures to record the defect (for scientific posterity of course)
<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

One question, Earthling... how long did it take for the grid pattern from the bug netting to disappear off of your face? I'm sitting here visualizing you dangling upside down in the bug netting and I'm getting a good chuckle out of it. My wife just stuck her head in the door to see what I was laughing about. She also read your description, and now she's laughing too. I guess I've never even considered the outcome of being completely flipped over in my hammock. Thanks for making my day a bit more enjoyable. Brum

I just spent sat. nite in a test hammock I built to see if I like sleeping in a hammock. I found some not to stretchy polyester in the dollar area at wally world and it seemed fine. I tend to toss and turn during the nite and used a foam pad under the bag in the hammock. I never had the sensation of it tipping but the thing stretched a little and had to adjust the ropes during the nite. I could sleep on my side ok but not on my stomach. I was able to sleep about 9 hours and felt it was ok. I put up a makeshift tarp over the top and its a good thing I did cause it rained a little but I stayed dry. The pad kept shifting and I ended up in the bottom of the hammock. Seems it was hard to find a happy medium on the sag though. Is there videos of the clark hammock in use and setup? Does the Clark come with instructions? I can't imagine flipping over in this type of hammock but have done it in one of those flat backyard types.

Chaz,
If you like sleeping on your stomach, you might consider the Bridge hammock by Jacks-R-Better. There is much discussion about it on hammockforums.net and I believe there may be some diy instructions.

Just another option <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

You can buy some little velcro circles at a fabric store and put them on the bottom of your pad to keep it from moving around in your hammock.



Chaz. I was designate most of question to hammockforums.net. You'll get a lot more replies there and find more helpful answers to those questions from people just getting into hammock camping.

Brum, it was more like getting the 'ache' <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> out of my wrenched back, than it was getting the face full of netting marks off <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> Oh, and they came right off the next time I shaved <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Honest, if anyone witnessed the dang episode besides the squirrels they would still be laughing <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> At one point I was thinking I'd have to cut my self out, because the zipper was way up at the end, and wrapped around so I could not get it <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" /> Then I started to hear the tearing, and just went with the 'flow' <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" /> plop! onto the ground went the Earthling <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> Talk about wrenchin' yer' back <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> Hurts to revisit that episode!

Trust your Clark you will NEVER fall, flip, or otherwise meet your demise in it <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

Trust me Phat, there would be a whole lotta' folks getting up to use their privies if I posted pics' of that episode <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

Brum, glad to have entertained you and the Mrs <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> 'Cept now you can't tell her, "Honey, this is a website for serious backpackers, it's no fun and games" <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />