Anyone out there using hammocks while backpacking? I have a friend who swears on hammocks and says he gets better sleep in them than at home! I don't think they would work very well though if you are hiking in an area where there aren't abundant trees... <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

www.hammockforums.net will be an eye opener, with all the ways you can pitch a hammock. Some hammocks can be used as a bivy on the ground, and since many people carry a pad for bottom insulation in their hammock anyway this isn't terribly difficult.

I for one will not be returning to a tent any time soon. I can sleep on my side in my hammock and not end up sliding off the sleeping pad, and it doesn't matter how level my campsite is. Most of my destinations are forested; the only problem I've had so far (not much of a problem with a little creativity) has been trees with really broad trunks that my webbing won't fit around. I mostly hike in the Sierras so my first try would be for trees, second choice some sturdy manzanita, or in the alpine treeless areas, granite outcrops I could tie the ends to. The hammock is as comfortable a foot off the ground as it is five feet off the ground. My last resort would be pitching my tarp with my trekking poles, using some trash bags or space blanket for a ground cloth, tossing in my pad and using my hammock as a bivy if the bugs were bad and I needed a bugnet.

Do a search on this forum. You'll find volumn's on hammock camping.

If every backpacker tried a night in a hammock, I think the majority would hammock.

It is NOT the lightest option. By the time you factor in underquilts for cold-weather insulation, pads for when you have to go to ground, and larger tarps for extended trips in foul weather, you can get tarptents that are significantly less weight. But you'll have a hard time beating the comfort. Hammocks are addictive, and I am revamping lots of my gear for year-round hammocking.

To each his own. I often camp near or above timberline or where there are no suitable trees a suitable distance apart. Many of our Pacific NW old-growth trees are so big they would require an inordinate amount of rope. My dog is part of my sleeping system (my foot warmer!) and there's no way I could hoist 80 lbs. of struggling canine into a hammock. I need to get up several times a night and, at least for me, it's easier to climb out of and into a tent than a hammock (yes, I have tried the latter and fallen both on my face and on my rear). I like to be able to dress and undress in a tent (for privacy, if nothing else). I'm far more comfortable with my insulated air mattress than in a hammock.

I suggest that anyone interested in a hammock borrow one and try it out first to see if it suits you before investing money. It may be the perfect solution for you. Or, if you're like me, it won't be.

Am I correct in thinking that most of the hammock enthusiasts are from the eastern US? The arguments in favor of the hammock seem more applicable there.

Your Mileage May Vary!

set up correctly in the right conditions, there is no more comfortable night's sleep in the backcountry. There is a learning curve, and staying warm in the cold is a challenge. But hammocks can be great.

I have a Hennessey and a simple Byer Traveler hammock. I would hammock more but I'm a very cold sleeper. I'm usually not willing to carry the extra insulation to make a hammock work i.e. underquilt or extra closed cell foam.

But they're great in warm weather and they make great camp "chairs".

Hammocks are great in Colorado. But not for desert hiking like the Grand Canyon. Not for deep snow when digging out a pit under a floorless shelter is great.

A MacCat Deluxe tarp and Claytor No Net hammock cost less than a TarpTent Contrail.

> I don't think they would work very well though if you are hiking in an area
> where there aren't abundant trees.

Suit your tools to the terrain. They work great where I walk, which is usually uneven, rocky terrain with lots and lots of trees. It's a lot easier to find a place to hang than to find a flat spot.

I didn't take a hammock with me this spring break into the desert thinking it'd be useless, but darned if I didn't find places I could have hung it.

I agree that to each his own. I have a tent but seldom use it. After using very thin CSF packing material for an underquilt, I find that it is warm enough for the 2.5 seasons that I camp. I have a DIY hammock, bugnet and oversized fly. If I can't find trees to hang, I can set up the fly as a tarptent using my hiking staff for the poles and stake the fly to the ground at the guy out points. using a ridge line I position the hammock on the CSF pad and still have a bugnet if needed. It took an afternoon of practice to get the tweeks down but now I have a system that will serve most all my purposes.

Virtually all my hanging has been in western Montana. While there are 'abundant' trees in my neck of the woods I must point out that you don't need abundant trees to hammock hang...just two properly sized and properly spaced. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> Even then, some can get by with less.

Tents and hammocks have their individual advantages. I prefer a hammock when I'm solo, a tent when I have a trail partner (usually, the shelter weight/person works out to the same). But, IMO, the comfort of sleeping in a hammock far exceeds that of sleeping on the ground. And I think hammocks get the nod in the convenience factor too...assuming you have those two trees... <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

BTW, my hammock sleeping system includes insulated clothing (the cold weather clothes I virtually always pack) and booties but no sleeping bag. Since I'm already 'dressed' for those late night Nature calls all I have to do is drop out of the hammock and find a suitable tree...and no bag to rewarm when I get back. Shoot! It's not that convenient at home!! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

FB

I think it's regional as far as use goes with either system. The availabilty and convinence of having trees around is not to be taken lightly. Many a backpacker has found themselves carrying a hammock, yet without suitable hangs at the end of a day. Ditto for the tent crowd in finding a clear enough space to pitch. So IME it's where you tend to hike most that dictates what system you use and what time of the year. There is something to be said for both systems as far as ease of pitch, use, and comfort. So it comes down to personal preference IMO.

It's nice to see the growth in interest in hammocks among backpackers as an alternative to tents.