UKC

During my recent cycling trip I saw one or two people using hammocks for sleeping in, and I thought I may give it a go.
I am off to a hut this week where I know there are some handy trees, so possibly that issue is resolved.
And I have a hammock that I have never used, a mad ebay or decathlon purchase, I will dig it out later.
I also have a decent mummy style down sleeping bag.
So I thought I would be good to go for Tuesday or Wednesday this week as the forecast is pretty good.

However some how I have managed to listen to this incredibly aggravating woman https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mL3jNIcF7E&t=353s all the way through, and it sounds really complex.

Tarps and Ridgelines and drip cords and pads under the hammock and "bug" nets and christ knows what else, just easier to put up a tent.

However, if I just string up my hammock, without a tarp, will I get wet through from the Dew in the morning, or does the dew form on the ground, under hammock height.

I hope that makes some sense.

In reply to Godwin:

Probably want a tarp. Birds do a lot of pooping in the early hours.

In reply to Godwin:

It doesn’t suit me as my back is sore . Also, you do get cold underneath. They often use a quilt to hang underneath. Putting a matt inside cuts the cold somewhat but makes the hammock uncomfortable for me. 

Set hammock first, test it then put tarp. Hammocks sag a fair bit.

Find what works for you.

In reply to Godwin:

Have tried it before but came to the following conclusions:

1. It's much colder then a tent (airflow below you)

2. It's a nightmare if there's midgies. Even with a bug net, think of the faff of getting in Vs just launching yourself into a tent.

3 It's no good for wind driven train

4. Compared to a lightweight tent, is it really worth it?

In reply to Pina:

I have to admit that I've never tried a night in a hammock but have by way of a thought experiment concluded the same as you!

It seems to have been a bit of fashionable thing in the last five years or so, probably Bear Grhyll's fault, or some chap in a Swanndri shirt and with a big bushy beard teaching "bushcraft" to people in Surrey and on youtube, but for much of the uplands of the UK it seems a really suboptimal choice, particularly with the lack of trees to even put them up from!

Friends tried them in Finland where there are almost always helpfully positioned trees, but found them surprisingly faffy for all the reasons you state, most generally gave up on hammocks and went back to a tent or a tarp.

In reply to Godwin:

I contemplated this whilst swinging in my hammock reading a book and sipping a beer.  I concluded:

• The hammock was heavier than our backpacking tent and that was without a tarp for bad weather.  Yours might be lighter
• Obviously, you have to find two appropriately spaced anchors
• It would compress your sleeping bag and be a bit cold - a closed cell mat under you would be essential
• I'd probably break my neck getting out for a pee in the night.

In reply to Pina:

At the risk of derailing the thread I think you'll find these guys are on strike?

In reply to Pina:

Agreed, it's a wonderful warm weather camping method but a tent is warmer.

Haven't used in midgie territory but can see how that might be difficult.

I've stayed dry through quite a few storms with hammock and tarp. As long as the wind isn't driving in one end, you just need to bring the hammock up/tarp down so you're well inside the tarp, and put something on the ropes to redirect the water running down them.

That's comparing apples and pears IMO.

I have both - the hammock and tarp are for when I want to feel close to nature in bed but with more comfort than bivying, and the lightweight tent is for when I want to cocoon myself away from nature while sleeping. 

It also depends a lot on what the ground is going to be like - with a tent you need to find a flat spot or you're going to be miserable, with a hammock you just need to find trees - if the trees are in a place with a great view but steep or rocky ground it doesn't matter; you can prioritise the view.

You really can't beat walking up in a beautiful place, and just opening your eyes to watch the sunrise from your hammock.

In reply to Ciro:

You can, waking up after a good nights sleep sheltered from the elements and mozzies at a sensible time in the morning when the sun is high enough to burn the dew off and warm the old bones.

In reply to Godwin:

Thank you for your wisdom and helping preventing me doing something gormless.

I shall dig out my hammock and string it up with a superb view of the fells, and when I return from my, walk or climb*, lie in it drinking beer (not quaffing Ale), and reading a book, then I shall adjourn to the hut and sleep on a comfy bed.

*this part is optional

In reply to jimtitt:

Who said romance is dead, eh?

In reply to Godwin:

I used one for a time. Very light and simple (rectangle of ripstop nylon with thin 1" tape down long sides with very long tails to tie together for suspension). Probably Chouinard (forerunner of BD I think) Worked well in caves at Swanage and Avon attached to pegs, nuts, flakes etc. As stated before should hang near ground in case you fall out, and needs full length karrimat etc since sleeping bag compressed.

In reply to Ciro:

My bladder often coerces me to watch the sunrise through a double-glazed window, where is the romance (apart from in the warm bed I return to)? 

I've camped a lot in the past 70 years and hammocks suck.

In reply to Godwin:

Plenty of good advice here from folks who know.

I just wanted to congratulate you in watching all of that video. You deserve a medal. She might be the most annoying person I have ever heard.

I managed about 40 seconds.

Dave

In reply to jimtitt:

That must be the deluxe model...

In reply to Ciro:

Sailors slept in hammocks for hundreds of years. As soon as they stopped using sailing ships, which heeled, they switched to bunks. Go figure.

In reply to Tringa:

I was not that patient, and I didn’t even start the video. This part of the title put me off: [You're Doing it Wrong]

In reply to Rob Exile Ward:

Bunks are slightly impractical for bike packing...

In reply to Ciro:

But they would make drivers give you the appropriate space when passing…….

In reply to Rob Exile Ward:

But possibly their comfort wasn't at the forefront of the designers.

Plus no midges on the high seas...

In reply to Godwin:

I wild camp in hammocks all the time. I personally love it and find it incredibly comfortable. Make sure you have a bug net and tarp (often you can buy hammocks with in built bug nets).

Hammocks in my opinion are also way easier to set up, much lighter and more comfortable than a tent, but you do need trees or rock to set them up so it depends where you are planning to go.

I've only ever had an issue with dew when its been a foggy morning and it collects on the bug net. 

I also recently purchased an underquilt which significantly improves comfort. Instead of having to use a rollmat to insulate you just attach this insulated quilt to the outside.

In reply to Godwin:

I have a Crua Koala, complete with tarp under quilt, midge net, and spreader bars. It’s quite nice but to be honest with you even with the spreader bars I don’t find hammocks that comfortable to sleep in, and setting up and tearing down is not much less faffy than a simple one man tent. If you’re sure there will be trees everywhere you go it can probably be quicker than looking around for ages like I had to.

In reply to Godwin:

If you ever sleep up in the top of a large tree, which i highly recommend, a parachute-type hammock is a lot less faff than a net-type one, as you find your harness/krabs doesn't get tangled up all the time.  Woodpeckers can also be a problem.

In reply to Godwin:

It can be a faff… or not.

if there is no wind (generally not the case, If trees), having a bug net might be nice. If no biting insects, then not needed.

having a sleepingbag is not enough for hammocks. You will get cold as the air below you can and will move. So in that sense it is worse than sleeping on the ground. All them fancy hammock people will have a dedicated underquilt that attaches to the hammocks underside… and instead of a sleeping bag, they will simply use a quilt on top (them fancy hiking ones). But to be honest, a simple old style closed cell sleeping pad (karrimor, z-rest) is actually enough.

and tarp, Yes it helps If windy…. Poop or other stuff falls from the sky.

and remember, unless you have a fancy hammock… you sleep diagonally in it. So you can actually sleep (nearly) straight. So start by attaching the hammock on the trees. Then put the bug net on (unless it’s builtin). Now fox the tarp to cover everything… change the order If raining (tarp first). Might be vise to actually have a few goes in setting it all up beforehand… just like every smart person would do If they got a complex tent and have never ever set one up… it’s same here, really easy once you’ve done it a few times… but not fun when mossies are eating you alive and it’s raining cats snd dogs.

n.b. I’ve been using my hammocks for the last 3 summers, especially for quick pitch scenarios (when just sleeping for the night) as it is a lot less faff than setting up my single skin freestanding tent (precursor to Rab Summit tent). Wife and kids can sleep with minimal faff in the car).

In reply to Godwin:

I would say that even if you sort the underquilt and the tarp, it's still only ok for a few hours. Because then you want to stretch out / lie on your front and you can't. Not recommended.

In reply to Godwin:

I’d be tempted to think about a midgeproof bivy bag in the hammock? Having said that, is a bivy really ever midgeproof? Mine isn’t. 

In reply to Rob Exile Ward:

I suspect it was more that sailing ships required huge crews and wanted to maximise space for their cargo. Hammocks can be strung up pretty much anywhere and taken down when the space is needed for other uses.

In reply to Godwin:

I used a hammock when hiking the Black Cat Trail in Papua New Guinea.

I idea of sleeping on the rainforest floor just didn't sit right with me.

I was underprepared fitness wise for that trip, but each night I slept like a baby. 

I normally take a while to get to sleep, but either because of the hard miles, the hammock, or both, not so in PNG.

I assumed it would do my back in, but I had no problems using it four nights in a row. I found it very comfy.

I used a tarp and wouldn't fancy using a hammock without. Dew is moisture settling from the column of air above you, so you will get wet instead of the ground below you.

Never heard of a drip line. Didn't use one, and in PNG climate, didn't notice a problem.

In reply to Rob Exile Ward:

They also, by repute, enjoyed 'rum, sodomy and the lash' as well as hammocks.

I'll stick to my tent.

In reply to Jenny C:

And a tour of something like HMS Victory tells us the scum of the seas had hammocks, the officers had beds.

In reply to montyjohn:

I can see that hammocks really come into their own in forests, where it can be difficult to find a decent pitch for a tent. 

In reply to Godwin:

I can share a funny story of a hammock camper:

In April in Georgia, near one of the shelters relatively early on on the Appalachian Trail, a hammock camper had clearly not quite got to grips with their setup yet. There was a really heavy rainstorm and their hammock ended up getting a lot of water in. I guess because they were sleeping on an inflatable mat, they hadn't noticed quickly enough that rain was getting in. 

The funny part is that they had a load of turmeric (either loose or in loose capsules; I'm not sure why but guessing any unnecessary packaging would be ditched outright to save on weight!) in there with them. Turmeric is known for having anti-inflammatory purposes and can be popular with distance-hikers of a certain 'crystal-touching' ilk. Most just pop Ibuprofen. 

They came out in the morning looking like Big Bird from sesame street and all their gear (which had been kept in the hammock with them, you know, to keep it safe from the rain!) was stained a beautiful yellowy-orange. 

In reply to Godwin:

When I arrived at the hut, it seemed my recollection of tree layout was somewhat off, and I was one tree short for hammocking, and I suspect this could be the standard situation, so I have lobbed the hammock back into the area of the garage labelled, TIP.

In reply to Godwin:

I use a hammock for long distance bike races. I find them comfy and lightweight. Appreciate they are not for everyone though. 

In reply to supersteve:

Doesn't your bum scrape along the tarmac though?

In reply to Godwin:

I did one night in one. It was ******* awful. Cold, uncomfortable, ended up getting ill because I was just so low after one totally sleepness night and I was travelling so burning the candle at both ends... just don't see the point. No wonder pirates were ****s if they slept in those things all the time.

In reply to PaulJepson:

They are lucky a bear didn't come sniffing around them during the night wondering when the curry was ready.

In reply to Andy Say:

Two of those are probably easier in a tent than a hammock anyway.