Hammock Camping

[HUM469]

Ok, well in the MSR thread I brought it up as another lightweight option. I got several questions that I thought were getting away from the point of that thread, and I have gotten questions elsewhere too, so I thought I would consolidate it all right here.

Hammock camping is not new. At least as far back as WWII, American G.I. had access to something called a "jungle hammock". Covered with a bug net, and an old canvas rain fly, they were used in the jungles to camp up off the wet, leach ridden jungle floors. These old hammocks, like all old military gear, were heavy, leaky, and more than a little difficult to get into.

Since that time obviously, technology has improved quite a bit, and as a result, so have the hammocks. Most are as light or lighter than other shelters, ranging from 1-4 lbs. Several make do without poles, making them pack very small, and in any shape necessary to fit in a pack. There are a number of them out there, and to be quite honest, I am suprised that more are not seen on the trails. I have included only those that are complete systems, with hammock, bug protection, and rain fly. There are other hammocks that can also be used, but it is my belief that better performance will come out of one designed to be a shelter from the outset. The manufactures currently on the market are as follows:
Speer Hammocks
Hennessy Hammock
Jungle Hammock
Crazy Creek
New Tribe
Siam Hammock
Tammock
Sleep Catcher
Mosquito Hammock

In addition, there are two companies out there that have made what are quite litterally suspended tents. Because these assume denser tree coverage, and require three or more trees to set up, I feel they are a little more limited. They are..
Terrelogic
Trease

As for the hammocks, all have a slightly different approach and feature set. Some are specialized to certain enviroments or weather, some are more versatile. While price varies from one to the next, there is a certain consitency that most are below $200. Also there is a yahoo forum for hammock camping, where in a lot of people have made their own camping hammocks. And there is a web site called Hammock Camping written by Ed Speer who also has a book by the same name.

Part of my interest and ultimate conversion to hammocking was because of all the dug up ground, crushed plant life, and atificially flattened ground I have come across recently as a result of too many tents. A second similar motivation was the crowding of some of my favorite camp sites. Being able to be suspended most of the time, I am usually free to camp in areas that tents simply cannot. Be it on a hill side, over uneven slabs of rock, over cactus, gravel, or anything else for that matter, there is little to stop me.

Of course the third reason was for the comfort. Having broken/dislocated my back twice in my early adolescence, I am finding it more and more uncomfortable, and down right debilitating to sleep on the ground much earlier than my age would suggest. If one gets the right hammock at the right size, it can be the best sleep you will ever get. Recommended for those with back trouble, or recent surgery, they can make the difference between the ability to camp or not. Now I know everyone has had an experience with a back yard hammock casing a stiff back because of the bannana boat shape. The better camping hammocks are designed to prevent that. A well designed hammock actually holds a body much like a sling will hold a broken arm flat and level. I find in my Hennessy I can lay on my side, almost over on my stomach, as comfortable as in my bed at home.

Since I have the Hennessy, I obviously think it is the best all around, and I will give a breif rundown of why I choose it. First I liked that it is designed to be impossible to tip over. Second it's setup, particularly with the optional snake skins, is ver fast indeed. In a pinch, I can have it up in less than 3 minutes, and down in less than one. Simple enough that I can even use it along the trail durring a prolonged lunch break. I liked that it used no metal hardware, making it the lightest, and simplest, with no threat of damage to the trees. Also, the straight forward two line setup has allowed me to set it up off of boulders, cliff faces (albeit with cams or pitons normally used in rock climbing), sign posts, fallen wood and about anything else I can find that is more than 5 feet high. The storm worthiness has been as solid as any tent I have ever slept in, and the quality is top notch.

I now realize that I have gone on a lot more than I intended. Instead of me rambling on and boring anyone else, please, feel free to ask any questions. If you like the idea, want to investigate further, use one of mine on a trip, or anything else, let me know. If there is anything you would like to add too, please do so. Hope this helps, and also hope that it keeps hammock questions from clogging other threads too.
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-Dylan Anderson
(602) 628-4327
Consultant
Real Estate Executive to AZ
Special Projects Manager, AZCDE.com

[Davis2001R6]

Which model of Hennessy do you have?

[HUM469]

I have their largest, which is called the Safari with the Hex shaped fly too. Therefor it is the heaviest at 4 lbs, but I did that partly so my wife can sleep with me, and partly for extra emergency uses. I am a Scout leader, and as such we sometimes have tents break, or other unforseen consequences. As such, I can re-rig it to shelter three or four scouts if something were to happen. I origionally had a Backpacker Asym, which was very light and small, and I will also bring an Explorer model with me on the Beaver Creek trip next weekend for others to check out if they are interested. Someone can use one of them too, on a first come first serve basis of course.
_________________
-Dylan Anderson
(602) 628-4327
Consultant
Real Estate Executive to AZ
Special Projects Manager, AZCDE.com

[Dean]

I have been using the Henn. Asym and I also have the first model. The biggest pain other than getting in and out in the middle of the night, it doing the knot tying. This site helped me a lot on the knot aspect and if you haven't seen it, you might find this info helpful. http://www.theplacewithnoname.com/hiking/sections/gear/shelter/hknot.htm
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http://www.summitpost.org/user_page.php?user_id=1160

[MikeInFHAZ]

I cant claim that making your own hammock is easy, but it has to be affordable. I dont know even if one can find parachute nylon in a fabric store, but still I like the idea.
I have a set of plans for making a simple silk sleeping bag liner, I know you have all seen these and the benefits they offer ie. keeping you warmer by about 8 degrees, keeping your sleeping bag clean, etc... but what might stop you is the 50-60 dollar price tag. You can find good silk fabric at Jo-Ann stores and 2 yards will make a good size mummy liner, for about $6. Polyester thread is recommended and also sold there.
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http://www.arizonahikers.com/board/albums/albwb18/BRIDGE.sized.jpg
bridge hammock, quilts and tarp (all DIY)

what i do