Hanging Around - Hammock Questions

[Seeker]

I got a Hennessy about 12 years ago and only looked back last year for a few seconds... I have gotten a slightly bigger tarp (OES McCat standard) than the tiny stock diamond that came with mine, though it's perfectly good... just have to be a little smarter than the average bear when using it (the small tarp), as it is just barely adequate in a hard rainstorm... if you select your site well, you'll be fine. If not, you'll complain about getting wet. This is why the Hennessy now (I believe) comes "stock" with a hex tarp... regardless....

I use one of the JRB original quilts, rated to 35*, and it's great. I tried a foam pad for awhile but quickly decided it was too slippery. I also eventually moved from the 'bottom entry' to a side entry, having the work done by "The Zipper Queen" (check hammockforums). I am still pleased with it.

Last Fall, I took my wife along on her first outing ever, and was planning to put her in a tent the first night, spend it with her on an air mattress, and then spend the rest of the trip in my hammock... as it turned out, the Thermarest NEOAIR XL that I borrowed from a friend was awesome, and made me reconsider the hammock for a minute... In NY, in October/no bugs, this mattress, under a tarp, would be the perfect combination of light and comfortable. As I live in LA most of the time (bugs, crawlies, snakes, hogs, and brain eating amoeba), I'll stick to my hammock down here.

There's a learning curve with a hammock. You will spend an uncomfortable night or three in it, figuring out the correct "level" (feet to head... I like my feet 4" higher), distance between head/foot knots (the hennessy's ridgeline does this for you), and underquilt adjustments. Once you figure it out, you'll not get a better night's sleep in the woods. I'm a side/stomach sleeper in bed, and occasionally roll over on my back. In a hammock, I kinda lay half on my side/half on my back (it just cradles you like mom did) and am still in that position when I wake up 10 hours later. The critical thing for me now is to get the right amount of air in my pillow to keep my neck in the right position. Otherwise, I'm creaky and stiff in the morning. I'm 50, btw.

If you get on hammock forums, try to find someone nearby who will let you use theirs or show you how it sets up. They also do group trips, called "hangs", where the show-and-tell gets intense... good people over there, mostly, if a little gear-headed. Also, get on you-tube and search for "Shug" (like sugar)... dude's a hoot and a half, but has some great how-to videos. His channel is Shugemery.

 

[yknpdlr]

I too left the ground for the hang about a dozen years ago. As I live on the edge of the Adirondacks, I spend dozens of days each year hiking and camping, Much of where I go is well off trail, and when back in my tenting days I would waste an incredible amount of time looking for any available tiny flat spot to set up my solo tent. But with a hammock it takes me only a couple of minutes to find two well spaced trees, often over dense low brush, lumpy ground, rocks, wet ground, or steep slopes. I can think of only a couple of times that I left my hammock at home to sleep on hard ground in the past dozen years.

Seeker is correct about the learning curve, but it should last only the first night. You have to learn that once you tie up the head and foot lines, the hammock and gravity decide where you end up in it, with your center of mass sliding to the lowest point. If you fight that while in the hammock you will soon be frustrated. Contrary to what you might think, Seeker is again correct in tieing the foot end slightly higher than the head. That does not mean that your head will be lower than your feet. It only means that your center of mass will be at the more comfortable lower and widest portion of the hammock. When the head end is tied higher than the foot end, you will slide down toward the foot, which can in fact place your head lower than is comfortable and leave little room for your feet.

The other surprise (if you do not use an under quilt) is attempting to sleep on a pad loosely placed under your sleeping bag. Invariably it will squirt out and end up on top of you, usually rather quickly. It can be comical to witness a newbie struggle with pad placement on their first night. There are two (or more) easy solutions to this. Get or make a simple lightweight overbag. Sew an old bed sheet folded to make a bag, for example. Place sleeping bag and pad inside the overbag, and the problem is solved. The other solution is to use a sleeping bag with an integral pad slot built into the bottom, such as those made by Big Agnes. Again, problem solved with no additional material or fussing.

 

[sweeper]

The other surprise (if you do not use an under quilt) is attempting to sleep on a pad loosely placed under your sleeping bag. Invariably it will squirt out and end up on top of you, usually rather quickly.

OR get a Hammock with a double layer for the pad

 

[Guest]

I once set up my Clark hammock over a small inlet where one side was actually over the water. After reminding myself firmly which side to get out on,I had my usual great hammock sleep and woke up to water sounds on the waterside. Slowly looking that way I saw 3 loons so close I could have touched them!
Turtle

 

[Rippy]

The other surprise (if you do not use an under quilt) is attempting to sleep on a pad loosely placed under your sleeping bag. Invariably it will squirt out and end up on top of you, usually rather quickly.

Not sure what kind of pad you mean, but I use a full size thermarest in a bottom entry Hennessy and I don't have that problem. It's a pain getting in and settled but well worth it. I like that the sleep pad spreads the hammock some and it's not quite as claustrophobic. Also I can adjust the feel of the lay a little more by adjusting air in the pad. I fold the bottom 12" under and slide it up so that it ends under my knee joints to lift them for more leg comfort. I like the fact that I have the thermarest along in case I have to lay on the ground for some reason. Dave

 

[wysedav]

I sent my HH out to get the #2 zipper mod a couple of weeks ago. Getting tired of crawling in and out through the little hole. It's especially scary when you hear a Moose walking a couple of feet away and you know you can 't get out quickly because you have to climb out of that little hole. Over on Hammock forums everyone says the mod makes the hammock so much better.

 

[Seeker]

You'll like it a lot better as a top loader... and the lady who does that mod does good work.

 

[red langford]

So did my research, watch videos, read reviews, bought the book The Ultimate Hang and then read some more and decided on the Warbonnet Blackbird XLC 1.7Double layer and a Warbonnet Super Fly. It was sort of pricey but nothing worse than spending a little bit on bad equipment only to buy the good stuff later on.
No under quilt though, I am dumbfounded at the price of these "blankets", so for now we are going to use on of our pads and see how that goes, maybe next years tax refund will get the under quilt.

 

[BWCA66]

I spend most nights in my hammock. Duct taped 2 20" closed foam pads together to give me a wide pad that I never roll off of and it let's me sleep at an angle too. First hammock was a single wide but once I switched to using a double wide it was great. I know the pad can be a little bulky but it weighs nothing and let's me hit the ground when I have a nice clear spot to sleep under the stars.

 

[Holmes375]

So did my research, watch videos, read reviews, bought the book The Ultimate Hang and then read some more and decided on the Warbonnet Blackbird XLC 1.7Double layer and a Warbonnet Super Fly. It was sort of pricey but nothing worse than spending a little bit on bad equipment only to buy the good stuff later on.
No under quilt though, I am dumbfounded at the price of these "blankets", so for now we are going to use on of our pads and see how that goes, maybe next years tax refund will get the under quilt.

Good choice on both counts. I plan to add a second tarp to my kit and the Super Fly is on the short list.

 

[Alan Gage]

You should be very happy with that combination. I agree that if you plan to use a pad try to find or make something wider than the standard pad. That was my biggest frustration when I tried to use on in my hammock, constantly rolling off part of it and then fighting to get it back in place without getting out of the hammock.

I balked at the under quilt for a long time. I finally bit the bullet and they really are wonderful. So warm and toasty!

Alan

 

[sweeper]

No under quilt though, I am dumbfounded at the price of these "blankets", so for now we are going to use on of our pads and see how that goes, maybe next years tax refund will get the under quilt.

I found this DIY UQ over on the Hammock Forums and has worked very well for the warmer months. I had the poncho liner so I just had to buy the paracord, shock cord and the cord locks.
https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/showthread.php/11777-DIY-No-Sew-2-layer-2-3-Poncho-Liner-UQ

 

[Guest]

I made a good underquilt from an old summer mummy bag and some lite bungees.
Turtle

 

[red langford]

No Title

I picked up the new Warbonnet Blackbird XLC 1.7 Double layer hammock today along with the SuperFly and what a breeze to set up. I lied down in it and was very very happy with how it felt. If it wasn't -15C out at the time I may have fallen asleep. Been busy making some tie outs with Zing-it and ridge lines with Amsteel 7/64"

 

[red langford]

No Title

The weather finally cooperated enough to get out for an overnighter in the hammock. Actually it didn't but I got tired of waiting. Did a quick little paddle into Onnie Lake just outside of WCPP and set up camp. Between the portaging and short exploratory hike made on my drive in, I walked 11km and paddled 3km.
It was cold this past weekend and I brought some extra insulation not really knowing how it was going to be in the hammock. I still haven't pulled the trigger on an under quilt and therefore brought along an old school foamy plus a self inflating pad. I also brought along 3 sleeping bags. A thin summer bag I mostly use as a liner, my -10C Down Mec Cygnet bag and an old 7C summer rectangular bag from years ago. The self inflater deflated, I couldn't get into the liner and just had the other bag sort of sitting on top and even though the temperature dropped to -7C overnight, I managed to stay quite warm. But most importantly I am here to tell you that I had the best sleep I have ever had camping I crashed about 9 and even though I woke around 1am for a pee I slept right through to 630am. Very restful sleep. Set up was a fraction of the time it takes to set up a tent, not 1/2 not even 1/4, but like 1/10th of the time. With the tarp set up in porch mode it made for a very cozy camp. Could easily manage to sit under the the awning of the tarp and cook or read. Would be nice to have a small fire there too but an errant spark melting a hole in the tarp scares me after spending so much on it.

The only down side to it was getting into a sleeping bag in the hammock. Was really awkward and all that jostling made me worry about collapse, but it didn't. I got a long trip planned soon and that will be the true test if it will be suitable for tripping in these parts.

 

[BWCA66]

Just packed for a BWCA trip that starts Thursday, left the tent and just packed the hammock.

 

[sweeper]

Another satisfied Hammock dweller. I have the same hammock and love it.

 

[snapper]

I chimed in on this post at the very beginning and forgot to check in from time to time so I did that today. One thing I have seen is the most polite discussion on pads vs. underquilts. While I did struggle a bit in the beginning with a pad (yup, I experienced the whole sliding off my pad, etc. for a night or two) I was determined to make it work for me as I didn't want to spend money on the underquilt for the reasons I originally stated. With a bit of time spent with my new friends on the Hammock Forum, along with my trusty guide Google, I came upon some wonderful options for using a pad in a hammock. In no particular order here are some of those suggestions:

1. Sew a small pocket in each end of your hammock so the head/foot ends of the pad can be "locked" in place. No more sliding around for the pad. There is a whole thread over on Hammock Forums on this one and others. Look for them under "Bottom Insulation" subset: pads. Here's the link: https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...ay.php/10-Pads

2. Follow this link to make yourself a "Frankenpad": http://hikinghq.net/hammock/wing_pad.html

3. You can also make an SPE; aka: segmented pad extender. Here's the link: http://www.tothewoods.net/HomemadeGearSPE.html

For what it's worth, when paddling I will use my Therma-Rest pad,let it self inflate and then close the cap before laying it in my hammock. I've gone down into the mid teens with this set up and a 15 F down sleeping bag with no problems; although I will admit to being a warm sleeper.

If weight is a concern I'll use the SPE with an old closed cell foam pad. I haven't been out in any truly cold temperatures with it but I know it's worked well for late spring through early fall conditions typical of what we find in the Adirondacks & Catskills of NYS.

While I don't know if any of these options will work for the OP or anyone else I will say this, they are a lot less expensive then starting out with underquilts. If money is a concern, give these ideas a try. You might find you like them and you can then put your money to something else. Like a new paddle!

That's all for now. Take care and until next time...be well.

snapper

 

[Rippy]

Once you find the sweet spot it's unbelievable how good you can sleep in a hammock. Sets up almost anywhere. I have camped on a hill side more then once. No worries in wet weather either. I like sleeping on my thermarest and have been warm down to 22* F so far. I don't use a conventional sleeping bag. I made a hammock bag that is a combination of a insulated blanket with a "foot box" built in. The bottom 18" of the blanket is gathered and sewn like a mummy bag. I take an extra wool blanket for colder nights. I get in on the thermarest, pull the blankets over me and stick my feet in the foot box and I'm in heaven. Keep on hanging Red. It just gets better.

 

[southcove]

Been reading up a bit on hammocks here and at other sites and manufacturer sites...intriguing and fascinating to see the brand/style loyalty of some folks. As I have been (more and more) experiencing problems sleeping on the ground, or staying asleep, no matter the temp or how tired or how well I feel like I have set up camp. So when I agreed with my wife recently, 'yeah, honey, no more tents...' technically I was correct. The information here was most useful.