Hammock Sleeping

[Apstore]

Do any of you use a hammock to sleep at night?
I have a buddy that has completely abandoned tents and just carries a hammock, rainfly(for over top if weather gets bad), sleeping bag and pad to put in it. He swears by it as the most comfortable way to sleep in the backcountry. The fly and hammock are about 2 pounds.

I have a nice ultralight hammock that I nap in the yard or around camp but have never had a nights sleep in it. Just wondering if there are any guys that made the transition while hunting in cool weather.

 

[Timr245]

Watching this one as Im also curious as to whether this can be done in Wyoming in mid-October just for an overnight spike out.

 

[JimP]

If you are in a area where it will get nippy at night you will feel like you are inside a refrigerator unless you have a great sleeping bag. Even in just a area that gets cooler you might not be too comfortable

 

[ScottR]

I will get Brandon to comment on this, he has used one quite a bit!

 

[dirtclod Az.]

I can't sleep on my back so hey are unusable for me.Can't even get comfortable lounging in the back yard.
My beer keeps spilling down my front because of the awkward angle.

 

[JimP]

I can't sleep on my back so hey are unusable for me.Can't even get comfortable lounging in the back yard.
My beer keeps spilling down my front because of the awkward angle.

How do you drink your beer when you are laying on your side?

Do you use a straw or a siphon pump?

 

[dirtclod Az.]

How do you drink your beer when you are laying on your side?

Do you use a straw or a siphon pump?

Gotta use a section of garden hose,I use the same one I siphon the nieghbors gasoline with.

 

[RICMIC]

I use a hammock almost exclusively while on canoe trips, and it has been a real back saver for me. At 66, my biggest complaint is my arthritic back, but a night in the hammock makes it good for the next day. Do not compare a real camping hammock with the stick in your pocket or backyard hammock, as they don't come close. The camping hammock has a rain fly and bug screen, and you fit at more of an angle and with less sag. My Hennessey "Ultralite Backpacker" with the larger rain fly weighs 3 1/2#.
Disadvantages are; You need trees to hang them, and at the right distance apart.
You still need a pad, otherwise you freeze from the bottom.
In/out is a pain, you have to store all your clothes and other gear in dry bags under the hammock.
Little if any weight advantage over a good tent. My KUIU 2P is 3# 3oz. and is good for two.
It takes longer to set it up properly, and there is a real learning curve.
**I do not use my hammock for backpack hunting trips. This is mainly because I need to keep my gear dry and accessible.

 

[280ackimp]

Gents, does anyone use or have comments on a TENTSILE tree tent. Ive been considering one of the smaller 1 or 2 man versions because it gets you off the ground, ratchets tight to lessen the sag ...and can be pitched like a tent on the ground in the absense of trees?

Thoughts ?

 

[dirtclod Az.]

Gents, does anyone use or have comments on a TENTSILE tree tent. Ive been considering one of the smaller 1 or 2 man versions because it gets you off the ground, ratchets tight to lessen the sag ...and can be pitched like a tent on the ground in the absense of trees?

Thoughts ?

That might work good in Az. ,No trees in the desert except Saguaros and they aren't normally that close.
And if one fell you'd be a human pincushion!

 

[JimP]

That might work good in Az. ,No trees in the desert except Saguaros and they aren't normally that close.
And if one fell you'd be a human pincushion!

You just need to wrap that rope around a few catclaw bushes, there are plenty of them down there.

 

[Apstore]

I use a hammock almost exclusively while on canoe trips, and it has been a real back saver for me. At 66, my biggest complaint is my arthritic back, but a night in the hammock makes it good for the next day. Do not compare a real camping hammock with the stick in your pocket or backyard hammock, as they don't come close. The camping hammock has a rain fly and bug screen, and you fit at more of an angle and with less sag. My Hennessey "Ultralite Backpacker" with the larger rain fly weighs 3 1/2#.
Disadvantages are; You need trees to hang them, and at the right distance apart.
You still need a pad, otherwise you freeze from the bottom.
In/out is a pain, you have to store all your clothes and other gear in dry bags under the hammock.
Little if any weight advantage over a good tent. My KUIU 2P is 3# 3oz. and is good for two.
It takes longer to set it up properly, and there is a real learning curve.
**I do not use my hammock for backpack hunting trips. This is mainly because I need to keep my gear dry and accessible.

That is great info. The hammock he sent me was the Hennessey. I couldn't quite figure out from the pictures how the sleeping on an angle thing worked after I read it. Maybe I would have to see it.

 

[dirtclod Az.]

You just need to wrap that rope around a few catclaw bushes, there are plenty of them down there.

Might as well wrap your ropes around some Teddy Bear Cholla!(Jumping Cactus)
Then and only then would you be havin' a really good time!

 

[JimP]

Might as well wrap your ropes around some Teddy Bear Cholla!(Jumping Cactus)
Then and only then would you be havin' a really good time!

That could make for a sticky situation

 

[RICMIC]

Seriously guys, the Hennessey hammock lets me have the best sleep I ever have outdoors. I have even strung it up in my loft at home when my back was bothering me. I guided canoe trips for 7 years, and including several extended personal trips have over 200 nights in it. I spend 4 nights while on a canoe trip on Isle Royale this June, but we had to stay in shelters for the other 4 nights, and that hard floor (even with a pad) almost made me a cripple in the morning. There are multiple mfg. and different models, and they aren't cheap, so it's hard to try one out before committing to buying one. In buggy areas, you have to treat the hammock with Permethrin once a season so you don't get bit through the screen. You don't need level ground, and I usually like to set it up next to a rapids, waterfall, or even on the edge of a cliff...just for the views.
BUT....I still don't use it on my hunting trips.

 

[BAKPAKR]

I like sleeping in a hammock in the summer in West Virginia but when it starts getting cool, I really have to start piling on the insulation (warmer bag/pad). An underquilt might be the way to go when the temperature dips but I have not tried one yet.

 

[HuskyMusky]

No thanks!

may be comfy for a nap....rest... but sleeping all night, no thanks.

 

[mustang8]

Gotta use a section of garden hose,I use the same one I siphon the nieghbors gasoline with.

Also with the garden hose you dont have to get out of the hammock to take a leak! A true multi use tool right there!

 

[dale1QZ]

Well, in some areas - you have no chances to sleep in hammock, and have to sleep only in tents. If there would be an area where bears usually live - I would rather take a hammock as my sleeping equipment, cause it's much easier to get out from it.