Hammock Camping Thread

I got out this weekend and finally got to test out my hammock setup. I've had it set up in the yard, but never slept in it. Well I have to say it's a real treat. Like all the other old broken guys say, I woke up in the morning without my usual back pain. I had some problems with my rap ring setup because I was overthinking it and made it too complicated to adjust, but once it was up I was golden.

It was a good weekend for a trial run because weather was not a factor. I was a little too warm in my four season KAQ underquilt and DD top quilt. In fact most of the time I wasn't using the top quilt.

All in all if I could have just keep my brain from thinking every rustling leaf is a bear trying to eat me I would have slept perfectly through the night. But even with ear plugs I still woke up a couple times each night.
 
Slept three nights in my Hennessy ULB, using a cheap Wally World down sleeping bag and also a KAQ Jarbridge 3 season version under quilt. I used the standard rainfly that comes with the Hennessy. We got some minor rain last night and I stayed dry thought I did feel a bit of wetness at the foot end of the sleeping bag when I got up. Hammock seemed dry though.

Some thoughts on using the under quilt while sleeping at an angle.

It's not so simple. I've used the under quilt in my grand trunk, sleeping relatively straight, and had no issue. While at an angle I had to make adjustments every night to eliminate cold spots. Especially at the foot end, since the UQ is only partial length, your feet push down on one side it opens up the other side letting in that cold air leading to the cold spots. I moved the suspension on that end closer to the gathered end than the suspension, and the hammock tie out for the asym lay, I ran in I between the UQ suspension and UQ itself. I thought this would open up the bottom creating a gap but the cords are both bungee and your weight seals it up.

Positional comfort was excellent. After I got situated I slept great.

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ToddDubya said:
All in all if I could have just keep my brain from thinking every rustling leaf is a bear trying to eat me I would have slept perfectly through the night. But even with ear plugs I still woke up a couple times each night.
Click to expand...

Ear plugs man. I'm telling you! Custom molded shooting ear plugs are BOSS in the hammock.


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I got mine at one of the guns & bacon gatherings at Acme. The ear guy was there doing inject molded shooting plugs. I think it was &35 or so.

But yeah, those aught to do the trick. I can't sleep outside without mine. It's too "loud" out.

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ToddDubya said:
All in all if I could have just keep my brain from thinking every rustling leaf is a bear trying to eat me I would have slept perfectly through the night. But even with ear plugs I still woke up a couple times each night.
Click to expand...

I've gotten woken up by a porcupine and a skunk under the hammock, fortunately no bears inside yet.
 
I have been woken up by a black bear yearling sniffing my face. I woke up, he got scared and ran away. Black bears are basically just big trash pandas.
 
Made a pair of whoopie slings and soft shackles out of 7/64 amsteel yesterday. Light and easily adjustable suspension. Attached it to my GT ultralite. I still like using cinch buckles though.

Gave it a go at using a sewing machine today for the first time since middle school. Made a whipped end hammock out of $12 worth of rip stop nylon. I didn't know what I was doing so first tested my skills on a stuff sack. For just totally winging it it came out okay. Attached a ridgeline and cinch buckles to a fixed loop I made out of amsteel. Not too bad I don't think.

DIY hammock and stuff sack

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Grand Trunk with whoopie slings

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I could never get more than 3-4 hours sleep in a camping hammock and always wake up with something sore. And! getting out and back in to take a pee in the middle of the night is a drag.
So a couple of years ago I bought some land and built a 12x16 off the grid cabin on it with a compost latrine. Best thing I ever did. Its like a motel room out in the middle of the woods and I highly suggest it to any outdoors man or woman. Soon as I'm done with my generator house I'm putting in a 100 yd shooting range.
 
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Spending all of next week in my hammock at Hidden Valley. We now have over 10 kids hammocking this summer and 4 out of the 6 adults are hanging as well. Me and the other hammock ASMs created a buying guide for the parents, and at least 5 more kids are getting hammocks for this week of summer camp.....


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CoastieRon said:
What would you say the difficulty level is seeing your own tarp?


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Click to expand...

Depends on your patience and sewing skills. The last time I used a sewing machine was in middle school so it was a learning experience. I may make a winter tarp later and I imagine it will come out a lot better. Sewing a roll hem on the cat cut curves was much more difficult than I thought. The flat felled/French seam for the ridgeline was difficult just because you have so much fabric on both sides of the needle. I got extra fabric caught underneath once. I mis measured my corner reinforcements, but not a huge deal. They just aren't pretty or consistent.

With a little practice beforehand anyone can figure it out. Just test your tension and stitch width and length on some scrap material before you start.

Makeyourowngear, dutchwaregear, and ripstopbytheroll are some good sources for guides and materials. They even sell tarp kits so you don't need to figure out what you need yourself.
 
Just found this thread, does it ever deliver!

Been hanging in my HH Explorer Deluxe Asym for a couple years. Love it. The bottom entry took a bit of getting used to, but I definitely prefer it for camping. And the SnakeSkins make packing so easy. I have never had a wet setup. It's fantastic. If I were to do it again, I'd probably go with the hex fly, but the asym has been fine so far.

Planning to play with insulation options this year, as I haven't really chased that part down yet, and it does get cold on the bottom pretty easily.
 
Mesatchornug said:
Just found this thread, does it ever deliver!

Been hanging in my HH Explorer Deluxe Asym for a couple years. Love it. The bottom entry took a bit of getting used to, but I definitely prefer it for camping. And the SnakeSkins make packing so easy. I have never had a wet setup. It's fantastic. If I were to do it again, I'd probably go with the hex fly, but the asym has been fine so far.

Planning to play with insulation options this year, as I haven't really chased that part down yet, and it does get cold on the bottom pretty easily.
Click to expand...

Without insulation, hammocks will get very cold on bottom, even in warmer temperatures. I'm talking 70+ or you'll be cold.

That's the big issue with the bottom entry Hennessey's. They don't really work for underquilts. I imagine you can make it work with pads okay.

I made my own snakeskins using some mesh, it definitely makes packing and setup easier for the tarp.

I also today made another hammock out of 1.1 ripstop poly. Super light. 8.6 ounces.
 
Bonesinium said:
Without insulation, hammocks will get very cold on bottom, even in warmer temperatures. I'm talking 70+ or you'll be cold.

That's the big issue with the bottom entry Hennessey's. They don't really work for underquilts. I imagine you can make it work with pads okay.

I made my own snakeskins using some mesh, it definitely makes packing and setup easier for the tarp.

I also today made another hammock out of 1.1 ripstop poly. Super light. 8.6 ounces.
Click to expand...

I built a bottom entry system for my hennessy with a under quilt. I strung it with some paracord and had a carabiner at the tree on the "feet" side. I can leave the underquilt loose while getting in, then once I'm in I pull the paracord and snug it up to the bottom. Not quite as easy as just climbing in but it worked down to around 30 degrees last fall.
 
Made another hammock. This one is based on the Warbonnet Blackbird, with intergrated bugnet, footbox, and shelf. Had some issues but appears to be functional. I'd have less problems if I could only cut my pieces out better. Then I could probably stitch straighter, and things would, well, fit as intended.

Thing is super light for what it is. Weighs in with UCR suspension and extra long tree straps and stuff sack at 16 ounces.

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Hung in Acadia this week. Took my Hennessey and it's small asym tarp. It rained, and though the tarp is small, it did it's job perfectly. Stayed dry just fine. Slept great.

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anyone know any tarps that has more attachment points? I'm looking for one that'll look like this. I currently have a BUSCA 10x10 which is great, but I would want more options.
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My winter hammock with overcover. A work in progress. Overcover is pinned in place to check fit, still needs to be hemmed and sewed on. I also need to redo my tieouts. It should be sewed entirely into the hammock hem, but I went to far and is putting stress on the hammock body. Don't want to ruin the whole thing by ripping it out.

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