hammock

[oldrubline]

Anybody use the tarp with hammock style camp set up for pack-in hunting?  I was just looking at some photos on a hiking site. Looks like you could have a very light set up with plenty of work space under the tarp. The hammock would keep you up off the wet and maybe pretty comfortable too?.....  I suppose the bears could snack on you more conveniently at about their jaw height too though; kinda like a piece of candy all wrapped up with tasty center...

Anybody with experience with this?

Dan

[Daz]

There has been a lot of good information in previous posts. Use the "search" function and check them out.

[fujimo]

doesnt sleeping in a hammock hurt your back?

[goobersan]

They're called "bear tacos" for a reason      
Try hammockforums.net  tons of info and help

Fujimo, you're supposed to lay sideways in them. An 11' - 12' hammock is best IMO for a flat position. No camping experience though, I'm just getting started

[ChuckC]

You don't sleep on your belly ?

I did a hammock camp and it was fine except I got cold.  It was a learning experience and other than that it worked fine. We actually camped on a fairly steep hillside.

Bear taco.... yup, that was a concern, considering where, exactly, we chose to hang up the bait ( us).  Maybe that .44 laying across my chest didn't help me keep warm.

Try it, it wasn't a bad experience.
Chuck

[PeteA]

Check out the Hammock Forum. It's a site similar to the geared toward hammock backpacking.

[fujimo]

just been on, what a great forum- tons of info.
then i discovered "bridge hammocks"- that seems to resolve some of my perceived issues.
 maybe this is the way to go for overnight hunting trips- light and easy- for just a night or two- me and my teckle!!

[Hen569]

I'm primarily a hammock camper now.  The key to comfort is a good underquilt so you don't freeze.  Anything under 70 degrees and you will need an underquilt.

[fujimo]

i can see getting into it- quite practical for my environment. some amazing products out there- some really designed to keep you flat!!

no wood stove in them though- and no social interaction- but would be great for solo hunts!

[Cryogenic]

I am also a hammock camper--been doing it for many years.  It's easier and more comfortable for me.  

To me hammock camping is to backpacking as a longbow is to archery:  There's a bit of a learning curve, but both are very much worth it.

[Sam McMichael]

I don't know much about modern hammocks, but I had an uncle in the Navy in WWII. Part of that time, he slept in a hammock. He said the trick is to pull it very tight, so that when you lie in it, you have a slight bend in your back instead of a very pronounced bend. His contention was that a properly strung hammock is very comfortable. All of the recreational back yard hammocks I have used could not be pulled this tight and were not comfortable for longer than a few minutes. Let us know what you choose.

[fujimo]

hey sam, these new hammocks are so different-
nothing at all like the poolside hammocks-
and funnily thats also the mental image i had of hammocks, until just now.
the new stuff is phenomenal- actually really creating a flat lie- with full , and even support over the whole body. really cool stuff, superlight fabrics, under quilts, bug nets, storm tarps etc etc

here is the funniest thing i have recently learnt- these winter campers, build a kind of a small canvas wall tent with a small wood stove- that strings between the same two trees that the hammock strings to- so its like a one man, wood stove heated wall tent hammock thingie  

[calgarychef]

Fuji I've designed something like you're talking about,  my idea creates a bed that works between any two trees or even on a tripod.  There's a built in tent that covers one side and extends to make an awning or can be closed.  Getting a fella up a couple feet with a fire not far away really increases the radiant heat that's felt.  There's dry storage under the bed and it makes a stable platform for sitting on something that a hammock doesn't always offer.

[fujimo]

mmm sounds like you may have to test it out somewhere nearer to the coast- say on a moose hunt or some such thing!!   :D  

heres a link to the one i was talking about
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5521eNxai8&feature=youtu.be

heres a link to a great forum for you snowy winter campers  http://www.wintertrekking.com/community/

[DKdc]

Sleeping in a hammock sounds crazy to me. I would be crippled when/if i got up to hunt. I do sleep under a kifaru paratarp though. I take a bivy and use it as a ground cloth or take it and go deeper and spike away from my main camp if need be. Doesnt a hammock flatten out a sleeping bag and get cold?
Not saying hammocks are bad i have never tried one but I dont think I will.
DK

[fujimo]

i felt the same-always sceptical of them- but now starting to look at it a bit different. gonna try one- everyone i talk too says its the best sleep you will ever get. i need a staright back- and the new ones will do that- but one does need trees, our ground here is so wet and lumpy mossy  surface- the hammock can only be better than sleeping on the ground.

[traditional_archer]

That's alot of canvas to cover a hammock.  Try this link for lightweight hammock hot tent camping/hunting set up.  I have slept in hammocks and they do sleep very comfortable if set up correctly.  Sleeping bags don't work in a hammock, need to use under and over quilts to stay warm.
 

[fujimo]

cool, thanks mate

[DXH]

I have a horrible back... And need a firm bed... That being said my roommates hammock is pretty dern comfy

[Adam Keiper]

I've been a diehard hammock camper for several years.  Modern camping hammocks are nothing like the horrible nylon mesh jobs that probably everyone has experienced at some point in time.  The new generations are asymmetrically cut, have ridgelines, integrated bug nets, and very simple suspension systems.  They are infinitely more comfortable than cheaply styled hammocks and certainly more comfortable than laying on the ground with any sort of sleeping pad.  Paired with a good set of goose down quilts in the appropriate rating, you can easily stay warm WELL into sub-freezing temperatures. (An underquilt suspends tightly via a bungie system beneath your hammock.  A topquilt is something like an open backed sleeping bag that of course you cover up with.)

My last backpacking trip last month...