Hammock tent things

[Grant Lamontagne]

After a recent outdoor excursion I started to consider the possibility of someday doing longer, multi day hikes.  It may or may not happen someday, but I started to think about those suspended hammock tent things like this:



I started to look at them online and saw a few that look good, some that don't, and some that for some reason are way too overly complex and pricey.... for example:

https://www.mec.ca/en/product/5061-075/Flite%2B-2-Person-Tree-Tent#reviews

Pricey, but looks like a good idea, especially for two people.  Then I watched the instructional video on setting it up and thought that it looked like a colossal waste of money. 

First off, for that kind of $$, I don't want to tie knots in suspension straps.  Give me an adjustable carabiner style clip or something.  The Nite Ize Cam Jam tensioner (for example) would be ideal for this, but I'm not spending $450 on a hammock and tarp so that I can then buy other parts to make it work the way it should have come from the factory.

Second off... a huge steel ratchet strap?   

Hikers are well known for trying to shave off weight wherever possible and they include a giant steel ratcheting mechanism?  Seriously?  Again... Cam Jam or something similar for smurf sake.

Lastly- weaving bungee cords for the fly around the suspension straps?  See my comments above regarding carabiner clips. 

Imagine spending $450+ on some mosquito netting, two scraps of nylon and a few nylon straps? 

I have bought cars for less than that, and they were a lot more comfortable to sleep in.   

Def

[SteveC]

Coming from someone who never could sleep in a hammock this one caught my attention.


https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sierra-madre/ninox-the-flatlay-hammock

[AimlessWanderer]

As you're someone who doesn't live in the warmest of climates, be aware that the wind whistling under your arse (I said under, not from  ) really saps the heat from the compressed sleeping bag insulation.

Factor in the additional cost and weight for adding one of the original space blankets - not the lightweight heat sheet thingummys - to put between the hammock and your sleeping bag. I did that the last couple of times I used my ultralight tent, between the floor of the tent and my sleeping mat, and it made a big difference to comfort. I got the idea after spending a night in sub-zero conditions on one of those army cot bed things, and it was the coldest I've ever been while camping. I'd have been warmer with a closed cell roll mat on the ground

[Grant Lamontagne]

I was actually planning to use it during the +30 to 40C weather we get, where the nights may cool down to the mid 20's.  I am well aware of how important the ground is for insulation, having done some cold weather camping on an air mattress.   

Def

[Grant Lamontagne]

Coming from someone who never could sleep in a hammock this one caught my attention.


https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sierra-madre/ninox-the-flatlay-hammock

That does look pretty neat indeed.  I'm not one for sleeping on my back usually, but I seem to have hurt my shoulder recently so laying on my side is not much of an option these days so I have been trying to train myself to sleep on my back.  It's not going well... I wonder if Megan will let me put up a hammock in the bedroom? 

Def

[lister]

The only positive thing about these I see is that they help you avoid impromptu midnight entomology crash courses. So unless you live in one of the weird parts of the world (I am looking at you Australia!) I don't see much point. 

[hiraethus]

Hammocks make a lot of sense in temperate climates where finding a dry patch of ground can be a problem.  Obviously you need trees to string them up between but I understand this isn't much of an issue in Canada.

Some of the swingers danglers hangers people who use hammocks that I know use two quilts (one on top, one hanging underneath) and a sleeping mat (inside the hammock) for insulation.

[Grant Lamontagne]

Snakes and bugs are kind of the main reason I would look at something like this.  There aren't many venomous snakes in Canada, but I happen to live not too far from their habitat.  The Mississauga rattlesnake has been moving further and further north, and I would hate to find one in my sleeping bag some night.

This is what I'd really like:

https://www.cabelas.ca/product/986/cabelas-deluxe-tent-cots

But too heavy/bulky for hiking or kayaking.

Def

[Syncop8r]

I wonder if Megan will let me put up a hammock in the bedroom? 

insert Swinger joke here

I was looking at Hennessy Hammocks a while back. As Al said you need insulation underneath you.
I met a young American chap who made his own hammock.

Can you pee in the middle of the night without getting out? 

[Grant Lamontagne]

Maybe if you put a drain hole in it somewhere.... 

I have an old Canadian military arctic sleeping bag that is warm as all get out.  My father slept in it in the snow in his younger days and sweated most of the night.  That would probably work quite well to keep me warm in a hammock, on the ground or in the air. 

Def

[Gerhard Gerber]

I'm a big hammock fan.....literally and figuratively 

As somebody that needs a double bed for myself and could do with it a bit longer so my feet don't hang off, a hammock is.......by a country mile......the most comfortable I've slept outside.

Convection is a fact, even in warm climates like ours I've had miserable nights, the last time being during our hike in May.  First night froze in the hammock, 2nd and 3rd night "slept" on the ground, the last night I had somewhere to hang the hammock again and had the presence  of mind to line it with the emergency blanket......slept like a log.....

[JBW1]

As you're someone who doesn't live in the warmest of climates, be aware that the wind whistling under your arse (I said under, not from  ) really saps the heat from the compressed sleeping bag insulation.

You don’t have to worry about being cold when you got a sweeet mu’stache like the guy in the pic!!

[Grant Lamontagne]

I'm a big hammock fan.....literally and figuratively 

As somebody that needs a double bed for myself and could do with it a bit longer so my feet don't hang off, a hammock is.......by a country mile......the most comfortable I've slept outside.

Convection is a fact, even in warm climates like ours I've had miserable nights, the last time being during our hike in May.  First night froze in the hammock, 2nd and 3rd night "slept" on the ground, the last night I had somewhere to hang the hammock again and had the presence  of mind to line it with the emergency blanket......slept like a log.....

I guess that is where hammocks fail- finding two trees that are a useable distance apart, but I guess the one I linked to above is even more doomed because it requires a third tree, meaning you are 50% more likely to sleep on the ground!

Def

[Gerhard Gerber]

I'm a big hammock fan.....literally and figuratively 

As somebody that needs a double bed for myself and could do with it a bit longer so my feet don't hang off, a hammock is.......by a country mile......the most comfortable I've slept outside.

Convection is a fact, even in warm climates like ours I've had miserable nights, the last time being during our hike in May.  First night froze in the hammock, 2nd and 3rd night "slept" on the ground, the last night I had somewhere to hang the hammock again and had the presence  of mind to line it with the emergency blanket......slept like a log.....

I guess that is where hammocks fail- finding two trees that are a useable distance apart, but I guess the one I linked to above is even more doomed because it requires a third tree, meaning you are 50% more likely to sleep on the ground!

Def

   Looking at your photos I can hardly imagine finding trees would be an issue!

Namibia, for the most part, is another matter........I think I can count on one hand the number of times my hammock was actually hung from a tree 

With long enough ropes anything is possible 

[Grant Lamontagne]

Finding trees isn't usually hard, but finding them in decent positions is another story entirely!

Def

[Syncop8r]

  Looking at your photos I can hardly imagine finding trees would be an issue!

Namibia, for the most part, is another matter........I think I can count on one hand the number of times my hammock was actually hung from a tree 

Giraffes?

[Syncop8r]

As I said earlier I was thinking about getting a hammock (instead of a better tent) but I don't think I will because:
- Some of the places I would camp are above the treeline
- I am more likely to snore on my back
- A tent is nicer if you have a partner

[JBW1]

Neh... you’re off the ground, but snakes can still climb trees

[Syncop8r]

Snakes are banned here. 

[Don Pablo]

No snakes in Ireland, thanks to the ice age and the Irish Sea.

[Gerhard Gerber]

Neh... you’re off the ground, but snakes can still climb trees

Wanted to mention that.......I was sitting in camp one morning enjoying coffee when I spotted movement......a snake coming down the tree....a ways down the rope of my hammock and thankfully turned around.....

[lister]

Neh... you’re off the ground, but snakes can still climb trees

Wanted to mention that.......I was sitting in camp one morning enjoying coffee when I spotted movement......a snake coming down the tree....a ways down the rope of my hammock and thankfully turned around.....

Maybe you need some of those rat guards they put on mooring ropes lines of ships to prevent rats hitching a ride? 

[Gerhard Gerber]

Normally I have a mozzie net over the hammock, attach it to the ropes and below the hammock with clothes pegs.......that should make it very difficult for a snake to get in. 

The instance I mentioned was during the "winter" in a semi-desert area, no mozzies to speak of so no net......

[Grant Lamontagne]

Well that is the benefit of an enclosed hammock tent thing.  A snake make hang out on it, but shouldn't have access.

Def

[Nix]

I'm a big fan of the hammock.

I've got a net-type hammock that is great for summer. And a fabric-type hammock that is better in cooler weather. Here there was a frost in the AM, but I was super-snug all night:




The hammock has some very distinct advantages in my mind: 

First, as long as you can find some trees (or posts, or rocks, etc...), it is quick and easy to set up. I don't worry about the pitch or slop of the ground. In the shot above, I'm set up on a hill with a 30º or better slope. No worries. This is a huge advantage for me and the primary reason for my hammock love.

Second, you don't have to worry about how lumpy or tangled the ground is. You can laugh at briars, thorns, rocks, lava,...what ever. So my sleep is better and my ground cloth and/or tent isn't getting torn up.

Third, you don't have to worry about rain pooling around your tent floor and seeping in. 

Fourth, less hassle with creepies and crawlies. Scorpions aren't and issue (but check your boots in the morning. Spiders? Maybe. Ants? Possibly, but not in my experience. I was out camping with some guys in Virginia once. They slept on the ground, me up in a hammock. When they woke up the next morning, they all had Black Widow spiders under their sleep pads or sleeping bags. My net-hammock was spider free and quickly stowed, while they were freaking out trying to be sure there weren't residual arachnids stashed in their gear.

Fifth, flexibility. Hammocks can be configured for hot weather, rainy weather, and snow. I've never used a hammock in real cold (<20ºF), but I know people who do. They add an 'under quilt' to the bottom of the hammock and sleep like a swaddled baby (I'm gonna have to try that sometime).

Last, they take up less space in a pack than a tent. Not sure about the weight, especially with a fly added for top protection. Add an 'under quilt' and perhaps you've matched the tent in terms of size and weight.

I haven't used a bug net, but I think that's a great idea. In buggy weather, I usually just douse myself with DEET and bury myself inside some clothing or sleep gear. I do carry a head net (when I remember), but I do that regardless of my shelter/sleep system.

The one big draw back is that they depend on finding some uprights, spaced out well, to set up. So, if I'm head to country where I can't be sure of finding good anchor points, I'll opt for the tent option.

Another reason I'll take a tent is that tents are more.....modest. If I'm going to camp in a well-used campsite in a National or State park, I don't want to scare children with a vision of a large middle-aged man washing himself with baby wipes in the great outdoors. Try explaining that to the park police..... So in situations where a degree of modesty is called for, the tent gets the edge.

Still, for me, there is nothing quite like rocking to sleep under a starry sky.

[Magicshark]

Hey! I know, this thread is pretty old, but I didn't find any fresh one about this topic. Recently, I've found a source and here are some options of Hammock Rain Flies. I shared it with you, because I'm looking for a good rain tent and I'm not sure which one I should choose. I really like Roman Ventures Rain Fly for Hammock, like the 4th here https://outdoorsly.org/best-hammock-rain-fly/ , but I want be sure that it won't be money loss. Maybe, someone may help me with it.