BootsnAll Travel Community

Hi...

Have any of you guys used a light weight hammock for your tent in your travels? They weigh around a pound and a half... and pack down tight. No poles!

I'm pondering giving one a try, but would love to overlap my camping gear with the travel gear... instead of buying both/neither!

http://www.hennessyhammock.com/ is one brand, lots of pictures.

Other Reviews... http://www.backpackgeartest.org/reviews/Shelters/Hammocks/

But those are not so much "Vagabonding" type reviews, their slant is going camping for a week in the boonies!

Thanks for your time and reply!

Never tried those hammocks, but I can imagine two problems that could arise in only using them and not a traditional tent. Firstly, you're in constant need of two strong supports wherever you plan on camping...not so bad when your in the woods but it limits your options. Second, if you're a tall person like myself, or someone with bad circulation, resting with your legs above your chest for six or seven hours can lead to some killer leg cramps and a positively sore posterior.

Um, WHERE do you put your stuff???? your PACK?????


If it has to get hung up seperately on a nearby branch, what are the chances of you always finding the right shape of trees and - if you have neighbors - of it being there in the morning? No way I'd take that chance, I love my pack and searched really long till I found the perfect one for me. Not to mention the contents. But if it can fit inside the hammok...they do look nice and comfortable. I like taking a hammok when we camp in one place and don't have to lug everything somewhere else every day.

I'd assume you'd be tieing it to the Hammock...

But then again, I havent used one...

Thanks for the Reply to both of you!

I have 'hammock camped' for many weeks. I did it once on a Mexican Beach, with my backpack watched by a shopkeeper. I was not comfortable, because I was never alone. Lots of people ambling around making me nervous.

I've done it in a few other places where they have Palapas, or open shelters. You hang your hammock on the posts, and sleep with your backpack next to you. Its a cool thing to do if you don't mind your backpack being in the open, or guarded in the office of the campground.

I used a mosquito net with it, of course.

I've slept on a hammock in Utila, my backpack watched by the family that ran the hostel, all rooms booked.

I never had a shelter with the hammock, but with a rope stretched across the hammock tightly, one COULD make a more or less waterproof shelter.

They make hammocks that have such waterproofs and mosquito nets built in.

I myself travel with a little green nylon hammock that comes in handy at times. It's great for the tropics and sub-tropics where trees are handy, or even posts on open shelters or porches.

Its the most comfortable way to sleep in the hot sticky weather sometimes, and well better than sleeping on the jungle ground, which always seems to have insects willing to eat one alive on the forest floor, or just off the forest floor.

I used to carry a tent and a hammock. Now I just carry a hammock and a mosquito net, though I've been thinking about a bivy sack lately. They seem to be as expensive as tents, unfortunately. I definitely have to get a lighter and better fitting mosquito net!

One important aspect of using a hammock is the rope. I have tried many kinds. I tried the kind they gave me with it. Too heavy. I tried parachute cord. It stretches. A lot. I tried cheap rope bought in a local store. It was heavy, and stretched. I tried ribbon rope for tying down objects. It did not stretch, but one cannot remove the knots once made. This last fault applies to all the ropes I have mentioned above.

Then I used light climbing cord, designed for static loads. It untied well, was light, and did not stretch significantly. It was also the most expensive, but that didn't stop me from buying 30 meters of it the next time I had access to a mountaineering store. It seems like a lot until one remembers how far it can be between trees, and how light the line actually is. It is useful for hanging laundry, holding up ones backpack off the ground, and no, I don't cut it. That results in a shorter and shorter line that eventually becomes useless. If one starts to cus it, then friend asks for a piece, and another, and soon it's too short. I also carry lighter line for hanging things in rooms and bathrooms. This is also mountaineering line for the same reasons.

I prefer to use a sheet nylon 'expedition' hammock for a number of reasons, though I have used a good Mexican Hammock, and a hammock bought in Venezuela, out of nylon strings. The Mexican string hammock was the most comfortable, because it was larger.

Reason one and foremost: Nylon sheet hammocks can be coated in Permethrin, and stop most insect bites from the back, while the mosquito net should take care of the top and sides if the insects aren't homocidal.

Reason 2: They're lighter.

Reason 3: they're not cotton. Cotton string hammocks look cool, but cotton stretches. You will find yourself sinking INSIDE the hammock. Good for gifts, not daily use.

Hint: When they sell you a double hammock, it means it fits one person comfortably. When they say family, or three, it might be comfortable for two. The best way to sleep in a hammock is diagonally, so every part of your body is on a reasonably flat plane. It is NOT comfortable to sleep bent like a banana and restrained on both sides, though there are people that 'get used to it'.

If you go to forest areas, finding a few trees to hang them from is easy. I wouldn't try to use one seriously on a desert or cold climes, of course.

Sleeping in a hammock in a shady Hawaii beach park in the midafternoon while the waves crash in the distance is heaven. I bought the hammock in Mexico, they showed us how to sleep straight but we payed way too much. Cotton of course.

Thanks guys...

so Rod, did you get a travel hammock? Try it out? I'm considering getting one for certain trips. Looks handy.

I have a Hennessy. They're nice but I really don't use it all that often. Mostly use it for sea kayaking trips and only when the coastline is not suitable for a tent.

It would definitely be my preferred setup for the jungle, but can't say I've ever done a multi-day jungle trekking type trip.

I've never done it, but theoretically it can also double as a bivy if you have some trekking poles. Here's a pic of someone setup like that..

Steve,

Nope. I've been working to much to spend any time hanging around.

I have a really hard time believing that the treking pole bivy is in any way stable, should a serious wind or storm come up.
Row support points that low for a hammock would result in stretchning, eventually, and the bottom touching the ground in the least.

But thankgs for the great idea! I have light hammock and two trekking poles. I need to try it.

Oh, the bottom is definitely going to be touching the ground. I believe the design is more setup around turning the hammock completely into a bivy sack. Obviously without the trekking poles it would be pretty worthless as a bivy. The mesh netting would be lying on top of you and you wouldn't get much functionality out of the rain fly either.

So, I think the whole point is...why take a bivy when you can take a hammock. Worse case, when you can't hang the hammock you can turn the hammock into a bivy. Other than getting in and out of the Hennessy via the bottom it actually looks like a much more comfortable setup than your standard bivy sack.

I am tempted, but in the tropics, even that fly adds to the heat level, let alone being surrounded on the sides by hammock fabric. What busts me about bivies is that every time I look for them, I find them as expensive as a small light tent!!!

Well, you might want to stay away from bivy sacks in general. They're little sweat sacks. I find short of it being 40F or below I am always way to hot in them. I only use mine in winter these days.

I have spent many nights in a hammock, and I found it to be rather comfortable.

First, let's make sure we're talking about the same thing--it's just a regular nylon hammock, woven so the holes are larger than a golfball, smaller than a baseball, metal rings at both ends where nylon ropes come from to tie onto your anchors (I've always used trees). There are no sticks at each end that keep it open. When you're ready to pack it, it balls up to about the size of your fist, or a fist and a half.

I actually prefer this over a tent. The trick is that you need to be in a wooded area; I can't imagine it doing you any good in the desert. But if it's strung up right, it's easy to move around in, you can even manage the fetal position. The lack of sticks that I mentioned before lets the sides wrap up around you so you can move around with a bit more support without worrying about balance. For shelter, I've always used an old military poncho, supported by another chord strung up above the hammock, and tied to stakes or sapplings at the corners. If it's raining, water can (will) travel down that support chord and drip in your face. You beat this by tying a 'run-off' string on each side next to the edge of the poncho. Wet the strings and tie a small stone to the hanging end. The water will travel down this string rather than following the course under the poncho and dripping on you.

With this set-up, a suitable sleeping bag, and a small campfire I've even managed a good night's sleep with snow on the ground.