Sleeping in a hammock

86alaskan

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I've been tossing around the idea to save weight. I figure that a hammock with tarp cover and sleeping bag weighs about half what most tents weigh. I know there are light tents, so lets not talk about tents. Does anyone here run a hammock to save weight? Any tips or tricks would be appreciated.
 
I never took one hunting, but I sat in one on the beach the other day. 17mph wind and the thing was flapping so bad that it was impossible to sleep.
 
I have an ENO double with fly and thermorest neo air to keep the under cold off. Very light, takes little room and once you figure how to use it, ie: sleep diagonal, very comfortable.
 
I Hammocked while hunting some pretty steep terrain last year.

IMO it's not any lighter than a good ultra light tent and sleeping pad.

You have to factor in the weight of the suspension for the hammock, the weight of your top quilt or sleeping bag (a top quilt is lighter than a sleeping bag), you WILL need a bottom quilt, and then you throw in the tarp and your system will probably be 8-9 lbs if not a little more depending on how much you spend on your gear. I'll have to weigh my current set-up when i get home, but I can't imagine it weighing any less than that.
 
wboregon is correct. A lot depends on the climate you will be hunting in. Mine is very mild and I can get away minimal most of the time. If its going to be nasty I use my two man ultralight Marmot tent.

PS: I usually use a Wiggy insulated poncho liner instead of a bag. Im in the desert!
 
It's really not something to get into to cut weight, it's more of a quality of life thing for me. I much prefer sleeping in a hammock vs sleeping in a tent on a pad.

Now if you don't buy a nice UL tent then yeah hammocks are probably lighter, but the cost of gear for a hammock is about the same as just using your current pad and sleeping bag and buying a nice UL tent.

OH also forgot bug net for the hammock, which is a must for most early season hunts.
 
I picked up a hammock and accessories for cold weather camping. Because of compressability, It can save a bit of space in your pack. I tried a sleeping pad but it didn't fit right and even in the summer, it was to cold in my back yard without using some type of insulation. After underquilt, tarp and accessories, it's a wash between that and a light tent/bag. Still haven't used it in cold weather. Maybe this season.
 
I Hammocked while hunting some pretty steep terrain last year.

IMO it's not any lighter than a good ultra light tent and sleeping pad.

You have to factor in the weight of the suspension for the hammock, the weight of your top quilt or sleeping bag (a top quilt is lighter than a sleeping bag), you WILL need a bottom quilt, and then you throw in the tarp and your system will probably be 8-9 lbs if not a little more depending on how much you spend on your gear. I'll have to weigh my current set-up when i get home, but I can't imagine it weighing any less than that.

Exactly. I tried a hammock setup and I shaved a little weight in the early season from my lightweight tent set up, but in colder weather it didn't save me any weight. Another thing to think about is if where you'll be hunting will have adequate trees to suspend your hammock from, as I have heard that this is an issue for some people especially during more alpine hunts. Another thing about hammocks I don't like compared to tents is keeping my gear dry. I always find it difficult to keep my pack, boots, etc out of the weather compared to a lightweight tent with a vestibule. If everything else works out I also prefer sleeping in a hammock, finding them more comfortable than a tent/sleeping pad.
 
i agree with the posters above it doesn't really save any weight. My hammock setup weighs right in between my 1 man tent set up and 2 man tent setup. That being said i like using it. in steep terrain it easier to find a place to pitch it and i find it comfortable.
 
I was on a 9 dayer solo backpackinging trip. Space was at a premium. I spiked on a hogback ridge where there was absolutely no level ground. My tent was wrapped around a tree and "tight pitch" was a pipe dream. I figured a hammock would solve the "tight pitch" problem but then again, there's no guarantee you can find two trees at the correct distance from each other, that are next to a water source. It basically requires a scouting trip to determine what will or won't work. A free standing tent would probably be a reasonable solution to the problem of "unknown" accommodations. Still, I'm gonna give the hammock thing a try. Don't be like me and tie the wrong knot on you hammock and fall straight on your butt/backbone. It's way less funny than it sounds if you freefall straight on the base of your spine. Figure out what your doing "before" you float your body above ground. As far as keeping gear dry, a guy could carry the very lightest piece of plastic as a cover. It wouldn't take much to cover a pack and shoes, that would make it through a week or so. Then there's the question of cooking. A kitchen tarp would be nice if you didn't have a tent vestibule. It just takes one year of "no rain/sleet" to goad a guy into thinking that bad weather is for other people. I've seen a summer mountain storm come on so hard that the water coming off the rocks ran uphill and sprayed up like a fountain. If that doesn't happen, that's cool. Actually, it's very cool. Might not want to assume bad weather isn't in the cards. Neighborly hunting camps can go from 10 to zero, overnight when bad weather hits. Heck... I've pulled out my share of times. Just say'in, extreme crap weather can hit and mom isn't gonna be there with hot cocoa and a story.

I'll try the hammock thing with a respectful amount of caution. Frankly, trying it in the worst conditions is really the only way to evaluate it's worth. If I can sleep a straight 6 hours of good sleep, it may be worth it. Frankly, I don't do much better than that in a tent. Noises in the tent and outside, as well as having to pee takes care of that thing.

When your pitched on a hogback at 8000 feet, well friend, now we're flirting with timberline. Not in the sense that there's no trees, but having the right or proper trees is the thing. Dead snags don't work for me. I hate them although I've lived right with them. Anyway... hammock or tent... It's up to you but a scouting trip may well reveal what's up with your camp choice.
 
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Mike

You'd be amazed at what trees you can hang off of.
 
I use a hammock often going out with the scouts almost monthly. At 260 lbs sleeping on the ground is never my friend, even with an extra wide Klymit inflatable pad. Definitely agree that an ultralight tent setup would be at least competitive, if not lighter, but one thing to think about as far as trees, I would recommend some reading on ridgelines on the ultralight backpacking forums. I use a pair of webbing straps with descender rings on the trees and then 100' of Amsteel with an adjustable ridgeline between them allowing me up to 50' between trees if I really have to go that far. By going from one end of the hammock, to each tree and back to the other end of the hammock I have both the ridgeline and hammock suspension in a single rope and even better, it pulls the tarp more taught when weight is applied instead of causing sag in the tarp.
 
Spent the last two nights in a hammock in my backyard. 26 degrees w/snow and wind and slept fine. Wish it was colder. Zero hip/shoulder pain. I had a 10' standard width hammock first and I did have some shoulder-pinch discomfort but switched to an 11' wide and all that went away. I can see where you might want to bring a spare tarp to set up a kitchen.
 
If you like hammocks, check out AMOK. A little on the heavy side, but you will never sleep better outside. I own 2 and use it on a deer hunt last year in poring rain and was dry and rested. It's a neat system.
 
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