Ham Curious

[dlovett]

Since adding SUPs to the water garage, Jen has been much more interested in overnight camping trips. On option for travelling light on a sup, seems to be hammocks.

What’s the score as I have never tried them, always having been a tent/tarp/bivi person? I also am a front/side/sleeper, so would it even work as I struggle to sleep laying on my back. Assuming weather is decent, would we need special mats etc or would normal mats, bags and quilts work ok?

I was thinking about trying a basic, cheep Chinese import to see if it could work, but are they likely to be so crap they would put me off.

If anybody has an old one going spare they want to move on let me know as it might end up being one for Jen and I’ll just Kip on the ground.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

[Verena]

Hi, I've got a DD one, the scout one with two layers, and I like it, and think it was a very reasonable price.

Yes you can sleep in all sorts of shapes in them, side, even front, it just sort of adjusts around you.

I find them very comfy.

[Bearbonesnorm]

As V says, most folk find them very comfy but I also tend to think the kit required means more weight / bulk than sleeping on the ground but on a SUP, that might not really matter much?

[whitestone]

The cheaper hammocks tend to be quite short, 2.4m or so. That’s measured on the flat, you “lose” between 15% and 20% when it sags as you lie in it.

I’m 1m80 and while I could doze in the Exped Scout I struggled to sleep. I now have a 3.3m homemade one and it’s much more comfortable “for me”. I’m a side sleeper and it works fine for me.

You’ll need insulation under you more than you think. You can get by with a mat but an under quilt will be better. Alpkit do one at a reasonable price. A normal top quilt will work for the upper side. A sleeping bag just gets compressed underneath so isn’t much use.

A tarp needs to be a bit bigger as well. The maths work out that the tarp ridge line should be the same length as the hammock’s stated length, so in my case it’s 3.3m.

Weight wise my setup is

Hammock (inc suspension) - 500g
Top quilt- 360g
Underquilt - 500g
Tarp - 450g

So a bit heavier than a comfortable ground based setup

[MuddyPete]

One option for travelling light on a sup, seems to be hammocks.

Or just use the SUP as a mattress? Particularly if it's a bouncy one.

[Cheeky Monkey]

Almost everything you could wish to know:

https://theultimatehang.com/

His book is great and the following "Hammocks 101" page is effectively a FAQ:

https://theultimatehang.com/hammock-camping-101/

I really like them but they are no simpler and usually a bit bulkier and weightier than a simple bivi, tarp shelter (and probably a tent). Comfort and fun factors are very high though.

[dlovett]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I think we might try one for Jen to sleep in as she could have my x therm and quilt in to and I can floor dwell. I have go in the habit of just taking my bivi bag and a mat unless it’s really cold.

Just got to find the most suitable hammock for her now, as my ground gear is pretty good and light these days. I will give it a try but think I’ll struggle sleeping in one, but who knows.

[PaulE]

We use them for most of our camps at my scout group, and the kids love them... most of them have the aptly named DD scout model, but I agree with the above that they're a bit short for a tall person.

I'm a side sleeper, and find them as comfy as a thick air mattress, and comfier than a lightweight one.

If you're anywhere near Sheffield, there are 4 hammocks in the garage and you're welcome to borrow one or more for a night or 2 to give it a go!

[dlovett]

Thanks for the offer Paul, but I am on the South Coast. Will ask about and see if anybody locally has one I could borrow to try out.

[dlovett]

So I have taken the plunge and spent big and wisely, I mean how bad can it really be!!!!!!

https://share.temu.com/B3cdxdOrVdA

I want to make a new sup bag and this is far cheaper then the material would have been. If a hammock and all the bits actually turn up, then bonus.

It also says it’s a double parachute, I’ve always wanted to go sky diving.

[Cheeky Monkey]

You may know this but if not please make sure you use straps that will spread the load on a tree trunk. Commonly referred to as "tree straps", literally what it says on the tin The combo of a bodyweighted hammock and the narrow, high strength suspension lines can damage (through compression or abrasion) bark and important sub-surface layers which will impact a tree's health or (admittedly eventually) kill them.

And watch out for widow-makers.

[dlovett]

You may know this but if not please make sure you use straps that will spread the load on a tree trunk. Commonly referred to as "tree straps", literally what it says on the tin The combo of a bodyweighted hammock and the narrow, high strength suspension lines can damage (through compression or abrasion) bark and important sub-surface layers which will impact a tree's health or (admittedly eventually) kill them.

And watch out for widow-makers.

Good tips thanks I will get hold of some.

[Cheeky Monkey]

Looking at the link it seems to come with some webbing / tape straps so you're probably golden.

[Bearlegged]

Every time I see this thread, I think of Hambot.



https://twitter.com/smolrobots/status/1 ... 5913794560

[dlovett]

Something is in the way with the evil couriers. Hopefully it’s more hammock than pig products but with Temu, who knows what will actually turn up as it’s the first time I have used them and they seem to be hit or miss according to reviews.

[dlovett]

It’s on a plane from somewhere to somewhere else I guess. Hopefully the somewhere else is an airport in the Southern end of the UK. It’s due to arrive between tomorrow to Tuesday or I get £5 back. Come to think of it I don’t think it even cost £5 so delivery on Wednesday could produce a hammock and a profit !

[Bearbonesnorm]

It’s on a plane from somewhere to somewhere else I guess. Hopefully the somewhere else is an airport in the Southern end of the UK. It’s due to arrive between tomorrow to Tuesday or I get £5 back. Come to think of it I don’t think it even cost £5 so delivery on Wednesday could produce a hammock and a profit !

Can't help thinking there's something very wrong with that entire system.

[JohnClimber]

I had DD super light hammock but didn't get on with it, as the blood would run out of my feet and they would go to sleep before I did and that kept me awake.

I found company that made a dozen hammocks and closed, they were called Dragon Hammocks from Wales and they made a Lay Flat Hammock, which I sleep across it at a 30 degree angle, it's brilliant, so search for a lay flat hammock or if you have deep pockets take a look at the Amok hammock and they look the business, although not super light.
It would need a massive trap to over them, btu they fit your insulated sleeping mat so you don't need an under quilt under it.

https://amokequipment.eu/pages/shop-draumr-hammocks

[dlovett]

I had DD super light hammock but didn't get on with it, as the blood would run out of my feet and they would go to sleep before I did and that kept me awake.

I found company that made a dozen hammocks and closed, they were called Dragon Hammocks from Wales and they made a Lay Flat Hammock, which I sleep across it at a 30 degree angle, it's brilliant, so search for a lay flat hammock or if you have deep pockets take a look at the Amok hammock and they look the business, although not super light.
It would need a massive trap to over them, btu they fit your insulated sleeping mat so you don't need an under quilt under it.

https://amokequipment.eu/pages/shop-draumr-hammocks

I know you have a bit of a rep John, for liking chairs, but hanging ones that cost 389 euros!!!!!

chair.jpg (43.27 KiB) Viewed 1479 times

[dlovett]

It’s on a plane from somewhere to somewhere else I guess. Hopefully the somewhere else is an airport in the Southern end of the UK. It’s due to arrive between tomorrow to Tuesday or I get £5 back. Come to think of it I don’t think it even cost £5 so delivery on Wednesday could produce a hammock and a profit !

Can't help thinking there's something very wrong with that entire system.

Indeed it is, but I like many other people have been suckered into using it.

It has completed a flight now apparently, I'm still none the wiser where it has flown from or to!

[whitestone]

Getting back on topic from the diversion about the absurdities of modern distribution systems...

Most of my pitches have been in the garden so there's been grass under the hammock. Friday night was in the woods and it was a bit tricky avoiding standing in the dirt/duff so it's worth having a metre square piece of Tyvek or similar to use to stand on when getting in and out of the hammock. I wouldn't leave it lying there overnight unless you are able to weight it down somehow. Also don't use anything slippery otherwise you'll be surfing down a slope!

Some general points/pluses/minuses.

Set the foot end of your hammock between 10cm and 30cm higher than the head end - you just have to experiment to find what works for you. Because most of your mass is in your upper you'll slide towards the foot end. Pitching the hammock with the foot end higher means that you'll end up in the centre of the hammock rather than at one end.

Picking a suitable pair of trees takes a bit of practice.

• They need to be about 2m further apart than the in-use length of the hammock. My 3.3m hammock is 2.8m when I'm lying in it so I need somewhere between 4m and 5m between the trees. The further apart they are the higher you need to fit the tree straps so there's a practical upper limit.
• The ideal trees are between the size of your thigh and the size of your torso in thickness. Any thinner and they bend, any thicker and you run the risk of the tree straps not being long enough.
• Always check above for dead branches. I found a few potential pairs of trees yesterday then looked up to find half the tree was dead! With strong gusty winds, not a risk I was willing to take.

I find that sleeping on the ground I take a while to lose that early morning lack of mobility, that creakiness, my body has been in much the same position and it's half an hour or so to "limber up". I don't get that with hammocks. I think it's because you are supported evenly across your whole body so it's not in tension trying to maintain some sort of posture.

Until you get a system, hammocking is a faff! It took me about fifteen nights of sleeping in the hammock until I got it dialed and it felt just right.

Just looked at the weights of my system again. It comes to 1825g for the four main items but there's maybe another 100g of bits and bobs to add to that. That's good for mid spring to mid autumn. My luxury camping setup for summer is 1540g. I could go lighter for the hammock setup if I'd a lighter underquilt and went with a smaller tarp, something like 230g and 100g respectfully. That puts a summer hammocking setup in the same ballpark as camping, but not tarping.

[dlovett]

Some great tips there thank you, will try them when it arrives.

[dlovett]

Well it has turned up along with some ali dust caps.

I know nothing about hammocks but camping gear I have plenty. Compared to most even my higher end gear the quality looks and feels very good. The hammock has two of the most solid carrabeanes I have ever seen, certainly better than most of my boating ones. It has come with tree straps of approx 2m each length. The webbing feels good and the stitching pattern is very neat and well done. A small accessory pouch has a roll of paracord, cord looks and two very solid feeling Ali pegs. The material it’s made from feels good quality and it has a full length moss is net that has a zip down one side. It looks like you could flip it upside down if you didn’t want to use it. There is a mesh bag sized for a phone/wallet and a hook attached to it.

I’d say it feels an awful lot better than a £5 hammock collie hope to be.

I’ll post more once I can string it up somewhere.

[Shewie]

I've not owned a DD hammock for about 15 years but back in the day the tree straps needed a good stretch before use, otherwise you'd slowly get lowered onto the deck during the night, they've probably changed them since but thought I'd mention it

[dlovett]

I've not owned a DD hammock for about 15 years but back in the day the tree straps needed a good stretch before use, otherwise you'd slowly get lowered onto the deck during the night, they've probably changed them since but thought I'd mention it

Thanks Shewie, that sounds a good idea. Just waiting for my crash test dummy/Guinea pig to finish her teams call and then the fun will begin!!