Evangelizing the hang

[dudeman_atl]

I'm involved with scouts and lots of the youth have ENO hammocks but no tarps or insulation beyond sleeping bags.

They come out to camp with tents and think of the hammocks as leisure time activities. Also, some of the dads are getting curious about how I can survive overnight in a hammock without getting cold.

What's some advice or techniques I can share for someone with an ENO, a pad and a huge sleeping bag for how to stay comfy enough to want to try it again.

This is for youth as well as adults.

[SilvrSurfr]

Much as I hate ENOs, pads and sleeping bag systems, it's a massive step up in comfort from ground dwelling. Tell them to try it and judge for themselves.

[hanggirl]

Try it, you'll like it. lol Seriously, if it's gonna be cold have them put a layer of reflectix between their sleeping bag and the pad. I think the biggest potential turn off would be if they had a cold night. Oh ya and make sure they know to do the horizontal lay and not the banana. That should sell em after they get a warm comfortable nights sleep. Good luck on the conversions.

[ktitan]

With my scouts I've had a problem getting them believe that they need under insulation. We did a few meetings on winter camping and I asked the SPL if he could put me on the agenda for a demo about staying warm in a winter hammock. That helped them to buy into the necessity of under insulation in most conditions. Also I think the boys do much better with either 2 cheap pads ( overlapping but wider) or an additional piece to extend the shoulder area.

Also teach them about using hot water bottles and hand warmers in the hammock and check their setup to make sure they do things like put the pad underneath themselves as opposed to next to or on top.

[dudeman_atl]

"Next to or on top of"
I got an instant mental image of one particularly enterprising scout on that one.

[Canoefor2]

It is funny to watch all the scout migrate to the hammock. My son and I started first with the HH and the other scouts started asking my son about sleeping all night. We were using the mats as our insulation and have had great warmth with them and my son tried to explain that to the others but they thought they did not need it. My son told me that "give them one cold night and they will think about the pad." We now have about half the troop (15) hanging and all the scoutmasters hanging.

[ktitan]

"Next to or on top of"
I got an instant mental image of one particularly enterprising scout on that one.

Some 11-18 year old boys think they know everything, so they don't really pay attention to the little details.

[Nighthauk]

For me I have done a couple of hammock clinics teaching the boys the value of insulation. I have also let them go without unless a complete safety issue. Example: scout was going to sleep in his hammock for the first time in -1*. I decided that was not a good plan based on history with this scout and the wrong temp for him to start. So they setup a tent instead.

[Dochartaigh]

For the "question" of if they need under insulation or not, a simple 10 second lesson about how insulation works by trapping air, and if you're laying on top of a sleeping bag (and compressing it) there's no room left to trap air, so it doesn't insulate at all. ...that should be about all is needed to teach them why you need proper insulation under you (or just let them try to sleep below freezing without any insulation

[Chigger]

If someone does not believe they need under cover tell them why bridges freeze much quicker than the pavement. It's science and not fiction.