Hanging Kids?

[Kwhite]

Hey friends,
I am new to the forum. I just got my first hammock for my birthday and am looking forward to trying it out really soon. I am researching suspension, tarps, gear, knots and everything else! But in everything I am seeing, I'm not seeing many kids camping with you. My boys are 10 and 5. The big one is a weblos scout and the little one will be a tiger in a year. So...car camping for us right now. Any tips or tricks about hanging with kids?

[punkisdead]

My son will be a Webelos next year and he has been camping with me a few times. We've spent many nights in the back yard making sure he's comfortable and warm. We did a shake down hike this past weekend to ease him into backpacking as well. We're planning on a weekend backpacking trip this summer and I want to make sure he has a good first experience.

[daneaustin3]

I have 4 boys - 14,11,6,4 I just finished diy gear for all but the 4 yo. You can still do some hikes. The whole clan went on a 5 mile day hike last week. The "littles" had less issues than the wife. We took a break about half way to hang some new gear and give it a bit of a test. The best advice is to have fun and make sure the kids are having fun. We haven't done any overnights with the hammocks and the small kids yet but I see no issues so long as we hang them next to our hammocks (as in on the same trees).

[Bladerunner]

no kids of my own yet but ive got a 5yo nephew and my brother and I are wanting to get him into hammocking like we already are. I would definitely say keep them right next to ya and under the same tarp so that you can keep an eye on em and make sure they don't get lost when they inevitably wake up to pee in the middle of the night. other than that just keep it fun and exciting, kids love the adventure.

[Stormstaff]

I have a 14 yr old & a 5 (almost 6) yr old. The 14 yr old has hung by himself in scouts for a couple of years when he decides to. The little one has only hung side by side with me under the same tarp and that worked out well.

[Richard Tipton]

I've got about 14 kids I'd like to hang! Oh, you meant hammocks....well, those same 14 all have hammocks and hang regularly, including my 9 year old daughter. As a Scoutmaster myself, I'm not allowed to post pictures or names without prior approval of the Troop Committee, so I don't speak much on the subject.

[GoatHanger]

I hang with my little buddy fairly often. I tried both of us sleeping in one of my hammocks, but it's hot, and uncomfortable.

Then, I used to find a triangle of trees, and pitch the tarp over both of us.

Now, on the head end of his hammock is a whoopie sling with a double whoopie hook. I keep the other whoopie with the hook on it in my bag of extra cordage that I always take, so whenever he's with me we hang from the same trees, under the same tarp. I use the head end spreader from my Ridgerunner, or a trekking pole. He loves it. He's 7. My other boy is 13, so he just hangs nearby in his own hammock.

Recent little day hike. A little difficult to see him, but he's in his Hammeck Netty...

[mrh_on]

Great thread idea...I have 2 daughters and I am going to try and get them into camping (can't get the wife into the woods since I got her a travel trailer with all the amenities). My plan in the fall is to get some DIY material and start learning to make gear so we can all get some. Before then though I am considering getting a second hammock to introduce the oldest one to a little kayak-camping once the bugs have begun to thin out near the end of summer. I think she'll love it. I'll try and remember to get some good pics and come back here with them to this thread.

[Kwhite]

Thanks so much to everyone for the ideas and encouragement. I'd love to keep hearing about stories and experiences from others as they begin to chime in. I love having a community of experience!

[SilvrSurfr]

My two oldest kids are in college, and the youngest is 16 years old. I don't see much of the oldest kids, but they do get out with me at least a couple of times a year. The youngest had his first hammock camping trip when he was 11. He remembers the days of hanging in an HH Exped Zip and a Byer Moskito Hammock with a GT Funky Forest tarp. We used pads for underinsulation and synthetic sleeping bags as topquilts. Ah, those were the giddy days of 40 lb. packs!

It was hard to get my kids into hammock camping, especially wilderness hiking and paddling. I remember, with pride, seeing my youngest holding his cell phone in the Adirondacks - it was a total brick incapable of texting, calling, or surfing the web. It made me feel good to know I'd taken him off the grid!

Five years ago my kids were afraid of the woods, of night hiking, night paddling, of being in bear country. They've learned a lot since then. Last year my sons paddled 22-miles with me on the Little Tupper Lake to Lake Lila traverse. It was the scariest thing they'd ever done, but when we were finished, they asked to do it again this year!