Jungle camping--help a n00b out.

[bear bag hanger]

I started with a Hennessey Ultra Light, them moved to a Claytor Expedition, to a ENO double nest with Bug Guardian, to a WB Traveler with WB's bug net and now use a WB Blackbird double 1.1. Mosquitoes and just about everything else will bite through the Hennessey with no problems although I've never tried to spray it, or anything else, with permethrin. The ENO Bug Guardian is twice as heavy as the WB bug net. I have found the Blackbird is almost the same weight as the WB Traveler with the WB bugnet. All of them have been good hammocks (but the Hennessey is at the bottom of my choices), but the Blackbird is more comfortable than all of them. The ENO is, in my mind, almost as comfortable. I find having a ridge line inside the bugnet to be very useful for hanging things from, like my watch. The "storage shelf" on the Blackbird is also very useful. The side pockets on the ENO and Claytors tend to be less useful - I wind up rolling on top of the pockets all the time.

Have never tried the Clark due partly to its expense, partly due to the less width they have and mostly due to their heavier weight. I think if I were to try a Clark, it would be the newer NX series.

Hope this is helpful to you.

[GingivitisKahn]

I started with a Hennessey Ultra Light, them moved to a Claytor Expedition, to a ENO double nest with Bug Guardian, to a WB Traveler with WB's bug net and now use a WB Blackbird double 1.1. Mosquitoes and just about everything else will bite through the Hennessey with no problems although I've never tried to spray it, or anything else, with permethrin. The ENO Bug Guardian is twice as heavy as the WB bug net. I have found the Blackbird is almost the same weight as the WB Traveler with the WB bugnet. All of them have been good hammocks (but the Hennessey is at the bottom of my choices), but the Blackbird is more comfortable than all of them. The ENO is, in my mind, almost as comfortable. I find having a ridge line inside the bugnet to be very useful for hanging things from, like my watch. The "storage shelf" on the Blackbird is also very useful. The side pockets on the ENO and Claytors tend to be less useful - I wind up rolling on top of the pockets all the time.

Have never tried the Clark due partly to its expense, partly due to the less width they have and mostly due to their heavier weight. I think if I were to try a Clark, it would be the newer NX series.

Hope this is helpful to you.

A bunch of the ENO Guardian's weight is in that crazy stuff pocket and strap attached to it. It's made out of much heavier fabric than the pocket on the ENO doublenest. Not sure why they made it like that but it makes the net (otherwise apparently well designed and built) very awkward and ungainly. I plan to cut mine off one of these days.

[Stacey]

These are all really helpful responses--thanks so much, everyone! Keep 'em comin'!

[team FTB]

Greetings!!

Welcome to the Hammock forums.

A bit of a contrarian opinion for you to mull over.

I live and camp in the jungles of Thailand with my single layer Hennessy Hammock.

The following are my 2 cents and not the holy grail of hammocking by any means. Most people recommend a double layer hammock to keep the mosquitos from biting through a single layer. Sounds decent, however i've been camping in my single layer Hennessey hammock and had no issues with mosquito bites penetrating. Reason being even in our heat over here we do not lay naked on top of the single layer in the hammock. I sleep in long pants and a long sleeve shirt and thats another layer. I also typically slip into a sleeping bag liner or bivy sack depending on the temps and thats an additional layer. Bottom line once I'm ready for sleep even in a single layer hammock I still have multiple layers to protect me from the bites. Just food for thought that a single layer can also be used in the jungle environment. Also a single layer has the opportunity to be lighter weight than a double layer.

Best of luck in your gear choices.

[SamD]

Bottom line is camping in the jungle GET OFF THE GROUND! Hammocks are great for this. Next use a bug net(no see'm fine weave) either an attached one or one that completely surrounds the hammock.
sleep dressed where you just add foot gear to get up. Use a good sized tarp or bring your mask & snorkel!

Check boots, shake out and check clothes, sleep gear, etc. before putting on / using cause the jungle crawls and will bite you if you are not careful.

Remember be careful out there and enjoy the beauty that is the jungle.

[attrezzo]

First of all, do you know what kind of hammock/size you'd be comfortable in?

If you like to sleep flat or have trouble sleeping in hammocks you may want to consider an asymmetrical. If you're tall you may want to consider a "double" size hammock.

That's where I'd start.


If you're going to Costa-rica before May you might do ok in a Jungle hammock, after May it's rainy season until November and very humid and stays around 80 degrees day and night. I would go with a single layer thin hammock that's permethrin treated and a cocoon type mosquito net. It will be hot and humid and you'll thank yourself for the breezy single layer. Feels really nice comparatively. And compared to tent camping it's a dream! You can get things set up for lots of fresh air to make for a comfortable temperature much easier in a hammock.

Maybe even sacrifice the weight and go for an all out bed-type no-see um (a big mosquito net). This way you can toss it over a ridgeline and tie-out to your tarp for campsite protection, but that's a little extreme.

You should take a tarp. A nice big one if you want a place to relax when it rains in the afternoon (rainy season) and a place to rest out of the sun (beach camping) or a smaller one if you and your gear won't mind the occasional showers and/or you'll be in the forests more than on the beach (not rainy season).
Tie that sucker high to keep it away from you. Even in the morning you'll find a lot of heat sits right there next to the bottom of the tarp. If it gets rainy you can always slack the ridgeline on the tarp a little to let it sag closer.
When I tie down tarps on a beach I just dig a 2-3 foot hole in the sand and grab a big stick and wrap the tarp-line around it 5 or six times before tieing a loose knot. Then throw that sucker in and cover it up. It gets windy sometimes just after dusk so you'll want a good secure tie down.

To my memory mosquitoes weren't a real problem. They seemed to respond pretty well to a light spray of deet repellent so I was fine. I don't remember them being as aggressive or as numerous as the mosquitoes in the southern swamps and marshes of the US. So you should be ok but better safe than sorry. A couple of feet too close to stagnate water is all it takes to make a nightmarish night with mosquitoes so you never know.

If you're going to be near beaches the hammock is the right choice. Obviously there are trees everywhere in Costa Rica so your biggest problem might be finding a few far enough apart on the edges of the forrest. Inside they spread out little which is good and bad. Just past the underbrush off most beaches is a swampy lagoon area and there are gazillions of crabs but lots of places to hang and have privacy. My experiences with going to ground on crab infested beaches have been less than pleasurable. Fun stories though!

Lastly, everything is wet. Especially your feet. Take good wet/dry shoes that will shed water well. Keep your feet dry when you can with fresh dry socks especially if you're hiking. If you'll be hiking a lot don't forget Gorilla Duck Tape. The black stuff! It's water resistant so tape up areas on your feet that are prone to blister BEFORE you start out. If your feet are already wet from sweat or something it won't stick well enough to help and if you already have blisters it will only act as damage control. It won't make the blisters go away.