An update on this thread:
http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...ad.php?t=36213

We ended up car camping the first night, in the back of our minivan. We slept so-so because of drunk OHVers at 430AM, so I was excited for the hammocking the next night. We did a pretty tough 6 miles on moderately crummy trails, in warmer than expected weather. Not a great start to her first backpacking trip, but she was a trooper, and a pretty fast hiker. As we were setting up camp a few hunters came through, which was strange because it's not deer or elk season yet. They were hunting bear. Not a comforting thought for my wife- again, it was her first backpacking trip. She was thoroughly tired from the hike, so we hit the sack early. She was in the hammock for 12 hours! Success! A couple of tough uphill miles out and we were done. She was sure that the hammock was awesome, but the backpacking wasn't her thing. I think that part is my fault for the hike being kind of crummy, but I gave it a shot. So, the final score was Hammock 1, Backpacking 0.