I have been backpacking for a long time and new to hanging. The only issue I have found is stay below the tree line. There is such a difference in comfort it's night and day. What would you give for a great night sleep on the trail.
I have been backpacking for a long time and new to hanging. The only issue I have found is stay below the tree line. There is such a difference in comfort it's night and day. What would you give for a great night sleep on the trail.
If your like me the biggest down side to hanging is, once you do it your going to have to find a place to sell your tent.
What's the difference between having some tyvek, etc. to put your pack on underneath your tarp and having it on the floor of a tent?
This may be question #1 of most noobs who are in the initial stages of considering a hammock... "where do you put your pack". There is really nothing different about where you put your pack. Imagine you're levitating in your tent... pack is still there, underneath the roof on your tent - in our case, a tarp. You have the option of bringing a floor to put your pack, etc. on.
In very cold weather (such as those you might encounter during a Swedish winter), hammocking is probably not as light weight as tenting CAN be. Basically, a huge winter underquilt will almost always out-weigh it's pad equivalent; however, individual set ups vary, so this may not always be the case. In warmer weather, hammocks catch up in weight and can actually become lighter depending on your set up. The hammock of course has the permanent advantage of almost always being more comfortable. If you carry an air mattress when tenting, the hammock may be lighter even in the dead of winter.
Site selection can be either an advantage or disadvantage depending on your location. In an area with few trees or only small trees, site selection will be a disadvantage for hammocking. In most wooded ares however, site selection will be an advantage since you don't have to find a level patch free of rocks, roots, and debris. I can not tell you how many great places I have found to hang a hammock that I had to pass by because my friends with tents couldn't use the site.
Tents can be better at blocking the wind in cold weather to seal in warmth, at least until you learn how to properly hang a tarp. Pitching the tarp low to the ground, perpendicular to the wind, and adding doors to the ends can all work together to make hammocks basically as good as tents.
Hammocks have more a "fiddle factor." People will tinker with their hammocks more often before finding the perfect setup, but when they do, it's worth it!
"The Road goes ever on and on,
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can.
Pursuing it with eager feet
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say."
~Bilbo Baggins - LotR
I started using a hammock summer before last while on river running trips. I found the comfort in the hammock to be really nice, especially after I got an UQ and TQ. The fiddle factor with a tarp & hammock was a little time consuming, but it was the lack of trees on many of my river trips, and the lack of privacy with a large group of people that led me back to a tent. I use a cot & thermarest in my tent, so I'm not technically a "ground dweller." Sleeping on the ground is one thing I haven't done in about 8 years now. I still bring my hammock on all my river trips for napping if trees are available, and I still sleep in it on some trips. However, I decided that I couldn't rely on the hammock as my only means of sleeping & shelter, so I'm mostly back in the tent.
I sold my MacCat tarp, but sure wish I had kept my HG Incubator. I did keep my HG Burrow and absolutely love it in place of a traditional sleeping bag on most trips. I may buy another UQ at some point just to carry along for warmth when I am able to sleep in the hammock on trips. I do keep up with the goings on here on HF because you folks are so great.
KJ
my tent is just about as light weight as my hammock for cold weather but my hammock is just so comfortable. my huge problem is lack of trees.....my summer hammock/mossy net weigh next to nothing.
i think tents are better 'survival' gear. if you were lost in the mountains and it was 10deg and the wind was blowing 45mph and you were injured.....but i mostly use a 'army/jungle' hammock so i end up using it on the ground on occasion.
<<The ground can be hard but that don't rely bother me, falling asleep on the floor without anything "soft" hasn't been a problem.>>
He must be very young! This past weekend (at the FL hang), I went to "bed" at 8 p.m....HAD to get up and pee at 2 a.m. Was trying to beat my past record of 10 hours (with pee break) in a hammock...almost made it til 8 a.m. At 7:40 a.m. I HAD to get up for main potty trip, which involved driving the car to the other end of the road to the vault toilet.
and my point is: COMFORT!
To the OP (original poster), there are quite a few scandinavians here. Go the the sub forum about group hangs as a few weeks ago I was reading (I have no idea why I was reading about Scandinavian hangs that they were planning a group hang.
Also, if you do a search for Scandinavian hangers in the general hammocks forum, I think you'll find a thread about who lives where.
welcome.
I've found that the downsides to hammocking are fairly small.
Some places (Florida State Parks come to mind) will not allow you to hang, and being above the treeline would be a problem. Hammocks will not likely work for a "social encounter" with a significant other; I just can't see any way for that to be doable without quite a few gymnastics. The weight of bottom insulation is slightly greater with a hammock, though the bulk can be less than a ground set up. Depending on the set-up you get, the initial cost can be slightly higher than a good ground sleep system. Hammocks have more "fiddle factor" until you get used to them (though, once you're used to your set-up, you'll find that time spent on site prep is a lot shorter than with a ground sleep system). Finally, there is less information available from the camping outlets out there on hammocks than tents; HammockForums goes a loooooooooong way to alleviate this, though.
That all being said, I find that hammocking is perfect for backpacking and bike camping for me. It's lighter and less bulky than a ground set up that I'd be happy with here in Florida (mosquito protection is a must for nine months out of the year). It is also much cooler during the summer months (all nine of 'em ) than a tent; that exposed airspace underneath you goes a long way to help with evaporative cooling.
I hope your search for a sleep system goes well, and that your trip around Sweden is successful!
Servo...found it. There's a Scandinavian hang in July 2012
http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...ad.php?t=37883
Just saw the post but thanks
Thou it seems they will be canoo/kayaking and im not sure i will aford to rent a kayak, im considering to see if i might be able to link up with them on some spot atleast for a night or so if our trawel plans can be interlinked
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