Talk me into hanging

[Ewker]

go with what you feel comfortable with. I can't tell any difference sleeping in a hammock vs the ground. Guess I am not as wimping as some folks

[GrizzlyAdams]

The sign and magnitude of the "weight penalty" depends on your frame of reference on the ground.

Before I climbed into the trees I carried a Spires tarptent (Squall 2), with floor, 'cause I really hate bugs. Sometimes I shared the tent, but it's tight, I used it as a solo shelter. 32 oz plus stakes. I used a Thermarest ProLite 4 (regular), 24 oz. I used an overquilt, but that goes into the hammock too.
Stakes used for the tent are stakes used for a tarp in the hammocking setup.

So I have a 56 oz weight budget on the hammocking side.
From Hennessey you can get a lightweight hammock and tarp for well under 56 oz. Last summer I carried an Explorer Ultralight, hammock and tarp : 41 oz. This is luxury in the HH line. The Hyperlight and tarp is 26 oz.

Still need insulation below you. Very nice shoulder season solution is the JRB Nest, 21 oz.

So using commercial stuff, from where I was on the ground to where I got to in the trees was a penalty of 21+41 - 56 = 6 oz.

That penalty goes a little higher using a larger tarp, but can be brought down, even made more advantageous, using DIY hammock and underquilt.

Now the weight budget will be lower for someone who on the ground uses an 8 oz tarp, and makes a bed on leaves next to a log. The "penalty" just depends on where you start from.

You might be interested in the gear lists the JRB guys have on their site.

Grizz

[campcrafter]

Yep make your self a test hammock that you can play with and sleep in the backyard a few nights before spending any real money.

I made my first hammock that way and havespent many nights in it.

I still play with it - different suspension, whipping, etc and since I don't sew it still isn't hemmed

If you don't feel like making one - I think hammocks.com still has the one for $16.00 that is really same as a $60 hammock of various brands.

http://www.hammocks.com/hammocks/cam...blehammock.cfm

[Big E]

For me it came down to comfort first. But, I will say that even with a HH Explorer Deluxe and their stock (non-sil) hex fly my base weight on my last outing was 10 lbs. With food and water for three days I was in at 17.5 lbs for the trip. Not extreme ultra-light, but a far cry from the 35-40 lbs I used to carry (now if I could just lose about 30 lbs of blubber...).

Comfort, ah the joy of waking up in a hammock on the trail and getting out in the morning without aching joints, and having a MUCH better night's sleep is invaluable and I don't really know how to quantify it. I just know that I truly enjoy being out there more with a hammock.

[cavediver2]

For me it came down to comfort first. But, I will say that even with a HH Explorer Deluxe and their stock (non-sil) hex fly my base weight on my last outing was 10 lbs. With food and water for three days I was in at 17.5 lbs for the trip. Not extreme ultra-light, but a far cry from the 35-40 lbs I used to carry (now if I could just lose about 30 lbs of blubber...).

Comfort, ah the joy of waking up in a hammock on the trail and getting out in the morning without aching joints, and having a MUCH better night's sleep is invaluable and I don't really know how to quantify it. I just know that I truly enjoy being out there more with a hammock.

I would call that priceless

[Hooch]

I would call that priceless

ENO DoubleNest: $59.95

Speer Winter Tarp: $119

Hearing groundlings grumble about a poor night's rest: Priceless

[BillyBob58]

1Tripod,

Only three reasons to opt for a hammock:

1. comfort,
2. comfort, and
3. comfort.

You can sleep on the ground under a tarp for less weight than you can hang in a hammock, but you can easily find a hammock system that weighs less than a traditional tent system and not much more than the ground tarp system.

FarStar

No doubt the promise of comfort ( compared to a tarp and light weight pad on the ground) factor was what got me into hammock camping. And the profound comfort of all nights but my first night, and the profoundly deep straight through the night sleep of those last nights on the trail, is what made me stick with it. Considering I was dog cussing the HHUL Explorer and it's Super Shelter after the first night, during which I abandoned it for the ground and swore never to try it again. Thank goodness I gave it one more chance the next night and finished the week long trip a total convert.

But as time has gone on, another factor has emerged that threatens to ( almost ) push the comfort factor out of the #1 slot. And that is simply the ability to camp at all where I do 90% of my hiking. Though my big trips are out west or maybe to the Smokies, my day to day hiking is in the often semi-jungles of N. MS. In places where there really are no developed campgrounds, and most of what I do is more or less stealth.

For me, other than the dead of winter, it would be unthinkable to try to sleep(or even sit down for a break) on the ground, on a small pad under a tarp, where I hike. If it is not the dead of winter, I would need a floored tent that seals up tight. And even then, finding flat spots that are also not swampy or covered with roots can be a real challenge. When it is not winter, add weeds/briars or Poison Ivy or ground swarming with various insects, and of course, various poisonous snakes. And you will need to add the weight of a net to the tarp only set up for the mosquitoes. And if it is winter, all of the above terrain factors still apply ( slopes, roots, wet boggy ground).

So, just a tarp and a small pad on the ground, in the above conditions, to save a little weight? For get about it, ain't gonna happen with me, at least not locally. But with my hammocks, as long as there is forest, all of the above becomes almost irrelevant, and they have opened up a whole new world of enjoyable hiking for me. And I don't have to wait until I can travel hundreds of miles to are least enjoy the outdoors a bit.

Of course, there are the developed and primitive campsites here, where you can probably find good ground campsites, but I prefer to get away from the crowds when I camp.

And even if I was hardy enough to willingly sleep on the ground in the above conditions, in order to maybe save a pound, then the comfort factor comes back into consideration. First of all, IN MY CASE at least, I would have to carry my thickest, heaviest self inflating pad to even consider sleeping on those roots, plus the tent in spring/summer/fall. As opposed to no pad( in hammock) really needed in summer, or maybe just the thinnest pad. So there goes most of the weight savings right there. And that thick pad still does not help with the relative lack of level ground. Which gets us back to comfort, which for me is just barely the #1 reason.

[te-wa]

the main reason I was slow to catch on to hanging was that I would have to basically start over, gear wise, with my setup. It seemed overwhelming to me that I would have to buy a hammock, some sort of tarp, snake skins (what the hell are those?) Weathershield (what the hell is that?) underquilts, top quilts etc... so basically I took to the learning curve with great interest and came up with some interesting ideas. It wasnt until I joined this forum that I put those ideas to a "system" that works for me. (fact is, you might, as I did, end up with more than one "system")
the weight penalty, if there is one for an average traditional backpacker might just be less than that of a ground system. Even for an UL nut like me, I only gained a few ounces over my old setup. I used a non-traditional sil nylon tarp and uber light CCF pad. That system worked good for nice weather, and I simply adjusted my philosophy and desires to match the weight in the same circumstances - only while hanging.
I dont even own a ground setup anymore save for the "family tent" and a couple t-rest pads.
I agree that its not up to us to talk you into anything, you'll do well just trying a hammock (go for the BMBridgeH if you have the chance) and making up your own mind. Like you, I purchased gear and then tweaked it a little to suit me. Thats all part of the fun.

[canoebie]

I am a canoeist and weight is not critical for me. I just plain and simply think hanging is way more fun. I enjoy the openness, the good rest, the ability to nap and be comfy, it all just adds up for me.

I got my wife one, and we now sleep full time side by side on our front porch. The waterbed has been shut down. Trying to figure out what we are going to do when winter comes. We really have gotten used to sleeping outdoors.

I hope your decision serves you well.

David

[riverkeeper]

Richard--
If you replace a conventional single person TENT with most bp oriented hammocks you will save weight...you may lose a pound compared to UL TARPS.

Some of the hammock manufacturers do list accurate weights....ask here if you have questions.

I hammock for one simple reason ... the extremely restful, relaxing and refreshing sleep compared to tarps or tents even with thick doubled or tripled pads.

There are a few minor downsides compared to tents ... may be not quite as storm proof, can't bring your pack inside, sometimes friendly spaced trees are not located precisely where desired, difficult to lounge/read in/on without falling asleep.