OK I am convinced. I will persevere and try some more. It's likely that I not only have an undersized hammock, but that I also hung it too tight.
OK I am convinced. I will persevere and try some more. It's likely that I not only have an undersized hammock, but that I also hung it too tight.
The problem with hammocks is that you really won't know how you will like it or how it will work until you invest the money for it. I started by buying a closeout Hennessy for about $50. I figured that if I did not like it, I would only be out $50. I just could not justify the big bucks for a nicer hammock like a blackbird.
I read on the forums that I should not just go out ant try it for the first time on a camping trip. The reasoning was that if you are in your backyard and discover you forgot something, need something, get too cold, or whatever - you are not totally screwed. You can just go inside and try it again another night. So I tried it out in my back yard first. I am an exclusive side sleeper - I NEVER sleep on my back. So I was worried. But my first night went very comfortably once i did some tossing and turning to find the best lay. I found that every hammock has little spots and folds that you can find that lets you lay just a little bit more comfortably. Once I found that sweet spot, I slept great.
Eventually I was able to invest in some hammock gear under and over quilts and those made everything so much more comfortable. I got a Dangerbird 72 and have never looked back. Now I can't wait to go camping and can't believe how long I suffered as a ground dweller. I am just sorry that I didn't find out about hammock camping sooner.
So I would advise that you do a few test nights sleep in your backyard or basement or something. Try some naps as was suggested too. And for your reference I am 6'2" and about 205 now, I started at 236 or so 8 months ago.
With the HHs and the ridgeline, you don't want the ridgeline to be so tight that you can plunk it like a guitar string when the hammock is unloaded. Leave it a little bit looser than that. You should be able to easily move the ridgeline down a couple/few inches with your finger. When loaded, you should still be able to move the ridgeline, but there should be some resistance in the effort.Originally Posted by thermocouple
Trust nobody!
I am active and a side sleeper as well, in a bed.
But my hammock just does something to me. Like 6 ambiens and a shot of hooch. I find that sweet spot (on my back) and I am out like a light.
But it took some backyard tinkering before I got it dialed in.
With practice and repitition you get where you can just throw it up twixt the trees and have it hang perfectly.
It also helps to get yourself dog tired the first few times too.
I'm a side sleeper also & have never had a problem getting comfortable on my side in my hammock! If fact I'm more comfortable on my side than on my back due to the "ridge" of fabric behind my knees that I can never seem to get rid of!
I love my hammocks but will never sell my BA Fly Creek 2 because circumstances may dictate whether I use my hammocks or my tent! I must say that after a night in my hammock I always wake up feeling refreshed & rested! Can't honestly say that has always been the case when sleeping on the ground in a tent even with my Neoair mattress!
To each his own, but I agree...give your hammock another chance
This is a great thread and it again shows what I really love about this place. Folks here are generous with information and will give you their experiences and opinions readily.
Thermo- put up a post asking if there are any Hammockforum members near you that would be willing to meet you, or try to attend a group hang outing before you really give up. There are a surprisingly high number of variables in hammock hanging but there are also tons of folks here willing to help.
In bed I'm a stomach sleeper and I was convinced that was the only way for me to sleep. Until I tried hammocking. I sleep very comfortably on my back but need a pillow under my knees in a hammock to make it work. It also took quite a few nights in the backyard to get it dialed in like others have said. Now I only tent camp as a last resort and I have an Exped DAM 9 Deluxe, which is a darn nice pad.
I'm still a stomach sleeper in bed.
Exercise, eat right, die anyway -- Country Roads bumper sticker
Fall seven times, standup eight. -- Japanese Proverb
I thought of this too as I was napping in my hammock.
Trial and error is great too, but a more experienced hanger, (who probably has several hammocks you could try,) would be a great help in checking out your setup and giving hands on tips.
Looking forward to "Night 2 - LOVED it!" - the sequel...
Some say I'm apathetic, but I don't care. - Randy
Hammocks are like cigarets, smoking just one may not get you hooked. After 2 or 3, you should be starting to get the craving. After a pack, your good and hooked.
Too bad about that bad night. For some, hammocks take some getting used to. Others don't take to it at all. But don't go away, we talk a lot about cooking stoves here too
I'm a tossing and turning sleeper myself. And the truth is, I sleep better in a bed than in a hammock, of any kind. But when I'm on the trail I don't have a bed, and a pad I'm willing to carry, on the ground, doesn't cut it anymore. When I'm a tossing and a turning in any kind of hammock I rise up out of sleep enough to shift and maintain balance in the hammock, because when you shift the hammock turns with you.
For the tossing and turning you want a bigger hammock. I do well in a WBG Blackbird. I like bridge hammocks also, but for tossing and turning in a bridge you want something wide like the WBG RidgeRunner. Can't quite go fetal, but can bring my knees up a bit. My experience, and that of many others here is that the JRB BMBH feels more constraining, albeit in a comfortable enough way.
Grizz
(alias ProfessorHammock on youtube)
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