side sleepers

**alboutdoorsman** · 06-27-2009, 13:14

Hi everyone I'm new to hammock camping (and love it).I go camping about once a month and would like to go more but want to find a better hammock to sleep in. I have just a cheap hammock from wal-mart and i found that its hard
to sleep on my back. I have been looking for a new hammock that i can sleep on my side. I have found a few but not sure if there any good. Does anyone have any suggestions on what hammock i should get for a good nights sleep. Thanks and have a great day.

**Shug** · 06-27-2009, 13:27

Get a cup of coffee or some other libation and get a comfy chair and dig in on this forum. Really read a lot until your head is full ......
Then practice and persevere ...

The hammock quest does take some time to find the right fit for you.
My DIY whipped end hammock from JustJeffs http://www.tothewoods.net/HomemadeHammock.html site is real comfy on my side.
So is the Warbonnet BlackBird if you are one who does not sew.
Relish in the comfort quest!.....
Shug

**BillyBob58** · 06-27-2009, 13:34

Easy: #1 for flat lay position on your side with legs mostly straight or bent slightly: JRB Bear Mountain Bridge Hammock ( BMBH). Also great ( #1 IMO) for flat on your back ( with a pillow or scooted pretty far towards the head end) with no need for anything under your knees. You can't do fetal position due to not enough width.

#2: Not as flat, but still acceptably comfortable for sleeping on MY (YMMV) side with legs straight out at a diagonal position, with feet in the footbox ( on left side only for me): War Bonnet Black Bird (WBBB). However, maybe in #1 position for left side, and maybe even right side, fetal position. Also extremely comfortable for me on my back, but I do need something under my knees.

Welcome to the world of hanging!

**Ramblinrev** · 06-27-2009, 14:01

I side sleep very well in my HH Explorer UL. Any of the aforementioned hammocks are also highly recommended. Whatever floats your boat as they say.

**Roadtorque** · 06-27-2009, 14:45

Yep, BMBH for side sleeping is ideal

**lori** · 06-27-2009, 18:46

Also, as you spend more time in the hammock, back sleeping becomes comfortable, or side and back sleeping (which is possible simultaneously in a hammock). I was a devoted side sleeper in bed and still am, but frequently sleep on my back in the hammock.

**Just Jeff** · 06-27-2009, 19:02

Yep - I never sleep on my back in the bed, but always sleep on my back at least part of the night when I'm hammocking. A lot of the halfway-on-my-side-and-halfway-on-my-back position that is only possible in a hammock.

**canoebie** · 06-27-2009, 21:05

Originally Posted by Just Jeff

Yep - I never sleep on my back in the bed, but always sleep on my back at least part of the night when I'm hammocking. A lot of the halfway-on-my-side-and-halfway-on-my-back position that is only possible in a hammock.

This has been my experience as well. I was always a stomach or side sleeper and in my hammock I usually spend part of the night on my back and sleep very very soundly. In fact, I am heading there tonight after a great sleep there last night as well. Wonderful wife and I are hanging on the front porch and are gonna watch some thunder boomers move through. Should be fun to hear the rain, see the light show, and relax with the hang.

**MedicineMan** · 06-27-2009, 21:46

A couple of years ago at the Bryant Ridge Shelter I stopped by to cook/eat/sign the register then packed up to head down the trail. A guy in the shelter asked where I was headed, I told him to hang the hammock up down the trail (I usually go left or right 50 or so yards and dissapear) but he was genuinely curious about the hammock but told me he cannot sleep on his back. I told him I'd set it up if he would lie in it for 5 minutes....well 15 minutes later with many onlookers at the shelter the guy was snoring away on his back.

**Just Jeff** · 06-27-2009, 22:06

You know what else is awesome in a hammock? My wife lays on her back inside the hammock and I'll lay on the ground below her and massage her back thru the hammock. It's one of the ways I bribed her into the hammock the first few times! Now she's agreed to go hammock camping and even backpacking...but we have to wait until it cools off. Colorado should be good for that! (T-minus 6 months)