Guest user report

[ame]

Hi all,

First, a bit of background. I have three Claytor Jungle Hammocks. No. 1 was bought for me to "have a go". I think it's great! No. 2 was bought for my wife, so she could join me. Unfortunately, No. 2 has all four sides stitched, and no pad sleeve (a topic about which there has been much discussion already). Fortunately, Tom fixed it for me, and No. 3 arrived with the same original design. This is now my wife's hammock, and No. 2 is a loaner.

I want to lend No. 2 to as many people as I can. Firstly, to prove that I am not mad, and secondly, to increase business for Tom (if they like it).

I lent No. 2 to a friend this weekend. She is curious about hammocking as she is planning a bike trip from the north of Japan to the south (or north east to south west I suppose), so travelling light is a high priority. She tried it out in a local park (with a tent as well, as she was testing a pole repair I had done for her) and wrote a great report for me. She has given permission for me to re-post it here. She has identified some plus points, and some minus points, and an interesting conclusion. I am sure many of you would like to read it, and I am sure my friend would be interested to read any comments you have in return. I will put my own comments in a reply to this message.

Now read on...

"So I am writing to you from work which means i have not broken my tail bone or anything from falling out of the hammock! my knots held!

my opinion about the hammock:
-I think the lack of sleeve for the sleeping pad is a bad design (my sleeping pad was really out of place by morning)

-pros:
1) less gear means that repairs are easier (I can't see anything getting broken that you wouldn't be able to fix)
2) super light
3) super comfortable (I think not having to find a flat space is totally GREAT!)

-cons
1) set up was a bit more complicated than a tent (maybe it was because I set the tent up first, but also there was less thinking for the tent- i.e. what knot, which tree etc.)
2) way too exposed for my liking! (I found these two great trees last night that were shielded from the road, but not from the walking path... which meant when I woke up this morning, I could see people less than 10 feet away from me staring at me sleeping in the hammock!)
3) i woke up damp... I'm guessing it was just the humidity, but I have a feeling if it's cold enough for dew to form on grass, it will also form on you inside the hammock... that could not be so fun especially if you have a down sleeping bag

Experience:
-I slept really well in the hammock, it was WAY more comfortable than usual tent sleeping (felt really spacious and not claustrophobic at all which i was surprised about)
-I am glad I didn't buy one though, because for what I would use a tent for, it would add an extra stress (finding trees, and branches for spreaders- although you have made yours), it just didn't seem self sufficient
-I didn't like how open to the elements I felt (although I did set up the tarp the wrong way! I noticed this in the morning, but didn't figure it out when I was setting it up last night)
-I set it up kind of high off the ground (the bottom of the hammock was at hip level) and I had a bit of trouble getting into and out of the hammock! haha! but there was plenty of room for gear underneath me

So, conclusion: if ever given the choice between sleeping in a hammock and a regular tent, I will always choose the hammock. BUT feel uncomfortable only having the hammock as my gear... does that make sense?"

A

[ame]

So, my response to my friend's report was firstly to thank her for such a detailed and unbiased report. My summary would be "hammocks are comfortable but different to tents". I feel that she would gain enough experience over time to be confident she could use a hammock in most places she's likely to visit, and to overcome her perceived shortcomings of the hammock, but it's important to note that these perceived shortcomings are genuine, which is what makes her report so interesting. I do concur with her decision to use the tent instead of a hammock because she doesn't actually know where she will be camping on this trip, and she is very familiar with the tent.

The point of particular interest to me was the dampness in the morning. Japan at this time of year is very hot and humid. Can anyone else comment on what might have caused this, or how to avoid it happening?

A

[Narwhalin]

Ame,

You pretty much said what I would have in your response. Exposure is an issue for us who are used to having tent fabric all around us to "protect" us from the evil that lurks outside. However, there are a few tarps that are helping to bridge the gap there. Namely, the SWT (http://www.hammockforums.net/gallery/showimage.php?i=3325&catid=searchresults&searchid=6503) and the JRB 11'/10' (http://www.jacksrbetter.com/index_files/DSC00306%20-%2011x10%20Cat%20Tarp%20-%20Tent%20-%20%20web%20large.JPG) and JRB hammock hut (http://www.jacksrbetter.com/index_files/Hammock%20Hut.htm)

The dew thing is interesting to me, as well. I have never heard anyone complain about that before. There have been folks who mentioned that heavy fog can have the same effect, though...

[Youngblood]

The dew thing is interesting to me, as well. I have never heard anyone complain about that before. There have been folks who mentioned that heavy fog can have the same effect, though...

Sometimes you get condensation from moisture rising from the ground or low lying vegetation. You can see condensation on the underside of a tarp after it has been set up for an hour or so when you haven't even got under it in the right conditions. About all you can do in those conditions is give yourself some space from the tarp, hope for some air movement, and don't close your tarp off such that it doesn't vent well. (If you are in an area where moisture rising from the ground is severe enough to cause standing fog, then there isn't much you can do. That is like being in a cloud and hopefully you avoid those conditions.)

When you are tarping on the ground you can see the difference in a plastic ground sheet that blocks vapor rising from the ground and a ground sheet that doesn't. The plastic ground sheet will often be muddy or damp on the ground side while a breathable ground sheet may be dry... the underside of your tarp may be dry with the plastic ground sheet but have condensation build up with the breathable ground sheet.

[BillyBob58]

Isn't the bottom of the JH, unlike the No Net and most other hammocks, waterproof? So, it would be a vapor barrier? While this might be great as extra protection from outside rain and such, I have wondered if it might cause some condensation problems under the right circumstances. I have only slept in this hammock one night, and I did not notice any significant problems. However, a few times that I have layed in it for short periods, I thought I noticed a somewhat different feel than the No Net, and I think it is a VB effect.

[headchange4u]

I think if your friend had someone there to give her pointers and tips for setting up the hammock and tarp properly she would be even more happy with the hammock. I know when I was learning it was trial and error and I may have had some of the same complaints she voiced. As you get more experienced you learn that a lot of the problems a first time hammock camper may run into have an easy solution.

[6 feet over]

Seems to me the dew issue would also apply to tents. Condensation is a humidity/temperature issue, is it not?

As for people walking and staring from 10 feet away, I wouldn't want my tent 10 feet from a path either. I was a little surprised when I went to a local park and found that I had difficultly finding a suitable hammock site that wasn't in plane view, and I was only looking for a spot to practice set up, not actually sleep.