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  1. #1
    Member Mitroxis's Avatar
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    Retiring my hammock...maybe, maybe not.

    I haven't said anything about this as of yet, but I've been having real trouble falling asleep in a hammock. I can take a nap, but not truly sleep at night. I've been hammock camping a total of 10 collective nignts and was not able to sleep more than 2 hours on any one of those nights. I'm sleeping at an angle and have tried experimenting with positioning. My problem is that I am not a back sleeper. I am mainly a stomach sleeper. When I'm on my back in the hammock my shoulders are a bit compressed no matter what I do. The only time I'm able to sleep is when I can finally get comfortable on my side...but wake up 2 hours later in discomfort. Now, on my back I'm not necessarily uncomfortable, I just cannot sleep that way. I lay there for hours. I'm hanging at a 45. I'm looking for a bit of advice before I pull the plug on this thing. I tried last night to get comfortable but with no luck. I've been using a TimerRec hammock and have previously used a tablecloth hammock and a nylon cheapy.

  2. #2
    Member Katdaddy's Avatar
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    Feb 2014
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    Petal MS
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    How long is your hammock? I started with a 10 foot Skeeter Beeter Pro and had a similar experience. I could never really get comfortable. I upgraded to an 11 foot hammock and it made all the difference in the world. I'm sure someone with much more experience will respond with some good tips.

  3. #3
    Senior Member Deadwood's Avatar
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    Jan 2013
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    Georgia
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    I'm not sure anyone can give another person a solution for a situation like this and I sure haven't had enough experience in hammocks to offer any "advise". I am however in a similar situation in that I am a life long belly sleeper. I would offer this. I have had "low back problems" for over 40 years. Chronic pain that surgery will not fix. In the last 4-5 years I have found that I cannot sleep through the night even in my sleep number bed which was a life saver for about 10 years. What I have found is that by forcing myself to side or back sleep, even though I don't sleep through the night, I wake up with little or no pain. As far as hammocks go, I have for the first time ever enjoyed my time backpacking and car camping not because I sleep through the night but because I get up without pain. I never woke up from the ground without pain. I still struggle with not sleeping on my stomach, especially lying on my back, but regardless I wake feeling better. Over time I have been able to get comfortable and increase the length of time I do sleep on my side or back in bed and my hammock. I would do about anything to sleep like many on the forum say they do but I'll accept the short periods I get to be able to wake without the constant pain.

    So that doesn't solve your problem at all. It may be like has been said before that hammocks aren't for everyone. For me, I am loving the time, however short, that I can escape to my hammocks and actually relax. Good luck and I hope you find a solution and can get used to your hammock.

  4. #4
    Senior Member FJRpilot's Avatar
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    Have you tried a Bridge Hammock? Maybe a gathered end is just not for you...
    “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men should do nothing.”

    - Edmund Burke

  5. #5
    all secure in sector 7 Shug's Avatar
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    Oct 2007
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    This one belly sleeps real well. Read the specs though as it fits a 6 foot person well. If taller than that it may not be suitable.
    Shug

    Whooooo Buddy)))) All Secure in Sector Seven

  6. #6

    Join Date
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    Mrs. Dust likes a BMBH for stomach sleeping.

  7. #7
    Senior Member Grumpy Squatch's Avatar
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    I sympathize. I'm a life-long side-sleeper and hammocks took a lot of getting used to. And as much as I love mine, if I'm honest, it really only works when backpacking when the alternative is a thin air mattress and a tent. After a day of walking, sleeping in a hammock (once I got the quilts and temp setup right) was a revelation. It brought me back to the joy of camping when I was 16 years old and could sleep anywhere. Plus it shaved about a pound+ off my pack weight. But if I car camp - and I know this is heresy on this board - I set up a plush air mattress inside of a 10x14 tent and don't look back. Even if I'm soloing at a campground, I set up a cot in a small 1-person tent (with an underquilt rigged underneath). Testing gear in my yard is equally hard - I probably fall asleep for more than an hour maybe one out of 3 times. But the first time I got the setup right was a couple of years ago after an 8-mile walk in the White Mountains. The second night I fixed the quilt, laid back, and opened my eyes 9 hours later thinking it must be 2am... only it was close to 7. It's been bliss for dozens of nights since. So my first piece of advice would be to hang in there.

    Other tips I've figured out:

    • Longer hammocks are better for me - it's mainly foot pressure that keeps me awake now. My 11' DreamHammock is better than my 10' Hennessy. Sometimes I think a 12' would be better still.
    • Stiff fabric helps too. In the quest for the ultimate lightweight fabric, some hammocks have a lot of stretch. Feels great when you're on your back. Terrible on your side etc. My DreamHammock is double-layer, 1.6 HyperD and 1.1. That makes it pretty rigid for me to roll around on.
    • Pitch is 100% critical. I have a friend I hang with who is immune to bad pitches. Trees 8' apart hanging like a banana? No problem. 18' pitch so tight you can bounce quarters off the hammock? Asleep in 60 seconds. Me - if it's not perfect - tight enough to prevent calf-ridge but loose enough to keep the sidewalls loose to prevent foot pressure - I"m not sleeping. Hammock needs to be level for me or maybe just an inch or two higher at the foot. And more foot elevation and the sidewalls seem to tighten too much. Practice makes perfect here. I experiment in my basement or in a backyard stand until I get it 100% then replicate that in the woods.
    • Kill the distractions - the woods are noisy. Backyards even worse. I always carry a sleep mask to block the light (full moons on snow are like trying to sleep at noon in the summer). My sleep mask has a little pocket for ear plugs which I also keep at all times. Blocks the wind noise and my hiking partner's buzzsaw snoring too. Added bonus: in winter the mask covers the big opening on my balaclava so frostbite is no worry at all.


    Finally - state of mind. I went through a period where I was convinced I'd never sleep in a hammock. So I put it away for a while. I noticed that I wasn't sleeping well in my own bed either. A combination of things fixed that - exercise, diet, a little weight loss. Plus relieving some stress at work. Once I started sleeping better at home, I went back to the hammock. It's been great ever since.

    Good luck.
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
    Men hang out their signs indicative of their respective trades; shoe makers hang out a gigantic shoe; jewelers a monster watch, and the dentist hangs out a gold tooth; but up in the Mountains of New Hampshire, God Almighty has hung out a sign to show that there He makes men.
    - Daniel Webster

  8. #8
    Senior Member Dcolon13's Avatar
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    I'm 180lbs and shoulder squeeze and butt sag are my main issues with all of my SL gathered end hammocks that use lighter, stretchier fabrics. The only hammocks I use that don't give me those problems are my HH Explorer which uses a 210d oxford nylon (3.2oz) and a DL 1.0 Hexon (2.0oz). The HH is the flatter lay of the two and I can even sleep sideways/fetal in it, so maybe a thicker or less stretchy fabric would work for you. Also, adding a slightly inflated air pad to any of my hammocks makes for a MUCH flatter lay (and I can sleep sideways in it). Good luck!
    Last edited by Dcolon13; 01-30-2016 at 14:17.

  9. #9
    TallPaul's Avatar
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    Are you hanging from static locations - i.e. posts that are always the same distance, height?. If so mix it up with some trees of varying distance.

  10. #10
    Senior Member Texas Hanger's Avatar
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    I have had the same experience. Hammock camping is much better than tent dwelling but I still had a difficult time sleeping in a GE hammock. I had a custom bridge made for me and can tell you it was my solution for car camping. For backpacking I made this modified GE hammock:

    https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...E-Hammock-EVER

    Don't give up. Just keep trying new things until you discover your solution(s).
    Failure is a good friend you will meet on the road to success. Just remember, he will give the best directions...

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