Upper back pain (sometimes)

[airoot]

Hey all, when I camp I sleep in a standard dutchware netless in 1.6 hexon. Sometimes I wake with a decent amount of back pain in between my shoulder blades, sometimes I sleep like a baby with no pain. I’m having trouble narrowing down what causes the issue - any suggestions? I’m 6’2”; 200lb. I ensure the right hang angles, etc when I set up. Appreciate your thoughts...

[SilvrSurfr]

I guess the usual questions are in order:

1) Are you sleeping on your back? Side?
2) Are you using a pillow?
3) Do you have the foot end 6 to 12 inches higher than the head end?
4) Are you sleeping on a proper diagonal, or are you closer to a banana hang?

It's a pretty odd place to get shoulder pain, between the shoulder blades. If you don't get this kind of pain in a bed, I suspect you are doing something odd and just don't realize it. Attending a group hang might prove to be of immense value, since experienced hangers can assist you.

I attended a group hang with a guy named Greensoldier once. He had never been to a group hang and had some decidedly odd misconceptions about keeping warm in a hammock. For one thing, he thought that the lower you hung to the ground, the warmer you would be. I don't know where he got that idea, but he insisted that the earth would give off warmth throughout the night and keep him warm, because he hung so close to the earth. Everyone he talked to about this told him that was not the case, but he insisted it was true.

Greensoldier also thought that sleeping on two bulky pads was going to keep him warm. I slept near him and had to laugh hearing him trying to squirm around and get those two pads situated underneath him (in a single layer hammock). The overnight low was 17* F, and by the morning, Greensoldier was gone, never to be seen again by anyone. I wonder what happened to Greensoldier!

[airoot]

Thanks - couple clarifying comments:

I do sleep on the diagonal, on my back
I typically use a decent sized pillow (Nemo fillo)
Feet higher than head is a good suggestion- I’ll give that a shot

[SilvrSurfr]

Also, 10 posts in six years of being an HF member tells me that you probably haven't really made a commitment to hammock hanging, and probably aren't very social. Nothing wrong with either of them, but it is a lot easier to adjust to hammock hanging if you have some (in-person) support from fellow hammock hangers.

[SilvrSurfr]

I typically use a decent sized pillow (Nemo fillo)

Everybody's different, but I could never adapt to using a pillow in my hammock. It was very difficult to get a consistent lay with a pillow, and I often woke up with a painful crick in my neck. I dumped the pillow about six years ago, and rarely get neck pain since.

Personally, I could never really get used to hanging in a hammock until I had a back injury about 4 years ago. I could not sleep in a bed, at all, so I hung a hammock in my office. I slept in that hammock for three months until my back healed. I haven't had a problem sleeping in a hammock since. However, I still need to get used to sleeping in a hammock after extensive bed sleeping, so I will typically sleep in my office hammock for a couple of nights before heading out on the trail.

[airoot]

Also, 10 posts in six years of being an HF member tells me that you probably haven't really made a commitment to hammock hanging, and probably aren't very social. Nothing wrong with either of them, but it is a lot easier to adjust to hammock hanging if you have some (in-person) support from fellow hammock hangers.

Yeah, I created a profile a long time ago, and only recently started hanging more frequently- just started legitimately sleeping in a hammock in the woods a few months ago. Been spending most of my time learning by reading, the search function has served me well.

[airoot]

Everybody's different, but I could never adapt to using a pillow in my hammock. It was very difficult to get a consistent lay with a pillow, and I often woke up with a painful crick in my neck. I dumped the pillow about six years ago, and rarely get neck pain since.

Personally, I could never really get used to hanging in a hammock until I had a back injury about 4 years ago. I could not sleep in a bed, at all, so I hung a hammock in my office. I slept in that hammock for three months until my back healed. I haven't had a problem sleeping in a hammock since. However, I still need to get used to sleeping in a hammock after extensive bed sleeping, so I will typically sleep in my office hammock for a couple of nights before heading out on the trail.

Thanks - maybe I just need some more nights above ground

[Ohoopee]

Pillow to big causes pain between my shoulder blades

[airoot]

Pillow to big causes pain between my shoulder blades

Great to know - I’ll give a smaller pillow a shot. It would be a big win if that fixes it

[airoot]

Everybody's different, but I could never adapt to using a pillow in my hammock. It was very difficult to get a consistent lay with a pillow, and I often woke up with a painful crick in my neck. I dumped the pillow about six years ago, and rarely get neck pain since.

Personally, I could never really get used to hanging in a hammock until I had a back injury about 4 years ago. I could not sleep in a bed, at all, so I hung a hammock in my office. I slept in that hammock for three months until my back healed. I haven't had a problem sleeping in a hammock since. However, I still need to get used to sleeping in a hammock after extensive bed sleeping, so I will typically sleep in my office hammock for a couple of nights before heading out on the trail.

Also, good tip on sleeping in he hammock ahead of a trip to get ‘re conditioned’, thanks