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  1. #1
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    Negative Aspects of Hammock Camping?

    Okay, So I've heard all of the positives of hammock camping. But are there any negative aspects to it?
    Let me here your thoughts.

    Edit:
    The Negative Aspects of Hammock Camping are:
    -Weight.
    -The transition from Ground Dweller to Bear Burrito! (Including buying new, expensive gear and learning the ropes).
    -Going to ground due to lack of acceptable trees (No widow makers, proper spacing).
    -Time wasted [(Or time well spent!) Spending time in the hammock, adjusting your system and surfing Hammock Forums.
    -PR (Converting, erm "introducing" new people and dealing with those who are ignorant to Hammock Camping).
    Last edited by Divine_Light; 03-22-2010 at 16:51. Reason: Adding reasons for new readers.

  2. #2
    Senior Member WrongTurn's Avatar
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    Weight. By the time you pack a tarp, tarp suspension, stakes, hammock, hammock suspension, UQ, TQ, Pad the weight can really add up.
    Not the guy to ask for Directions.

  3. #3
    Senior Member sclittlefield's Avatar
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    Slight learning curve for folks who've been ground dwellers all their life.

    For the extreme gram counter, setup can be slightly heavier (take that with a grain of salt, there are too many options to compare and you can certainly beat a tent's weight with a hammock setup).

    Long time ground dwellers will have to buy some new gear (hammock, tarp) - though, getting new gear is a plus, spending for new gear isn't always.
    DIY Gear Supply - Your source for DIY outdoor gear.

  4. #4
    Senior Member kayaknut01's Avatar
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    the biggest gain in all of it (imho) is the quality and comfort of the sleep you get to me that is the biggest plus to all of it!!!! And the cool factor i guess the biggest negative besides the checkbook would be in an area with no trees.
    i do not remember the question, however i believe beer is the answer

  5. #5
    Senior Member Just Jeff's Avatar
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    Learning curve is probably the biggest.

    Weight is a slight second...but if you compare the weight of a hammock setup to a tent setup, it's very close. Comparing a hammock to a tarp/CCF setup isn't really fair. Look at feature-for-feature and hammocks are only a couple ounces lighter...and for the better sleep I get that's definitely a fair trade.

    Options. We're starting to get more cottage-industry offerings, but it'll be a LONG time before we have as many choices between products for hammocks and associated gear versus ground dwellers.

    Time-management. Not only in how much time we all spend tweaking our systems, but I sleep so much later than the uncomfortable ground dwellers that I usually get a late start.
    “Republics are created by the virtue, public spirit, and intelligence of the citizens. They fall when the wise are banished from the public councils because they dare to be honest, and the profligate are rewarded because they flatter the people, in order to betray them.” ~Judge Joseph Story

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    IMPOSSIBLE JUST TAKES LONGER

  6. #6
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    the negative aspects start to take shape the colder it gets. more **** to carry and buy.

  7. #7
    Senior Member TinaLouise's Avatar
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    the only neg I can think of is I tend to dread having to get up the next morning. I'm usually sleeping very comfortably and I just plain don't want to move. Oh, just thought of this one... I don't like to try to pick out trees in the dark, so I tend to find my campsite before the sun drops, I guess that could be a neg??? Gotta find campsite before dark. And here's a big neg.... don't get a few miles down the trail and remember your tree straps are still on the trees at your last campsite. Ok, that's all the neg stuff I can think of.
    TinaLouise

  8. #8
    Senior Member BillyBob58's Avatar
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    Negatives: 1:trees or big limbs falling on you. This is the big one for me. And not exactly fair, because the risk can apply just as much to a tent or ground dweller in a tarp. However, when there are widow makers every where, it seems easier to set up in a clearing far enough away from trees with a tent. yes, I know that a hammock/tarp can be set up as a bivy away from trees. But not as easily as a tent, IMO.

    2: security in high winds. OK, this is open for debate, I'm just trying to come up with something here. But I have never felt as secure from howling winds with a tarp ( aka sail) covering a hammock as I did in some of my 4 season tents with multiple crossing poles, staked to the ground, with body weight helping to hold them down. But I'm not sure how psychological that is, considering that with the hammock, I am free to find a slope or other spot that is better protected from the wind, maybe rendering the wind a moot point. And this spot may not be usable for ground sleeping.

    3: to a small degree, weight. So take your CCF ground pad and tarp, and add from 7 oz to 30 oz to it for the hammock weight. But you might need to add a bivy ( for bugs or rain) to that ground set up for apples to apples. Considering the superior protection from ground water you have in a hammock, and the bug protection some hammocks provide. Plus, if it is above 75*F, you can leave the pad behind when using a hammock, further decreasing any weight advantage for ground. At least if your sure you won't have to go to ground.

  9. #9
    Senior Member mbiraman's Avatar
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    There's certainly a learning curve but i don't know if that can really be considered a negative.Most of us who came from tent culture it had become second nature so a no brainer but i've helped a couple of people set up tents who have never camped and it was all a mystery to them. If someone buys a HH kit the learning curve is shorter but when you start piecing together your ideal kit well that's different, more to learn and decide about ,but cool also. I have a tendency to sleep in more with the hammock, not sure if thats a negative either.
    " The mind creates the abyss, the heart crosses it."

    “The measure of your life will not be in what you accumulate, but in what you give away.” ~Wayne Dyer

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  10. #10
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    colder temps

    IMHO it is more difficult to stay warm in cold/drafty conditions. with the equivalent amount of down, a CCF and a bivy or tent, it is much easier to flat out stay warm is subzero temps.

    That is my one complaint - this list of pros is very long, but that is another thread.

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