Most of the hiking I do in the winter is in the desert. When I went out a few weeks ago, I knew it would be tough to find a spot to hang, so I just brought my tent. I was miserable ... tossed and turned ... major back ache ... swore I'd never sleep on the ground again. But I enjoy backpacking in the desert. So I started to think about why I sleep so well in a hammock. And for me, a major reason is that I sleep on a small incline. My head is slightly higher than my waist.
So, I thought if I could just raise the the head end of the hammock off the ground, it might be close enough to 'hanging' that I could get a good nights sleep. So, last night I tired it. It was the best night's sleep I've ever had on the ground.
I used a bridge hammock (JRB BMBH). I don't think this would work with a gathered end hammock. I think the BMBH is perfect for this as it has a pocket that accepts an air mattress and keeps it in place. I was using a Thermorest NeoAir. Pads would work as well. You just need to find a single, 5-6' tree/object to hang the hammock from ... with the surrounding ground relatively flat/clean. (This is a least possible in the desert). I think the spreader bar is what makes this work. It allows the head of the hammock to be 10-12" off the ground but most of air pad is in contact with the ground, improving the insulating capability. It's comfortable either on my back or side. Bottom line, I think I only woke up twice ... feeling some cold on my back. But I readjusted my TQ and I was back to sleep. Some pics:
This is how I hung the hammock. The foot end is stacked to the ground and used to pull the hammock away from the post the head end is hung from. I used a small piece of Tyvek to protect the hammock.
This is with the tarp. If I felt like it was going to rain, I'd probably pull the hammock away from the post a bit more. Would probably need a beak as well.
Another angle.
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Originally Posted by Jim S
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