Very long introduction, but with photos =)
Hello everyone,
I just wanted to introduce myself and share how I got into hammock camping, along with what I’ve learned so far.
My wife and I really enjoy spending time outdoors in forests and sleeping in tents. After relocating to Lithuania, we decided to explore the lakes and rivers in our new country on inflatable SUP boards. We noticed that there aren’t many places where we could easily set up our tent. Additionally, more and more places in Lithuania are becoming restricted for tents, but not for hammocks. So, we decided to give hammocks a try.
Of course, I’d heard from friends and seen many examples of how terrible it can be to sleep in a hammock at night. They’re often said to be only suitable for lounging around in parks and backyards. Some friends even gave us a large, bridged hammock made from linen, which was really only good for hanging between trees and laying on during the day.
As usual, I started by learning more about the topic. I read a lot of reviews and watched hundreds of "how-to" videos on YouTube (big thanks to Shug). I figured out how to correctly lie in a hammock with comfort. Thanks to Derek's "The Ultimate Hang" site, I learned how to properly hang it between trees. So, we decided to start with the simplest and cheapest options. We went to a local Decathlon store and bought a "Two-Person Hammock." Its size is 350 x 175 cm and it’s made of very comfortable fabric. We went to the nearest forest camping site, tried to hang it correctly, and stayed in it for a long time during the day. Since it was the middle of spring, we quickly realized that we needed something to protect us from "CBS" (Cold Butt Syndrome). We had a separate white bug net that we used with our bridge hammock, and we managed to cover our Decathlon hammock with it using some clips, making it a bottom-entry bug net.
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I would also say that while it may have been designed as a "two-person" hammock, it’s definitely only suitable for leisure time, not for sleeping.
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It was a very comfortable, large hammock for me, so we decided to buy another "One-Person" hammock from Decathlon for my wife. When she tried to lie in it, we noticed a small drop of pine tar on it and realized that we needed to make a permanent bug net. But before doing that, I wanted to see a "factory-made solution for a bug net and thermal solution." I found a great deal on Amazon DE for the AMAZONAS Ultra-Light Adventure Mosquito Thermal Hammock.
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I would say this is a very lightweight option, and it really packs into a small bag, so you can easily put it in your backpack for daily use. However, it was too small for me (275 x 140 cm), so we had to return it. I also watched JellyFish’s videos on how to make a hammock and a bug net, and we finally decided to make our own.
We bought some bug netting, a zipper (by the meter), and were ready to start. Unfortunately, we don’t have a backyard (we live in a flat), and driving to the nearest forest every time to hang the hammock wasn’t an option. So, we bought a hammock stand from Decathlon, made the bug net, and returned the stand to the store =). I would say that we weren’t satisfied with the stand, as when we tried to hang the hammock correctly, it was too high to get into.
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Here is our first result, and after the first use, some spread bars were definitely needed.
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Finally, we went to the forest. The weather was sunny and warm, without wind or rain, so we decided to sleep in the hammocks for our first night. At that time, in my large hammock, I had only a bug net without spread bars, but no underquilt. The smaller hammock had no bug net, but we used our old sleeping bag as an underquilt. I used an original closed-cell foam mat to prevent CBS and a summer sleeping bag (+10°C limit, +14°C comfort). I also used a stick found in the forest as spread bars, as we had already sewn channels for it. That was our first night in the hammock, and it was very comfortable for me. However, due to the narrow width of the mat, my forearms got cold during the night, but it wasn’t critical. On the other hand, my wife was warm, but she struggled with mosquitoes all night. We also realized that we needed some protection from above, as twigs might fall into the hammock. Unfortunately, we were so thrilled by this experience that I didn’t take good photos.
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It was also the first time I tested the oneWind Tree Strap (cinch buckle) with my large hammock. The setup is very easy, but I have some concerns. Since there’s no way to center the continuous loop from the hammock, it always slides to one corner during use, causing it to become uncentered. As a result, the cinch buckle could damage the strap and start untightening. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to buy DutchWare BEETLE BUCKLES in the EU (or it’s very costly to import them from the USA), so I have to live with this and center it from time to time.
After the first try with my large hammock, we made a second bug net for the small Decathlon hammock. The result was very good, and due to its size, no spread bar was required.
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Next, it was time to buy tarps. We had some old ones from our camping trips, but they were either small or sagging from usage. One handmade tarp was made out of Oxford material back in 2007. First, I ordered the cheapest option on Amazon – the Free Soldier Tarp (300 x 320 cm), and this is a very good tarp except that it’s too small for the large hammock, but ideal for the small one. So, I started looking for a second tarp for my large hammock. I ordered the onewind Hammock Hexagonal Tarp (365 x 295 cm) on Amazon. It was almost fine for the large hammock, but an additional 50 cm would have been ideal. Also, I realized that while having a hexagonal tarp is great for a hammock, it’s not very versatile. So, I decided to order a rectangular tarp of the same size from the same company – the oneWind Hammock Tarpaulin 12ft. Unfortunately, they sent me a hammock instead of a tarp. I thought this might be a sign, so I made a list of options and started analyzing. I then ordered the cheapest option on Amazon again, this time the Vosoir (Voronox) Tarp (400 x 300 cm). I kept in mind that I wanted to reuse this tarp in the future if we decided to try the Amock Draumr Double, but that’s for later.
For our second attempt at sleeping in hammocks for two nights, we were fully set up – bug net, underquilts, suspension, and tarp. I ordered 3mm fiberglass poles on AliExpress and joined them with a 5mm aluminum tube (as done in the Amazonas hammock =)). I also ordered the same second suspension but with shorter straps. Additionally, I added some illumination from IKEA, as there were good discounts in the shop at the time. It was perfect and wonderful.
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Two weeks later, we used the hammocks for the third time and spent two nights. The temperature dropped to 12°C during the night. Since we were using our warmest sleeping bags (-0°C limit, +10°C comfort), it was very comfortable and toasty.
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So, it’s time to summarize our experience using hammocks this season and what we plan to do next.
What I don't like about our current setup:
Packed size and weight: The hammock with the added bug net (1kg), homemade synthetic underquilt (1kg), and bulky warm synthetic sleeping bag (2kg) – and that’s just for one person. For both of us, it doubles.
The cinch buckles from oneWind aren’t perfect (see above).
The very wide large hammock (175 cm) makes it not so easy for me to get out.
Sleeping separately: No matter how close you manage to find trees, you will never be able to share the same space with your partner and hold their hand.
What I like:
The total amount of money invested to try sleeping in hammocks was around 150 Euros for two people. 30 + 15 Euros for hammocks, around 20 Euros for bug nets, zippers with pulleys and spread bars, and 40 + 45 Euros for tarps. Everything else we already had – old sleeping bags.
Definitely, I would say our hammock setup is much bigger and bulkier than our tent setup for both of us. We have a 2.5-person small tent, a double-size inflatable mattress from Exped, and this weighs less. However, the landscape may limit your ability to place a tent, so I would consider this as an appropriate tool for specific locations, but not as a primary option. Of course, we managed to cut down costs by making some things ourselves or buying the cheapest options on the market. However, if I could have a hammock setup in one click, I would buy the Hennesy 4Season Expedition Zip (XL). Yes, it’s pricey, but you get everything in one package, and time to time they provide very good discount. If I added a down underquilt to our setup, it would cost much more than the Hennesy setup.
Our next step is to buy the Amock Draumr Double with Winter Pads, and we plan to do this for the next season. We already have a tarp that can cover the hammock. The Winter Pads could be used outside of the hammock in tents (unlike down underquilts) and will allow us to share the same space and hold each other's hands. This setup costs almost the same as two Hennesy 4Season Expedition Zip setups. However, the ability to share space is more important to us, as we usually go through all our adventures together.
See you soon.
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Originally Posted by fish.ka
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