HOT weather Hammocking

**Doc B** · 11-14-2010, 21:57

Greetings all,

I may have missed something in my searches about this. There is a great deal of talk about how to stay warm in a hammock. What about the opposite? How to remain comfortable in warm weather? I live in Florida and the winter usually lends to some great camping and the islands I like to camp on are nice because of the sea breeze. In late summer, however, I tend to just stay out of the woods here. I would be interested in hearing and "seeing" some of your HOT weather camping setups.

Cheers,
Robby

**cataraftgirl** · 11-14-2010, 22:31

Hey Doc B. Welcome to HF. I'm a native of the Tampa Bay area, was born & raised in St. Pete. I've been living in Utah for about 23 years now.
I just started hammock hanging this summer on whitewater rafting trips. I was surprised that even when the daytime temps are 90-100 degrees, it can still get a little chilly at night in a hammock. You're laying on thin nylon with air circulating under you. You may be ok with a thin fleece or light weight sleeping bag under you. There are quite a few Florida hangers who will hopefully chime in with their experience.
KJ

**leepingreenlizards** · 11-14-2010, 22:59

A hammock fan and I place my 2P HeetSheet ...shiny side up to block the sun and heat from my hammock and I move it as needed. Also works great for blocking bright moonlight from keeping you up all night.

**Swingblade** · 11-14-2010, 23:17

Sleep nekkid.

Almost joking but really I often sleep in just light, loose shorts, think gym or running shorts, during the summer here in Arizona. If I'm in a situation where I'm wanting to stay in one place during the day I look for a cooler micro-climate (low with a breeze & shaded or close to water or moist ground) & pitch a tarp style EB with the reflective outwards towards the sun. If by the water don't forget it's reflective quality as I'm sure your aware of being in Florida. A wet loosely worn bandanna or shemagh can be a great comfort also. There are also products like small water bottle fans, neck coolers, etc. that can help keep you cool if your inclined towards modern tech. Water, QUALITY head covering, sunscreen and UV blocking light long sleeve shirt are a must as well as not moving around much in the middle of the day. DON'T FORGET ELECTROLYTES. If your hiking & potable water is not available lean towards carrying more water and/or purification than food. If you're not well hydrated eating is not a good idea unless it's fresh fruit.

This is where hammocks are a major upgrade over tents which can be unbearable in the summer, deadly during the day. Use the HD EB with grummans as your fly and instead of setting it like a rain fly pitch it as a sun screen paying special attention to any breeze that may be available. At night I sleep with just shorts on but do keep a light scout bag next to me since here it can get chilly in the wee hours even in the middle of the summer.

You probably know all of this but you did ask and for someone who has lived most of they're lives in cold country this may not be common knowledge. One more thing, it is often said cotton kills in the wilderness but it is my experience that in hot summer climates it may be practical for all but socks.

**Muskrat** · 11-14-2010, 23:54

Enjoyed a nice HF Hang on Goat Island (SC) this past summer and something I found to be a bit helpful in getting to sleep was to take an evening dip in the lake. Cooled down nicely and after being out of the water for 10-15 minutes, I snuggled into my hammock (no bottom insulation), wet shorts and no shirt. I wasn't dripping wet but it was enough to help keep me cool for the next 2 hours. I eventually dried up and can recall getting slightly chilled in the early hours and that it was time for the ponch liner to be used as a blanket. Worked great for me.

PS. . . native Orlando boy here (Casselberry to be exact...) ya'll can have that humidity stuff . . . I'm done with it ! ! ! !

C'Mon Mt Rogers Hang ! ! ! !

**leepingreenlizards** · 11-15-2010, 00:22

One more thing, the ability to raise you tarp while maintaining the ridgeline is helpful as well. In hot weather I often setup my tarp so that I can easily walk under it without having to stoop down in order to do so. This allows better air flow between the tarp and the hammock; and helps reduce the amount of radiated heat from your tarp that enters your hammock. A damp bandana draped around the neck is also helpful.

**Doc B** · 11-15-2010, 03:23

WOW, thanks for the info! The pictures are awesome. I might mod a fan as I saw some nice over sized computer fans at Harbor Freight. I camp mostly on islands. If you paddle from my back yard, there are at least a dozen within a single mile.

I may experiment with a thinner hammock for summer use. My Bride and I have a few of the Grand Truck Ultralights around, but they seem to start to come apart after the first few uses.

Thanks again and keep them coming.

Robby

**skyclad** · 11-15-2010, 07:29

hi Rob,
mosquitos can bite through a single layer of ripstop, but double layer fabrics seem to baffle them. get some light PJs with socks or something to keep from being feasted upon at night.

sky

**UncleMJM** · 11-15-2010, 08:43

Originally Posted by skyclad

hi Rob, mosquitos can bite through a single layer of ripstop, but double layer fabrics seem to baffle them. get some light PJs with socks or something to keep from being feasted upon at night.

sky

Too true, I have the itchy back/sleepless night memory to testify to that.

No longer an issue now since I believe in better living through chemistry and permethrin (sp?) is my friend.

**ice man** · 11-15-2010, 09:15

Go to the salvation army or goodwill stores and get scrubs pants for cheap sleep wear. also good for leisure wear in the heat. They're dirt cheap, lightweight and comfy. You can also pick up real silk shirts and other goodies dirt cheap.