Hammock in survival

[Pithy]

Just a spit ball but I say maybe 1% in the general population but probably less

I doubt more than 300,000 people in the country are capable of surviving unassisted in the wilderness. I doubt I could. I would be looking for civilization and shelter/food fast. Many can hunt, but can they survive "off the land" indefinitely? So that would make it less than 1/10%.

[tammons]

My vote goes to ZARTWEEB

[Framling]

I have a small BoB in case I need to leave my house on short notice. This is not a "Wilderness Man" survival bag. In my opinion that sort of plan is a plan to die in the woods....alone. From the most common house/home disaster, a fire, to a regional weather disaster, or even civil unrest, most emergencies require you leave the area from 24 hours to 6 months (local flooding up to a Katrina like regional event). If you have a plan for those time frames, a 72 hour kit (BoB), is usually all you need to get to another place of safety.

That being said, I do carry a hammock. The setup is light weight and could prove very useful if I stay at a crowded friends/family house. I've used it before at a friend's house to camp in the backyard while he was having a weekend party (as well as camping, etc). It's not ideal or long term but for all the same reasons we love and use hammocks, it's a nice item to have along. I believe Shug says it best, "It's all about comfort in the piney woods."

My 2 cents, after inflation and taxes, amounts to diddly (give or take a squat). Spend it wisely!

[leepingreenlizards]

I have a small BoB in case I need to leave my house on short notice. This is not a "Wilderness Man" survival bag. In my opinion that sort of plan is a plan to die in the woods....alone. From the most common house/home disaster, a fire, to a regional weather disaster, or even civil unrest, most emergencies require you leave the area from 24 hours to 6 months (local flooding up to a Katrina like regional event). If you have a plan for those time frames, a 72 hour kit (BoB), is usually all you need to get to another place of safety.

That being said, I do carry a hammock. The setup is light weight and could prove very useful if I stay at a crowded friends/family house. I've used it before at a friend's house to camp in the backyard while he was having a weekend party (as well as camping, etc). It's not ideal or long term but for all the same reasons we love and use hammocks, it's a nice item to have along. I believe Shug says it best, "It's all about comfort in the piney woods."

My 2 cents, after inflation and taxes, amounts to diddly (give or take a squat). Spend it wisely!

Maireann croí éadrom i bhfad..."a light heart lives long"
Good "seanfhocail" Framling!

[TiredFeet]

TiredFeet, tell me more about "Bridge hammock without hardware"

Use either corded arcs or webbing on the arcs.

For webbing arcs, at the arc ends splice a chain link into the doubled back and sewn webbing.

For a corded arc, use a spliced fixed eye at both ends.

Either way gives you an eye at each end of the arc.

Then use Lanyard knots and Solomon Bars to make the suspension triangle as shown in this post.

Using webbing for the spreader pockets gives more flexibility in spreader bars - hiking staffs, dedicated oak/poplar dowels, PVC, flexible tent poles, and more. You could even use branches cut and trimmed as needed - do not use picked up branches - can not be trusted. Green branches are better since LNT would not be a concern. We prefer the 1.5" seat belt webbing from strapworks for the pockets.

For the suspension all you need is 2 whoopie slings with some guy line larks headed to each fixed eye for the structural ridge line. Use rope huggers and connect the whoopie slings to the rope huggers using nacrabiners.

The suspension triangle is secured to the fixed eyes of the whoopie slings using lanyard knots as shown in the post.

Use a pattern cut from sturdy poster paper to make the Bridge Hammock. Use the same pattern to make the top layer of the Insultex uq. Even better, use another pattern cut with an arc 3" deeper than the Bridge Hammock. That allows the top layer of Insultex uq to hang under the Bridge with a slight air gap. Attach the uq to the 4 corners of the Bridge with guy line cord in the crotch of the "eyes" - slide the webbing, insert guy line and slide webbing back into place. Knot the guy line to keep the guy line in the eye crotch. Knot so that the uq and Bridge Hammock corners are even. Easy to make, easy to adjust (adjustment needed the first time only) and easy to hang.

No metal hardware anywhere in the outfit -

no carabiners,
no toggles,
no rings,
no cleats,
no buckles,
no triglides,
no Dutch Biners,
no Dutch Clips

Also no webbing unless you use it for the Bridge arcs.

[Mister Dark]

So does this mean I can post my Bug Out Bag? Its kind of like hammock pRon, only with more spiky bits...

[Cannibal]

So does this mean I can post my Bug Out Bag? Its kind of like hammock pRon, only with more spiky bits...

The items within? Not really relevant to the discussion. The question is do you pack a hammock in your Emergency Kit/BOB, not what's in it. Now, a picture of your kit showing a hammock along side all your other goodies...that would certainly be appropriate and apparently "spiky".

[Valien]

Be Prepared.......

I have 2 hammocks 1 at the ready for the fateful day. Be it a natural disaster or otherwise a hammock is a multi-use item with a small weight and space footprint. You can go as basic as you like, a 55 gallon drum trash bag and paracord will keep you covered.

As need dictates is a good school of thought to follow.

FWIW.

[JohnSawyer]

Ok, so some of this is silliness... which I support completely!

So My BOB/Get Home Kit in my pickup is: 1 MRE, 1 Qt water, iodine tabs, basic First aid kit, 2 space blankets, spare pocket knife, utility cord, lighter, matches and a small plastic painters tarp. Add the 50' of mule tape in the back of the truck, flashlight in glove box and I'll survive a night or two outside. I might have to throw in an old OD wool blanket... I could wrap my stuff in it to carry, since my stuff is in a cabinet under the back seat. (ain't much room)

The question is are we looking at SURVIVAL, which, like Cannibal said isn't pretty or comfortable, or are we looking to thrive for a couple of weeks? The 72-hour BOB makes sense to me. I could go a day or two without too much food...

Now if it's a ZARTWEEB... I'd have to add a pickaxe or a baseball bat to my kit... all depends if these are slow zombies, fast zombies or half-fast zombies.

[gRaFFiX]

I believe, according to the parameters of this thread, this “BOB” is an end-all/be-all conglomeration of necessities. I/E – Absolute essentials needed in order to survive. I envision we are discussing extreme acts: nuclear war, asteroid, epidemic, or other disaster. I don’t think hammocks fit in these parameters, unfortunately.

Humans have survived over a million years with nothing. God, evolution or a combination of both, have supplied us with everything we need to survive. Perfectly formed legs make us one of the best long-distance runners. Opposable thumbs allow us to grasp and control, and let’s not forget what separates us from all other life – our brain.

I’m not saying anyone shouldn’t have back-ups and options. I am saying that when the itshay hits the fan you may not be able to travel to get to those options. Survival requires you to think, act and mobilize quickly. No bag you pack will supply you with any of these. I don’t say this to be preachy- only to inform. Educate yourself on survival. Practice theories and master techniques. It’s not only beneficial to your survival it’s fun for people like us. There is a myriad of books and online material so you needn’t look hard, however, you should practice to be sure that it’s not just theory. There’s a great beginners’ book called Camping and Wilderness Survival by Paul Tawrell. It discusses practiced survival techniques from around the globe in every type of weather. At the very least it’s an interesting read for the interests on this forum.

Shelters can be made nearly as quickly as it takes to put up a hammock. In a semi-apocalyptic scenario, you need to be invisible and mobile. Being able to drop everything and move is essential to survival, and possessions create a hindrance. If you have to pack it, leave it. I would carry only what I could carry in my pockets, and that’s only in a situation where I’m wearing pockets.

If I were to carry only one object in survival I would choose an item which I could not make, or find, on my own. The only object I could think of is a large black plastic garbage bag. Its benefits are for another thread, but it’s by far the best survival tool over all others IMO.


Again, I am speaking for ONLY catastrophic events where home, civilization, society, and law enforcement, no longer exist. I believe you should have plans in place to aid in survival, but rely on yourself. You are on your own.