My short answer is that it's so close I don't think about it one way or the other.
If I'm going solo then my hammock is lighter. If I'm going with someone else and sharing a tent then no, it's not always lighter to use a hammock. But on the other if I'm in a tent I take a heavier more comfortable pad so that adds weight to the equation.
Even in the instances where using a tent would be lighter carrying a extra few ounces is worth the added comfort to take a hammock.
Welcome to HF Kestrel! But I think you are reading way too much "serious" into threads on HF. Maybe occasionally some one is as you describe. But most of the folks here are also avid backpackers, and will not hesitate to go to ground when the situation requires it. What you are seeing with references to that which we "dare not speak of" and the "sin" of going to ground or men using "thread injectors" are simply - IMO - running jokes. But "false sense of confidence masking self doubt."? Come on, lighten up( pun intended!).Originally Posted by Kestrel
Then again, maybe I'm the one reading too much "serious" into your post? Maybe I need to lighten up?
Nice pic, BTW!
Last edited by BillyBob58; 04-28-2012 at 08:07.
Though he might not have been a hanger, Fagin still had a lot of wisdom.
Like:
"Why should we
break our backs
foolishly, paying tax?
Better get some untaxed income
Get out and pick a pocket or two, boys
Get out and pick a pocket or two!"
( or something close to that! )
I converted to hanging in 2006, after following threads on hammocks on that other site, and the yahoo group. I was intrigued at first, and really not a believer, until I bought my first hammock, an Eagles Nest, and tried it out in my backyard. I was a "ground dweller" since Boy Scouts, and my trips were spent trying to re-adjust my back and overdosing on Advil, after a un-restful sleep in my Shires tent. The enjoyment of backpacking was losing the joy, because of my back issues. Hanging changed all that. My first set of hammock gear (hammock, tarp, pads, sleeping bag) was heavier, but I took the weight penalty in the name of comfort and renewed enjoyment of backpacking.
Fast forward six years later, I've tweeked and customized and updated to lighter gear, so my penalty has been minimized. Bottom line is that hanging has extended my lifespan of backpacking, and my back is grateful for it.
Like the majority, I hang for comfort. Not to be a snob, or be better than those who tent. It's my preference.
Dejoha hit the nail on the proverbial head. This isn't worth much argument and there really isn't a contest between hammocks and tents. HYOH and enjoy what works for you.
But, in retrospect, I never thought that I would ever not pack my Jet-Boil and canisters, in lieu of a sub-ounce alky stove and bottle of Heet.
"Surround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority, and don't interfere."- RONALD REAGAN
"There is new life in the soil for every man. There is healing in the trees for tired minds and for our overburdened spirits, there is strength in the hills, if only we will lift up our eyes. Remember that nature is your great restorer." - CALVIN COOLIDGE
My Backpacking Site
In our younger days, my wife used to go backpacking with me. But in recent years, the only way she will go is if I tow an RV for her to sleep in. I mostly sleep outside in the hammock. I much prefer that to the comfort of the bed in the RV.
But about 2 years ago, whenever I posted the thread about pushing my Yeti UQ with just one 2.5 oz/sq.yd of CS into the 40s, our grandson wanted us to take him camping in his new tent. So Grandma volunteered to sleep with him in his tent, while I was 10 ft away in my WBBB. She used my heavy Thermarest Camprest while the Grandson was on a lighter TR inflatable pad. ( I have never been able to talk her into trying a hammock )
Well the Grandson said "best camping trip ever!". My wife said it was one of the most miserable nights sleep she has ever had. With very little sleep due to waking up so frequently to change positions. She was miserable, plus exhausted the next day. Though she did say that she finally figured out about 4 or 5 AM that she was more comfortable after she let some air out, guess that gave her more cushioning. Meantime, they both had to force me out of the hammock well after sunrise for breakfast, because I was sleeping so deeply.
I have never stopped to figure out if the weight of that tent plus pads divided by 2 people was lighter than my set up divided by one. But if mine was heavier, it was worth every oz.
Exactly! IMO, a couple of ounces in weight penalty is still lighter than the heavier back pain that I used to suffer.........
"Surround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority, and don't interfere."- RONALD REAGAN
"There is new life in the soil for every man. There is healing in the trees for tired minds and for our overburdened spirits, there is strength in the hills, if only we will lift up our eyes. Remember that nature is your great restorer." - CALVIN COOLIDGE
My Backpacking Site
I enjoyed your link and the thread both Dejoha. Both have made me chuckle. My backpacking buddy refuses to even hop in my hammock. Maybe, like Calvin, he tends to be too swept up in shiny corporate logos. I'm definitely the Hobbes of the duo.
Our gear wars to cut weight have traced back to the winter of '09, and in our most recent border skirmish I spent less than $20 on a GTUL and he spent close to $300 on a Big Agnes Fly Creek tent. It's a sweet tent...but I walked way from that battle a little less bloodied up!
As someone who loves to learn something new everyday, I did learn about these DutchWare Stingerz over on Dejohas site. Now THAT is what I'm interested in!!!
...if he could fit a shiny corporate logo on them, maybe my buddy would buy a set
Afoot and light-hearted, I take to the open road,
Healthy, free, the world before me,
The long brown path before me, leading wherever I choose.
Hammocks are lighter but with anything in order to go lighter you normally have to spend more $$$. However I would rather spend more and sleep better than spend less and not sleep.
Happy Hanging To All
S-size up the situation
U-undue haste makes waste
R-remember where you are
V-vanquish fear and panic
I-improvise
V-value living
A-act like the natives
L-live by your wits
The 1st rule of hiking is, nobody talks about... no... that's fight club... 1st rule of hiking is hike your own hike. I like sleeping in a hammock, I like trying to minimize my back weight. If you want to save weight by sleeping under a small tarp with 5 other hikers and piling up leaves instead of using a pad, good for you. I won't come to your site looking for a fight... a laugh maybe. I'm a HF addict because I like the company and I get great ideas on how to improve my chosen setup.
Everyone has given great answers. If someone is interested in hanging, this is the place to be. I lurked here for a while observing the inmates and decided to give it a try because it seemed like the best answer for me. Unlike the fanatics here though, I only visit HF 10 to 12 times a day. Some folks get so carried away.
BTW, my hammock/tarp/quilts system is 2.8 pounds including lines, clips, stuff sacks, labels and accumulated trail dirt.
"A bore is a man who deprives you of solitude without providing you with company." Gian Vincenzo Gravina (1664 - 1718)
Neither! Near one of the tallest places in NC, taken near sunrise. Not on the map. 'Fraid I cannot disclose any more information than that on a public forum.Kestrel- the photo, I'm guessing either Max's Patch or Big Bald ???
Lil Ricky- last weekend on the Smokies paddle trip my first night=10 hours of sleep. Second=8 hours.
The most I get on a typical work day=5
Not hard math to do at all
I appreciate the welcome comment. I've gotten a lot of good information from these forums thus far, but there was definitely some 'seriousness' to my post. There seems to be somewhat of a smugness in regards to hammocks over other methods, certain products versus others, and so on. I do appreciate that hammocks have given some folks a good reason to get outside and into the outdoors, but if those folks weren't already doing that before hand... Ehh... It just seems a bit like people buying into the hype just to have a hobby to follow.
I'm also an avid motorcyclist, and have read hundreds of posts from folks looking to 'upgrade' their experience, by purchasing a newer or different model motorcycling, adding countless aftermarket parts, and so on. The user assumes that the purchasing or changes will somehow revolutionize their experience, but the reality is that in many respects, the 'hunt' and the anticipation were mentally more satisfying than the reality. Sure, the new bike was fun for a while, but in the end, the motorcycling experience wasn't all that dissimilar from what they had before. The fantasy that people project is better than the reality of the actual thing.
There seems to be a sort of 'this is what the cool kids are doing, so I will do it too' mentality. Be it ways of speaking or naming things (thread injector? Just man up and say sewing machine already), or even in products...
The Dutch Clip, for example..
JRB describes the clip as 'replacing the carabiner', but there was never a need for a carbiner or a clip in the first place. If you've got a loop in the end of a piece of webbing, simply pass the other end through it. It seems like a solution for a problem that never existed. Yet it gets constant recommendations because it's one of the 'in-crowd' accepted items.
There are a lot of other threads around (and I don't want to point out examples and call anybody out, of course) where folks seem pat each other on the back and high five simply because they're both using a hammock.
It just all seems a bit fanatical to me... God knows if this post (or my user account) will survive with all of my 'heretical' speech, but I'd rather just openly say such things. I've had a couple of very enjoyable nights in a hammock, and they allow me to stay overnight in rugged terrain where tent site selection would be very difficult. I'm sold on the concept, but it seems like a lot of posters around here have had a little bit too much of the Kool-Aid, if you will.
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