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  1. #11
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    Alabama
    Hammock
    $25 Walmart special
    Tarp
    Custom Squidbilly
    Insulation
    DYI UQ
    Suspension
    Whoopies/huggers
    Posts
    110
    Weather finally matched the gear we have, so we did our first, real, outdoor gear test hike. A short section of the Pinhoti Trail starting at Cheaha Mt. (Alabama).

    Figured there'd be no water on this ridge hike, so toting water was a bummer on "not getting any younger" legs.

    She was comfortable, as usual, but did not sleep well because of "things walking in the woods all night". Probably deer and coons she was hearing while I did sleep. That will pass evenually with more exposure.

    Passed out tired when we first strung the hammocks. Maybe an hour. Woke after dark....lower back and heels hurting. . Stayed awake with her several hours just talking about stars and stuff. (enjoyed that thoroughly...stunning night, cool weather....great company). Only bummer was the lumbar thing. Heels too. Ended up shedding my jacket for use as lumbar pillow. That helped, but then I was cold. I did finally sleep some more, but had to kind of side sleep to do it to releive heel pain.

    Really need some kind of inflatable lumbar pillow. Would also like to try a bridge hammock to see if that would help too. (not going to buy one just to see if it works.)

    Also..... a good rain fly is a must. We had an old tent fly to try, but when the wind picked up and rattled that thing half the night.

    Anyway....experimenting is fun.

  2. #12
    Senior Member grannypat's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    In the woods outside of Westminster, SC
    Hammock
    DIY, Dutch Argon
    Tarp
    Squidbilly/Tadpole
    Insulation
    20 Incubator,WL SS
    Suspension
    whoopies, MSH
    Posts
    3,069
    Welcome to the forums from SC. Sounds like you're having fun experimenting. Keep tinkering, you'll find the right combination.
    Keep movin', keep believing and enjoy the journey!

  3. #13
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    Alabama
    Hammock
    $25 Walmart special
    Tarp
    Custom Squidbilly
    Insulation
    DYI UQ
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    Posts
    110
    Granny,

    We are. No way to figure it out without jumping in.

  4. #14
    Senior Member Debi Jaytee's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    Thunder Bay, ON
    Hammock
    hennessy exped asym
    Posts
    943
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    2
    Granny said exactly what I was going to...keep fiddling with it, you'll find something that works, then you'll have TWO hammocks in your bedroom. Some of us adjust immediately, and others it takes awhile. It'll come. I find if I sleep on my back with both knees bent, sort of in a frog like position, my lower back is quiet the next morning, as long as my foot end is just slightly higher than my head.
    Debi

  5. #15
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    California
    Posts
    181

    Re: She's a natural born hammocker, me not so much.

    Bivy sac.
    There are some "nice" ones and it will be lighter and smaller then a hammock.

    I would use one instead, hammocks seem like the go to, light weight answer... But by the time you have quilts and tarps and lines... It just usually isn't. Its usually at that point you realize that your fine with the added bulk/weight because sleeping on hard flat surfaces sucks.
    Unless your you, lol.
    Comfort is the reason many of us stuck with a hammock even after realizing the assertion that it was the lightest most packable option was wrong... But your not comfortable. If you are somehow comfortable on the ground you can meet your originally stated goal better on the ground, in all honesty.

  6. #16
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    Alabama
    Hammock
    $25 Walmart special
    Tarp
    Custom Squidbilly
    Insulation
    DYI UQ
    Suspension
    Whoopies/huggers
    Posts
    110
    Found a solution to the lumbar support problem. A pillow case! Weighs nothing and can be stuffed with leaves, pine straw or grass. We did another hike and camp out to try it. Worked great. The only real problem now is pressure on the back of my heels, but the lumbar support is handled!

  7. #17
    Tacoma96's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    Clayton, NC
    Hammock
    WBBB, RR, Eno Dn
    Tarp
    WB SF, CB
    Insulation
    WB Mamba, UGQUQ
    Suspension
    Whoopies, D Clips
    Posts
    2,719
    Congrads from NC on being an empty nester, been one myself for a few years. My advice is to just experiment with different equipment and follow the advice here. I personally like using an air matress in my hammock, adds to my comfort.

  8. #18
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    Somewhere near Parkville, MO
    Hammock
    DIY Knotty/Speer special, RED
    Tarp
    Warbonnet Superfly
    Insulation
    50 extree pounds
    Suspension
    Whoopy slings
    Posts
    1,393
    Get an inflatable pillow next time and dial in the correct amount of support. Then when you get up, compress the pillow and pack it small with the rest of the gear.

    Last week, I used my pad, rolled up under my knees instead of my cloathes bag. I have to admit that at home I have the hammock, and a pillow for under my legs with my blanket over that and a pillow under my head and an extra pillow that I snuggle cuzz I'm that kinda guy but it actually provides me with insulation on colder nights as well. Three pillows and a blanket at home. In the field, clothes under my knees, travel pillow for the head and sleeping bag ( you know, roughing it)

    But comfortable?? And when I sleep on a flat bed I get the backaches so I'm the reverse of you. The grounds not bad and it's great that you can sleep on it, but if I can get you off the rocks and slopes and spiders and snakes and the occasional but totally un-expected Aardvark, then I think that's the way to go.

  9. #19
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    Alabama
    Hammock
    $25 Walmart special
    Tarp
    Custom Squidbilly
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    DYI UQ
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    Whoopies/huggers
    Posts
    110
    (Old thread, just posting in case my hanging evolution can help others)

    Finally got to do our first group hangs and learned a lot both trips. Also got to try a few different styles of hammocks. You folks who suggested a bridge...love the way those lay. Also liked the side entry Hennessey and the Black Bird though. I have still to try one more brand of bridge, the Ridge Runner, before I settle on which to purchase.

    Two more things that helped net a decent night sleep at a local hang this weekend with my gathered end hammock was the addition of a ridge line and a new DYI underquilt my wife just made. Squidbilly, thanks for that ridge line, btw. Thanks, Mary, for that nice UQ. Actually got a total of five hours of peaceful snoozin'. Getting there.

  10. #20
    Senior Member RadicalHope's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Location
    Dayton, OH
    Hammock
    Clark TX-250 with weathershield
    Tarp
    Clark Vertex Tarp
    Insulation
    I love HammockGear
    Suspension
    whoopies
    Posts
    232
    Images
    16
    Welcome to the forums! My husband and I are not empty nesters yet (kids are currently 11 and 13) but we just recently got back into backpacking after a long hiatus due to raising kids and me battling some heath issues. We find hammocks are making a return to backpacking possible for us. Neither one of us can sleep on the ground in a tent comfortably anymore. Hammocks rock! You just can't beat the comfort compared to sleeping on the ground.

    My husband has lower back issues too but finds that he sleeps so much better in a hammock. I hope you are able to find a good solution for you to sleep more comfortably in one.
    With a radical sense of hope, I strive for the seemingly impossible.

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