Switched to hammock camping about a year ago. Would not go back to tents unless absolutely necessary. At 72 years old i found that getting in and out of a tent to be painful . Although my Hennessy hammock setup weighs a bit more than the tent , it has given me the ability to continue backbacking, get a good nights sleep, and enjoy the remote campsites I love. Thank you for this informative video.
As someone who primarily dispersed camps along the NCT, I can say that it can take 15 minutes of walking to find a suitable tent site, 15 minutes of walking to find a suitable hammock site, but 30 minutes, on average, to find a site to support both. A mix of mature trees 15-20 feet apart and larger flat areas of ground isn’t as common as one would think, at least not in Michigan along the NCT.
Long time hammockers here (93). The number one feature where hammocks blow tents out of the water is for mid-day siestas and in camp lounging at the end of the day. One of the highlights of my day on extended trips. My preferred setup for extended trips is a pod style hammock setup. Saves weight, bulk, and complexity. To take advantage of this simple system, you will need to be comfortable in a shorter hammock (up to 10-ish feet), and you will need a wider quilt, like Outdoor Vitals Aerie series quilts. The quilt wraps completely around the hammock (no need for a second quilt). You will also want to always choose the long version of whatever wide quilt you decide to go with. It's an absolutely great system, and I really don't know why it's not more popular. P.S. Remember to stuff your puffy or something in the foot end. Even with good constriction, some amount of draft should be expected from this end.
I like the way you presented this. Very easy to follow. I'm fortunate to be able to sleep on the ground. A lot of people can only have a good night's rest in a hammock and refuse to go to the ground. Hammocks are by far the most comfortable for me but it's not as easy to pull off here in the West.
For me, sleeping in a hammock doesn’t just relieve pressure points, but heals them. Ive never had the stiff “hiker hobble” the next morning when getting out of a hammock like I often do after spending a night in a tent. I think being cradled suspended in the air has a therapeutic quality to muscles and joints.
Just had my coffee, so a long comment :) Hammocking really is the best night sleep. If you can tolerate earplugs and don't need to pee, then you can easily crash out and sleep straight through the worst storms, just like being at home. Plus you're under trees so that first sunlight doesn't hit your shelter the way it does when you're in a tent in a field in the summer and it starts getting light at 4:30 and full sunrise is 5:15 :( To get a similar comfy sleep in a tent, you would need to bring a big sleeping pad so the weight penalty isn't that bad. Hammocks are definitely dryer too, especially in the spring and fall in the midwest when everything gets soaked and things don't dry off well. (Just make sure you keep and sleep in a set of dry baselayers and then switch back into your wet hiking clothes the next morning even though it sucks.) And of course hammocks are cooler in the summer, especially if you have a underquilt style that you can vent. I recently was helping someone get set up for the first time... and I think the Superior Gear (sewn-in underquilt) hammocks are the way to go, especially for cool/cold weather. Definitely expensive, but fiddle-free... and I bet they keep their resale value. If someone is slender then bridge hammocks are also fiddle-free. Ultimately, bridge hammocks have the most versatility, the underquilt stays in place in cold weather, and it can be vented in warm weather, too. They just tend to give shoulder squeeze for some people (me). The only other thing I'd mention to first time hammockers is that hammock camping also requires paying a lot of attention to those trees. In general, you can tent camp in the middle of a field, but you're always under trees when hammock camping --- and you definitely don't want anything falling on top of you. There is kind of magical kind of tree grove with mature, healthy trees with no dead branches, with just enough spacing to give you a place to hang, a good view, and yet provides protection from the wind and blowing rain... and then there is the reality of walking around for 30 minutes and trying to find the best compromise spot. The worst is when you set up in the dark and the next morning wake up and see a killer branch that was hanging overhead all night --- look up, don't depend on luck!
As someone who hikes the NCT and disperse camps a lot, I can say most of my nights are spent camped under trees, whether in a tent or hammock. Even if you are camped away from trees, rather than directly under them, you need to check for widow-makers. Branches falling usually go straight down, but when a diseased tree snaps at the trunk midway up, the danger zone can expand across a 30 foot radius from the tree, at a minimum.
I don’t follow your comments about earplugs and the need to pee. Peeing without getting out of your hammock can be a challenge for sure, and I’m not one to have pee on the ground so close to my gear. However you can just get out of your hammock and pee beyond the border of your tarp’s dry zone while staying dry yourself. With a pee bottle, it is also possible to get on your knees in the hammock and pee into it. You just want a pee bottle that holds a lot more than you pee in case you tip the bottle a little while executing this expert maneuver. I use a 1 liter bottle from an old BeFree filter as my pee bottle.
After my misadventures on the Centennial Trail, I’m leaning heavily toward getting a hammock. I was scoping sites north of whispering pines for another RUclipsr before I had to bail. There were so many excellent hammock sites. Most of the trails I’ve done or that are on my list would be suitable for hammocks. I’m interested in trying a Majestic Hammock since I’m from the Ames area and they are local.
@@lolobeans The main reason I ever flip around is due to pressure points, which doesn't happen to me in a hammock. On the ground, I have to rotate about every 15 minutes because a shoulder fell asleep or my back got stiff. If someone had a 10 lb cinderbloc that guaranteed a restful night's sleep, I'd carry it. Fortunately, hammocks already do that.
@@wisenber fair point! I'm deaf in one ear so only ever need to roll over if I need quiet! İt's true though, you sure don't wake up with a sore hip in a hammock that requires a change in position.
I will say that one negative to a hammock versus a tent is durability. I’ve had two Whoopie slings break under stress in the middle of the night and the webbing suspension on my Warbonnet Blackbird is frayed. I’ve also seen Beatle Buckles slip and tear holes in webbing. I’ve had the seam holding the mosquito netting to the hammock fabric open up. Finally, the Velcro closure of a Hennessy Hammock is well know to wear over a season of use. I have had zero wear issues on tents with way more field use time than my hammocks. Oddly enough, I haven’t had wear to tree huggers, which I would have thought would see wear first due to contact with rough tree bark and exposure to sap.
This past weekend I learned the importance of selecting trees with no flex. Both trees I hung from had a couple inches of flex when I got into my hammock. That meant that my ridgeline sagged and also blew more in the wind. Lesson learned.
Great overview! I would add that the weight difference between hammock and tent set up increases the colder it is. I'm far more likely to take my tent in cold weather because it means only one low temp quilt. In the summer the weight difference is negligible for me (primarily because I need a comfortable but heavy pad in order for ground dwelling to be at all bearable).
I like how the hammock can be used as a gear shelf when packing up. I don’t have to get on the ground or pick anything off the ground when reaching for items to put in my pack. I just have everything laid out in my hammock, pack sleeping quilt, extra clothes, food, cook system, ditty, then take the hammock down and shove it in a crack between the gear I’ve just packed, and then I just have to take down the tarp and pack that. It’s all done while standing up, with no stooping to the ground aside from getting stakes.
Having used hammocks and tents, I've been interested in trying a bridge hammock with a pad. The idea being that you could go to the ground if you don't have good trees but it could work for both scenarios. You can't do that with an underquilt.
One of the worst experiences with a tent is packing it up in the rain, particularly if the floor is muddy or leaf covered, not having a chance to dry in during the day, and then setting it up again in the rain that same evening. With the hammock, only the fly gets wet so while there may be some added moisture weight, there’s no dirty mess involved. Those of us lucky enough to have DCF flys have even fewer issues.
I’ve learned to avoid hammocks when I am forced to camp at a specific site, especially if I’ve never been there or the site is not billed as having hammock posts installed. Take Pictured Rocks, for example. I’ve walked through all the backcountry sites and did an evaluation for hammock camping suitability. Many of the sites rank a zero, due to having, at most, one suitable hang tree. Even the group sites have limitations. Most can support multiple hammocks, but the most popular group site for the first night when hiking east to west, Au Sable, can only support one hang. And trees in designated sites can’t be relied on to be there year after year. Storms and maintenance crews can remove them.
Great vid and provides me with great points to share with friends that I am trying to get into hammocking. Another reason not to get into hammock camping would depend on where you usually camp. Many national parks I have been to don't allow hammocks. On another note, what tarp is that you're flying, the Thunderfly?
@@MidwestBackpacker I know Bryce Canyon and New River Gorge national parks don't allow you to hang. Also state parks in CT prohibit them. Then again I believe these don't allow you to hang from trees, not to say you can't bring a stand if you wanted to.
I been actively using a $30 hammock with no issues for over 5+ years. I can sleep anyway with no issues without spending $300+ on an operated hammock setup. Not a brand snob.
I have no personal experience with Eno hammocks (too heavy, too much fabric for backpacking with IMO) but, to be fair to them, I’ve seen way too many people using them for overnight hammocks to say that they’re not suited for that purpose. I’ve always asked people how they like them and have never heard anything negative.
Do you have any suggestions for how to store or keep things out of your way when in the hammock. I am relatively new to hammock camping and I am finding it difficult to keep the top quilt from ending up underneath me when I first get in the hammock. Other than shoving it in the far end of the hammock, do you have any suggestions? One other question. It seems like dealing with packing up, the tarp guy lines take as much time as anything else. Any suggestion there?
For storage, a peak loft is handy. I'll usually shove extra clothes there. I hang my ditty bag on the hammock ridge line with prussik knots but a gear shelf is easier to set up. A 'hangtime hook' looks handy for a phone but I use a gorillapod and phone mount and hang that from the ridgeline.
Learned good tips the easy way, thanks!
Switched to hammock camping about a year ago. Would not go back to tents unless absolutely necessary. At 72 years old i found that getting in and out of a tent to be painful . Although my Hennessy hammock setup weighs a bit more than the tent , it has given me the ability to continue backbacking, get a good nights sleep, and enjoy the remote campsites I love. Thank you for this informative video.
As someone who primarily dispersed camps along the NCT, I can say that it can take 15 minutes of walking to find a suitable tent site, 15 minutes of walking to find a suitable hammock site, but 30 minutes, on average, to find a site to support both. A mix of mature trees 15-20 feet apart and larger flat areas of ground isn’t as common as one would think, at least not in Michigan along the NCT.
Long time hammockers here (93). The number one feature where hammocks blow tents out of the water is for mid-day siestas and in camp lounging at the end of the day. One of the highlights of my day on extended trips. My preferred setup for extended trips is a pod style hammock setup. Saves weight, bulk, and complexity. To take advantage of this simple system, you will need to be comfortable in a shorter hammock (up to 10-ish feet), and you will need a wider quilt, like Outdoor Vitals Aerie series quilts. The quilt wraps completely around the hammock (no need for a second quilt). You will also want to always choose the long version of whatever wide quilt you decide to go with. It's an absolutely great system, and I really don't know why it's not more popular.
P.S.
Remember to stuff your puffy or something in the foot end. Even with good constriction, some amount of draft should be expected from this end.
I like the way you presented this. Very easy to follow. I'm fortunate to be able to sleep on the ground. A lot of people can only have a good night's rest in a hammock and refuse to go to the ground. Hammocks are by far the most comfortable for me but it's not as easy to pull off here in the West.
Nice overview on what can be a difficult topic to articulate. We appreciate the shout out to Superior Gear as well!!!
Great video, I think you’ve convinced me. But can you do a video that shows how to set up the tarp in detail, including how to lower the sides?
For me, sleeping in a hammock doesn’t just relieve pressure points, but heals them. Ive never had the stiff “hiker hobble” the next morning when getting out of a hammock like I often do after spending a night in a tent. I think being cradled suspended in the air has a therapeutic quality to muscles and joints.
Just had my coffee, so a long comment :)
Hammocking really is the best night sleep. If you can tolerate earplugs and don't need to pee, then you can easily crash out and sleep straight through the worst storms, just like being at home. Plus you're under trees so that first sunlight doesn't hit your shelter the way it does when you're in a tent in a field in the summer and it starts getting light at 4:30 and full sunrise is 5:15 :( To get a similar comfy sleep in a tent, you would need to bring a big sleeping pad so the weight penalty isn't that bad.
Hammocks are definitely dryer too, especially in the spring and fall in the midwest when everything gets soaked and things don't dry off well. (Just make sure you keep and sleep in a set of dry baselayers and then switch back into your wet hiking clothes the next morning even though it sucks.)
And of course hammocks are cooler in the summer, especially if you have a underquilt style that you can vent.
I recently was helping someone get set up for the first time... and I think the Superior Gear (sewn-in underquilt) hammocks are the way to go, especially for cool/cold weather. Definitely expensive, but fiddle-free... and I bet they keep their resale value. If someone is slender then bridge hammocks are also fiddle-free. Ultimately, bridge hammocks have the most versatility, the underquilt stays in place in cold weather, and it can be vented in warm weather, too. They just tend to give shoulder squeeze for some people (me).
The only other thing I'd mention to first time hammockers is that hammock camping also requires paying a lot of attention to those trees. In general, you can tent camp in the middle of a field, but you're always under trees when hammock camping --- and you definitely don't want anything falling on top of you. There is kind of magical kind of tree grove with mature, healthy trees with no dead branches, with just enough spacing to give you a place to hang, a good view, and yet provides protection from the wind and blowing rain... and then there is the reality of walking around for 30 minutes and trying to find the best compromise spot. The worst is when you set up in the dark and the next morning wake up and see a killer branch that was hanging overhead all night --- look up, don't depend on luck!
As someone who hikes the NCT and disperse camps a lot, I can say most of my nights are spent camped under trees, whether in a tent or hammock.
Even if you are camped away from trees, rather than directly under them, you need to check for widow-makers. Branches falling usually go straight down, but when a diseased tree snaps at the trunk midway up, the danger zone can expand across a 30 foot radius from the tree, at a minimum.
I don’t follow your comments about earplugs and the need to pee.
Peeing without getting out of your hammock can be a challenge for sure, and I’m not one to have pee on the ground so close to my gear.
However you can just get out of your hammock and pee beyond the border of your tarp’s dry zone while staying dry yourself.
With a pee bottle, it is also possible to get on your knees in the hammock and pee into it. You just want a pee bottle that holds a lot more than you pee in case you tip the bottle a little while executing this expert maneuver.
I use a 1 liter bottle from an old BeFree filter as my pee bottle.
After my misadventures on the Centennial Trail, I’m leaning heavily toward getting a hammock. I was scoping sites north of whispering pines for another RUclipsr before I had to bail. There were so many excellent hammock sites. Most of the trails I’ve done or that are on my list would be suitable for hammocks. I’m interested in trying a Majestic Hammock since I’m from the Ames area and they are local.
FWIW, I've never had a problem sleeping on my side in a gathered end hammock.
Likewise. I sleep like a baby on my side on my Warbonnet Blackbird. Though I'd wager rolling from side to side is easier in the Ridgerunner!
@@lolobeans The main reason I ever flip around is due to pressure points, which doesn't happen to me in a hammock. On the ground, I have to rotate about every 15 minutes because a shoulder fell asleep or my back got stiff.
If someone had a 10 lb cinderbloc that guaranteed a restful night's sleep, I'd carry it. Fortunately, hammocks already do that.
@@wisenber fair point! I'm deaf in one ear so only ever need to roll over if I need quiet! İt's true though, you sure don't wake up with a sore hip in a hammock that requires a change in position.
I will say that one negative to a hammock versus a tent is durability. I’ve had two Whoopie slings break under stress in the middle of the night and the webbing suspension on my Warbonnet Blackbird is frayed. I’ve also seen Beatle Buckles slip and tear holes in webbing. I’ve had the seam holding the mosquito netting to the hammock fabric open up. Finally, the Velcro closure of a Hennessy Hammock is well know to wear over a season of use.
I have had zero wear issues on tents with way more field use time than my hammocks.
Oddly enough, I haven’t had wear to tree huggers, which I would have thought would see wear first due to contact with rough tree bark and exposure to sap.
This past weekend I learned the importance of selecting trees with no flex. Both trees I hung from had a couple inches of flex when I got into my hammock. That meant that my ridgeline sagged and also blew more in the wind. Lesson learned.
Great overview! I would add that the weight difference between hammock and tent set up increases the colder it is. I'm far more likely to take my tent in cold weather because it means only one low temp quilt. In the summer the weight difference is negligible for me (primarily because I need a comfortable but heavy pad in order for ground dwelling to be at all bearable).
I like how the hammock can be used as a gear shelf when packing up. I don’t have to get on the ground or pick anything off the ground when reaching for items to put in my pack. I just have everything laid out in my hammock, pack sleeping quilt, extra clothes, food, cook system, ditty, then take the hammock down and shove it in a crack between the gear I’ve just packed, and then I just have to take down the tarp and pack that. It’s all done while standing up, with no stooping to the ground aside from getting stakes.
Having used hammocks and tents, I've been interested in trying a bridge hammock with a pad. The idea being that you could go to the ground if you don't have good trees but it could work for both scenarios. You can't do that with an underquilt.
One of the worst experiences with a tent is packing it up in the rain, particularly if the floor is muddy or leaf covered, not having a chance to dry in during the day, and then setting it up again in the rain that same evening.
With the hammock, only the fly gets wet so while there may be some added moisture weight, there’s no dirty mess involved. Those of us lucky enough to have DCF flys have even fewer issues.
I’ve learned to avoid hammocks when I am forced to camp at a specific site, especially if I’ve never been there or the site is not billed as having hammock posts installed.
Take Pictured Rocks, for example. I’ve walked through all the backcountry sites and did an evaluation for hammock camping suitability. Many of the sites rank a zero, due to having, at most, one suitable hang tree.
Even the group sites have limitations. Most can support multiple hammocks, but the most popular group site for the first night when hiking east to west, Au Sable, can only support one hang.
And trees in designated sites can’t be relied on to be there year after year. Storms and maintenance crews can remove them.
Great vid and provides me with great points to share with friends that I am trying to get into hammocking. Another reason not to get into hammock camping would depend on where you usually camp. Many national parks I have been to don't allow hammocks. On another note, what tarp is that you're flying, the Thunderfly?
@@joeldahlin2215 where do they not allow hammocks? Yes, Thunderfly. Perfect size for me.
@@MidwestBackpacker I know Bryce Canyon and New River Gorge national parks don't allow you to hang. Also state parks in CT prohibit them. Then again I believe these don't allow you to hang from trees, not to say you can't bring a stand if you wanted to.
I been actively using a $30 hammock with no issues for over 5+ years. I can sleep anyway with no issues without spending $300+ on an operated hammock setup. Not a brand snob.
I have no personal experience with Eno hammocks (too heavy, too much fabric for backpacking with IMO) but, to be fair to them, I’ve seen way too many people using them for overnight hammocks to say that they’re not suited for that purpose. I’ve always asked people how they like them and have never heard anything negative.
Forgot porch mode and not dealing with a muddy tent bottom or ground cloth for hammock pros. For negatives, stomach sleepers.
Do you have any suggestions for how to store or keep things out of your way when in the hammock. I am relatively new to hammock camping and I am finding it difficult to keep the top quilt from ending up underneath me when I first get in the hammock. Other than shoving it in the far end of the hammock, do you have any suggestions? One other question. It seems like dealing with packing up, the tarp guy lines take as much time as anything else. Any suggestion there?
@@kensmith7567 I shove my top quilt as far to the foot end as possible. My tarp guy lines stay on my tarp and it all gets wrapped in a snake skin.
For storage, a peak loft is handy. I'll usually shove extra clothes there. I hang my ditty bag on the hammock ridge line with prussik knots but a gear shelf is easier to set up. A 'hangtime hook' looks handy for a phone but I use a gorillapod and phone mount and hang that from the ridgeline.
Use a Haven tent/hammock!
I generally like all your videos. I had to turn this one off due to the music - too loud and obnoxious. Sorry.