Hammocks Pros and Cons

SnowyMountaineer said:

One con is you gotta be in trees, and if you move camp regularly you have to find another two that meet your criteria. Aside from spring bear, my backpacking trips don't necessarily have hammock worthy trees where I'm sleeping. I think the biggest benefit of backpack hunting is the flexibility of throwing down camp just about anywhere, and hammock country can limit that. For some guys they work great, and I'd never knock a gameplan that works and makes sense.

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You bring up a great point. I once brought a hammock setup on barbary sheep hunt in NM... That was dumb. I ended up sleeping on the ground on a pile of gravel and cactus spines. Slept like a gassy, teething baby. It was great.

I'm not a dedicated hammock hanger. I thoroughly appreciate the flexibility of a good bivy.

archer wapiti said:

I'm still trying to figure out a dual-purpose underquilt/sleeping pad. That way you can sleep about anywhere if you have a trekking pole to use as a tarp pole.

Any ideas?

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You can use inflatable pads in a hammock. You'll want a wide pad and inflate it less than you would on the ground. After the barbary sheep SNAFU, if I'm going to a new area I bring my pad instead of my UQ. It adds a little weight, but a lot of versatility.

archer wapiti said:

I'm still trying to figure out a dual-purpose underquilt/sleeping pad. That way you can sleep about anywhere if you have a trekking pole to use as a tarp pole.

Any ideas?

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I don't know if this is dual purpose but it looks pretty good for the money

SnowyMountaineer said:

One con is you gotta be in trees, and if you move camp regularly you have to find another two that meet your criteria. Aside from spring bear, my backpacking trips don't necessarily have hammock worthy trees where I'm sleeping. I think the biggest benefit of backpack hunting is the flexibility of throwing down camp just about anywhere, and hammock country can limit that. For some guys they work great, and I'd never knock a gameplan that works and makes sense.

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Trees are a requirement for sure. But with a proper hanging system, basically any two will do just fine. I use rappel rings and a garda hitches with long pieces of tubular webbing

That said, Barbary country is pretty inhospitable for any sleeping arrangements.

archer wapiti said:

I'm still trying to figure out a dual-purpose underquilt/sleeping pad. That way you can sleep about anywhere if you have a trekking pole to use as a tarp pole.

Any ideas?

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Klymit just came out with a pad for hammocks but it would definitely work for on the ground. They have an insulated version. Not the lightest thing, but is is more versatile.

Nunyacreek said:

Watch. Some shug emery videos. Just a great human being. If you're not enthused after that I don't know what to tell you..

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He is an excited man. I got through 1.5 of the "noob" episodes and had to take a break But it's very informative.

Any of the Hammock experts side/stomach sleepers? That's my main concern. I am a side sleeper and tend to roll around a lot.

Yeah. Small doses of Shug are healthy

Looks like we might be better off just taking my pad for the ground and underquilt for hanging as opposed to spending money on the Klymit hammock pad:
https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/showthread.php/129517-Klymit-Hammock-V-a-good-idea-or-not/page1

I am a side sleeper/stomach sleeper as well and I have never had any issues when in my hammock.

Looks like we might be better off just taking a pad for the ground and underquilt for hanging as opposed to spending money on the Klymit hammock pad:
https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/showthread.php/129517-Klymit-Hammock-V-a-good-idea-or-not/page1

AggieOutlaw said:

I don't know if this is dual purpose but it looks pretty good for the money

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I guess it would help if I posted the link?
https://www.amazon.com/Outdoor-Vita...8562&sr=8-1&keywords=outdoor+vital+underquilt

I posted this same information in a thread from last year and will post it again. I spent the entire second week of last archery elk season, 9 days, sleeping in my hammock. It seems I ground sleep more than I hammock sleep; but, I'm doing more and more hammock. It is just flat out more comfortable, once you get it dialed in. That can be done at home in your yard. I have a compressed disk in my lower back and sleeping in a hammock relieves me of the pain I get when sleeping on the ground. That second week, every night in the mountains got down around freezing. I had snow a couple of nights and rain several nights. I was dry and comfortable. As someone above said, you absolutely must have some sort of insulation under you. Whether that be sleeping pad or under quilt, you must have it. Hell, if you don't have it when it's 70 degrees out you will get a cold keister. I have used all types of underside insulation. My favorite is the under quilt. I am also a side sleeper. No problem. Get a large enough, light weight tarp and you have all the benefits of a tent. A hammock hung correctly is the perfect camp chair also. They really are amazing when you get your set-up dialed in and the way you want. If you ever go willy nilly into areas where there are no trees, you just bivy camp under the tarp you have along to cover your hammock. I use quilts; however, I usually carry a closed cell foam pad also. They are just so multi-purpose and weigh so little. No trees? Ground with closed cell, tarp and quilts. Heck, when I go without hammock, that's what I take anyway. I have switched almost completely from sleeping bags to quilts. They are so much better, in my opinion. The best sleep I ever get is in my hammock.

I have used the hennessey hammock into late september with good results. Use a sleeping pad with a high R value to insulate and you are good to go.

So i used a clark hammok in the miltery for a number of years in all types of weather. I now use a nx-270 it is a 4 season hammock with a westren mountaineering ulterlight bag. I also bring a cargo strap with so i can adjust the tension for a good hang. Set up a supper fly over top the whole thing and u are good to go. Best sleep i get is in a hammok. Just like any thing else in the hunting world the more you do it the eaiser it becomes.