HAMMOCK OR TENT

[Salty]

Here I go again. Thought I had the answer, a Tenere adventure tent. Now I am leaning towards a Mosquito Hammock or Hennessy Hammock, because of weight and flexibility of location to set up, also ease of set up. Has a member of the form any experience with these, as I have none, comments appreciated.

Salty

 

[Mellow]

I believe a traditional tent has more flexibility as you don't need trees... but, I know a few over at MotoCampers.com that love their hammocks and many like the Hennessy. That's the only somewhat useful input I can provide as I've never camped using one.

 

[rem]

Here I go again. Thought I had the answer, a Tenere adventure tent. Now I am leaning towards a Mosquito Hammock or Hennessy Hammock, because of weight and flexibility of location to set up, also ease of set up. Has a member of the form any experience with these, as I have none, comments appreciated.

Salty

There are some impressive bivys out there these days. Might make an interesting compromise for you. R


http://www.mec.ca/AST/ShopMEC/Tents/BivySacks/PRD~4006-996/integral-designs-unishelter-expedition-bivy-sack.jsp

 

[spklbuk]

These folks can give you an informed, though biased, opinion about all things hammock...http://www.hammockforums.net/

The Henessey hammocks are bottom loaders and take some finessed to get into, but are very trick.

I use both depending on the situation...two-up = tent; one-up = top loading hammock/tarp.

Here in the east, I've never camped where locating suitable trees (an art in itself..read up on the hammock forums) is a problem.

 

[Salty]

Thanks for the info. I will follow up with more research. The reason why I am looking at all possibilities is for my 2013 / 2014 travels through C & S Amerian countries all temperate zones and landscapes. So mosquitos, ground critters, reptiles and crawlies are a concern. It may very well be I will use both a tent and hammock to cover various terran and situations.
Personal member experience input will be most welcome.

Now oboy! riding gear, clothing, sleeping bag etc, I begin researching. This may be never ending.

Salty

 

[markjenn]

This is one of those belly putter vs. conventional putter sort of things. All personal preference.

I don't particularly enjoy sleeping on the ground so in ideal conditions, I prefer hammocks, but when you have the issues of suitable trees, bugs, critters, weather, and cold all factored in, I don't see that a hammock can ever truly replace a tent. And once you start making a hammock start doing all the things a tent does, it loses any size/weight advantage. And I won't carry both.

But if you fit the hammock's environmental envelope and don't mind sleeping all night in one position, it's very very nice.

- Mark

 

[johnnail]

I'm an old fart, but I bought a hammock and couldn't get rid of it fast enough! absolutely miserable way to sleep (for me) and those nightly urination calls required a lot of planning. I sleep on my side and a hammock is the anti-comfort.

Hell, if you want to be cramped, just get a bivy. I have one that weighs about 2.5 lbs is wind/waterproof and has a good bug screen. Downside is you can't sit up in it

 

[spklbuk]

For the side sleepers amongst us who entertain thoughts of hammocking, check out a design known as a bridge hammocks. Aficionados of such hammocks claim to be able to sleep comfortably even on their belly.

Johnnail were you sleeping diagonally in your hammock or trying to lay straight down the middle?

Salty, the lesson here, if you want to try a hammock, practice with it in as near the conditions you intend to use it in as possible...somewhere you can bail if things don't work out. And it will likely take more than one night experimenting before you can decide. I will not miss sleeping on the ground if I never have to endure it again. If you decide to go with a hammock, check into other means of insulation than a sleeping bag.

 

[dcstrom]

I do both on longer trips where I'm camping different places - if I don't have anything to hang the hammock from, and/or the weather is cold/wet, I'll put up the tent. If conditions are conducive, I'll hang the hammock. I have one something like this, and it packs smaller than a softball.

http://www.rei.com/product/815061/grand-trunk-ultralight-travel-hammock-single-special-buy


They are designed to spread flat when laying crosswise - like this - if you get it right it's comfortable, but yes tricky to get in and out of. I think if I was prepared to spend more money I could get something better, but for $30 it's a good thing to have as a backup for the tent, or just to hang out in when not out riding! (I would have to get a double if my hanging partner was as shown below...)

 

[Brntrt]

I've moved up into the trees and will never go back to the ground unless of course there are no trees. The hammock can also be set up as a bivy if you have to go to the ground. I currently hang in a Hennesy Explorer with a side zipper option,a 12 hex tarp and a super shelter and am good down to 20 degrees. I can't ever imagine camping in a tent again and waking up stiff and wet. Never suffered from claustrophobia and on hot summer night there is nothing quite like sleeping tarp less and being rocked asleep by a summer breeze. It takes some fiddling around to get the setup right but once you figure it out it's unquestionably the most comfortable camping experience. BTW I'm a side sleeper and don't have any issues sleeping on my side in the Hennessy.


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Mark

 

[Floracycle]

I have a HH and a MSR Hubba . I really like the Hennesy and camp that way when possible. It excels in hot weather. I think you can't beat a tent and good sleeping pad across a broad range of conditions. Ultimately it is a personal choice.

 

[markjenn]

I can't ever imagine camping in a tent again and waking up ... wet.

How does sleeping it a tent translate to waking up wet?

- Mark

 

[Brntrt]

How does sleeping it a tent translate to waking up wet?

- Mark

Camping in the mountains/hills generally means in order to find a flat spot you are setting up in the bottoms. Water, gravity, low areas results in pooling. I live in the SE and have camped my entire life. If your on the ground and you have a heavy rain you're going to get wet. And yes I used ground cloths.



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Mark

 

[tomatocity]

Camping in the mountains/hills generally means in order to find a flat spot you are setting up in the bottoms. Water, gravity, low areas results in pooling. I live in the SE and have camped my entire life. If your on the ground and you have a heavy rain you're going to get wet. And yes I used ground cloths.



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Mark

Good point Mark.

 

[markjenn]

All I can relate is that I've camped my entire life in tents (sometimes for a month+) all over the country and I've never had a single night where I've woke up wet. Granted, I haven't tried to camp in a swamp. I've seldom had a situation where finding a flat spot had me setting up a tent "in the bottoms". I think for most situations, you're more likely to be dry in a tent than a hammock.

- Mark

 

[tomatocity]

All I can relate is that I've camped my entire life in tents (sometimes for a month+) all over the country and I've never had a single night where I've woke up wet. Granted, I haven't tried to camp in a swamp. I've seldom had a situation where finding a flat spot had me setting up a tent "in the bottoms". I think for most situations, you're more likely to be dry in a tent than a hammock.

- Mark

Mark, this reminds me of a trip report I read probably four years ago. This is an annual trip to Death Valley. A couple guys show up very late and setup their tent in the middle of the camp, the lowest spot. It rains during the night (Death Valley Rain?). They wake up to 6" of water in their tents. At least it was not muddy.

There seem to be plus' to a Tent and a Hammock. Not everyone wears Levi's.

 

[Mellow]

A lot depends on the quality of the tent an whether you've seam-sealed it. A new backpacking tent can almost float on a pond without leaking. I was in a downpour in TX one year and there was about 3 inches of water all around in a flat field and it felt like I was on a waterbed but only had a couple drops of water in the corners. When they speak of bathtub bottoms, they refer to the area covering the bottom of the tent and about 4-8 inches up each side. My tent at the time was a Eureka Apex.

Never gotten wet in a tent. I have a quality exped air mattress and low-degree sleeping bag so I've never really been cold either with those.

I would fear being cold in a hammock more so than a tent... There's a reason overpasses freeze first.

 

[maddog5150]

I have no experience with this but have been doing lots of research, reading hammock forum and watching videos. I really like the idea, but being so used to a tent I cant quite convince myself in my head. I would love to try it for moto camping, but I also do not want to carry both on a big trip. I think I will end up buying one and trying it out here and there to see how the whole thing goes.

I do think that we need a smiley in a hammock! ::018::

 

[nondairycreamer]

It's quite simple, buy a hammock that can be set up as a tent on the ground when there are no trees. Of course, you will want a ground tarp for that, just like a tent. And you will pick up dirt and mud, just like a tent. And you will need a ground pad just like a tent. My hammock can be used as a ground tent but I never choose to. If I did find myself without trees I can run a line from the top to the rack or handlebar of my bike to support one end, that is all that is needed.

A couple of advantages of a hammock: it serves as a great seat allowing you to ditch the chair; it serves as a quick napping tool when stopping on long rides; it packs smaller and lighter than any tent (and I've had the smallest and lightest of tents); you don't need a therma-rest or other ground padding, and you do not need a ground cover to protect from mud so even less gear; you can choose much rougher ground and even steep hills for camping- try that with a tent. No poles to bend or break. No separate rain fly to attach.

I can hang my hammock in two minutes and pack it just as fast, it has a built in stuff sack that also holds the tree huggers. I travel with a Clark North American Jungle hammock. Impossible to fall out of and I can hang it and stow it with it never touching the ground. I can hang my hammock in two minutes and pack it just as fast, it has a built in stuff sack that also holds the tree huggers which I keep attached to the harness ends with carabiners. It has storage pouches on the underside for smaller items and full length netting as well as a rain fly that can hang down and cover it like a cocoon for wind driven rain or total privacy. The only drawback I've found is it feels confining the first few uses and you can't take much inside with you. But I can take a book and reading light if sleep is distant. And hammocks are meant to be slept in on a diagonal to the length axis. I now hang my riding gear in a separate gear bag from the hammock harness or under the hammock. And now when riding only my sleeping bag is left outside of lockable luggage.

 

[Maxified]

Those Clark Hammocks look interesting. Wish they had pics of setting up on the ground as they mention on their site, just in case...