Hammock camping in the rain ENC

252piledriver said:
That would have been extremely convenient!
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I invented them, and have been making them for over a decade. I shut down the web site, and only make 'em on request. I'm thnkin' 'bout makin' a DIY kit.
 
Looks like it worked out well. Finding the trees to make that work is the tricky part, If all goes well I'll spend a night in a hammock on Lost Cove later in the week. I've not slept on the ground in years.
 
MacEntyre said:
I invented them, and have been making them for over a decade. I shut down the web site, and only make 'em on request. I'm thnkin' 'bout makin' a DIY kit.
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You should post a thread about them with pics.
 
Hammock is the only way for me. I'm on day 10 of 30 in a 10x10 popup canopy with a home brewed fence rail stand this time. No trees in the middle of the field that we're in so situation dictates something out of the ordinary. I'll be in this setup at the BBQ, if anyone is interested in seeing how things work for Autistic MacGyver llc.

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Johnny said:
Hammock is the only way for me. I'm on day 10 of 30 in a 10x10 popup canopy with a home brewed fence rail stand this time. No trees in the middle of the field that we're in so situation dictates something out of the ordinary. I'll be in this setup at the BBQ, if anyone is interested in seeing how things work for Autistic MacGyver llc.

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That would be great for out on the beach! You could lay out there all day in the shade
 
Have not gone camping in over a decade. We used to have a 10x20 foot cabin tent. Set up a 20x40 tarp over that. We had about 300# of camping gear. :D
Last time was a rustic cabin with electricity. Big family thing. 4 cabins. My wife's niece brought a u-haul trailer full of stuff. Way overboard TV, and PS3 for the kids. It was hilarious.
 
Cool setups. Never tried sleeping in a hammock. How does that work if you like to sleep on your side? It seems like it would be hard on your back?
For some odd reason none of my friends who were in the Army or Marines support any form of "camping". Nope, not gonna do it. Motel 6 is as low as they will go. :rolleyes:

But my Air Force buddies think it's fun! :D
 
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Downeast said:
Cool setups. Never tried sleeping in a hammock. How does that work if you like to sleep on your side? It seems like it would be hard on your back?
For some odd reason none of my friends who were in the Army or Marines support any form of "camping". Nope, not gonna do it. Motel 6 is as low as they will go. :rolleyes:

But my Air Force buddies think it's fun! :D
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No problems sleeping for me, back, side. even slept in my hammock with my girl last time. Was a little cramped but could be worked out to be more comfortable I think
 
Downeast said:
It seems like it would be hard on your back?
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You sleep on a diagonal, so you lay almost flat, on your back or on your side. Lots of people with serious back problems can only camp using a hammock.
 
This site has some great info for the hammocking beginner. It should be required reading for those that say they can't sleep in a hammock because it hurts their knees, back, whatever. It has a really good tarp guide in it as well as how to set up your hammock suspension.

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Hammock Hang Calculator – The Ultimate Hang

theultimatehang.com theultimatehang.com
 
MacEntyre said:
You sleep on a diagonal, so you lay almost flat, on your back or on your side. Lots of people with serious back problems can only camp using a hammock.
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I tried this yesterday with little success. I just kind of rolled back to the middle. What am I doing wrong?
 
Frack N Cylons said:
I tried this yesterday with little success. I just kind of rolled back to the middle. What am I doing wrong?
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I found it took some time to find the sweet spot. Once I did, it was a game changer.
 
i am a side sleeper and change sides often, I just don't see how that would be possible without great effort or even at all in a hammock. 🙁
 
Frack N Cylons said:
I tried this yesterday with little success. I just kind of rolled back to the middle. What am I doing wrong?
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Don't hang the hammock too tight. You should hang the hammock with about a 30 degree sag angle. If you find trees 16' apart, put your tree straps 7' up, and hang the hammock so you can sit in it with your feet on the ground, it will be close to 30 degrees. It helps to have an adjustable suspension, like whoopie slings.
 
Flashpoint said:
i am a side sleeper and change sides often, I just don't see how that would be possible without great effort or even at all in a hammock. 🙁
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Once I figured out the sweet spot in my hammock for the right diagonal lay, side sleeping was no problem. Changing sides takes a little more work since I have to make sure I don't move my underquilt when I so do, but, I got the hang of doing that without unzipping and reaching underneath/beside my hammock with that, too. Also, I sleep with an overquilt with a foot box now, rather than a sleeping bag. Game changer when it comes to ease of changing sides.

I'm a side sleeper, but have found myself comfortable sleeping on my back in the hammock at times, too.
 
MacEntyre said:
UQ with a TQ and footbox is the way to go, for sure!

Anyone ever try a bridge hammock?
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I have not but was thinking that might be a solution for the side sleepers. My gathered end hammock does want to push you to the middle. Even when I'm sleeping more diagonal. Oddly, I'm a stomach sleeper except in a hammock. I sleep great on my back in the hammock. And I find I can't move much with the gossamer gear pad under me. Great thing is, it's grabby and you don't slip out of position. Bad thing is that it's so grabby you can barely change position once you get settled in. But it's such a great, lightweight butt insulator it has become a non negotiable for me.

FWIW, great sleep might not be the best description for me. I get incredible rest in a hammock. But I sleep in shorter naps, unlike in a bed. So I probably sleep less, which isn't unusual the first few nights out for me. But I wake up incredibly well rested. And the sleep I do get is really deep. It's odd, but I like it.
 
Well, this thread got me digging. And I now have a JacksRBetter James River Bridge Hammock with UQ and OQ headed my way. Got a couple trips planned for May and June so I hope to be able to review it after. Been using my DIY stuff and just figured it was time to upgrade to some better gear.
 
MacEntyre said:
Good job, Chief! The Jacks are good people, and they commercialized the bridge hammock, which was developed on Hammock Forums. You will love that hammock!
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I’m amazed how light it is.
 
MacEntyre said:
Good job, Chief! The Jacks are good people, and they commercialized the bridge hammock, which was developed on Hammock Forums. You will love that hammock!
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I found this one on eBay. The guy is a gear head and seems to buy, use, and sell a lot of gear. The problem I was having is that everything was sold out. I could not complete a set anywhere, Warbonnet, JRB, or Dutchware. So I found this guy selling the hammock, 20 degree and 40 degree quilts and watched it while I was searching other sites. Once I found out I could not order a hammock and the matching quilts from anyone I sent the guy and offer and he accepted.
 
I hammock camp when I go bear hunting. The first night I tried it I felt very exposed but every night after that was fine. I actually sleep really well "most" of the time in my hammock. Figuring out the right setup BEFORE going camping is the key to an enjoyable nights rest.
 
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